What injured them most was the sympathy of the rich Jews.

On the other hand they derived valuable advantages from their feeble number.

In the first place there were among them fewer fools than among their opponents, who were over-burdened with them.
Comprising but a feeble minority, they co-operated easily, acted with harmony, and had no temptation to divide and thus counteract one another's efforts.

Each of them felt the necessity of doing the best possible and was the more careful of his conduct as he found himself more in the public eye.

Finally, they had every reason to hope that they would gain fresh adherents, while their opponents, having had everybody with them at the beginning, could only decrease.
Summoned before the judges at a public sitting, Colomban immediately perceived that his judges were not anxious to discover the truth.