esday some Jews were passing from the villages to the city, and that
one of them had a Greek boy with him. The Consuls immediately cited
the Jew to appear before them, and questioned him on the subject. He
replied that he could prove that during the whole of Tuesday he was in
the village, and did not come into the city until Wednesday. He added,
moreover, that even if this boy did enter the city by that road, and
at the time the Jews were going into it, it ought not therefore to be
believed that the Jews had killed him, as the road was the chief and
public thoroughfare through which any one might pass.

"These reasons were not admitted by the Consuls, and the unfortunate
Jew was immediately put in irons, and tortured in a manner never yet
seen or heard of. Having been loaded with chains, many stripes were
inflicted on him, red hot wires were run through his nose, burning
bones applied to his head, and a heavy stone was laid upon his breast,
so that he was reduced to the point of death; all this time his
tormentors were accusing him, saying, 'You have stolen the Greek boy,
to deliver him up to the Rabbi--confess at once, if you wish to save
yourself."

"Their object was to calumniate our Rabbi, and to take vengeance on
all the community; and they stated openly that this was done for the
purpose of exterminating the Jews in Rhodes, or to compel them to
change their religion, so that they might be able to boast in Europe
of having converted an entire community.

"Meanwhile the poor Jew cried out in the midst of these torments,
praying for death as a relief, to which they replied, that he must
confess to whom he had given the boy, and then he should be
immediately set at liberty. The poor Jew, oppressed by tortures beyond
endurance, resorted to falsehood in order to save himself. He
calumniated first one and then another, but many whom he accused had
been absent from the town some time, which clearly proved that his
assertions had no other object than to free himself from these
tortures. Nevertheless all those who could be found were immediately
imprisoned, and subjected to insupportable torments, to extort from
them the confession that they had delivered the boy to the Chief
Rabbi, or to the elders of the community, and night and day they were
tormented, because they would not accuse innocent persons. Meanwhile,
goaded by continual tortures, these poor creatures cried out and
prayed that they might be killed rather than