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glorifying the Lord, not gathered one by one, but translated all at once. And what was the manner of the translation? These men, excelling in size of body, prime of life, and the strength of all their peers, were assigned to serve in the military rolls; and through military experience and courage of soul, they already held the first honors from the emperors, being renowned among all for their virtue. But when that godless and impious edict was proclaimed, not to confess Christ, or to expect dangers; 31.512 and every form of punishment was threatened, and great and beastly was the wrath stirred up by the judges of injustice against the pious; and plots and snares were devised against them, and various kinds of tortures were contrived, and the torturers were inexorable, the fire was ready, the sword was sharpened, the cross had been fixed; the pit, the wheel, the scourges; some fled, others submitted, others were shaken; and some, before the trial, were struck with terror by the threat alone; others, coming close to the terrors, grew dizzy; and others, having entered the contests, then being unable to endure to the end of their sufferings, gave up somewhere in the middle of the struggle, just like those storm-tossed at sea, and shipwrecked the cargo of endurance they already possessed; then indeed these men, the invincible and noble soldiers of Christ, coming forth into their midst, as the magistrate was showing the emperor's letters and demanding obedience, with a free voice, boldly and courageously, shrinking from none of the things they saw, nor terrified by the threats, proclaimed themselves Christians. O blessed tongues, that uttered that sacred sound, which the air received and was sanctified, which the angels heard and applauded; but the devil with his demons was wounded; and the Lord in heaven recorded it.

Therefore each one, coming into the midst, said: I am a Christian. And just as in the stadia those who enter for the contest both say their own names and move to the place of the contest; so indeed did these men then, casting away the names given to them from birth, each one named himself after the common Savior. And they all did this, each in turn joining himself to the one before. So that there became one name for all; for it was no longer so-and-so, or so-and-so, but they were all proclaimed Christians. What then did the one in power do? For he was clever and cunning, trying on the one hand to subvert with flattery, and on the other to turn them aside with threats. First he tried to bewitch them with flatteries, attempting to break the tension of their piety. Do not betray your youth; nor exchange this pleasant life for an untimely death. For it is absurd for men accustomed to excelling in wars to die the death of criminals. In addition to this he promised money. He offered honors from the emperor, and distributions 31.513 of high offices, and he laid siege to them with countless devices, But when they did not yield to this temptation, he moved on to the other kind of device. He held over them blows, and deaths, and the trial of incurable punishments. And while he said such things, what was the response of the martyrs? Why, he says, do you entice us, O enemy of God, to depart from the living God, and to serve destructive demons, by offering us your goods? Why do you give so much, which you are eager to take away? I hate a gift that is the cause of loss; I do not accept an honor that is the mother of dishonor. You give money that perishes, glory that fades. You make us known to the emperor, but you alienate us from the true king.

Why do you pettily offer a few things from the world? The whole world is despised by us. The things that are seen are not worthy of the hope we long for. You see this heaven, how beautiful to behold, and how great? and the earth, how large? and the wonders in it? None of these things are equal to the blessedness of the righteous. These things indeed

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δοξαζόντων τὸν Κύριον, οὐ καθ' ἕνα συναθροισθέντες, ἀλλ' ἀθρόως μετατεθέντες. Τίς δὲ ὁ τρόπος τῆς μεταθέσεως; Οὗτοι, μεγέθει σώματος, καὶ ἡλικίας ἀκμῇ, καὶ δυνάμει τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἁπάντων διενεγκόντες, εἰς τοὺς στρατιωτι κοὺς τελεῖν ἐτάχθησαν καταλόγους· καὶ δι' ἐμ πειρίαν πολεμικὴν, καὶ ἀνδρείαν ψυχῆς, ἤδη τὰς πρώτας εἶχον παρὰ βασιλέων τιμὰς, ὀνομα στοὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὄντες δι' ἀρετήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ περιηγγέλη τὸ ἄθεον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἀσε βὲς κήρυγμα, μὴ ὁμολογεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν, ἢ κινδύνους 31.512 ἐκδέχεσθαι· ἠπειλεῖτο δὲ πᾶν εἶδος κολάσεως, καὶ πολὺς ὁ θυμὸς καὶ θηριώδης παρὰ τῶν κριτῶν τῆς ἀδικίας κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων κεκίνητο· ἐπιβουλαὶ δὲ καὶ δόλοι κατ' αὐτῶν συνεῤῥάπτοντο, καὶ ποικίλα εἴδη βασάνων ἐπετηδεύετο, καὶ οἱ αἰκιζόμενοι ἀπαρ αίτητοι, τὸ πῦρ ἕτοιμον, τὸ ξίφος ἠκόνητο, ὁ σταυρὸς ἐπεπήγει· ὁ βόθρος, ὁ τροχὸς, αἱ μάστιγες· οἱ μὲν ἔφευγον, οἱ δὲ ὑπέκυπτον, οἱ δὲ ἐσαλεύοντο· τινὲς δὲ πρὸ τῆς πείρας μόνην τὴν ἀπειλὴν κατ επλάγησαν· ἕτεροι δὲ, ἐγγὺς γενόμενοι τῶν δεινῶν, ἰλιγγίασαν· ἄλλοι δὲ, τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐμβάντες, εἶτα διαρκέσαι πρὸς τὸ πέρας τῶν πόνων ἀδυνατήσαντες, περὶ τὰ μέσα που τῆς ἀθλήσεως ἀπειπόντες, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν πελάγει χειμαζόμενοι, καὶ ἃ εἶχον ἤδη ἀγώγιμα τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἐναυάγησαν· τότε δὴ οὗτοι, οἱ ἀήττη τοι καὶ γενναῖοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιῶται, παρελθόν τες εἰς μέσους, ἐπιδεικνύντος τοῦ ἄρχοντος τὰ βασι λέως γράμματα καὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἀπαιτοῦντος, ἐλευ θέρᾳ τῇ φωνῇ, εὐθαρσῶς καὶ ἀνδρείως, οὐδὲν ὑπο πτήξαντες τῶν ὁρωμένων, οὐδὲ καταπλαγέντες τὰ ἀπειλούμενα, Χριστιανοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἀνεκήρυξαν. Ὦ μακάριαι γλῶσσαι, ὅσαι τὴν ἱερὰν ἐκείνην ἀφ ῆκαν φωνὴν, ἣν ἀὴρ μὲν δεξάμενος ἡγιάσθη, ἄγγελοι δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐπεκρότησαν· διάβολος δὲ μετὰ δαι μόνων ἐτραυματίσθη· Κύριος δὲ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπεγράψατο.

Εἶπον τοίνυν ἕκαστος εἰς τὸ μέσον παριών· Χριστιανός εἰμι. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς σταδίοις οἱ ἐπ' ἄθλησιν παροδεύοντες ὁμοῦ τε λέγουσιν ἑαυτῶν τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τῆς ἀγωνίας μεθ ίστανται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτοι τότε, ῥίψαντες τὰς ἀπὸ γενέσεως αὐτοῖς ἐπιφημισθείσας προσηγορίας, ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ Σωτῆρος ἕκαστος ἑαυτὸν ἀνηγόρευον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐποίουν ἅπαντες, τῷ προλαβόντι ἑαυτὸν συν άπτων ὁ ἐφεξῆς. Ὥστε ἐγένετο πάντων προσηγορία μία· οὐκέτι γὰρ ὁ δεῖνα, ἢ ὁ δεῖνα, ἀλλὰ Χριστιανοὶ πάντες ἀνεκηρύττοντο. Τί οὖν ὁ κρατῶν τότε; ∆εινὸς γὰρ ἦν καὶ ποικίλος, τὰ μὲν θωπείαις ὑπελ θεῖν, τὰ δὲ ἀπειλαῖς παρατρέψαι. Πρῶτον μὲν αὐτοὺς κατεγοήτευε ταῖς θωπείαις, τὸν τόνον τῆς εὐσεβείας παραλύειν πειρώμενος. Μὴ προδῶτε ὑμῶν τὴν νεότητα· μηδὲ θάνατον ἄωρον τῆς ἡδείας ταύτης ζωῆς διαμείψητε. Ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀριστεύειν συνειθισμένους τὸν τῶν κακούργων θάνα τον ἀποθνήσκειν. Πρὸς τούτοις χρήματα ὑπισχνεῖτο. Τὰ δὲ ἐδίδου, τιμὰς ἐκ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀξιωμάτων 31.513 διανομὰς, καὶ μυρίαις αὐτοὺς ἐπινοίαις κατεστρα τήγει, Ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἐνεδίδοσαν πρὸς τὴν πεῖραν ταύ την, ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον εἶδος τῆς μηχανῆς μετῄει. Πληγὰς αὐτοῖς, καὶ θανάτους, καὶ κολάσεων ἀνηκέστων πεῖ ραν ἐπανετείνετο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν τοιαῦτα, τὰ δὲ τῶν μαρτύρων ὁποῖα; Τί, φησὶ, δελεάζεις ἡμᾶς, ὦ θεο μάχε, ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ δουλεύειν δαίμοσιν ὀλεθρίοις, προτεινόμενος ἡμῖν τὰ σὰ ἀγαθά; Τί τοσοῦτον δίδως, ὅσον ἀφελέσθαι σπουδάζεις; Μισῶ δωρεὰν ζημίας πρόξενον· οὐ δέχομαι τιμὴν ἀτιμίας μητέρα. Χρήματα δίδως τὰ ἀπομένοντα, δόξαν τὴν ἀπανθοῦσαν. Γνώριμον ποιεῖς βασιλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὄντος βασιλέως ἀλλοτριοῖς.

Τί μικρολόγως ὀλίγα τῶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου προτείνεις; Ὅλος ἡμῖν ὁ κόσμος καταπεφρόνηται. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν τῆς ἐπιθυμουμένης ἐλπίδος ἀντάξια τὰ ὁρώμενα. Ὁρᾷς τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ τον, ὡς καλὸς ἰδεῖν, ὡς δὲ μέγας; καὶ τὴν γῆν, ἡλίκη; καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ θαύματα; Οὐδὲν τούτων ἐξισοῦται τῇ μακαριότητι τῶν δικαίων. Ταῦτα μὲν