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for the demons, to call him the Edolian, and the Pisaean, and the Adonaean, and the Bull-burner, a name which some of the refined wits among us have already given him, since there is much facility in the matter, and as many other things as history allows one to distort or fashion from the truth?

78. But most absurd of all, that the Savior and Lord of all, the creator and governor of this universe, the Son and Word of the great Father, and the one who brings us to him, and high priest, and sharer of his throne; who on behalf of us who had dishonored his image, and were brought down to the dust, and were ignorant of the great mystery of our union, not only came down into the form of a servant, but also ascended the cross, and gathered my sin to himself that it might die; that he, on hearing himself called a Samaritan, and, what is much worse, being accused of having a demon, should neither be ashamed nor reproach those who insulted him; for whom it was easy to defend himself against the wicked both with angelic hosts and by a word alone; but to send away those who insulted him very gently and meekly, and to let fall a tear for those who crucified him, while we are to suppose that we will be pained at being so called, or be ashamed, or for this reason to fall away from our devotion to what is good, and to make more account of these insults than of the souls and bodies which we know how to despise for the sake of the truth? But this indeed, as I said, is more ridiculous than grievous, and we dismiss it to the stage; 35.605 surely we would never surpass those who there readily jest about and are jested at to their faces in such matters.

79. But that other matter now is both very wicked and malevolent, that, being unable to persuade openly, and being ashamed to use force tyrannically, hiding the fox's skin in the lion's hide, or if you prefer, the most unjust man behind the mask of Minos (how can I put it properly?), he used force speciously. The other matters then I will leave to those who wish to record and write them, as my discourse hastens on; but I think the events of that time, whether one should call it a tragedy or a comedy, will be eagerly recorded by many, for whom it will seem a part of piety to assail the sinner with words; so that so great a matter, and one least worthy of being forgotten, might also be handed down to those who come after; but I myself, instead of all, will mention one or two things for the sake of an example to those who so greatly admire his deeds, so that they may know whom they deem worthy of praise, for whom it is not even possible to find fitting blame.

80. There is an imperial law, I do not know indeed if it is for all men among whom monarchy exists, but for the Romans it is even one of the most zealously observed, to honor the emperors with public images; for the crowns and diadems are not sufficient, and the flower of the purple robe, and the numbered spearmen and the multitude of subjects, to constitute the empire for them; but there must also be obeisance to them, by which they may seem more venerable; not only that which is paid to them in person, but also that to what is in sculpture and paint, so that the veneration for them may be both more insatiable and more complete. To these images some emperors delight in having some things added, others other things; some, the more illustrious cities bearing gifts, others, victories crowning them from above; others, officials rendering obeisance, and being honored with the insignia of their offices; others, beast-slayings and successful shots; others, various figures of conquered barbarians, and cast down or slain beneath their 35.608 feet; for they love not only the reality of the events in which they take great pride, but also their representations.

81. But what does he devise? and what sort of trap does he set for the more steadfast of the Christians? Just like those who mix poisons with foods, to mix impiety with the customary honors for emperors, and to bring into one the laws of the Romans and the worship of idols; and for this reason he has depicted the demons alongside the images, as if they were some

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τοῖς δαί μοσι, τὸν Εἰδωλιανὸν καλεῖν, καὶ τὸν Πισαῖον, καὶ τὸν Ἀδωναῖον, καὶ τὸν Καυσίταυρον, ὅπερ καὶ ἤδη τινὲς αὐτὸν τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν κομψῶν ὠνομά κασιν, ἐπειδὴ ῥᾳστώνη πολλὴ τοῦ πράγματος, ὅσα τε ἄλλα παραποιεῖν ἢ ποιεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ ἱστορία δίδωσι;

ΟΗʹ. Πάντων δὲ ἀτοπώτατον, τὸν μὲν Σωτῆρα καὶ ∆εσπότην ἁπάντων, τὸν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς δημιουργόν τε καὶ κυβερνήτην, τὸν τοῦ μεγάλου Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱὸν, καὶ Λόγον, καὶ προσαγωγέα, καὶ ἀρχιερέα, καὶ σύνθρονον· τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀτι μασάντων αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν χοῦν ἀπ ενηνεγμένων, καὶ ἀγνοησάντων τὸ μέγα τῆς συζυ γίας μυστήριον, μὴ μόνον εἰς δούλου κατα βάντα μορφὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀναβάντα, καὶ συναγαγόντα τὴν ἐμὴν ἁμαρτίαν τεθνηξομένην· τοῦτον μὲν Σαμαρείτην ἀκούοντα, καὶ ὃ πολλῷ χεῖ ρον, δαιμονᾷν ἐγκαλούμενον, μήτε αἰσχύνεσθαι, μήτε ἐγκαλεῖν τοῖς ὑβρίζουσιν· ᾧ καὶ ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς πα ρατάξεσι, καὶ λόγῳ μόνῳ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς πονη ροὺς ῥᾴδιον ἦν· ἀλλ' ἡμέρως πάνυ καὶ πράως τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας ἀποπέμπεσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρούν των αὐτὸν ἀφιέναι δάκρυον, ἡμᾶς δὲ οἴεσθαι ἀλγή σειν οὕτω καλουμένους, ἢ αἰσχυνεῖσθαι, ἢ τῆς ὑπὲρ τοῦ καλοῦ φιλοτιμίας διὰ τοῦτο ἀποστήσεσθαι, καὶ πλείω ποιήσεσθαι λόγον τῶν ὕβρεων τούτων ἢ τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων, ὧν καταφρονεῖν ἴσμεν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν, ὅπερ εἶπον, γελοῖον μᾶλλον ἢ λυπηρὸν, καὶ εἰς τὴν σκη 35.605 νὴν ἀποπεμπόμεθα· πάντως οὔ ποτ' ἂν ὑπερ βαλλοίμεθα τοὺς ῥᾳδίως ἐκεῖ κατὰ τῆς κόῤ ῥης τά γε τοιαῦτα παιζομένους, καὶ παίζον τας.

ΟΘʹ. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἤδη καὶ λίαν πονηρὸν καὶ κακόηθες, ὅτι, τὸ μὲν φανερῶς πείθειν οὐκ ἔχων, τὸ δὲ βιάζεσθαι τυραννικῶς αἰσχυνόμενος, τῇ λεοντῇ τὴν κερδα λῆν ἐγκρύπτων, εἰ βούλει δὲ, τῷ Μίνωος προσ ωπείῳ τὸν ἀδικώτατον (πῶς ἂν εἴποιμι κυρίως;) ἐπιεικῶς ἐβιάζετο. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα τοῖς βουλο μένοις ἱστορεῖν τε καὶ γράφειν παρήσω, τοῦ λόγου σπεύδοντος· πολλοῖς δὲ οἶμαι σπουδασθήσεσθαι τοῦ τότε καιροῦ τὴν εἴτε τραγῳδίαν χρὴ λέγειν, εἴτε κωμῳδίαν, οἷς μέρος εὐσεβείας δόξει λόγῳ βάλλειν τὸν ἀλιτήριον· ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἔπειτα παραδοθῆναι πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον, καὶ ἥκιστα τοῦ λαθεῖν ἄξιον· αὐ τὸς δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων ἓν ἢ δύο δείγματος ἐρῶ χάριν τοῖς σφόδρα τὰ ἐκείνου θαυμάζουσιν, ἵν' εἰδῶσι τοῦ τον ἐπαινεῖν ἀξιοῦντες, οὗ μηδὲ ψόγον ἔστιν εὑ ρεῖν ἄξιον.

Πʹ. Νόμος ἐστὶ βασιλικὸς, οὐκ οἶδα μὲν εἰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παρ' ὅσοις τὸ βασιλεύεσθαι, Ῥωμαίοις δὲ καὶ τῶν λίαν σπουδαζομένων εἰκόσι δημοσίαις τιμᾶσθαι τοὺς βασιλεύοντας· οὐ γὰρ ἐξαρκοῦσιν οἱ στέφανοι καὶ τὰ διαδήματα, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἁλουργίδος ἄνθος, οἵ τε ἀριθμούμενοι λογχοφόροι καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων πλῆθος, συγκροτεῖν τούτοις τὴν βασι λείαν· ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ προσκυνήσεως αὐτοῖς, ὑφ' ἧς σεμνότεροι δόξωσιν· οὐχ ἣν αὐτοὶ προσκυνοῦνται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐν πλάσμασί τε καὶ χρώμασιν, ἵν' ᾖ τὸ σέβας αὐτοῖς ἀπληστότερόν τε καὶ τελεώτερον. Ταύταις ταῖς εἰκόσιν ἄλλοι μὲν ἄλλο τι τῶν βασιλέων προσπαραγράφεσθαι χαίρουσιν· οἱ μὲν τῶν πόλεων τὰς λαμπροτέρας δωροφορού σας, οἱ δὲ νίκας ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς στεφανούσας· οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἐν τέλει προσκυνοῦντας, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀρχῶν τιμωμένους συνθήμασιν· οἱ δὲ θηροφονίας καὶ εὐστο χίας· οἱ δὲ βαρβάρων ἡττημένων, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῖς πο 35.608 σὶν ἐῤῥιμμένων ἢ κτεινομένων πολυειδῆ σχή ματα· φιλοῦσι γὰρ οὐ τὰς ἀληθείας τῶν πραγμάτων μόνον ἐφ' οἷς μέγα φρονοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τούτων ἰνδάλματα.

ΠΑʹ. Ὁ δὲ τί μηχανᾶται; καὶ τίνα τῶν Χριστιανῶν τοῖς στεῤῥοτέροις ἵστησι δόλον; Ὥσπερ οἱ τοῖς βρώ μασι καταμιγνύντες τὰ δηλητήρια, μίξαι ταῖς ἐξ ἔθους τῶν βασιλέων τιμαῖς τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ εἰς ἓν ἀγαγεῖν νόμους Ῥωμαίων καὶ εἰδώλων προσκύνησιν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ταῖς εἰκόσι συμπαραγράφων τοὺς δαί μονας, ὡς δή τινας