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he had for his salvation, nor for the emperor, by whom he was saved; but he showed himself wicked to both, to the one travailing with apostasy, to the other with rebellion.

ΚΒʹ. But what it is necessary for me to say before these things is that they were thought worthy of a royal lifestyle and care in one of the imperial residences by the most philanthropic emperor, as being preserved for the empire as remnants of the family; he at once devising an apology for the revolutionary acts at the beginning of his reign, as though they had not been dared by his will; and at the same time seeking to display his magnanimity by sharing the imperial power; and thirdly, to establish his rule more securely by these additions, which was the thought of a man more kindly than wise.

ΚΓʹ. But since they were at leisure from all things, 35.552 the imperial power being still in the future and a matter for training, and their age along with their hope not yet bringing them to the second ranks of power, they made use of teachers of other subjects, as the divine emperor had them instructed in all the general education; but they made even more use of our philosophy, not only that which consists of words, but as much as possesses piety through character; consorting with the most excellent of men and the most graceful of deeds, which possessed a great demonstration of virtue. Indeed they had themselves enrolled in the clergy, so as even to read the divine books to the people, considering this to be in no way a lesser glory for them, but that piety was the greatest adornment of all.

Κ∆ʹ. And by most magnificent tombs of martyrs, and by the munificence of their offerings, and by all things by which the fear of God is characterized, they declared their love of wisdom and love of Christ; the one being pious in truth—for he was, even if more hot-tempered by nature, nonetheless genuine in piety—but the other, buying his time, and hiding his malevolence in a pretense of fairness. And here is the proof; for I could not pass over the miracle that occurred, being very worthy of memory, and able to instruct many of the impious.

ΚΕʹ. Both, as I said, labored for the martyrs, and vied splendidly with each other, raising the house with much labor and expense; but since it was not from the same disposition, the labor of both did not proceed to a like end. For the work of the one was accomplished and progressed reasonably—I mean the elder of the brothers—as God readily accepted the offering, like the sacrifice of Abel, rightly both offered and divided; and the offering was a sort of consecration of a first-born. But that of the other—alas for the dishonor of the impious, already being testified to from that point by what happened there, 35.553 and proclaiming great things by small signs—the God of the martyrs rejected, like the sacrifice of Cain.

Κςʹ. And he labored, but the earth shook off what had been built. And he strove the more, but it refused to accept the foundations of one unsound in piety, as if crying out about the future earthquake that would come from him, and honoring the martyrs by the dishonor shown to that most impious one. This work was a kind of prophecy of the man's later audacity and madness, and of his dishonor to the martyrs, and his lawlessness concerning the holy houses; escaping the notice of others, but pursuing the persecutor from afar in advance, and signifying beforehand the wages of his impiety.

ΚΖʹ. O soul, wise in doing evil, but not escaping its own torment! O God, proclaiming the future, that You might either check his impiety, or display Your foreknowledge! O miracle, paradoxical, yet more true than paradoxical! O brotherly love of the martyrs! They did not accept the honor from him who would dishonor many martyrs; they did not receive the gift from him who would create many athletes, or rather, who would begrudge even the contest itself; or, to speak more truly, they did not bear alone of martyrs

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ἔσχε τῆς σωτηρίας, οὔτε τῷ βασιλεῖ, δι' οὗ σέσωστο· ἀλλ' ἀμ φοτέροις ὤφθη κακὸς, τῷ μὲν ἀποστασίαν ὠδίνων, τῷ δὲ ἐπανάστασιν.

ΚΒʹ. Ὃ δέ μοι πρὸ τούτων εἰπεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, διαίτης μὲν καὶ θεραπείας ἔν τινι τῶν βασιλικῶν χωρίων ἠξιοῦντο βασιλικῆς παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρωποτά του βασιλέως, ὡς τοῦ γένους λείψανα τῇ βασιλείᾳ τηρούμενοι· ὁμοῦ μὲν ἀπολογίαν ἐπινοοῦντος τῶν νεωτερισθέντων ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς βασιλείας, ὡς οὐ κατ' ἐκείνου γνώμην τετολμημένων· ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ με γαλόψυχον ἐπιδείξασθαι ζητοῦντος τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς βασιλείας· καὶ τρίτον, τὴν ἀρχὴν καταστήσασθαι ταῖς προσθήκαις βεβαιοτέραν, ὅπερ ἦν διανοου μένου χρηστότερα ἢ σοφώτερα.

ΚΓʹ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦγον ἀπὸ πάντων σχολὴν, τῆς 35.552 μὲν βασιλείας μελλούσης ἔτι καὶ μελετωμένης, τῆς δὲ ἡλικίας ἅμα καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ταῖς δευτέραις τῶν ἀρχῶν οὐ προσαγούσης, ἐχρῶντο μὲν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παιδευταῖς μαθημάτων, πᾶσαν τὴν ἐγκύ κλιον παίδευσιν ἐκπαιδεύοντος αὐτοὺς τοῦ θείου καὶ βασιλέως· ἐχρῶντο δὲ καὶ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς φιλοσοφίᾳ πλέον, οὐ τῇ περὶ λόγους μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅση καὶ διὰ τῶν ἠθῶν ἔχει τὸ εὐσεβές· ἀνδρῶν τε τοῖς σπουδαιοτάτοις προσομιλοῦντες, καὶ πρά ξεων ταῖς χαριεστάταις, καὶ πολλὴν ἐχούσαις τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν ἐπίδειξιν· τῷ μέν γε κλήρῳ φέροντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐγκατέλεξαν, ὥστε καὶ τὰς θείας ὑπαναγινώ σκειν τῷ λαῷ βίβλους, οὐδενὸς ἔλαττον εἰς δόξαν αὐ τοῖς τοῦτο εἶναι νομίζοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων μεῖζον καλλώπισμα τὴν εὐσέβειαν.

Κ∆ʹ. Μαρτύρων τε μνήμασι πολυτελεστάτοις, καὶ ἀναθημάτων φιλοτιμίαις, καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ὁ θεῖος φόβος χαρακτηρίζεται, τὸ φιλόσοφον καὶ φιλόχριστον κατεμήνυον· ὁ μὲν, καὶ κατ' ἀλήθειαν εὐσεβῶν· καὶ γὰρ ἦν, εἰ καὶ τὴν φύσιν θερμότερος, ἀλλ' οὖν γνή σιος εἰς εὐσέβειαν· ὁ δὲ, τὸν καιρὸν ἐξωνούμενος, καὶ κρύπτων ἐν ἐπιεικείας πλάσματι τὸ κακόηθες. Τεκμήριον δέ· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην παραδρα μεῖν τὸ συμβὰν θαῦμα, σφόδρα τε ὂν μνήμης ἄξιον, καὶ πολλοὺς παιδεῦσαι τῶν ἀσεβῶν δυνάμε νον.

ΚΕʹ. Ἔκαμνον μὲν τοῖς μάρτυσιν, ὅπερ εἶπον, ἀμφότεροι, καὶ ἀντεφιλοτιμοῦντο λαμπρῶς ἀλλήλοις, καὶ χειρὶ πολλῇ καὶ δαπάνῃ τὸν οἶκον ἐγείρον τες· ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως, οὐδὲ εἰς ὅμοιον πέρας προέβαινεν ἀμφοτέροις ὁ πόνος· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἔργον ἠνύετο, καὶ κατὰ λόγον ἐχώ ρει, τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου λέγω τῶν ἀδελφῶν, οἷα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπίδοσιν ἑτοίμως προσιεμένου, κατὰ τὴν Ἄβελ θυσίαν, ὀρθῶς καὶ προσενεχθεῖσαν καὶ διαιρε θεῖσαν· καὶ ἦν ὥσπερ πρωτοτόκου τις καθιέρω σις ἡ ἐπίδοσις· τοῦ δὲ, φεῦ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀτιμίας τὰ ἐκεῖθεν μαρτυρομένης, 35.553 καὶ μικροῖς μηνύμασι τὰ μεγάλα προκηρυττούσης, ὥσπερ τὴν Κάϊν θυσίαν ὁ τῶν μαρτύρων Θεὸς ἀπ επέμπετο.

Κςʹ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπόνει, ἡ δὲ γῆ τὸ πονηθὲν ἀπεσείετο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐφιλονείκει μᾶλλον, ἡ δὲ ἀπ ηξίου δέχεσθαι θεμελίους τοῦ σαθροῦ πρὸς εὐσέ βειαν, οἷα βοῶσα τὸν ἐσόμενον ἐξ ἐκείνου σεισμὸν, καὶ τιμῶσα τοὺς μάρτυρας τῇ περὶ τὸν ἀσεβέστατον ἀτιμίᾳ. Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον προφητεία τις ἦν τῆς ὕστε ρον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐθαδείας καὶ ἀπονοίας, καὶ τῆς εἰς μάρτυρας ἀτιμίας, καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἁγίους οἴκους παρανομίας· τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους λανθάνουσα, τὸν δὲ διώκτην πόῤῥωθεν προδιώκουσα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπίχειρα προσημαίνουσα.

ΚΖʹ. Ὢ ψυχῆς σοφῆς εἰς τὸ κακοποιῆσαι, τὴν δὲ ἰδίαν οὐ φευγούσης βάσανον! Ὢ Θεοῦ τὸ μέλλον κη ρύττοντος, ἵνα ἢ ἀνακόψῃ τὴν ἀσέβειαν, ἢ δείξῃ τὴν πρόγνωσιν! Ὢ παραδόξου μὲν, ἀληθοῦς δὲ πλέον ἢ παραδόξου θαύματος! Ὢ τῆς τῶν μαρτύρων φιλαδελφίας! Οὐκ ἐδέξαντο τιμὴν τοῦ πολλοὺς μάρτυρας ἀτιμάσοντος· οὐ προσήκαντο δῶρον τοῦ πολλοὺς ἀθλητὰς ἀποδείξοντος, μᾶλλον δὲ φθονή σοντος καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀθλήσεως· ἢ, τό γε ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἤνεγκαν μόνοι μαρτύρων