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Did they perceive? Who does not know the madness of the Arethusians, formerly unknown, but from that time very well known? For it is not only a right action that makes men famous, but also wickedness, which surpasses the reputation of evil men.

87. For they are said—for I must tell one thing out of many, worthy of horror even to the godless—to have brought into their midst pure and otherworldly virgins, almost untouched even by the eyes of men, and having stripped them of their clothing, so that they might first insult them by the sight, then having shaved and dismembered them (O Christ, how can I bear Your long-suffering then!). Some are said even to have feasted foully with their own teeth, and, as befitted their own wretchedness, to have gorged themselves on the raw livers, and after that food, to have partaken of another, the common and customary kind. Others, sprinkling swinish food on their entrails while they were still gasping, and setting on them the fiercest of swine, produced that spectacle of seeing flesh eaten along with barley and torn to pieces, an unmixed food, then for the first time seen and heard of; a food which the creator of these things was worthy only to feed his own demons. And indeed he did feed them well from that blood and the wound which he received in his entrails, even if the wretches are insensible to such things and do not even possess reason because of their impiety.

88. But as for the case of the wonderful Mark of 35.617 Arethusa, who is so outside our inhabited world as to be ignorant of it, and not to have anticipated the narrator with the story? This man, in the time of the great Constantius, according to the authority then given to Christians, had pulled down a habitation of demons, and had turned many from the Hellenic error to salvation not less through the splendor of his life than the power of his word. For a long time he had been an object of wrath to the Arethusians, or rather to those of the Arethusians who were friends of demons. But when matters were stirred up for the Christians, and the affairs of the Hellenes began to blaze up, he did not escape the tyranny of the time. For the populace is wont, even if for the present they restrain their anger, like a fire smoldering in wood, or a stream violently dammed up, to be kindled and to burst forth if they get an opportunity. Seeing, therefore, the movement of the people against him, neither thinking nor threatening anything moderate, at first he planned to escape, not so much from cowardice as from the command which bids to flee from city to city, and to withdraw before the persecutors; for it was necessary, being Christians, not to look only to their own interests, not even if they were exceedingly brave and steadfast, but also to spare their persecutors, so as, for their part, not to contribute anything to the danger of their enemies. But when he perceived that many were being dragged and led away on his account, and that many were running for their lives because of the cruelty of the persecutors, he could not bear, in his own safety, to overlook others in danger; and for this reason he makes a most excellent and most philosophic decision: he returns from his flight, and offering himself to the people, he gives himself up for them to do whatever they wished, and arrays himself against the difficulty of the time. At this point, what terrible thing was absent? What was not devised that was more grievous? Different people contributed different things to the symphony of one evil, showing no respect, if for nothing else, for the man's philosophic character; indeed, for this reason they were even more indignant, because they considered the man's presence to be contempt for them rather than bravery in the face of dangers. 35.620

89. An old priest was led, a voluntary athlete, through the middle of the city, venerable for his age, more venerable for his manner of life, to all except those who persecuted and tyrannized; and he was led by every age and condition, not by some but not by others, but by all alike, men, women, young, old, both those who administered public affairs, and those of rank. And there was one contest for all, to surpass one another in audacity toward the old man

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ᾔσθοντο; τίς τὴν Ἀρεθουσίων μανίαν, τῶν τέως ἀγνοουμένων, ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ λίαν ἐπιγινωσκομένων; Ποιεῖ γὰρ περιβοήτους οὐ δεξιὰ πρᾶξις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κα κία, νικῶσα πονηρῶν εὐδοκίμησιν.

ΠΖʹ. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ λέγονται, δεῖ γὰρ ἓν ἐκ πολλῶν εἰπεῖν, φρίκης καὶ τοῖς ἀθέοις ἄξιον, παρθένους ἁγνὰς καὶ ὑπερκοσμίους, ἀψαύστους μικροῦ καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀῤῥένων, εἰς μέσον προαγαγόντες, καὶ τῆς ἐσθῆ τος γυμνώσαντες, ἵνα τῇ θέᾳ πρότερον ἐνυβρίσωσιν, εἶτ' ἀνακείραντες, καὶ διχάσαντες (ὢ πῶς ἐνέγκω σου, Χριστὲ, τὴν τότε μακροθυμίαν!) οἱ μὲν καὶ ἰδίοις ὀδοῦσι κακῶς ἑστιαθῆναι, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν κακοδαιμονίας ἀξίως, ὠμῶν τῶν ἡπάτων ἐμφορηθῆ ναι, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην τὴν τροφὴν ἄλλην προσενέγκα σθαι, τὴν κοινήν τε καὶ νενομισμένην· οἱ δὲ σπαίρου σιν ἔτι τοῖς σπλάγχνοις συώδη τροφὴν ἐπισπείραντες, καὶ συῶν ἐπαφέντες τοὺς θερμοτέρους, οἷον ἀγαγεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ θέατρον σάρκας ἰδεῖν κριθαῖς συνεσθιομένας, καὶ σπαραττομένας, τροφὴν ἀνάμικτον, καὶ τότε πρῶτον ὀφθεῖσαν καὶ ἀκουσθεῖσαν· ἣν θρέψαι μόνον τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δαίμονας, ὁ τούτων δημιουργὸς ἄξιος ἦν· ὡς μὲν οὖν καὶ καλῶς ἔθρεψεν ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς πληγῆς, ἣν κατὰ τῶν σπλάγχνων ἐδέξατο· κἂν ἀναισθήτως ἔχωσι πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα οἱ δείλαιοι, καὶ μηδὲ τὸ φρονεῖν ἐκ τῆς δυσ σεβείας ἔχοντες.

ΠΗʹ. Τὸ δέ γε Μάρκου τοῦ θαυμασίου καὶ 35.617 Ἀρεθουσίων, τίς οὕτως ἔξω τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμέ νης, ὥστε ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ μὴ φθάνειν τῇ διηγήσει τὸν μνημονεύοντα; Οὗτος ἐπὶ Κωνσταντίου τοῦ πάνυ, κατὰ τὴν τότε δεδομένην ἐξουσίαν Χριστιανοῖς, δαιμό νωντι καθελὼν οἰκητήριον, καὶ πολλοὺς Χριστιανῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πλάνης μεταστήσας εἰς σωτηρίαν οὐχ ἧττον διὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητα ἢ τὴν τοῦ λόγου δύναμιν, ἦν μὲν ἐκ πλείονος ἐν ὀργῇ τοῖς Ἀρεθουσίοις, μᾶλλον δὲ Ἀρεθουσίων τοῖς φιλοδαίμοσιν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ πράγματα ἐκινήθη Χριστιανοῖς, καὶ τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων φλεγμαίνειν ἤρξατο, τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ δυνα στείαν οὐκ ἔφυγε. Φιλοῦσι γὰρ οἱ δῆμοι, κἂν πρὸς τὸ παρὸν κατάσχωσι τὰς ὀργὰς, ὥσπερ πῦρ ἐμ φωλεῦον ὕλαις, ἢ ῥεῦμα βίᾳ κρατούμενον, εἰ καιροῦ λάβοιντο, ἀνάπτεσθαί τε καὶ ἀναῤῥήγνυσθαι. Ὁρῶν οὖν τὴν τοῦ δήμου κίνησιν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, οὐδὲν μέτριον ἢ ἐννοούντων, ἢ ἀπειλούντων, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα δρασμὸν βουλεύεται, οὐ δι' ἀνανδρίαν μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν φεύγειν ἐκ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν κελεύουσαν ἐντολὴν, καὶ ὑποχωρεῖν τοῖς διώκταις· χρῆναι γὰρ μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν σκοπεῖν μόνον Χριστιανοὺς ὄντας, μηδὲ εἰ λίαν εἶεν ἀνδρειότατοί τε καὶ καρτερικώτατοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν διωκόντων φείδεσθαι, ὡς, τό γε εἰς αὐτοὺς ἧκον μέρος, μὴ τῷ κινδύνῳ τι συνεισφέρειν τῶν πολε μίων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ᾔσθετο πολλῶν μὲν δι' αὐτὸν ἑλκο μένων καὶ ἀγομένων, πολλῶν δὲ τῶν περὶ ψυχῆς τρεχόντων διὰ τὴν τῶν διωκόντων ὠμότητα, οὐκ ἠν έσχετο τῷ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀσφαλεῖ τοὺς ἄλλους περι ορᾷν κινδυνεύοντας· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βουλεύεται βουλὴν ἀρίστην τε καὶ φιλοσοφωτάτην· ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς ἐπάνει σι, καὶ τῷ δήμῳ φέρων ἑαυτὸν ἐκδίδωσι χρῆσθαι ὅτι βούλοιντο, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ παρατάσσεται δυσκολίαν. Ἐνταῦθα τί μὲν ἀπῆν τῶν δεινῶν; τί δὲ οὐκ ἐπενοεῖτο βαρύτερον; ἄλλων ἄλλο τι συνεισφε ρόντων πρὸς ἑνὸς κακοῦ συμφωνίαν, οὐδὲ τὸ φιλόσο φον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδουμένων, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, τῶν ἐγκειμένων· διὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν καὶ πλέον ἀγανα κτούντων, ὅτι περιφρόνησιν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον ἢ ἀν δρείαν πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παρου σίαν ἐνόμιζον. 35.620

ΠΘʹ. Ἤγετο γέρων ἱερεὺς, ἀθλητὴς ἐθελοντὴς διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως, αἰδέσιμος τὴν ἡλικίαν, τὴν πολι τείαν αἰδεσιμώτερος, πᾶσι πλὴν τῶν διωκόντων καὶ τυραννούντων· ἤγετο δὲ ἡλικίᾳ πάσῃ καὶ τύχῃ, οὐ τῷ μὲν, τῷ δ' οὔ· πᾶσι δὲ ὁμοίως, ἀνδράσι, γυναιξὶ, νέοις, πρεσβύταις, ὅσοι τε τὰ πολιτικὰ διῴκουν, καὶ ὅσοι τῶν ἐπ' ἀξίας. Ἀγὼν δὲ ἦν ἅπασιν εἷς, ἀλλή λους ὑπερβαλέσθαι τῇ περὶ τὸν πρεσβύτη θρασύ