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torments? And where it is no great thing to conquer, how is it not the ultimate disaster to come away defeated? And, as it seems, prefects were ashamed of the same things in which emperors glorified. What could be more wretched for those who do these things than for those who suffer them? Such then were the deeds of the Arethusians, and of such a nature, as to make the inhumanity of Echetus and Phalaris seem small compared to their cruelty, or rather, of him who persuaded and contrived these things; if indeed the sprouts are from the seed, and the shipwrecks from the wind.

B. But the other things, what kind and how many? Who would give me the leisure and tongue of Herodotus and Thucydides, so that I might hand down to future time the wickedness of the man, and that the narratives of the time might be recorded for posterity? I will be silent about the Orontes and the nightly dead, whom he helped the emperor to hide, "hard pressed by the dead," and killing secretly; for here it is more appropriate to speak the words of the epic. I will pass over also the hollow and remote parts of the palace, all that was in pits and wells and trenches, full of evil treasures and mysteries; not only of boys and virgins dissected for necromancy and divination, and for sacrifices not sanctioned by law, but also of those who were in peril for their piety. Let us concede, if you please, these things, of which even he was ashamed, 35.625 in this at least acting with moderation; and it is clear from his attempt to hide it that it was not proper for the abomination to be made public. For as to the deeds against our own Caesareans, men of noble spirit and fervent in piety, thus driven about and insulted by him, perhaps it is not worth reproaching him; for it seemed that, being justly indignant on behalf of Fortune who had been unfortunate in a time of good fortune, he had proceeded to this requital; since one must make some allowance even for overwhelming injustice.

C. But who does not know that when a certain populace raged against the Christians, committing much slaughter and threatening more, since the governor of the province, walking a middle course between the times and the laws (for he thought he ought to serve the one, but had some moderate respect for the other), and for this reason, having led away many Christians but punished few of the Greeks, was then brought before the emperor, and when an accusation was made, he was tried for these things, disgraced and liable to be carried off; and he put forward the laws according to which he was entrusted to judge, and was almost led away to his death. But at last, receiving clemency, he is condemned to exile? And how wonderful and humane the sentence! For what great thing is it, says the just judge, not to persecute Christians, if one Greek hand has destroyed ten Galileans? Is this not manifest cruelty? Is this not a program of persecution, and much clearer and more terrible than those publicly posted? For what is the difference between proscribing danger for Christians and appearing to take pleasure in the persecutors of Christians, and making moderation a great crime? For the will of an emperor is an unwritten law, supported by his power, and much stronger than the written ones, which are not aided by sovereignty.

D. "No," say those who revere his ways, and who are fashioning for us a new god, the pleasant and humane one; "but that Christians should be persecuted, not publicly," he ordained, "and let them suffer all things that seem good to their persecutors," acquitting him of the charge of persecution. But no one ever called the Hydra tame because it put forth nine heads for one, if the myth 35.628 is to be believed; nor the Chimaera of Patara, because it had three and dissimilar heads, so as to be more terrible; or Cerberus in Hades, because he had so many and similar ones; or the sea monster Scylla, because she had six in a circle and most to be avoided; and yet her upper parts, they say, were good and humane, and not unpleasant to look upon; for she was a maiden having some kinship with us; but from that point down her dog-like and beastly heads were of no good, snatching away whole fleets and nothing into danger

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βασάνους; Καὶ οὗ κρατῆσαι μὴ μέγα, τού του πῶς οὐ τῆς ἐσχάτης συμφορᾶς ἀπελθεῖν ἡττημένους; Καὶ, ὡς ἔοικε, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὕπαρχοι μὲν ᾐσχύνοντο, βασιλεῖς δὲ ἐκαλλωπίζοντο. Τούτων τί ἂν γένοιτο τοῖς δρῶσι μᾶλλον ἀθλιώτερον ἢ τοῖς πάσχουσι; Τὰ μὲν δὴ τῶν Ἀρεθουσίων τοιαῦτα καὶ οὕτως ἔχοντα, ὡς μικρὰν εἶναι τὴν Ἐχέτου καὶ Φαλάριδος ἀπανθρωπίαν πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ὠμό τητα, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ταῦτα πείθοντος καὶ κατασκευά ζοντος· εἴπερ τοῦ σπέρματος τὰ βλαστήματα, καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὰ ναυάγια.

Βʹ. Τἄλλα δὲ οἷα καὶ ὅσα; Τίς ἄν μοι δοίη τὴν Ἡροδότου καὶ Θουκυδίδου σχολήν τε καὶ γλῶτταν, ἵνα καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ παραδῶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πονηρίαν, καὶ στηλιτευθῇ τοῖς μετέπειτα τὰ τοῦ και ροῦ διηγήματα; Σιωπήσομαι τὸν Ὀρόντην καὶ τοὺς νυκτερινοὺς νεκροὺς, οὓς τῷ βασιλεῖ συν έκρυπτεν οὗτος στεινόμενος νεκύεσσι, καὶ κτεί νων ἀδήλως· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὰ τοῦ ἔπους εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον. Παραδραμοῦμαι καὶ τῶν βασιλείων τὰ κοῖ λα καὶ ἀπωτάτω, ὅσα τε ἐν λάκκοις καὶ φρέασι, καὶ διώρυξι κακῶν γέμοντα θησαυρῶν τε καὶ μυστηρίων· οὐ μόνον τῶν ἀνατεμνομένων παίδων τε καὶ παρθένων ἐπὶ ψυχαγωγίᾳ καὶ μαντείᾳ, καὶ θυσίαις οὐ νενομισμέναις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας κινδυνευόντων. Συγχωρή σωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, ταῦτα, οἷς κἀκεῖνος ᾐσχύνετο, 35.625 τοῦτό γε ποιῶν μέτριον· δῆλον δὲ τῷ κρύπτειν ἐπιχειρεῖν, ὡς οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς ὂν τὸ ἄγος δημοσιεύε σθαι· τὰ μὲν γὰρ Καισαρέων τῶν ἡμετέρων, τούτων δὲ τῶν μεγαλοφυῶν καὶ θερμῶν εἰς εὐσέ βειαν, οὕτως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ περιεληλαμένων καὶ ὑβρισμέ νων, ἴσως οὐδὲν ὀνειδίζειν ἄξιον· ἐδόκει γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς τύχης ἐνδίκως ἀγανακτῶν ἐν καιρῷ τῆς εὐτυχίας ἀτυχησάσης, ἐπὶ ταύτην προεληλυθέ ναι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν· ἐπειδὴ δεῖ τι καὶ συγχωρεῖν καὶ ἀδικίᾳ κατακρατούσῃ.

Γʹ. Ἀλλὰ τίς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὡς, δήμου τινὸς ἐπιμα νέντος Χριστιανοῖς, καὶ πολὺν μὲν ἐργασαμένων φόνον, πλείω δὲ ἀπειλούντων, ἐπειδὴ μέσην βαδίζων ὁ τοῦ ἔθνους ἄρχων τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῶν νόμων (τῷ μὲν γὰρ δουλεύειν ᾤετο δεῖν, τοὺς δὲ μετρίως ᾐσχύ νετο), καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπαγαγὼν Χρι στιανῶν, ὀλίγοις δὲ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπιτιμήσας, εἶτ' ἀναχθεὶς τῷ βασιλεῖ, κατηγορίας γενομένης, ἄτιμος καὶ ἀνάρπαστος περὶ τούτων ἐκρίνετο· καὶ τοὺς νόμους προὐβάλλετο, καθ' οὓς ἐπιστεύθη δικάζειν, μικροῦ μὲν ἀπήχθη τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ· τέλος δὲ, φιλανθρωπίας τυχὼν, ἐξορίαν κατακρίνεται; Καὶ ἡ ἀπόφασις ὡς θαυμασία τε καὶ φιλάνθρωπος! Τί γὰρ μέγα, φησὶν ὁ δίκαιος δικαστὴς, καὶ μὴ διώκων Χριστιανοὺς, εἰ Γαλιλαίους δέκα μία χεὶρ Ἑλληνικὴ κατειργάσατο; Ταῦτα οὐκ ὠμότης περιφανής; ταῦτα οὐ πρόγραμμα διωγμοῦ, καὶ πολύ γε τῶν δημοσίᾳ προτιθεμένων ἐναργέστερον καὶ φοβε ρώτερον; Τί γὰρ διαφέρει τοῦ κίνδυνον προγράψαι Χριστιανοῖς τὸ τοῖς διώκταις Χριστιανῶν ἡδόμενον φαίνεσθαι, καὶ μέγα ἔγκλημα ποιεῖσθαι τὸ μετριά ζειν; τὸ γὰρ βούλεσθαι βασιλέως ἄγραφός ἐστι νό μος, τῷ κράτει συνηγορούμενος, καὶ πολύ γε τῶν γραπτῶν ἰσχυρότερος, τῶν οὐ δυναστείᾳ βοηθουμέ νων.

∆ʹ. Οὒ, φασὶν οἱ τὰ ἐκείνου σέβοντες, καὶ τὸν νέον ἡμῖν θεὸν ἀναπλάττοντες, τὸν ἡδὺν καὶ φιλάνθρωπον· ἀλλ' ὅτι μὴ δημοσίᾳ, διωκέσθωσαν Χριστιανοὶ, προὔ θηκε, καὶ πάντα πασχέτωσαν, ὅσα δοκεῖ τοῖς διώκου σιν, ἀφιέντες αὐτὸν τῆς τοῦ διώκειν αἰτίας. Τὴν ὕδραν δὲ οὐδεὶς πώποτε εἶπεν ἥμερον, ὅτι ἐννέα κεφαλὰς ἀντὶ μιᾶς προὐβάλλετο, εἴ τι τῷ μύθῳ 35.628 πειστέον· οὐδὲ τὴν Παταρικὴν Χίμαιραν, ὅτι τρεῖς καὶ ἀνομοίους, ὥστε εἶναι φοβερωτέραν· ἢ τὸν ἐν ᾅδου Κέρβερον, ὅτι τοσαύτας τε καὶ ὁμοίας· ἢ τὸ θαλάττιον κακὸν τὴν Σκύλλαν, ὅτι ἓξ ἐν κύκλῳ καὶ φευκτοτάτας· καίτοι γε τὰ ἄνω, φασὶν, αὐτῆς χρηστὰ καὶ φιλάνθρωπα, καὶ εἰς ὄψιν οὐκ ἀηδῆ· κόρη γὰρ ἦν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τι συγγενὲς ἔχου σα· αἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου κυνώδεις κεφαλαὶ καὶ θηριώδεις οὐδενὸς ἦσαν ἀγαθοῦ, στόλους ὅλους ἁρπάζουσαι καὶ μηδὲν εἰς κίνδυνον