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he put forth other writings than the customary ones to the peoples and cities, and especially the images to the rulers of the provinces, so that it was entirely impossible to miss some evil; but either the honor of the emperors was associated with that of the idols, or by the avoidance of these, the emperors were insulted, since the act of worship was a mixed one. This deceit and this snare of impiety so sophistically devised, few of the more pious and intelligent escaped, who also paid the penalty for their intelligence; on the pretext of having transgressed in the matter of the emperor's honor, but in truth having run into danger for the sake of the true King and of piety. But many of the more simple-minded and unsophisticated were caught; for whom there is perhaps pardon for their ignorance, having been carried away into impiety by a trick. This, then, was of such a kind that it alone would have sufficed to disgrace the emperor’s policy; for we do not suppose that the same things are fitting for emperors and for private citizens; because both are not of the same worth. For we would allow a private citizen to do something artfully; for he who is unable to use open force, for him cunning is excusable; but for an emperor, since to be overcome by force is exceedingly shameful, it is even more shameful, I think, and more unbecoming to steal by craft his undertakings and objectives.

42. Another thing, which is of the same mind and purpose, but in measure much worse and more impious, as the evil reached more people, this I will add to what has been said. It was a day of imperial largesse, whether it was an annual one, or one devised by the emperor at that time for his wickedness, and the soldiery had to be present to be honored, as each one was of worth or rank. Again the stage of illiberality; again the drama of impiety; for the inhumanity to be poisoned with some kind of philanthropy, and for military unreasonableness combined with greed, with which 35.609 they mostly live, to be enticed with money. He then sat enthroned, magnificently celebrating against piety, and priding himself on his contrivances; some Melampus, I suppose, or Proteus, being and becoming all things, and easily changing himself into various forms; but the things around him were such, and worthy of how many laments for the right-minded, not only for those present then, but also for those now receiving that spectacle by hearsay?

43. Gold was set out, frankincense was set out, the fire was nearby, the order-givers were close at hand; and the pretense was so plausible, that this custom of the imperial gift, at least the more ancient and honorable one, seemed to be followed. Then what? One had to offer incense over the fire, and to receive from the emperor the wages of destruction, so small for so great a matter, of whole souls and of impiety towards God. Alas for the business! Alas for the exchange! A whole army was for sale for one trick; and those who had subdued the world were falling for a little fire and gold, and for a little savor of burnt offering, most of them not even knowing their own slaughter; for this was the most grievous thing. A man went up as if to gain, and did not even possess himself after the gain; he kissed the emperor's right hand, and did not know he was venerating his own murderer. And for those who did know, there was no advantage, being once for all prepossessed by the evil, and regarding their first folly as an unalterable law. What myriads of Persians, what archers, what slingers accomplished these things, what iron-clad soldier, invulnerable from every side, what engines against walls, such as one hand, and one occasion, and one polluted counsel accomplished?

44. I will mix with these things a story more pitiful than what has been said. It is said that some of those who were captured out of ignorance, after they had suffered this and had withdrawn homewards, were sharing a meal with their messmates; then when the drinking had advanced to the customary cold drink, as if 35.612 nothing terrible had happened to them, with the cup for cold water, they invoked Christ with the sign of the cross, looking upwards. And when one of their messmates was astonished, and said: What is this? You call upon Christ after the denial? How have we denied? they said

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ἄλλας τῶν ἐξ ἔθους γραφὰς προὐ τίθει δήμοις καὶ πόλεσι, καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχουσι τὰς εἰκόνας, ὡς κακοῦ γέ του πάν τως μὴ εἶναι διαμαρτεῖν· ἀλλ' ἢ τῇ τῶν βασιλέων τιμῇ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων συμφέρεσθαι, ἢ τῇ τούτων φυγῇ τοὺς βασιλέας ὑβρίζεσθαι, μικτῆς οὔσης τῆς προσκυνήσεως. Τοῦτον τὸν δόλον καὶ ταύτην τὴν οὕ τω σοφιστικῶς ἐπινοηθεῖσαν πάγην τῆς ἀσεβείας ὀλίγοι μὲν διέφυγον τῶν εὐλαβεστέρων καὶ συνετω τέρων, οἳ καὶ δίκην ἔδοσαν τῆς συνέσεως· πρό σχημα μὲν ὡς εἰς τιμὴν βασιλέως παρανομήσαν τες, τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς κινδυνεύσαντες. Πολλοὶ δὲ ἥλω σαν τῶν εὐηθεστέρων καὶ ἁπλουστέρων· οἷς καὶ συγ γνώμη τυχὸν τῆς ἀγνοίας, τέχνῃ συναρπασθεῖσιν εἰς τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τοιοῦτον, ὃ καὶ μόνον ἐξήρκει στηλιτεῦσαι βασιλέως προαίρεσιν· οὐ γὰρ τὰ αὐτὰ βασιλεῦσί τε καὶ ἰδιώταις πρέπειν ὑπολαμβά νομεν· ὅτι μηδὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀξίας ἀμφότερα. Ἰδιώ τῃ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τεχνικῶς πράττειν τι συγχωρήσαι μεν· ᾧ γὰρ τὸ φανερῶς βιάζεσθαι μὴ δυνατὸν, τούτῳ συγγνωστὸν τὸ τῆς περινοίας· βασιλεῖ δὲ, τοῦ δυνάμει κρατεῖσθαι λίαν αἰσχροῦ τυγχάνοντος, ἔτ' αἴσχιον, οἶμαι, καὶ ἀπρεπέστερον τὸ τέχνῃ κλέ πτειν τὰς ἐγχειρήσεις καὶ τὰ προκείμενα.

ΠΒʹ. Ἕτερον δὲ ὃ διανοίας μέν ἐστιν καὶ προαιρέ σεως τῆς αὐτῆς, τῷ μέτρῳ δὲ πολὺ χεῖρον καὶ ἀσε βέστερον, εἰς πλείους τοῦ κακοῦ φθάνοντος, τοῦ το προσθήσω τοῖς εἰρημένοις. ∆ωρεᾶς βασιλικῆς ἦν ἡμέρα, εἴτ' οὖν ἐτήσιος, εἴτε τηνικαῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ σχεδιασθεῖσα διὰ τὴν κακουργίαν, καὶ παρεῖναι τὸ στρατιωτικὸν ἔδει τιμηθησομένους, ὡς ἕκαστος ἀξίας εἶχεν ἢ τάξεως. Πάλιν ἡ τῆς ἀνελευθερίας σκηνή· πάλιν τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς ἀσεβείας· φαρμαχθῆναι φιλαν θρωπίᾳ τινὶ τὸ ἀπάνθρωπον, καὶ χρήμασι δελεασθῆ ναι στρατιωτικὴν ἀλογίαν σὺν ἀπληστίᾳ, μεθ' ὧν τὰ 35.609 πολλὰ βιοτεύουσιν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν προὐκάθητο, λαμ πρῶς πανηγυρίζων κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ μέγα φρονῶν τοῖς τεχνάσμασι· Μελάμπους, οἶμαι, τὶς, ἢ Πρωτεὺς, πάντα καὶ ὢν καὶ γινόμενος, καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἑαυτὸν ὑπαλλάττων τοῖς εἴδεσι· τὰ δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν οἷα, καὶ ὅσων ὀδυρμῶν τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσιν ἄξια, οὐ τοῖς τότε παροῦσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς νῦν ἀκοῇ δε χομένοις ἐκεῖνο τὸ θέαμα;

ΠΓʹ. Προὔκειτο χρυσὸς, προὔκειτο λίβανος, ἐγγύ θεν τὸ πῦρ, οἱ κελευσταὶ πλησίον· καὶ τὸ σχῆμα ὡς πιθανὸν, βασιλικῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦτον εἶναι δοκεῖν τὸν νόμον, τῆς γε ἀρχαιοτέρας τε καὶ τιμιωτέρας. Εἶτα τί; Θυμιᾷν ἔδει κατὰ τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ δέχεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν τῆς ἀπωλείας μισθὸν, οὕτως ὀλίγον τοσούτου πράγματος, ψυχῶν ὅλων καὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἀσεβείας. Φεῦ τῆς πραγματείας! φεῦ τῆς ἀντι δόσεως! Στρατὸς ὅλος ἑνὸς τεχνάσματος ὤνιος ἦν· καὶ οἱ τὴν οἰκουμένην παραστησάμενοι μικρῷ πυρὶ καὶ χρυσίῳ, καὶ διὰ κνίσσης ὀλίγης ἔπιπτον, οὐδὲ τὴν ἑαυτῶν σφαγὴν εἰδότες οἱ πλείους· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ βαρύτατον. Παρῄει τις ὡς κερδανῶν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἑαυτὸν εἶχε μετὰ τὸ κέρδος· προσεκύνει δεξιὰν βασι λέως, καὶ τὸν αὐτόχειρα προσκυνῶν οὐκ ἠπίστατο. Τοῖς δὲ καὶ γινώσκουσιν οὐδὲν ἦν πλέον, ἅπαξ τῷ κακῷ προκατειλημμένοις, καὶ νόμον ἄλυτον ἡγουμέ νοις τὴν πρώτην ἄνοιαν. Ποῖαι ταῦτα Περσῶν μυριάδες, τίνες τοξόται, τίνες σφενδονῆται κατ ώρθωσαν, ποῖος σιδηροῦς στρατιώτης καὶ παν ταχόθεν ἄτρωτος, τίνα κατὰ τῶν τειχῶν μηχανήματα, οἵα χεὶρ μία, καὶ καιρὸς εἷς, καὶ βουλὴ μιαρὰ κατ επράξατο; Π∆ʹ. Μίξω τούτοις τι διήγημα τῶν εἰρημένων ἐλεεινότερον. Λέγονταί τοι τῶν ἁλόντων τινὲς ἐξ ἀγνοίας, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἔπαθον καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν οἴκα δε, τοῖς συσσίτοις κοινωνεῖν τραπέζης· εἶτα τοῦ πότου προελθόντος εἰς τὴν συνήθη ψυχροποσίαν, ὡς 35.612 οὐδενὸς ὄντος αὐτοῖς δεινοῦ, τῇ ψυχροφόρῳ κύλικι, Χρι στὸν ἐπειπεῖν μετὰ τῆς σφραγῖδος ἄνω βλέψαντας. Τῶν δὲ συσσίτων τινὸς θαυμάσαντος, καί· Τί τοῦτο; εἰπόντος, Χριστὸν ἐπικαλεῖσθε μετὰ τὴν ἄρνη σιν; Πῶς ἠρνήμεθα; φάναι τοὺς