Trial by Fire (Hist.)

The test of the truth of doctrines by walking through fire, to which Fra Francesco challenges Savonarola. It is staged with much ceremony, but it is eventually prevented by rain. The Trial, or Ordeal by Fire, was set for April 7, 1498. In her account of the preparations for the Ordeal, the various delays, and its final prevention by the coming of rain, George Eliot follows closely the historical account as given by Villari.

<em>Romola</em>

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