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had heard of us, putting it into the ears of the others, and especially addressing each point to this one whom I had first met, and persuading him to give us a sworn promise, he thus advised us to fear nothing for the future. 49.1 And having seized us and brought us down from the wall, and taking us into their midst, they led us toward the sea, walking over the bodies of those already slain. 49.2 So entering the gate of the inner city, we did not make our way straight ahead, but turning to the sloping part of the hill there, we were borne downwards. 49.3 There some other Ethiopians also appeared, coming up, they too holding swords in their hands, who, seeing us held in the midst of those who had already captured us, stricken by their natural madness, rushed shamelessly, showing from afar the intensity of the anger that moved them. 49.4 But when they came upon us and realized that those who had already taken us were anxious that no harm be done to us, they dispersed among themselves and withdrew. 49.5 But one of them, more shameless and reckless than the others, as was likely, followed like some mad, barking dog, and was deceitfully contriving to strike someone with his sword. 49.6 For pretending to be one of those who had captured us, he managed, I know not how, to secretly drag me from the others, and standing a little apart, he attempted to kill me. 49.7 I therefore immediately cried out; 49.8 But my father, distraught, turned around (for I happened to be walking with him), and when he saw me standing at the point of death and the executioner gnashing his teeth, holding me by the hair and about to plunge the sword into my neck, he nudged with his hand the one who had already saved us from the former danger, who was nearby, and in haste pointed out the scene, 49.9 "Why," he said, "and for what reason have you condemned my child to death, disregarding your promises to us? 49.10 If, then, he should die, life is of no use to us either. 49.11 But rescue him from the one holding him, if you have any concern for us; but if not, pour us out as well with his blood. 49.12 For we cannot bear to endure an end separated from one another." 49.13 Immediately, therefore, the man, disturbed at these things, ran out, and coming upon the spot, seized the right hand of the barbarian which was outstretched and poised for the slaughter. 49.14 And he, being restrained and thus unable to accomplish what he intended, was kindled to greater anger; and making his jaws quiver, rolling his eyes and gnashing his teeth (for this is the custom of barbarians), looking on with a murderous and grim expression, he tried to break away from the one holding him and come at me again. 49.15 But that savior, sent to us from God in our time of need, did not allow him, but contrived to change his mind with all manner of entreaties. 49.16 But as he was accomplishing nothing more by these means, and as the other was instead becoming more roused in his anger and breathing murder—so much so that he once managed to secretly bring his sword down suddenly upon my back and strike a blow full of madness, which to this day shows the force of his right hand—that wonderful man, suddenly changing himself to a more wrathful state and forcefully pushing the Ethiopian, seized me as I now stood at his feet, drenched in blood from the wound, and went with all speed toward his companions. 50.1 When, therefore, I was again with the crowd, and had escaped this evil too, I was offering thanksgiving to God, and taking a moment to examine the wound on my back, I suddenly felt a second blow again, struck with more pain than before. 50.2 For that audacious man, having appeared from I know not where else, thrust the sword into my side from behind, crying out terribly and displaying with his voice the uncontainable nature of his character. 50.3 so that I said to the man with me, my defender, "For what reason have you spared my life alone and to this barbarian"—turning and pointing to the Ethiopian—"have you given me over to death? 50.4 Know this, that if all of us together, whom you confirmed with oaths, should escape death, an end

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ἡμῶν ἠκηκόει ταῖς τῶν ἄλλων ἐνθέμενος ἀκοαῖς, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα ᾧ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐγὼ περιέτυχον ἕκαστα προσειπών, λόγον τε πείσας ἔνορκον ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν, οὕτως μηδὲν παρῄνει τοῦ λοιποῦ δεδιέναι. 49.1 Συλλαβόμενοι δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ τείχους καταβιβάσαντες, εἰς μέσους τε αὐτῶν διαλαβόντες, ἦγον τὴν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν, ἐπάνω τῶν σωμάτων τῶν ἤδη ἀναιρεθέντων βαδίζοντες. 49.2 τῆς οὖν εἴσω πόλεως τὴν πύλην ἐμβάντες οὐ κατευθὺ τὴν πορείαν ἐποιούμεθα, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπτιάζοντι μέρει τραπέντες τοῦ ἐκεῖσε βουνοῦ πρὸς τὸ κάταντες ἐφερόμεθα. 49.3 ἔνθα καί τινες ἄλλοι κατεφάνησαν ἀνιόντες Αἰθίοπες, καὶ αὐτοὶ μαχαίρας κατέχοντες ταῖς χερσίν, οἳ καὶ μέσον τῶν ἤδη χειρωσαμένων διειλημμένους ἑωρακότες ἡμᾶς τῇ φυσικῇ μανίᾳ πληγέντες ὥρμησαν ἀναιδῶς, πόρρωθεν δεικνύμενοι τοῦ κινοῦντος θυμοῦ τὴν ἐπίτασιν. 49.4 ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καθ' ἡμᾶς γεγονότες ἔγνων μηδὲν ἡμῖν ἐπενεχθῆναι δεινὸν τοὺς ἤδη προειληφότας σπουδάζοντας, ἐν ἑαυτοῖς σκεδασθέντες ὑπανεχώρησαν. 49.5 εἷς δέ τις αὐτῶν ἀναιδέστερος τῶν ἄλλων ὡς εἰκὸς καὶ θρασύτερος, ὡσεί τις ὑλακτικὸς κύων μεμηνὼς κατηκολούθει, καί τινα πλῆξαι τῇ μαχαίρᾳ δολερῶς ἐτεκταίνετο. 49.6 ἕνα γάρ τινα τῶν ἑλόντων ἡμᾶς ἑαυτὸν εἶναι προσποιησάμενος ἔλαθεν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως, ὑποσῦραι τῶν ἄλλων ἐμὲ καὶ μικρὸν ἀποστὰς ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρει. 49.7 ἀνῴμωξα οὖν εὐθύς· 49.8 ὁ δὲ πατὴρ ὁ ἐμὸς τεταραγμένος συστραφείς (καὶ γὰρ ἔτυχον σὺν αὐτῷ βαδίζων) ὡς τῷ θανάτῳ με παρεστῶτα κατεῖδε καὶ τὸν δήμιον βρύχοντα μέλλοντά τε τὸ ξίφος τῷ τραχήλῳ μου βάπτειν, κατέχοντα τῶν τριχῶν, τὸν ἤδη περισωσάμενον ἡμᾶς τοῦ πρῴην κινδύνου ἐγγύθεν ὄντα τῇ χειρὶ νύξας, καὶ σπουδῇ τὸ δρᾶμα καθυποδείξας, 49.9 «τί ὅτι» ἔφη «καὶ δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τοῦ ἐμοῦ παιδὸς κατεψηφίσασθε θάνατον, τῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀλογήσαντες ὑποσχέσεων; 49.10 εἰ οὖν αὐτὸς θάνοι, οὐδ' ἡμῖν λυσιτελής ἐστιν ἡ ζωή. 49.11 ἀλλ' ἐξελοῦ τοῦτον τοῦ κατέχοντος, εἴ τις καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν σοι φροντίς· εἰ δὲ μή, τῷ ἐκείνου λύθρῳ σπεῖσον καὶ ἡμᾶς. 49.12 οὐδὲ γὰρ διῃρημένην φέρομεν ἐξ ἀλλήλων ὑπομεῖναι τὴν τελευτήν.» 49.13 εὐθὺς οὖν θορυβηθέντα ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐκδραμεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐπιστάντα τῷ τόπῳ τὴν δεξιὰν κατασχεῖν τοῦ βαρβάρου τεταμένην οὖσαν καὶ τὴν σφαγὴν σχηματίσασαν. 49.14 ὃς καὶ ἐπισχεθείς, ὡς μὴ δυνηθεὶς τὸ δοκοῦν ἐκτελέσαι, πρὸς πλείονα ἐξῆπτο θυμόν· καὶ φρίξας τὰς σιαγόνας τούς τε ὀφθαλμοὺς στρεβλώσας καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας κροτήσας (τοῦτο γὰρ βαρβάρων ἔθος), φόνιόν τι καὶ βλοσυρὸν ἐνιδών, ἐπεχείρει τοῦ κατέχοντος ἑαυτὸν ἀπορρῆξαι καὶ αὖθίς μοι ἐπελθεῖν. 49.15 οὐκ εἴα δὲ τοῦτον ἐκεῖνος ὁ πρὸς θεοῦ πεμφθεὶς ἡμῖν ἐν καιρῷ σωτήρ, ἀλλὰ πάσαις αὐτὸν κολακείαις μετατρέπειν ἐμηχανᾶτο. 49.16 ὡς δ' οὐδὲν ἠνύετο τούτοις πλέον αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον ἐκείνου τῷ θυμῷ διεγειρομένου καὶ φόνον ἐρευγομένου, ὡς καὶ λαθεῖν αὐτὸν ἅπαξ κατὰ τοῦ νώτου μου τὴν μάχαιραν αἴφνης κατενεγκεῖν καὶ πλῆξαι πληγὴν μανίας πλήρη, τὴν καὶ μέχρι νῦν δεικνῦσαν τῆς δεξιᾶς τὴν ἐπίτασιν, ἀθρόον πρὸς τὸ ὀργιλώτερον ἑαυτὸν ἀλλοιώσας ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ καὶ τὸν Αἰθίοπα στερρῶς ὠθίσας, ἐμέ τε συναρπάσας ἤδη παρὰ πόδας ἑστῶτα καὶ τῷ τῆς ὠτειλῆς περιρρεόμενον αἵματι, δρομαίως τὸ τάχος πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους ἐχώρει. 50.1 Ὡς οὖν μετὰ τοῦ πλήθους γενόμενος καὶ αὖθις ἐγώ, καὶ τόδε τὸ κακὸν διαδράς, τὴν εὐχαριστίαν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐποιούμην, λαβόμενός τε σχολῆς τὴν τοῦ νώτου πληγὴν κατενόουν, αἰφνιδίου πάλιν δευτέρας πληγῆς ἐπῃσθόμην, πλέον ἢ πρότερον ὀδύναις βληθείς. 50.2 ὁ γὰρ τολμηρὸς ἐκεῖνος, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅθεν ἄλλοθεν ἐπιστάς, ὤθισέ μοι κατὰ πλευρὰν ἐκ τῆς ὀπίσω τὸ ξίφος, δεινὸν ἀλαλάξας καὶ τὸ ἀκάθεκτον τοῦ τρόπου τῇ φωνῇ παραστήσας. 50.3 ὡς εἰπεῖν συνόντι μοι τῷ ὑπερμαχοῦντι ἀνδρὶ «τίνος χάριν τῆς ἐμῆς μόνης ζωῆς ἠφειδήσατε καὶ τῷ βαρβάρῳ τούτῳ» συστραφεὶς καὶ τὸν Αἰθίοπα δείξας «πρὸς θάνατον ἐκδεδώκατε; 50.4 τοῦτο γνόντες ἔστε, ὡς εἰ μὲν κοινῇ πάντες, οὓς τοῖς ὅρκοις ἐβεβαιώσασθε, τὸν θάνατον διαφύγοιμεν, πέρας