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to the Word, growing in magnitude; and thinking it was possible for his own bitterness to withstand the divine power, and to check the preaching of the mystery, to dissolve the systems of the Churches, and to turn back again to the idols those who had advanced to the Word; he therefore sends an edict to the governors of the provinces, defining a terrible threat of punishment against them, if they did not mutilate with all kinds of tortures those who worship the name of Christ, and bring them back again by fear and the necessity of tortures to the ancestral worship of demons. And when this terrible and godless proclamation was announced to the rulers, with those appointed for this very purpose by the tyrannical cruelty having gone throughout the whole empire; and a certain one ruled over the local people, such that he needed nothing from the higher authority for his evil impulse, having from his own nature cruelty and bitterness, and enmity toward those who had believed in the Word; and a terrible decree is made by him in public ordinances, that it was necessary to renounce the faith, or be punished with all sorts of punishments and deaths. And there was nothing else at that time, public or private, being done or zealously pursued by those who held public affairs in their hands, except to besiege and punish those who held fast to the faith. And the terrors were not only in the so-called threats, but with these the varied preparation of the instruments of torture brought on every kind of consternation, and 46.945 inspiring fear in people before the experience. Swords and fire, and wild beasts, and pits and instruments for twisting limbs; and iron chairs over a fire. And upright stocks, in which the bodies of those who resisted were stretched and scraped by the attacks of terrible claws, and countless other things were devised by them, invented for the manifold tortures of bodies; and there was one zeal for those who had taken hold of these powers, that no one should be shown to be gentler than another in the excess of bitterness. And some would report; others would point out; others would search for those who were hidden. Others would attack those who were fleeing; others, looking to the possessions of the faithful, so that they might get control of their property, on the pretext of piety, drove out those who held fast to the faith.

And there was every confusion throughout the nation and great helplessness, as all were suspicious of one another, the goodwill of children not remaining with their fathers in these terrible times, nor nature guaranteeing to children the faithfulness of paternal care. And families were divided against one another, being split over religions. And a paganizing child became a betrayer of faithful parents; and a father, remaining in unbelief, was an accuser against a believing child. And a brother for the same reason made war on nature, judging it a pious act to punish his kinsman, if he held fast to piety. From this, the deserts were full of those who were driven out, and the houses empty of their inhabitants. And many of the public buildings were set apart for the needs of those who were imprisoned. For the prisons were not sufficient to hold within themselves the multitude of those being punished for the faith. And all marketplaces and assemblies, both public and private, instead of their usual cheerfulness, partook of such calamities, with some being dragged along, and others being led away; others either laughing or weeping at what was happening; there was no pity for infants, no honor for grey hair, no respect for virtue entered the minds of the enemies; but as in a captivity, every age was given over to the enemies of the faith. Nor did the natural weakness of their sex allow women to remain outside of such necessities; but one law of cruelty was against all, subjecting to the same measure of punishment those who were estranged from idols, not distinguishing by nature. Then therefore that great one, seeing the weakness of human nature, as the majority were not capable of piety until death

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τῷ λόγῳ, πρὸς μέγεθος αὔξουσα· καὶ νομίσας δυνα τὸν εἶναι τῇ θείᾳ δυνάμει τὴν ἰδίαν ἀντιστῆσαι πι κρίαν, καὶ ἐπισχεῖν μὲν τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸ κήρυγμα, καταλῦσαι δὲ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τὰ συστήματα, μετα στῆσαι δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τοὺς προκεχωρηκότας τῷ λόγῳ· πέμπει τοίνυν πρὸς τοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν καθη γουμένους πρόσταγμα, φοβερὰν κατ' αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπειλὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ὁρίζων, εἰ μὴ παντοίοις αἰ κισμοῖς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσκυνοῦντας διαλω βήσοιντο, καὶ προσαγάγοιεν πάλιν αὐτοὺς φόβῳ τε καὶ τῇ τῶν αἰκισμῶν ἀνάγκῃ τῇ πατρῷᾳ τῶν δαι μόνων λατρείᾳ. Ὡς δὲ περιηγγέλθη τοῖς ἄρχουσι τὸ φοβερὸν τοῦτο καὶ ἄθεον κήρυγμα, πανταχοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς διαπεφοιτηκότων τῶν εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς τυραννικῆς τεταγμένων ὠμότητος· καί τις ἐπεκρά τει τοῦ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἔθνους τοιοῦτος, ὡς μηδὲν τῆς ὑπερκειμένης ἐξουσίας πρὸς τὴν πονηρὰν ὁρμὴν δεηθῆναι, οἴκοθεν ἔχων ἐκ φύσεως τὴν ὠμότητά τε καὶ πικρότητα, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας τῷ λόγῳ δυσμένειαν· καὶ γίνεται παρ' αὐτοῦ φοβερὸν ἐν δημοσίοις διατάγμασι, τὸ δεῖν ἐξόμνυσθαι τὴν πί στιν, ἢ τιμωρίαις παντοδαπαῖς καὶ θανάτοις κολά ζεσθαι. Καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ἕτερον τηνικαῦτα δημόσιόν τε καὶ ἴδιον παρὰ τῶν τὰ κοινὰ διὰ χειρὸς ἐχόντων γι νόμενόν τε καὶ σπουδαζόμενον, πλὴν τοῦ πολιορκεῖν τε καὶ τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀντεχομένους τῆς πί στεως. Ἦν δὲ οὐκ ἐν ταῖς τῶν λεγομένων ἀπειλαῖς μόνον τὰ φόβητρα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τούτων ἡ ποικίλη τῶν κολα στηρίων κατασκευὴ πᾶσαν ἐπῆγε κατάπληξιν, καὶ 46.945 πρὸ τῆς πείρας ἐμποιοῦσα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν φόβον. Ξίφη τε καὶ πῦρ, καὶ θηρία, καὶ βόθροι καὶ τὰ στρεβλωτικὰ τῶν μελῶν ὄργανα· καὶ σιδηραῖ κατὰ πυ ρὸς καθέδραι. καὶ ξύλα ὄρθια, οἷς ἐντεινόμενα τῶν ἐνισταμένων τὰ σώματα ταῖς τῶν φοβερῶν ὀνύχων προσβολαῖς κατεξαίνετο, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία πρὸς τὰς πολυειδεῖς βασάνους τῶν σωμάτων ἐξευρημένα παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπενοεῖτο· καὶ σπουδὴ τοῖς τῶν ἐξουσιῶν τού των ἐπειλημμένοις ἦν μία, τὸ μηδένα τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐν ὑπερβολῇ πικρίας ἐπιδειχθῆναι πραότερον. Καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰσήγγελλον· οἱ δὲ ἐπεδείκνυον· οἱ δὲ ἠρεύνων τοὺς κεκρυμμένους. Ἄλλοι τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐπετί θεντο· ἄλλοι δὲ πρὸς τὰς κτήσεις τῶν πιστῶν ὁρῶν τες, ὡς ἂν ἐγκρατεῖς γένοιντο τῶν πραγμάτων, ἐπὶ τῷ προσχήματι τῆς εὐσεβείας ἤλαυνον τοὺς ἀντ εχομένους τῆς πίστεως.

Σύγχυσις δὲ ἦν πᾶσα κατὰ τὸ ἔθνος καὶ ἀμηχανία πολλὴ, πάντων ἀλλήλοις δι' ὑποψίας ὄντων, οὐ πατράσι τῆς παρὰ τῶν τέκνων εὐνοίας ἐν τοῖς φοβεροῖς παραμενούσης, οὐ παισὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς πατρικῆς κηδεμονίας ἐγγυωμένης τῆς φύσεως. Ἐμερίζετο δὲ κατ' ἀλλήλων τὰ γένη πρὸς τὰς θρησκείας σχιζόμενα. Καὶ παῖς Ἑλληνίζων πι στῶν γονέων προδότης ἐγίνετο· καὶ κατὰ παιδὸς πε πιστευκότος ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ μένων ὁ πατὴρ κατήγορος ἦν. Καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας ἐπολέμει τῇ φύσει, ὅσιον κρίνων τὸν ὁμογενῆ τιμωρήσασθαι, εἰ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀντέχοιτο. Ἐντεῦθεν πλήρεις μὲν ἦσαν αἱ ἐρημίαι τῶν ἐλαυνομένων, κεναὶ δὲ τῶν οἰκητόρων αἱ οἰκίαι. Πολλὰ δὲ τῶν δημοσίων οἰκημάτων, ταῖς τῶν καθειργνυμένων ἀπετέτακτο χρείαις. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἱκανὰ τὰ δεσμωτήρια χωρεῖν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τῶν διὰ τὴν πίστιν τιμωρουμένων τὸ πλῆθος. Ἀγοραί τε πᾶσαι καὶ σύλλογοι, κοινοί τε καὶ ἰδιάζοντες, ἀντὶ τῆς συν ήθους φαιδρότητος, τὰς τοιαύτας μετελάμβανον συμ φορὰς, τῶν μὲν ἐφελκομένων, τῶν δὲ ἀπαγομένων· ἄλλων ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις ἢ γελώντων ἢ δακρυόντων· οὐ νηπίων ἦν ἔλεος, οὐ τιμὴ πολιᾶς, οὐκ ἀρετῆς αἰ δὼς εἰσῄει τοῖς δυσμενέσιν· ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, πᾶσα ἡλικία τοῖς πολεμίοις τῆς πίστεως ἔκδοτος ἦν. Οὐδὲ ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐδίδου ἡ φυσικὴ τοῦ γένους ἀσθέ νεια, τῶν τοιούτων ἀναγκῶν ἐκτὸς μένειν· ἀλλ' εἷς ἦν κατὰ πάντων ὁ τῆς ὠμότητος νόμος, ἴσῳ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς τιμωρίας τῶν γινομένων ὑπάγων τὸν τῶν εἰδώ λων ἀλλοτριούμενον, μὴ διακρίνων τὴν φύσιν. Τότε οὖν ἰδὼν ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ὡς οὐ δυναμένων τῶν πολλῶν μέχρι τοῦ θανάτου τῆς εὐσεβείας