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He was openly afraid to stir up war against us; lest, he says, we should set up trophy after trophy, and achieve successive victories, and prepare to bind on crowns. And what does he do? Observe his villainy; he commanded all physicians, and soldiers, and sophists, and orators to abandon their professions, or to renounce their faith; thus skirmishing with us in war, so that if they should yield, their defeat might be ridiculous, because they did not prefer piety to money; but if they should stand nobly and prevail, their victory might not be very brilliant, nor their trophy conspicuous; for it is no great thing to despise a trade and a profession for the sake of piety. And he does not stop here only; but if anyone in former times, when emperors were pious, had either destroyed altars, or demolished temples, or taken votive offerings, or done anything else of that sort, he was dragged to court and slaughtered, not only the one who had done such a thing, but even the one who was simply accused. And he fabricated countless other various pretexts, so as to cut down all who lived in piety.

And he did all these things, wishing to obscure the crown of martyrdom; so that murder might advance for him, and slaughters might occur, but the brilliant prizes of the martyrs might not appear. But he gained nothing more. For it is not from his verdict, nor at all from his villainy that those who suffer these things are about to receive the crown, but from the incorruptible judgment, that from above, I say. 50.574

2. Therefore, while matters were in this state, and while he was in travail to bring forth war, and was fearing defeat, it happened that there was a military banquet, in which the martyrs who have gathered us today took part; and as is likely at a banquet, with many toasts being proposed, and some discussing one thing and some another, these men were lamenting the present evils, and they were blessing the former time, and were saying to themselves and to those present: Is it worth living at all anymore? Or breathing, or seeing this sun, when the sacred laws are trampled, when piety is insulted, when the common Lord of creation is dishonored? Everything is full of the smell of sacrifice and smoke, everything of impure offerings, we cannot even breathe pure air. But do not simply pass over what has been said; but consider the time in which these things were said; and observe the reverence of those who were speaking. For if at a military banquet where there was unmixed wine and drunkenness and a contest of extreme profligacy, and a struggle of drunken violence and madness, they groaned so, they lamented so, what sort of men were they when they were at home, and conversing only with each other? What sort of men were they in their prayers, who at the very time of luxury were so composed, and showed apostolic compassion? Others were falling, and these men lamented; another was acting impiously, and these were on fire; nor did they feel their own health, because of the sickness of their brothers; but just as if they had been given as common protectors of the world, so they grieved and wept over the evils that were happening. After saying these things they did not escape notice; but one of those sharing that table, an ironist and a flatterer, wishing to curry favor with the emperor, reported all that had been said to him; and he, having found what he had long been seeking, and having seized upon a pretext able to deprive them of the rewards of martyrdom, orders all their property to be confiscated, accusing them of treason for these words, and commanded them to be brought naked into the prison. But they rejoiced and were glad.

For what need have we of possessions, they say, and of costly clothing? for even if it should be necessary to strip off our very last garment and our flesh for Christ's sake, we will not cling even to this, but will give it up as well. And so there were seals on their houses, and all their possessions were being seized. And just as men about to

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ἐκεῖνος ἐδεδοίκει φανερῶς τὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς κινῆσαι πόλεμον· μὴ τρόπαια, φησὶν, ἀλλεπάλληλα στῆσαι, καὶ νίκας ἐργάσασθαι συνεχεῖς, καὶ στεφάνους ἀναδήσασθαι παρασκευάσωμεν. Καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Σκοπεῖτε τὴν κακουργίαν· Ἰατροὺς, καὶ στρατιώτας, καὶ σοφιστὰς, καὶ ῥήτορας ἅπαντας ἀφίστασθαι τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἢ τὴν πίστιν ἐξόμνυσθαι ἐκέλευσεν· οὕτω πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν πόλεμον ἀκροβολιζόμενος, ἵνα ἂν μὲν εἴξωσι, καταγέλαστος ἡ ἧττα γένηται, ὅτι χρημάτων τὴν εὐσέβειαν οὐ προετίμησαν· ἂν δὲ στῶσι γενναίως καὶ περιγένωνται, μὴ πάνυ λαμπρὰ ἡ νίκη, μηδὲ περιφανὲς τὸ τρόπαιον γένηται· οὐδὲν γὰρ μέγα τέχνης καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματος ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καταφρονῆσαι. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται μόνον· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἦν ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις, ἡνίκα βασιλεῖς ἦσαν εὐσεβεῖς, ἢ βωμοὺς καταλύσας, ἢ ναοὺς κατασκάψας, ἢ ἀναθήματα λαβὼν, ἢ ἄλλ' ὁτιοῦν τοιοῦτον ἐργασάμενος, εἰς δικαστήριον εἵλκετο, καὶ ἐσφάζετο, οὐχ ὁ πεποιηκώς τι τοιοῦτον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ κατηγορηθεὶς ἁπλῶς. Καὶ ἑτέρας δὲ μυρίας καὶ πολυτρόπους προφάσεις ἔπλαττεν, ὥστε κατακόψαι τοὺς ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ ζῶντας ἅπαντας.

Καὶ ταῦτα ἐποίει πάντα, τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἀμαυρῶσαι βουλόμενος· ἵνα ὁ μὲν φόνος αὐτῷ προχωρῇ, καὶ σφαγαὶ γίνωνται, μὴ φαίνηται δὲ λαμπρὰ τὰ τῶν μαρτύρων βραβεῖα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν αὐτῷ πλεῖον ἐγίγνετο. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου ψήφου, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς κακουργίας πάντως οἱ ταῦτα παθόντες, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδεκάστου κρίσεως, τῆς ἄνωθεν λέγω, τὸν στέφανον δέχεσθαι μέλλουσι. 50.574

βʹ. Τοιγαροῦν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν τούτοις ὄντων, καὶ ὠδίνοντος ἐκείνου τὸν

πόλεμον ἐξενεγκεῖν, καὶ δεδοικότος τὴν ἧτταν, συνέβη γενέσθαι συμπόσιον στρατιωτικὸν, οὗ μετέσχον οἱ σήμερον ἡμᾶς συναγαγόντες μάρτυρες· καὶ οἷα εἰκὸς ἐν συμποσίῳ, προτεινομένων λόγων πολλῶν, καὶ ἑτέρων ἕτερά τινα διαλεγομένων, οὗτοι τὰ παρόντα ἐθρήνουν κακὰ, καὶ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἐμακάριζον χρόνον, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἔλεγον· Ζῇν δὲ λοιπὸν ὅλως ἄξιον; ἀναπνεῖν δὲ, ἢ τὸν ἥλιον τοῦτον ὁρᾷν, τῶν ἱερῶν καταπατουμένων νόμων, τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑβριζομένης, τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς κτίσεως ἀτιμαζομένου ∆εσπότου; Πάντα κνίσσης γέμει καὶ καπνοῦ, πάντα θυσιῶν ἀκαθάρτων, οὐδὲ ἀέρα καθαρὸν ἀναπνεῦσαι δυνάμεθα. Σὺ δέ μοι μὴ ἁπλῶς παραδράμῃς τὰ εἰρημένα· ἀλλ' ἐννόησον τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν ταῦτα ἐλέγετο· καὶ σκόπει τὴν εὐλάβειαν τῶν λεγόντων. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν συμποσίῳ στρατιωτικῷ ἔνθα ἄκρατος οἶνος καὶ μέθη καὶ ἅμιλλα ἀσωτίας ἐσχάτης, καὶ παροινίας ἀγὼν καὶ παραπληξίας, οὕτως ἔστενον, οὕτως ἐθρήνουν, τίνες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ὄντες, καὶ ἀλλήλοις συγγινόμενοι μόνοις; τίνες ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς οἱ παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τρυφῆς οὕτω συνεσταλμένοι, καὶ ἀποστολικὰ σπλάγχνα ἐπιδεικνύμενοι; Ἄλλοι ἔπιπτον, καὶ οὗτοι ἐθρήνουν· ἕτερος ἠσέβει, καὶ οὗτοι ἐπυροῦντο· οὐδὲ ᾐσθάνοντο τῆς οἰκείας ὑγιείας, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀῤῥωστίαν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ κοινοὶ προστάται τῆς οἰκουμένης δοθέντες, οὕτως ἤλγουν καὶ ἐδάκρυον ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις κακοῖς. Ταῦτα εἰπόντες οὐκ ἔλαθον· ἀλλ' εἷς τις τῶν τῆς τραπέζης κοινωνούντων ἐκείνης, εἴρων καὶ κόλαξ, θεραπεῦσαι τὸν βασιλέα βουλόμενος, πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα τούτῳ κατεῖπεν· ὁ δὲ ὅπερ ἐζήτει πάλαι εὑρὼν, καὶ προφάσεως ἐπιλαβόμενος δυναμένης αὐτοὺς ἀποστερῆσαι τῶν τοῦ μαρτυρίου μισθῶν, κελεύει δημευθῆναι τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτῶν ἅπασαν, τυραννίδα ἐγκαλῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων, καὶ γυμνοὺς εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον εἰσαχθῆναι προσέταξεν. Οἱ δὲ ἔχαιρον καὶ ἠγάλλοντο.

Τί γὰρ ἡμῖν περιουσίας, φασὶ, καὶ στολῆς πολυτελοῦς; κἂν γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔσχατον ἱμάτιον τὴν σάρκα ἀποδύσασθαι δέῃ διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, οὐδὲ ταύτης ἀνθεξόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν παραχωρήσομεν. Καὶ σήμαντρα λοιπὸν ἦν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, καὶ πάντα ἀνηρπάζετο τὰ ἐκείνων. Καὶ καθάπερ ἄνθρωποι μέλλοντες