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3. These and similar things were reported to the emperor; but he did not desist,

but tried again, setting the bait through them. For the deceitful, and crafty, and wise-to-do-evil one contrived these things, so that if they were softened and gave in, they might lead them out under the eyes of all, and so prepare them at last to sacrifice; but if they persevered, displaying strong courage, and stood nobly for the struggle 50.576, their victory might not become apparent to them, but as though under the pretense of tyranny, he might lead them away and cut off their heads. But He who reveals the deep and hidden things did not allow the ambush to be concealed, nor the plot to become unseen; but just as the Egyptian woman then, laying hold of Joseph in her chamber and in great solitude, expected to escape the notice of all men, yet she did not escape the notice of the sleepless eye, and not only that one, but not even the men who came after, but what she said to Joseph with no one present, this is sung throughout the world; so also he hoped to escape notice while conversing in the prison through those disguised counselors, but he did not escape notice; but everyone afterward learned of the ambush, the plot, the victory, the trophy.

For as time was spent and much flowed by, and the multitude of days did not dissolve their eagerness, but rather increased their zeal, and made more admirers, he then orders them to be led away to the pit in the middle of the night. And in the midst of darkness the luminaries were led out, and beheaded. Then their heads were more dreadful to the devil than when they uttered a sound; since even the head of John was not so dreadful when speaking, as when it lay silent on the platter. For the blood of the saints also has a voice, not heard through the ears, but taking hold of the conscience of the murderers. And after that blessed slaughter, those who hunt for such relics, placing their own salvation underneath, took up these champions; and they too were living martyrs. For even if they were not beheaded, yet having chosen beforehand to suffer this, they thus rushed to the hunt for the bodies. Therefore, those who were present then and were counted worthy to see these newly slain bodies say that, as they lay beside each other before the burial, such a grace blossomed on their faces as Luke says appeared on Stephen's when he was about to make his defense to the Jews, and there is no one who stood by them then without trembling. So also this sight astonished all who saw it, and all cried out that which was said by David: In their life they were not separated, and in their death they were not divided. For together they both confessed and inhabited the prison, and were carried off to the pit, and laid down their heads, and one coffin holds the bodies of both; just as one tabernacle will receive them again in the heavens, when they are about to be taken up with greater glory. It is fitting to call them pillars, and rocks, and towers, and luminaries, and bulls together.

For as pillars they hold up the Church, and as towers they fortify it, and as rocks repelling every plot, they create great calm for those within; and as luminaries they drove away the darkness of impiety and as bulls in soul and body, with equal eagerness, they pulled the good yoke of Christ. Therefore let us constantly visit them, and touch the coffin, and with faith embrace their relics, that we may draw some blessing from there. For just as soldiers, showing the wounds which they received from the enemy, speak with boldness to the king; so also these, carrying in their hands the heads that were cut off, and bringing them into the midst, easily whatever they might wish,

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γʹ. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐοικότα ἀπηγγέλλετο τῷ βασιλεῖ· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀφίστατο,

ἀλλ' ἐπεχείρει πάλιν τὰ δελέατα δι' ἐκείνων τιθείς. Ταῦτα γοῦν κατεσκεύαζεν ὁ ὕπουλος καὶ πανοῦργος καὶ σοφὸς εἰς τὸ κακοποιῆσαι, ἵνα ἂν μὲν καταμαλακισθέντες ἐνδῶσιν, ὑπὸ τοῖς ἁπάντων ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοὺς ἐξαγάγοιεν, καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν παρασκευάσῃ θῦσαι ἂν δὲ ἐπιμείνωσι σφοδρὰν τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πάλην γενναίως ἱστάμε 50.576 νοι, μὴ φανερὰ γένηται τὰ τῆς νίκης αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ προσχήματι τυραννίδος αὐτοὺς ἀπαγαγὼν ἀποτέμῃ. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἀποκαλύπτων βαθέα καὶ ἀπόκρυφα, οὐκ ἀφῆκε λαθεῖν τὴν ἐνέδραν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἀφανῆ γενέσθαι· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ Αἰγυπτία τότε γυνὴ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπιλαβομένη ἐν θαλάμῳ καὶ ἐρημίᾳ πολλῇ προσεδόκησε λήσεσθαι πάντας ἀνθρώπους, οὐκ ἔλαθε δὲ τὸν ἀκοίμητον ὀφθαλμὸν, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπους τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἐκείνη πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ εἶπεν, οὐδενὸς παρόντος, τοῦτο πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ᾄδεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἤλπισε μὲν λήσειν ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ διαλεγόμενος διὰ τῶν ἐσχηματισμένων συμβούλων ἐκείνων, οὐκ ἔλαθε δέ· ἀλλ' ἅπαντες μετὰ ταῦτα ἔμαθον τὴν ἐνέδραν, τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν, τὴν νίκην, τὸ τρόπαιον.

Ὡς γὰρ χρόνος ἐτρίβετο καὶ παρέῤῥει πολὺς, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἡμερῶν οὐκ ἐξέλυε τὴν προθυμίαν, ἀλλ' ἐπέτεινεν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον τὴν σπουδὴν, καὶ πλείονας κατεσκεύαζε ζηλωτὰς, κελεύει λοιπὸν μέσων νυκτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ βάραθρον αὐτοὺς ἀπαχθῆναι. Καὶ ἐν μέσῳ σκότει οἱ φωστῆρες ἐξήγοντο, καὶ ἀπετέμνοντο. Τότε καὶ φοβερώτεραι λοιπὸν ἦσαν αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῷ διαβόλῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ὅτε φωνὴν ἠφίεσαν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ Ἰωάννου κεφαλὴ οὐχ οὕτω φοβερὰ ἦν φθεγγομένη, ὡς ἄφωνος ἐπὶ τοῦ πίνακος κειμένη. Ἔχει γὰρ καὶ φωνὴν τῶν ἁγίων τὸ αἷμα, οὐ δι' ὤτων ἀκουομένην, ἀλλὰ τοῦ συνειδότος τῶν ἀναιρούντων ἐπιλαμβανομένην. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην σφαγὴν, οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα θηρεύοντες λείψανα, τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὑποθέντες σωτηρίαν, ἀνείλοντο τοὺς ἀριστέας τούτους· καὶ ἦσαν κἀκεῖνοι μάρτυρες ζῶντες. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπετμήθησαν, ἀλλ' ἑλόμενοι πρότερον τοῦτο παθεῖν, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν ἄγραν τῶν σωμάτων ὥρμησαν. Λέγουσι τοίνυν οἱ τότε παραγενόμενοι καὶ ταῦτα τὰ σώματα νεοσφαγῆ καταξιωθέντες ἰδεῖν, ὅτι κειμένων αὐτῶν παρ' ἀλλήλων πρὸ τῆς ταφῆς, τοσαύτη τις ἐπήνθησεν αὐτῶν ταῖς ὄψεσι χάρις, οἵαν ἐπὶ Στεφάνου φησὶν ὁ Λουκᾶς γεγενῆσθαι μέλλοντος ἀπολογεῖσθαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς ὃς χωρὶς φρίκης παρέστη τότε αὐτοῖς. Οὕτω καὶ αὕτη ἡ ὄψις πάντας τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἐξέπληττε, καὶ πάντες ἐπεβόων ἐκεῖνο τὸ παρὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰρημένον· Ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν οὐ κεχωρισμένοι, καὶ ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν οὐ διεχωρίσθησαν. Κοινῇ γὰρ καὶ ὡμολόγησαν καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκησαν, καὶ εἰς τὸ βάραθρον ἀπηνέχθησαν, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπέθεντο, καὶ μία λάρναξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔχει τὰ σώματα· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ μία σκηνὴ δέξεται αὐτὰ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅταν αὐτὰ μετὰ πλείονος δόξης ἀνελέσθαι μέλλωσι. Τούτους ἄξιον καὶ στύλους, καὶ σκοπέλους, καὶ πύργους, καὶ φωστῆρας, καὶ ταύρους ὁμοῦ προσειπεῖν.

Καὶ γὰρ ὡς στῦλοι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἀνέχουσι, καὶ ὡς πύργοι τειχίζουσι, καὶ ὡς σκόπελοι πᾶσαν ἐπιβουλὴν ἀποκρουόμενοι, πολλὴν τοῖς ἔνδον ποιοῦσι γαλήνην· καὶ ὡς φωστῆρες τὸ σκότος ἀπήλασαν τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ ὡς ταῦροι ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, ἴσῃ τῇ προθυμίᾳ, τὸν χρηστὸν εἵλκυσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ζυγόν. Συνεχῶς τοίνυν αὐτοῖς ἐπιχωριάζωμεν, καὶ τῆς λάρνακος ἁπτώμεθα, καὶ μετὰ πίστεως τοῖς λειψάνοις αὐτῶν περιπλεκώμεθα, ἵνα εὐλογίαν τινὰ ἐπισπασώμεθα ἐκεῖθεν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ στρατιῶται τραύματα ἐπιδείξαντες, ἅπερ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων ἔλαβον, μετὰ παῤῥησίας τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλέγονται· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἃς ἀπετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν βαστάζοντες, καὶ εἰς μέσον παράγοντες, εὐκόλως ἅπαντα, ὅσα ἂν θέλωσι,