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native to you and of the land of the Ausonians. But let us go more quickly; have no fear. And you will say: His disciples, by night, escaping my eye, took the body. {CUSTODIA} Woe is me; woe, alas, alas; {PILATE} Who is it who laments and groans outside? {HIGH PRIESTS} A company of the guards of the condemned man's body, O king, is present and groans in great fear. {PILATE} It has come at the right time, although it reveals something. For why does it lament, cry out, and groan? And on account of what does it bear fear? Speak. {HIGH PRIESTS} Let them, being present themselves, make their report. {CUSTODIA} For his disciples, O king, by night, escaping my eye, took the body. {PILATE} How, O you who have wrought the greatest evils, did the disciples come and enter the tomb, escaping your notice, and snatch away the body? And did you neither perceive them entering the tomb, nor leaving? Who will pay the penalty for these things but you? For I say that you are the guard of the tomb; you have made me a laughingstock to mortals, and in shame I will also pay the penalty for a murder. Did thieves escape your notice, mocking me greatly? For what is the pretext for stealing a dead body? And how would they dare, in the midst of so many guards, who they say also carry the light of fiery torches, and without these things the full-mooned night runs on, to come trembling and roll away the stone, which a whole army did not place without effort, and a chorus of elders has placed seals outside the stone with you in a troop? I do not know the disciples whom you say stole the body; you did this, we would accept no other explanation; but you take away my judgment, weaving stories. But then you will need a long and clever speech, with which you will persuade me not to say you speak falsely. For words of truth do not last; but counsels turn words, nor do words abide in counsels. {CUSTODIA} Rightly, O king, have you spoken, as the matter stands; for I kept a sleepless eye in the night and was neither drowsy nor slept, no, by your head, and I saw everything and came running to tell it. And I for my part was eager to run in the night and tell you everything and escape punishment; but the wise men, who know divine things, persuaded me to wait for the bright light of day; for the shining lamps of the sun did not restrain me, but I ran to them at once and told them every sight and sound; these men do not abide rightly by my words. {PILATE} I fear, O company, that you are speaking falsely in vain. For if the disciples stole him, we do not know clearly; for it is very suspicious to my mind; for what clear proof of this will you state? {HIGH PRIESTS} O king, you are hasty, before learning what was done. The thief in the darkness is all-powerful. But as quickly as possible it is necessary to command the army, so that if one of them, being swift of foot, passed beyond the company in the stillness of the night, he might be caught as a prisoner in snares, scarred by blows, and made to learn what must be done. For it is shameful for us and an evil upon shame, if God allows it, to let those who trouble us get away without trouble, having done such a deed. {PILATE} I do not know your thieves of the corpse you speak of, I do not know; it is suspicious, suspicious indeed to me. For how could those who fled have stolen the body, whom they left behind while he was alive in great fear? Neither, then, did the cohort sleep so deep a sleep and neglect the guard of the tomb, nor did these men err with timid boldness, whom I heard a servant-girl's voice could shake, so that they denied him in fear. {HIGH PRIESTS} You who are steadfast in all things, now with a wavering heart and hearing all this, you suspect in vain. If only you were a man of forethought, so as to act by hand; but it is not in the nature of the same mortal to be able to do all things; but to one is given one prize, and to another, another; to you, to fight; but to these, in turn, to know secret things; you who now were stirred up hearing of lamps of fire and disbelieve that the followers stole the deceiver. A simple word against enemies is to arm the hand. {PILATE} You, having stolen the soldiers, are also trying to twist me. You did all this; and as for the rest, you see to it. {HIGH PRIESTS} You at least think these things, since it seems good to you, you who have great power to act and to speak. {ANGEL} Having learned of such audacious acts of the lawless, who were concealing the resurrection of the dead with deceit, I ran, O mistress, now to report to you. So do not disbelieve; for you hear all things truly, and I think the whole city bears the report. For some of the Custodia are reporting

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ἐγγενῆ σοι καὶ χθονὸς τῶν Αὐσόνων. Ἀλλ' ἀπίωμεν τάχιον· μή σοι δέος. Ἐρεῖς δέ· μύσται τοῦδε νυκτέρῳ ποδί, λαθόντες ὄμμα τοὐμόν, ἦραν τὸν νέκυν. {ΚΟΥΣΤΩ∆ΙΑ} Ἰώ μοι· ἰώ, αἲ αἴ· {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} Τίς ἐστιν ὃς θρηνῶν γοῶν τ' ἔξω στένει; {ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΙΣ} Φάλαγξ φυλάκων τοῦ κατακρίτου νεκροῦ, ἄναξ, πάρεστι καὶ φόβῳ πολλῷ στένει. {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} Εἰς καιρὸν ἥκει, καίπερ ἐμφαίνουσά τι· τί γὰρ τί θρηνοῦσ' ἀλαλάζει καὶ στένει; τίνος θ' ἕκητι τὸν φόβον φέρει; λέγε. {ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΙΣ} Αὐτοὶ παρόντες τοὺς λόγους ποιησάτων. {ΚΟΥΣΤΩ∆ΙΑ} Μύσται γάρ, ἄναξ, τοῦδε νυκτέρῳ ποδί, λαθόντες ὄμμα τοὐμόν, ἦραν τὸν νέκυν. {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} Πῶς, ὦ μέγιστα πήματ' ἐξειργασμένοι, μύσται μολόντες εἰς τάφον γ' εἰσῄεσαν, ὑμᾶς λαθόντες, καὶ νέκυν ἀφήρπασαν; κοὔτ' εἰσιόντας πρὸς τάφον συνήκατε, οὔτ' ἐξιόντας; Τῶνδε τίς τίσει δίκην πλὴν σοῦ; σὲ γὰρ φύλακά φημ' εἶναι τάφου· ὄφλειν τ' ἔθηκας τοῖς βροτοῖς γέλωτά με, πρὸς αἰσχύνῃ δὲ καὶ δίκην τίσω φόνου. Κλέπται σ' ἔλαθον, ἐγγελῶντες πολλά μοι; τίς γὰρ πρόφασις τοῦ νεκρὸν κλέψαι δέμας; πῶς δ' ἂν ἐτόλμων, φυλάκων τόσων μέσον, οὕς φασι καὶ φῶς λαμπάδων πυρὸς φέρειν, καὶ τῶνδ' ἄνευ δὲ πανσέληνος νὺξ τρέχει, ἐλθεῖν τρέμοντας καὶ κυλίσαι τὸν λίθον, ὃν ἀπονητὶ στρατὸς οὐκ ἔθηχ' ὅσος, τέθεικέ τε σφραγῖδας ἐκτὸς τοῦ λίθου ἰλαδὸν ὑμῖν καὶ χορὸς πρεσβυτέρων; Οὐκ οἶδα μύστας, οὓς νέκυν κλέψαι λέγεις· σὺ τοῦτ' ἔδρασας, οὐδὲν ἂν δεξαίμεθα· γνώμην δ' ἀφαιρῇ τὴν ἐμήν, πλέκων λόγους. Ἀλλ' οὖν μακροῦ σοι καὶ σοφοῦ δέει λόγου, ὅτῳ με πείσεις μὴ λέγειν ψευδηγόρως. Οὐ γὰρ μένουσι τῆς ἀληθείας λόγοι· ἀλλὰ τρέπουσι τοὺς λόγους βουλεύματα, οὐδ' ἐμμένουσιν οἱ λόγοι βουλεύμασιν. {ΚΟΥΣΤΩ∆ΙΑ} Ὀρθῶς, ἄναξ, εἴρηκας, ὡς τὸ δρᾶμ' ἔχει· ἐγὼ γὰρ ὄμμ' ἄγρυπνον εἶχον εὐφρόνῃ κοὔτ' ἔβρισ' οὔτ' ἐκοίμισ', οὐ νὴ σὴν κάραν, εἶδόν τε πάντα καὶ δραμὼν ἦλθον λέγων. Κἀγὼ μὲν ἦν πρόθυμος ἔννυχος δραμεῖν καὶ σοὶ τὸ πᾶν εἰπεῖν τε καὶ φυγεῖν δίκην· ἀλλ' οἱ σοφοί γε καὶ τὸ θεῖον εἰδότες μεῖναί μ' ἔπεισαν ἡμέρας λαμπρὸν φάος· οὐ γὰρ φαεννοί με ξυνέσχον ἡλίου λαμπτῆρες, ἀλλ' ἔδραμον ἐς σφᾶς αὐτίκα καὶ σφίσιν εἶπον πᾶν ὅραμ' ἄκουσμά τε· οἵδ' οὐ μένουσι τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὀρθῶς λόγοις. {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} ∆έδοικα, φάλαγξ, μὴ μάτην ψευδηγορῇς. Μύσται γὰρ ἢν ἔκλεψαν, οὐκ ἴσμεν τορῶς· καὶ γὰρ ὕποπτόν ἐστι κάρτ' ἐμῇ φρενί· τί γὰρ ἐναργὲς τοῦδ' ἐρεῖς τεκμήριον; {ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΙΣ} Ἄναξ, ταχύνεις, πρὶν μαθεῖν τὸ δρώμενον. Ὁ κλὼψ ἐν ὄρφνῃ παντὶ πάμμεγα σθένει. Ἀλλ' ὡς τάχιστα χρὴ παραγγέλλειν στρατῷ, ὡς ἄν τις αὐτῶν καὶ ταχύπους τυγχάνων φάλαγγ' ὑπερβὰς νυκτὸς ἐν καταστάσει, ὡς ἐν βρόχοισι δέσμιος λελημμένος, πληγαῖς χαραχθείς, ἐκμάθῃ τὸ πρακτέον. Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ πρὸς αἰσχύνῃ κακόν, θεοῦ διδόντος, ἀνιῶντας ἀπόνως λαθεῖν ἐᾶσαι δρᾶμα δράσαντας τόσον. {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} Οὐκ οἶδα τοὺς σοὺς οὓς νεκροῦ φῶρας λέγεις, οὐκ οἶδ'· ὕποπτόν ἐστιν, ὕποπτόν γ' ἐμοί. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν οἱ φεύγοντες ἔκλεψαν νέκυν, ὃν ζῶντα κατέλιπον ἐν πολλῷ φόβῳ; Οὔτ' οὖν φάλαγξ ὕπνωσεν ὕπνον ἐς τόσον καὶ τῆς φυλακῆς τοῦ τάφου κατεφρόνει, οὔθ' οἵδε γ' ἐξήμαρτον ἀτόλμῳ θράσει, οὓς κατασεῖσαι καὶ θεραπαίνης ὄπα ἔκλυον, ὥς μιν ἀπανήνασθαι φόβῳ. {ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΙΣ} Ὁ πάνθ' ἑδραῖος, νῦν κλονῇ τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ ταῦτα κλύων πάνθ' ὑποπτεύεις μάτην. Εἴθ' ἦσθ' ἀνὴρ πρόβουλος, ὡς δρᾶσαι χερί· ἀλλ' οὐ γὰρ αὑτὸς πάντα δύνασθαι βροτῶν πέφυκεν· ἄλλῳ δ' ἄλλο δίδοται γέρας· σοὶ μὲν μάχεσθαι, τοῖσδε δ' αὖ κρύπτ' εἰδέναι· ὃς νῦν πυρὸς λαμπτῆρας ἐξήρθης κλύων κλέψαι τ' ἀπιστεῖς τοὺς ὀπαδοὺς τὸν πλάνον. Ἁπλοῦς ἐπ' ἐχθροῖς μῦθος ὁπλίζειν χέρα. {ΠΙΛΑΤΟΣ} Στρατὸν σὺ κλέψας κἀμὲ πειρᾷ συστρέφειν. Σὺ πάντ' ἔδρασας· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ σὺ σκόπει. {ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΙΣ} Σὺ γοῦν νόμιζε ταῦτ', ἐπείπερ σοι δοκεῖ, πράττειν ἔχοντι καὶ λέγειν μέγα σθένος. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Τοιαῦτα μαθὼν ἀνόμων τολμήματα τὴν νεκρέγερσιν κατορυσσόντων δόλῳ, ἔδραμον, ὦ δέσποινα, νῦν σοι μηνύσαι. Μὴ γοῦν ἀπίστει· πάντ' ἀληθῶς γὰρ κλύεις, καὶ πᾶσαν οἶμαι τὴν πόλιν φάμαν φέρειν. Κουστωδίας γάρ τινες ἐκφέρουσί