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of the immortal God, what will you do whenever he should come? If you tremble at the name of Christ, then what ever will you accomplish, when he comes after your deeds and destructive works? If the power of the divine cross so much distresses you, when he himself is present, where will you place your tracks? If the seal has defended you, how then can you rescue mortals from the strong necessity of his hand? For you have not even been allotted such a host as to defend. Now I am a witness of your much-wandering art, and I know your phantasm well, I know you are sluggish. But your gift is only vain and for a day. Neither is your counsel firm, nor your plan the best. Not one thing is true, which you accomplish against God; they are only phantoms and all things are like a mist. You have destroyed our heart and all hope, and you have driven out the swarm of anxious thoughts from our rational minds. But you have torn my life apart with terrible evil, and the nature which I was allotted, you have destroyed with your spells. I have sinned terribly, deceived in mind by you. I became foolish and impious, yielding all things to you. In vain I learned wisdom and the books of the ancients. Obeying you, I was deprived of both possessions and wealth. Along with the wealth of my parents, you also made me a breathless orphan. If as many poor and destitute men had eaten as much as you yourself destroyed, O lawless one, now perhaps I would have had God as a little benevolent in my hopes. Alas, why have you so mistreated me, you evildoer? I am terribly worn out, O avenger; I see incurable ends; for indeed I was a corpse, but I seem to be among the living. Having bought a tomb for a great price, not even in death have I crossed the depths of death. But it is right for me to beseech the noble servants of God, and likewise also very pious men, so that I may receive mercy and pity. And I would still kiss the very footsteps of the most faithful maiden, the revered Justina, so that she might think well of my life. Flee, Satan of deceitful counsel, lawless one, terrible tyrant, hating truth and despising piety."3 - And he, greatly enraged, rushed upon me to kill me, and he tried with all his strength to destroy me at once, grabbing me by the throat. And when no one was with me any longer, nor did I think I could flee and escape death, the sign of the all-shining cross of the most faithful maiden, with which she conquered, came into my mind, and I said praying: "3O God, guardian of the glorious maiden, come, help me."3 And immediately I stretched out my hand and placed the sign of the cross on my limbs. But he fled backward like a leaping arrow, and threatened terribly, brandishing a spear against me. And then I, having taken the strength of the seal of Christ, was very bold, crying out often even to God himself. Then indeed the avenging beast of evil counsel, drawing back, addressed me: "3Christ, much-entreated, will not save you at all from our hand, since he hates the impious. But now he helps a little, so that afterward, having led you astray with deceit to a miserable fate, he may destroy you. And when he leaves you, then you will know what things I will do to you, you who have deprived me of my power; for Christ does not kindly receive my followers. And you have lost two things, O ill-fated one: first our friendship, and the savior himself does not help you at all."3 And I, hearing these words, was terribly afraid, because he addressed me so vainly with cruel words. Then to you, dear men, who know my groaning, I speak of my sorrowful life, so that seeing it you may show mercy; and tell me, if it is possible for me to appease Christ, if he would hear my repentance, and if he will help me, so that I may flee the terrible paths which I learned before.» Meanwhile the crowd kept silent; but at last someone spoke to me, shouting loudly:

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ἀθανάτοιο θεοῖο, τί ῥέξεις ὁππόταν ἔλθοι; εἰ Χριστοῦ κλῆσιν τρομέεις, τότε τίπτε τελέσσεις, εὖτε τεὰς πρήξεις καὶ οὐλοὰ ἔργα μετέλθοι; εἰ σκόλοπος θείου σε μένος τόσσον γε χαλέπτει, αὐτοῦ κεν παρεόντος ὅπῃ σέθεν ἴχνια θήσεις; εἰ σφρηγίς σε ἄλαλκεν, ἄρ' ἐκ παλάμης τότ' ἐκείνου πῶς δύνασαι κρατερῆς μέροπας ῥύσασθαι ἀνάγκης; οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ φάλαγγα τόσην λάχες, ὥς κεν ἀμῦναι. ἄρτι πολυπλανέος τέχνης σέο εἴμ' ἐπιίστωρ καὶ σέο φαντασίην μάλ' ἐπίσταμαι, οἶδά σε νωθρόν. μαψίδιον δὲ μόνον καὶ ἐπημάτιον σέο δῶρον. οὐδὲ τεὴ βουλὴ παγίη, οὐ μῆτις ἀρίστη. ἀτρεκὲς οὐδὲ ἕν ἐστιν, ὅ περ θεοῦ ἄντα τελείεις· φάσματα δ' εἰσὶ μόνον καὶ ἀχλύϊ πάντα ἔϊκται. ὤλεσας ἡμετέρην κραδίην καὶ ἐλπίδα πάμπαν καὶ λογικῶν πραπίδων πολυμέρμερον ἤλασας ἐσμόν. αὐτὰρ ἐμὴν βιοτὴν κακίῃ κατεδάρψαο δεινῇ καὶ φύσιν, ἥν περ ἐγὼ λάχον, ὤλεσας ἐκμαγίοισιν. ἤλιτον ἐκπάγλως φρένας ἐκ σέο ἠπεροπευθείς. ἄφρων καὶ δυσεβὴς γενόμην, σοὶ πάνθ' ὑποείξας. μαψιδίως σοφίην δὲ μάθον, προτέρων δέ τε βύβλους. σοὶ δ' ἐπιπειθόμενος στερόμην κτεάνων τε καὶ ὄλβου. σὺν πλούτῳ τοκέων δὲ καὶ ἄσθματος εὖνιν ἔθηκας. εἰ πτωχοὶ δὲ τόσα καὶ ἀκτέανοι φάγον ἄνδρες, ὅσσα διώλεσας αὐτός, ἀθέσμιε, νῦν τάχα τυτθὸν εὐμενέτην θεὸν εἶχον ἐπ' ἐλπωρῇσιν ἐμῇσιν. οἴμοι, τίπτε με τόσσον ἐλυμήνω, κακοεργέ; αἰνῶς τρύχομ', ἄλαστε· ἀνίατα πείραθ' ὁρῶμαι· καὶ γὰρ δὴ νέκυς ἦα, δοκήσει δ' ἐν βιόωσι. πολλῶν δὲ κτεάνων ὠνησάμενος μάλα τύμβον, πυθμένας οὐδὲ θανὼν μέσφα θανάτοιο πέρησα. ἀλλά γέ μοι θέμις ἐστὶ θεοῦ θεράποντας ἀγαυοὺς λίσσεσθ', αὐτὰρ ὁμῶς καὶ εὐσεβέας μάλα φῶτας, ὄφρ' ἐλέου οἴκτου τε τύχω. σεπτῆς δ' ἔτι παιδὸς ἴχνια πιστοτάτης μάλ' Ἰουστίνης γε κύσαιμι, ὅππως ἂν βιοτῆς ἐμέθεν περὶ καλὰ νοήσοι. φεῦγε, Σατὰν δολομῆτα, ἀθέσμιε, αἰνοτύραννε, ἀτρεκίην στυγέων καὶ εὐσεβίην ἀθερίζων."3 - ὃς δὲ χολωσάμενος κρατερῶς κτανέειν μ' ἐπόρουσε, πειρήθη δ' ὅσον αὐτῷ ἔην σθένος αὐτίκ' ὀλέσσαι ἐκ φάρυγός με λαβών. ὡς δ' οὐκέτι εἷς παρέην μοι οὐδ' ἔτι μιν θάνατον φυγέειν δόκεον καὶ ἀλύξαι, πιστοτάτης κούρης σημήιον ἐς νόον οὑμὸν σταυροῦ παμφανόωντος ἐπήλυθεν, ᾧ περ ἐνίκα, ἔφρασα δ' εὐχόμενος· "3κυδρῆς μεδέων θεὲ κούρης, ἔλθ', ἐπαλέξησον."3 καὶ αὐτίκα χεῖρα τάνυσσα καὶ τύπον ἰκριόεντα ἐμοῖς μελέεσσιν ἔθηκα. αὐτὰρ ὁ φεῦγεν ὄπισθεν ἅτ' ἐκθρῴσκων τις ὀϊστός, ἠπείλει χαλεπῶς δ' ἔγχος κραδάων κατ' ἐμεῖο. καὶ τότ' ἐγὼ Χριστοῖο λαβὼν σφρηγῖδος ἐρωὴν θάρσυνος ἦα μάλιστα, βοῶν θαμὰ καὶ θεὸν αὐτόν. δὴ τότ' ἀλαστήσας προσεφώνεε θὴρ κακόβουλος χαζόμενος· "3Χριστός σε πολύλλιτος οὔ τι σαώσει ἡμετέρης παλάμης κεν, ἐπεὶ στυγέει δυσεβῆας. ἄρτι δὲ τυτθὸν ἀρήγει, ὅπως μετόπισθε δόλῳ γε πότμῳ λευγαλέῳ σε παραπλάγξας ἀπολέσσῃ. εὖτε δὲ καλλείψει σε, τότ' εἴσεαι, οἷά σε ῥέξω, σὺ κράτος οὑμὸν ἀμέρσας· ἐμοὺς Χριστὸς γὰρ ὀπηδοὺς οὐ δέχετ' ἐνδυκέως. δύο δ' ὤλεσας, ὦ κακόδαιμον· πρῶτα μὲν ἡμετέρην φιλίην, καὐτὸς δέ τε σωτὴρ οὐ πάντως σ' ὀνίνησιν."3 ἐγὼ δέ τε τῶνδ' ἐσακούων μύθων αἰνοτάτως περιδείδιον, ὅττι με τοίοις ἠλεμάτως ἐπέεσσιν ἀταρτηροῖσι προσηύδα. ἔνθ' ὑμῖν, φίλοι ἄνδρες, ὅσοι στόνον ἴστε ἐμεῖο, φημὶ ἐμὴν λυπρὴν βιοτήν, ὄφρ' εἰσορόωντες τεύξετ' ἐλεημοσύνην· καὶ ἐννέπετ', εἴ μοι ἔνεστι Χριστὸν μειλίξασθ', εἰ ἐμῆς ἀΐοι μετανοίης, ἠδ' ἐπαλεξήσει μοι, ὅπως φύγω αἰνὰ κέλευθα, ὧν ἐδάην τὸ πάρος.» πληθὺς τείως δ' ἔχε σιγήν· ὀψὲ δέ μοί τις ἔειπε διαπρύσιόν γε βοήσας·