JOHN THE MARTYR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1941, Page 9

JOHN THE MARTYR

MAN WHO TORTURED HIS OWN BODY. John the Martyr did not live in the time of the Apostles, lie was born in Queen Elizabeth's specious days, and having opened his eyes for the first time in London, which he afterwards came to regard as a wicked city, he continued to torment his body by way of punishment. Joining a company of Jesuits, this strange person went off to Brazil, living in a monastery then', and becoming famous throughout the continent where he was known to the pious as Jonm de .Almeida. No man ever ill-treated his body more earnestly than Joam. He invented a whole series of horrible whips and scourges, and with these he daily beat himself —or got others to beat him —till the blood run down and the flesh was livid. Regarding his body as a beast, a rebellious slave, a sinning creature, he tortured it without mercy He never walked abroad without putting gram: of millet in Jiis shoes In that hot climate he wore thick clothing, which made him perspire He bound fine steel wires round his arms and legs till they bl* into the- flesh He locked • ■ chain about ho waist til! it ate mt,, the wry bone. He had a hair shirt which irritated him day and night, anti sewn inside were seven ir>>:; crosses with rasped surfaces ns sharp and cruel as nutmeg-grater-He lived on bread arid water You v- -old thml; that Joam de AL Ittoida uitherwi.se plum John Martin <<f London) would have ..Hied hmnelf by lie; piety insitii months. You would expert that such brutal treatment would lie the death of him m a .war or two at most M.m’s human body ;s a weak thing al best- c<>u!d it bear ■ neb torture b iig ’ It .■ mce-ary to add that lie lived to lie '.it' and to ‘.ty l>y way of pointing tin- moral (which you ne<-H m,‘ take nil}" notice <>f > that vou might Hy valler much mm,- the! y. .. ma doing, and still remain .at tin - a- : •ho