When Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Romans, was suffering from a serious illness, and having learned that there was a physician in Jerusalem named Jesus who cured diseases with his word alone, he, being unaware that the Jews and Pilate had put him to death, gave this order to a certain kinsman of his named Volusianus, “Go as quickly as possible across the sea and tell Pilate, my servant and friend, to send this physician to me, that he may restore me to the state of health I was in before.” Volusianus, when he heard this emperor’s command, set out at once and went to Pilate, in accordance with the order he had received. And he reported to Pilate what Tiberius Caesar had instructed him to do, saying: “Tiberius Caesar, your lord, having learned that there is a physician in this city who can cure diseases with his word alone, earnestly entreats you to send him to cure his own illness.” When Pilate heard this, he was greatly afraid, realizing that he had had him killed out of envy. Pilate therefore answered the messenger, saying, “This man was a criminal, and he had drawn all the people after him. Therefore, after holding a council among the wise men of the city, I commanded that he be crucified.” As the messenger was returning home, he met a woman named Veronica, who had treated Jesus, and said to her, “Woman, why did the Jews put to death a certain physician who lived in this city, who healed the sick with only a word?” But she wept and said, “Woe is me! My Lord, my God, whom Pilate handed over, condemned, and crucified out of envy.” Then he, deeply distressed, said, “I am terribly sorry, for I shall not be able to fulfill the task which my master gave me.” Veronica said to him: “When my Lord went off to preach, I was very distressed at being deprived of his presence; then I desired a portrait to be made of me, so that while I could not enjoy his company, at least the figure of his image might comfort me. And as I went to take the canvas to the painter to have it designed for me, my Lord came to meet me and asked me where I was going. When I told him my purpose, he asked me for the canvas and gave it back to me marked with the image of his venerable face. If, then, your master will look devoutly upon his appearance, he will immediately be blessed with the benefit of healing.” He then said to her: “Can such a portrait be purchased with gold or silver?” She replied: “No, but with a pious affection of devotion. I will go with you and take the image for Caesar to see; then I will return.”
Volusianus then came to Rome accompanied by Veronica and said to the Emperor Tiberius: “That Jesus, whom you have long desired, was handed over by Pilate and the Jews to an unjust death, and out of envy was nailed to the gallows of the cross. A certain matron has come with me, bringing with her a portrait of Jesus himself; if you look at it with devotion, you will immediately obtain the benefit of your recovery.” Caesar then had the road covered with silk and ordered that the image be presented to him. As soon as he looked at it, he recovered his former health. Consequently, Pontius Pilate was arrested by Caesar’s order and brought to Rome. When the emperor learned of his arrival in Rome, he was seized with great fury against him and ordered that he be presented to him. It is known that Pilate had brought with him Jesus’s seamless tunic, which he wore before Pilate. And as soon as he saw him, the emperor laid aside all his anger, stood up immediately before him, and did not dare to utter a harsh word. And so, he who in his absence had seemed so fierce and terrible, was now to a certain extent tame in his presence. But as soon as he had dismissed him, he began to rage terribly against him, calling himself a wretch at the top of his voice for not having shown him the indignation in his heart. And immediately he called him again, swearing and declaring that he was the son of death and that it was not lawful for him to live on earth. But as soon as he saw him again, he immediately saluted him and laid aside all the ferocity of his soul. All, and even he himself, were amazed that he should fly into such a rage in Pilate’s absence, while in his presence he was incapable of saying a single harsh word. Finally, by divine inspiration, or perhaps on the advice of some Christian, he ordered that he be stripped of that robe. And at once he regained his former ferocity of soul against him. The emperor, greatly amazed at this, was told that the tunic had belonged to Jesus. He then ordered that he be imprisoned while the council of wise men deliberated over what should be done with him. A few days later, sentence was passed against Pilate, condemning him to an extremely ignominious death. When this reached Pilate’s ears, he committed suicide with a knife, thus ending his life.
When Caesar heard of this, he said, “He has truly died a most ignominious death, for his own hand has not spared him.” They tied him to a huge mass and threw him into the depths of the Tiber. But it happened that certain unclean and evil spirits, rejoicing in a body of their own kind, moved through the waters and brought lightning and tempests, thunder and hail into the air, so that everyone was seized with terrible fear. Therefore the Romans took him out of the Tiber and carried him in mockery to Vienna and threw him into the depths of the Rhone, for Vienna sounds something like the road to Gehenna (hell), because it was a cursed place at that time. But evil spirits appeared there too, doing the same things. Those inhabitants, unable to bear such a great invasion of demons, cast the cursed vessel away from them and ordered it to be buried in the territory of Lausanne. The inhabitants of this region, feeling excessively oppressed by the aforementioned invasions, cast it away and threw it into a well surrounded by mountains, where, if some accounts are to be believed, some diabolical machinations are said to still be stirring.