self with exactitude in matters pertaining to religion.
This man had confined himself many years before in a place called
Endielon, a day's journey from Amida, in order that he might with more
security devote himself to pious contemplation. The men of this place,
assisting his purpose, had surrounded him with a kind of fencing, in
which the stakes were not continuous, but set at intervals, so that
those who approached could see and hold converse with him. And they had
constructed for him a small roof over his head, sufficient to keep off
the rain and snow. There this man had been sitting for a long time,
never yielding either to heat or cold, and sustaining his life with
certain seeds, which he was accustomed to eat, not indeed every day, but
only at long intervals. Now some of the Ephthalitae who were overrunning
the country thereabout saw this Jacobus and with great eagerness drew
their bows with intent to shoot at him. But the hands of every one of
them became motionless and utterly unable to manage the bow. When this
was noised about through the army and came to the ears of Cabades, he
desired to see the thing with his own eyes; and when he saw it, both he
and the Persians who were with him were seized with great astonishment,
and he entreated Jacobus to forgive the barbarians their crime. And he
forgave them with a word, and the men were released from their distress.
Cabades then bade the man ask for whatever he wished, supposing that he
would ask for a great sum of money, and he also added with youthful
recklessness that he would be refused nothing by him. But he requested
Cabades to grant to him all the men who during that war should come to
him as fugitives. This request Cabades granted, and gave him a written
pledge of his personal safety. And great numbers of men, as might be
expected, came flocking to him from all sides and found safety there;
for the deed became widely known. Thus, then, did these things take
place.

Cabades, in besieging Amida, brought against every part of the defences
the engines known as rams; but the townspeople constantly broke off the
heads of the rams by means of timbers thrown across them[8]. However,
Cabades did not slacken his efforts until he realized that the wall
could not be successfully assailed in this way. For, though he battered
the wall many times, he was quite unable to break down any portion of
the defence, or even to shake it; so secure had been the work of the
builder