children to pray for a blessing upon what he was about to
undertake, he went on Christmas-day to the Cathedral of Tournay and
stationed himself near the altar. Having awaited the moment in which the
priest held on high the consecrated host, Le Blas then forced his way
through the crowd, snatched the wafer from the hands of the astonished
ecclesiastic, and broke it into bits, crying aloud, as he did so,
"Misguided men, do ye take this thing to be Jesus Christ, your Lord and
Saviour?" With these words, he threw the fragments on the ground and
trampled them with his feet.

[Histoire des Martyrs, f. 356, exev.; apud Brandt, i. 171,172.
It may be well supposed that this would be regarded as a crime of
almost inconceivable magnitude. It was death even to refuse to
kneel in the streets when the wafer was carried by. Thus, for
example, a poor huckster, named Simon, at Bergen-op-Zoom, who
neglected to prostrate himself before his booth at the passage of
the host, was immediately burned. Instances of the same punishment
for that offence might be multiplied. In this particular case, it
is recorded that the sheriff who was present at the execution was so
much affected by the courage and fervor of the simple-minded victim,
that he went home, took to his bed, became delirious, crying
constantly, Ah, Simon! Simon! and died miserably, "notwithstanding
all that the monks could do to console him."]

The amazement and horror were so universal at such an appalling offence,
that not a finger was raised to arrest the criminal. Priests and
congregation were alike paralyzed, so that he would have found no
difficulty in making his escape. Ho did not stir, however; he had come to
the church determined to execute what he considered a sacred duty, and to
abide the consequences. After a time, he was apprehended. The inquisitor
demanded if he repented of what he had done. He protested, on the
contrary, that he gloried in the deed, and that he would die a hundred
deaths to rescue from such daily profanation the name of his Redeemer,
Christ. He was then put thrice to the torture, that he might be forced to
reveal his accomplices. It did not seem in human power for one man to
accomplish such a deed of darkness without confederates. Bertrand had
none, however, and could denounce none. A frantic sentence was then
devised as a feeble punishment for so much wickedness. He was dragged on
a hurdle, with his mouth close