of those in need of his gifts. And in the days of the fasts of the holy Pascha he supplied to each poor person 10 obols for forty days. Having commanded in his pious will that the said ten obols be given in every way for the forty days, and wishing to set aside an income from which they should be given, he ordained in the said will that if these things were not provided each year, the said income should go to the holy church of Caesarea. And these things happened later.

95 And the devotees of idolatry, inasmuch as they saw Christianity advancing, to that extent did they rage and strive to harm the Christians, and above all, their holy pastor Porphyry. For once, when a dispute arose concerning some fields between the steward of the holy church and Sampsychos the chief man, the God-loving Barochas, seeing the steward being insulted, came to his aid and began to insult the said Sampsychos. And when the rest of the council heard, they gathered and attacked both the steward and the God-loving Barochas. And many of the citizens joined the councillors, having found a pretext for harming those of the faith, and as one might say, from a small spark so great a fire was kindled and blazed up that all the Christians were in danger of perishing. For the idolaters raged to such an extent that they raised both swords and clubs and murdered seven persons and wounded many others.

96 Then, not content with these things, they rushed upon the pastor himself. But some who rejoice in what is good, running ahead, announced to the most holy bishop the assault of the crowd. And the blessed one, having heard, called me and said: ‘Let us flee, brother, and hide for a little while until the wrath of the Lord passes.’ And climbing over a wall we fled through the housetops. But the idol-mad, breaking down the doors of the bishop's residence, entered and, not finding the holy Porphyry, plundered everything found there.

97 But I and the blessed Porphyry, fleeing through the housetops, found a young girl of about fourteen years, who, recognizing the holy bishop, fell at his feet. And the blessed one asked her who she was and of what parents. And the young girl answering said that she was an orphan of both father and mother, but she said she had a grandmother, an old woman weak in body, and that she herself worked and supported herself and her grandmother. He asked her if she was a Christian, and she again said that she was not, but had long desired to be: If I am worthy. And the compassionate Porphyry, hearing the young girl's word and being moved to compunction, wept, saying: ‘How ready for goodness is the race of the Gazans. But the adversary strives to hinder such a choice, whom the Lord will strike with the word of his mouth.’ And he said to the girl: ‘Bring us a mat here in this little room, that we may remain here until the tumult of the city subsides, and do not report to anyone that we are here.’ And she affirmed with oaths not to reveal it even to her grandmother.

98 And going down through a sort of light-opening into her house, she brought the mat and a cushion of straw; spreading out the mat, she placed the cushion under it, and falling at the feet of the blessed one, she begged him to taste of her humble foods and not to be offended at her poverty; for it was also toward evening. But the holy one, wishing to become an imitator of the great prophet Elijah, said to the girl: ‘Make haste, daughter, and bring it, that the Lord may give you through me spiritual and carnal food.’ And she, hastening, went down, and going away she bought bread and olives and cheese and soaked pulse and wine, and she brought all these things and set them before us, saying: ‘Take, my lords, and bless my poverty.’ And he

δεομένων τῶν αὐτοῦ χαρισμάτων. Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν νηστειῶν τῆς ἁγίας πασχαλίας ἐχορήγει ἑκάστῳ πτωχῷ ἀνὰ ὀβολοὺς ˉι ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα. Παρακελευσάμενος ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ εὐσεβεῖ διαθήκῃ πάντως δίδοσθαι τοὺς εἰρημένους δέκα ὀβολοὺς τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, ἀφορίσαι δὲ πρόσοδον ἐξ ἧς αὐτοὺς δίδοσθαι βουληθείς, ἐν τῇ εἰρημένῃ διαθήκῃ ἐνέταξεν εἰ μὴ χορηγηθείη ταῦτα καθ' ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτόν, τὴν εἰρημένην πρόσοδον ἔρχεσθαι εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν Καισαρείας. Ταῦτα δὲ ὕστερον ἐγένετο.

95 Οἱ δὲ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας ὅσον ἐθεώρουν προκόπτοντα τὸν Χριστιανισμόν, τοσοῦτον ἐμανιοῦντο καὶ ἐσπούδαζον κακῶσαι τοὺς Χριστιανούς, καὶ πρό γε πάντων, τὸν ὅσιον αὐτῶν ποιμένα Πορφύριον. Ποτὲ γὰρ ἀντιβολῆς γεναμένης χάριν χωρίων μεταξὺ τοῦ οἰκονόμου τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας καὶ Σαμψύχου τοῦ πρωτεύοντος, ὁ θεοφιλὴς Βαρωχᾶς, ὁρῶν τὸν οἰκονόμον ὑβριζόμενον, ἀντελάβετο αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤρξατο ὑβρίζειν τὸν εἰρημένον Σάμψυχον. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ τοῦ βουλευτηρίου, συναχθέντες ἐπῆλθον τῷ τε οἰκονόμῳ καὶ τῷ θεοφιλεῖ Βαρωχᾷ. Συνανέβησαν δὲ τοῖς βουλευταῖς καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν πολιτῶν, πρόφασιν εὑρόντες τοῦ κακῶσαι τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἀπὸ μικροῦ σπινθῆρος τοσοῦτον πῦρ ἥφθη καὶ ἐξεκαύθη ὡς κινδυνεῦσαι πάντας τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ ἀπολέσθαι. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐμάνησαν οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι ὡς αὐτοὺς ἐπᾶραι καὶ ξίφη καὶ ῥόπαλα καὶ φονεῦσαι ὀνόματα ἑπτὰ καὶ ἄλλους πολλοὺς πλῆξαι.

96 Εἶτα μὴ ἀρκεσθέντες τούτοις, ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν ποιμένα ὥρμησαν. Προδραμόντες δέ τινες χαίροντες τῷ ἀγαθῷ, ἀπήγγειλαν τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ τὴν καταδρομὴν τοῦ πλήθους. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ μακάριος, προσκαλεσάμενος με εἶπεν· Φύγωμεν, ἀδελφέ, καὶ κρυβῶμεν μικρὸν ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργὴ κυρίου. Καὶ τοιχοβατήσαντες ἐφύγομεν διὰ τῶν δωμάτων. Οἱ δὲ εἰδωλομανεῖς, κατεάξαντες τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἐπισκοπείου, ἐπεισῆλθον καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες τὸν ἐν ἁγίοις Πορφύριον, πάντα τὰ ἐκεῖ εὑρεθέντα διήρπασαν.

97 Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Πορφύριος φυγόντες διὰ τῶν δωμάτων, εὕραμεν παιδίσκην ὡς ἐτῶν δέκα τεσσάρων, ἥτις ἐπιγνοῦσα τὸν ὅσιον ἐπίσκοπον προσέπεσε τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτήν τις ἐτύγχανεν καὶ ποίων γονέων. Ἡ δὲ παιδίσκη ἀποκριθεῖσα εἶπεν ὅτι ὀρφανὴ τυγχάνει ἔκ τε πατρὸς καὶ μητρός, μάμμην δὲ ἔλεγεν ἔχειν γραῦν τῷ σώματι ἀσθενῆ, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ τρέφειν ἑαυτὴν καὶ τὴν αὐτῆς μάμμην. Ἐπηρώτα δὲ αὐτὴν εἰ Χριστιανὴ ὑπῆρχεν, ἣ δὲ πάλιν εἶπεν μὴ εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμεῖν ἐκ πολλοῦ· Εἴπερ εἰμὶ ἀξία. Ὁ δὲ εὔσπλαγχνος Πορφύριος ἀκούσας τὸν λόγον τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ κατανυγεὶς ἐδάκρυσεν εἰπών· Πῶς πρόχειρον ὑπάρχει εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν τὸ τῶν Γαζαίων γένος. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἀντικείμενος σπουδάζει ἐμποδίσαι τῇ τοιαύτῃ προαιρέσει, ὃν ὁ κύριος πατάξει τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ. Εἶπεν δὲ τῇ κόρῃ· Ἄγαγε ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα ψίαθον ἐν τῷ δωματίῳ τούτῳ, ἵνα μείνωμεν ἐνταῦθα ἕως οὗ κατασταθῇ ὁ θόρυβος τῆς πόλεως, καὶ μὴ ἀπαγγείλῃς τινὶ ὅτι ἐνταῦθά ἐσμεν. Ἣ δὲ ὅρκοις διεβεβαιοῦτο μὴ ἐκφαίνειν μηδὲ τῇ μάμμῃ αὐτῆς.

98 Κατελθοῦσα δὲ διά τινος λυκίσκου εἰς τὸν αὐτῆς οἶκον, ἤγαγεν τὸν ψίαθον καὶ τύλην ἀχύρων· καθαπλώσασα τὸν ψίαθον ὑπέβαλεν τὴν τύλην, καὶ προσπεσοῦσα τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ μακαρίου, παρεκάλει αὐτὸν γεύσασθαι τῶν μετρίων αὐτῆς βρωμάτων καὶ μὴ ἀναξιοπαθῆσαι ἐπὶ τῇ πτωχείᾳ αὐτῆς· ἦν γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν. Ὁ δὲ ὅσιος θέλων μιμητὴς γενέσθαι τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Ἡλίου εἶπεν τῇ κόρῃ· Σπούδασον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἄγαγε, ἵνα σοι ἀποδῷ ὁ κύριος δι' ἐμοῦ πνευματικὴν τροφὴν καὶ σαρκικήν. Ἣ δὲ σπεύσασα κατέβη, καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα ἠγόρασεν ἄρτον καὶ ἐλαίας καὶ τυρὸν καὶ βρεκτὸν ὄσπριον καὶ οἶνον, ἤγαγεν δὲ πάντα καὶ παρέθηκεν ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν εἰποῦσα· Λάβετε, κύριοί μου, καὶ εὐλογήσατε τὴν πτωχείαν μου. Ὁ δὲ