The Augustine friar consented. The Jesuit then turning to one of his brothers, the friar Mark, who was waiting upon them, said, “Brother Mark, our companions are cold; I command you, in virtue of the holy obedience you have sworn to me, to bring here, instantly, out of the kitchen-fire, and in your hands, some burning coals, that they may warm themselves over your hands.” Father Mark instantly obeyed; and, to the astonishment of the Augustine friar, brought in his hands a supply of red burning coals, and held them to whoever chose to warm himself; and, at the command of his superior, returned them to the kitchen hearth. The general of the Augustine friars, with the rest of his brotherhood, stood amazed; he looked wistfully on one of his monks, as if he wished to command him to do the like. But the Augustine monk, who perfectly understood him, and saw this was not a time to hesitate, observed, “Reverend father, forbear, and do not command me to tempt God: I am ready to fetch you fire in a chaffing-dish, but not in my bare hands.” The triumph of the Jesuits was complete, and it is not necessary to add, that “the _miracle_” was noised about, and that the Augustine friars could never account for it, notwithstanding their strict performance of the three vows! And yet here was no mystery. According to sir James Mackintosh, “In the _Mercure de France_, there is a very curious account of experiments made at Naples to discover the means by which jugglers have appeared to be incombustible. They seem to be completely discovered, and chiefly to consist in, first, gradually habituating the skin, the mouth, throat, and stomach, to great degrees of heat; second, in rubbing the skin with hard soap, and in covering the tongue with hard soap, and over that with a layer of powdered sugar. By these means, the professor at Naples is enabled to walk over burning coals, to take into his mouth boiling oil, and to wash his hands in melted lead. The miracles of several saints, the numerous escapes from the fiery ordeal, and tricks now played by the Hindoo jugglers, are thus perfectly explained; and all these prodigies may be performed in a fortnight by any apothecary’s apprentice.”