Cambalu (or Pekin), with
seven bishops under him; and Christianity seemed thus far to be
flourishing in that region (A.D. 1307).

[96] Pages 225-227.

[97] Part I, p. 146.

In the meantime the people of countries bordering on the Baltic Sea were
converted, although not without much trouble. Sometimes they would
profess to welcome the Gospel; but as soon as the preachers had left
them they disowned it, and washed themselves, as if by doing so they
might get rid of their Christian baptism. And the missionaries often
found themselves at a loss how to deal with the ignorant superstition of
these people. Thus a missionary in Livonia, named Dietrich, was
threatened with death because an eclipse had taken place during his
visit to their country, and they fancied that he had swallowed the sun!
At another time his life was in danger because the natives saw that his
fields were in better condition than theirs, and, instead of
understanding that this was the effect of his greater skill and care,
they charged him with having brought it about by magical arts. They
therefore resolved to settle his fate by bringing forward a horse who
was regarded as sacred to their gods, and observing how the beast
behaved. At first the horse put forward his right foot, which would have
saved the missionary's life; but the heathen diviners said that the God
of Christians was sitting on the horse's back, and directing him; and
they insisted that the back should be rubbed, in order to get rid of
such influence. But after this had been done, the horse again put
forward the same foot, and, much against the will of the Livonians,
Dietrich was allowed to go free.

Sometimes the missionaries tried other things to help the effect of
their preaching. Thus, a later missionary in Livonia, Albert of
Apeldern, in order to give the people some knowledge of Scripture
history, got up what was called a prophetical play, in which Gideon,
David, and Herod were to appear. But when Gideon and his men began to
fight the Midianites on the stage, the heathens took alarm lest some
treacherous trick should be practised on them, and they all ran away in
affright.

Albert of Apeldern founded a military order, somewhat on the plan of the
Templars, for the conversion of the heathen on the Baltic; and it was
afterwards joined with another order. The Teutonic (or German) order,
which was thus formed, became very famous. By subduing the nations of
the Baltic coasts, it forced