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It makes me prophesy that first the enemies, having sated themselves on your slaughter, will afterwards mingle me, who has endured many deaths and has suffered for each one of you, with your blood. 44.1 But I have forgotten myself, O dearest children, having strayed far from what is proper and having uttered with my laments things which ought not to be said. 44.2 For I have been overcome by evil, and the universal calamity has compelled me, even against my will, to bemoan the occasion and the events. 44.3 For who, even with a heart of stone, being carried away by this suffering, would not mourn for himself and those around him held by so great an evil? 44.4 But there is nothing that God wills and does among men that is not ordained for some useful end. 44.5 For perhaps it was destined for us because of our wickedness to die thus; and behold, before our eyes the payment for our life is at hand, violently exacting our souls with swords. 44.6 But he is not unjust who has allowed us to suffer these things and to endure this violent separation from the body, and the penalties for our sins will be exacted from us at the judgment to come. 44.7 Therefore, stand nobly, suspending all your hope on him alone who is able to forgive sins on earth. 44.8 And if we must suffer any pains for the sake of faith in him, let us endure them with eyes closed and let us fear nothing from this bodily death, which, if not in this way, we must in any case endure in another, and so render to our birth its due. 44.9 Let the deprivation of life, therefore, be for us an occasion for thanksgiving, so that we may not only die, but also in the hope of the blessedness from there.” 44.10 Saying these things, he trained each of us for death by the sword and provided eagerness not to refuse the consummation. 45.1 While he was saying these things to us and we, having come together, were arranging our final farewells to one another, behold, some of the barbarians appeared, coming up, not few in number, Ethiopians in color, naked in body, holding their drawn swords, leaping terribly and, by the gnashing of their teeth like boars, displaying their madness. 45.2 Therefore, standing over the place, they first dispatched with those swords those who had returned with us from the wicked closing of the gates, who were huddled somewhere there by the wall; 45.3 for whom nothing more had been practiced before this than only to offer their necks to the executioner's right hand and to position themselves for the blow. 45.4 And what was being done was a sight full of astonishment. 45.5 For if the killer was moved to pity by the obedience of one who gave himself up and bowed to death, delivering a mortal blow, he would release him more quickly from his pains; 45.6 but if his stony heart was not softened, but he wished to revel in his madness, rousing his anger more by the misfortunes of the captured, he would mutilate the nearest body limb by limb and inflicted a multitude of deaths in a single calamity upon the wretched one. 45.7 And nothing else was to be heard in so vast and populous a community, but only the whistling of swords and the violent gushing of streams of blood. 46.1 And not much time passed and they all lay dead, a sight worthy of many laments and dirges. 46.2 And when the slaughter reached us (for they saw us huddled by the wall), they rushed with one accord as if upon some ready prey. 46.3 But having come near, they checked their charge. 46.4 For there was the aforementioned tower in between, through which they had to pass to get to us, the entire floor of which had long ago been laid with wooden planks, which, having rotted and decayed with time, did not provide a safe passage from there; 46.5 for only two planks were suspended in the middle, across which those crossing made their way with trembling. 46.6 Therefore, seeing the precipitous nature of the dangerous place, the barbarians suspected that somehow, while they were in the middle of the planks, we might have secretly contrived some trick inside the tower and might cause them to be thrown down, as it was raised to a great height and the fall difficult

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μαντεύεσθαί με ποιεῖ, πρῶτον τῆς ἀφ' ὑμῶν τομῆς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐμφορηθέντας, ἐν ὑστέρῳ με πολλοὺς ὑπομεμενηκότα θανάτους καὶ καθ' ἕνα ὑμῶν ἀθλήσαντα, οὕτω τοῖς ὑμετέροις αἵμασι συμφυραθῆναι. 44.1 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔλαθον ἐμαυτόν, ὦ φίλτατα τέκνα, πόρρω τοῦ δέοντος πλανηθεὶς καὶ ἅπερ οὐκ ἔδει τοῖς θρήνοις συνεξειπών. 44.2 νενίκημαι γὰρ τῷ κακῷ, καὶ ἡ πάνδημος συμφορὰ καταστενάξαι τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ ἄκοντά με παρεβιάσατο. 44.3 τίς γὰρ ἂν καὶ λιθίνην ἔχων καρδίαν, τῷδε τῷ πάθει συνεπαρθείς, ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν τοσούτῳ κακῷ συσχεθέντας μὴ ἀποδύρηται; 44.4 ἀλλ' οὐδέν ἐστιν ὃ βούλεται καὶ πράττει θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις μὴ πρός τι χρήσιμον τέλος οἰκονομούμενον. 44.5 τάχα γὰρ ἀπέκειτο διὰ τὴν μοχθηρίαν ἡμῶν τὸ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡ τῆς ζωῆς ἐφέστηκεν ἔκτισις, βιαίως τοῖς ξίφεσι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἐκτιννύουσα. 44.6 ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἄδικος ὁ συγχωρήσας ταῦτα παθεῖν καὶ τόνδε καθυπενέγκαι βίαιον τοῦ σώματος χωρισμὸν καὶ τὰς εὐθύνας τῶν ἡμαρτημένων κατὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμᾶς εἰσπραχθήσεσθαι δίκην. 44.7 διὸ στῆτε γενναίως, τὴν ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν πρὸς αὐτὸν μόνον ἀπαιωρήσαντες τὸν δυνάμενον ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἁμαρτίας. 44.8 καὶ κἄν τι δέοι παθεῖν ἀλγεινῶν χάριν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως, ἐνέγκωμεν μύσαντες καὶ μηδὲν φοβηθῶμεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σωματικοῦ τούτου θανάτου, ὃν εἰ καὶ μὴ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πάντως ἑτέρως καθυπομεῖναι χρεών ἐστι καὶ τῇ γενέσει τὸ ὀφειλόμενον λειτουργῆσαι. 44.9 γενέσθω οὖν ἡ τῆς ζωῆς στέρησις εὐχαριστίας ἡμῖν ἀφορμή, ἵνα μὴ θάνωμεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς ἐκεῖθεν μακαριότητος.» 44.10 ταῦτα λέγων ἕκαστον ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν διὰ ξίφους θάνατον ἐπαιδοτρίβει καὶ προθυμίαν παρεῖχε μὴ ἀπευδοκεῖν τὴν τελείωσιν. 45.1 Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς ἡμᾶς διελέγετο καὶ συμπεσόντες ἀλλήλοις τὰ τελευταῖα συνεταττόμεθα, ἰδοὺ δὴ καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων κατεφάνησάν τινες ἀνιόντες, τὸν ἀριθμὸν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, Αἰθίοπες τὴν χροιάν, τὰ σώματα γεγυμνωμένοι, ἐσπασμένας ἔχοντες τὰς μαχαίρας, δεινὸν ἐξαλλόμενοι καὶ τῇ παραθήξει τῶν ὀδόντων συῶν δίκην τὸ μανικὸν ἐνδεικνύμενοι. 45.2 ἐφεστῶτες οὖν τῷ τόπῳ πρῶτον τοὺς μεθ' ἡμῶν ὑποστρέψαντας ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πυλῶν κακούργου συγκλείσεως, αὐτοῦ που παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος εἰλουμένους, τοῖς ξίφεσιν ἐκείνοις διεχειρίσαντο· 45.3 οἷς οὐδὲν ἦν πρὸ τούτου πλέον μελετηθὲν ἢ μόνον τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ δημίου τὸν αὐχένα ὑπέχειν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τομὴν σχηματίζεσθαι. 45.4 καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὸ πραττόμενον ἐκπλήξεως γέμον. 45.5 εἰ γὰρ τῷ εὐπειθεῖ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν προδόντος καὶ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον ὑποκλίνοντος ὁ φονεὺς κατενύγη, καιρίαν ἄγων θᾶττον αὐτὸν τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἀπήλλαττεν· 45.6 εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐμαλάχθη τὴν λιθώδη καρδίαν, ἀλλ' ἤθελεν ἐντρυφᾶν τῆς μανίας, μᾶλλον τοῖς τῶν ἁλόντων ἀτυχήμασι τὸν θυμὸν διεγείρων, μεληδὸν κατῄκιζε τὸ προστυχὸν σῶμα καὶ πολλῶν θανάτων φορὰν ἐν μιᾷ συμφορᾷ τῷ δειλαίῳ παρείχετο. 45.7 οὐδὲν δὲ ἕτερον ἦν ἀκούειν ἐν οὕτω παμπληθεῖ καὶ πολυανθρώπῳ δήμῳ, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον τὸν συριγμὸν τῶν ξιφῶν καὶ τῶν τοῦ αἵματος ὀχετῶν τὴν μετὰ βίας ἔκρυσιν. 46.1 Οὐ πολὺ δὲ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ καὶ πάντες ἔκειντο, θέαμα πολλῶν ὀδυρμῶν καὶ θρήνων ἐπάξιον. 46.2 ὡς δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔφθανεν ἡ τομή (τῷ τείχει γὰρ εἶδον συγκεκυφότας), ἐφώρμησαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν καθάπερ εἴς τι πρόχειρον θήραμα. 46.3 φθάσαντες δὲ πλησίον τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπέσχον. 46.4 ἦν γὰρ ὁ ῥηθεὶς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ πύργος, δι' οὗ διελθεῖν ἔμελλον καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι, ὃς πάλαι ἦν τὸ ἔδαφος ἅπαν ξύλοις ἐστρωμένος, ἅτινα τῷ χρόνῳ σαπέντα καὶ διαρρεύσαντα οὐκ ἀσφαλῆ παρεῖχον τὴν ἐκεῖθεν διάβασιν· 46.5 δύο γὰρ μόνα κατὰ μέσον ξύλα ἐναπῃώρηντο, δι' ὧν οἱ ταύτην διερχόμενοι ὑπότρομον τὴν πάροδον ἐπεποίηντο. 46.6 τὸ ἀμφίκρημνον οὖν τοῦ κινδυνώδους τόπου κατιδόντες οἱ βάρβαροι ἐφώρασαν μή πως ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ξύλων γενομένων αὐτῶν λάθωμεν τέχνασμά τι πεποιηκότες εἴσω τοῦ πύργου καὶ κρημνισθῆναι τούτους παρασκευάσωμεν, εἰς ὕψος ἐπῃρμένου πολὺ καὶ χαλεπὴν τὴν πτῶσιν