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and wishing to condemn also by means of blasphemy, he led her to punishment, compelling her to say the godless things about us, thinking her now broken and cowardly; 5.1.26 But she, in the midst of the torture, came to her senses and, so to speak, awoke from a deep sleep, being reminded by the temporary torment of the eternal punishment in Gehenna, and on the contrary spoke against the blasphemers, saying, "How could such people eat children, for whom it is not permitted even to eat the blood of irrational animals?" And from this she confessed herself a Christian and was added to the lot of the martyrs. 5.1.27 "But when the tyrannical instruments of torture were rendered ineffective by Christ through the endurance of the blessed ones, the devil devised other stratagems: confinement in the prison in the dark and in the most foul place, and the stretching of the feet in the stocks, being stretched to the fifth hole, and the other torments which enraged ministers, and these full of the devil, are accustomed to inflict upon those confined; so that most were suffocated in the prison, as many as the Lord willed should depart thus, showing his glory. 5.1.28 For some, having been tortured so bitterly that it seemed they could not possibly live even with all medical care, remained in the prison, deprived indeed of human attention, but recovering under the Lord and being strengthened both in body and soul, and exhorting and encouraging the rest; but the young and newly arrested, whose bodies had not been previously tormented, could not bear the severity of the confinement, but died within. 5.1.29 But the blessed Pothinus, who had been entrusted with the ministry of the episcopate in Lugdunum, being over ninety years of age and very weak in body, scarcely breathing because of his present physical infirmity, but strengthened by the eagerness of his spirit because of his inherent desire for martyrdom, he too was dragged to the tribunal, his body indeed being broken by old age and disease, but his soul was preserved within him, that through it Christ might triumph; 5.1.30 who, being brought by the soldiers to the tribunal, while the civil authorities and all the multitude escorted him, making all kinds of shouts as if he were Christ himself, he rendered the good testimony. 5.1.31 And being questioned by the governor who was the God of the Christians, he said, "If you are worthy, you will know." Thence he was dragged away unsparingly and suffered various blows, those nearby insulting him in every way with their hands and feet, not even respecting his age, while those from afar threw at him whatever each had in his hands, and all of them considered it a great transgression and impiety if anyone should fall short in their insolence towards him; for they thought in this way to avenge their gods. And scarcely breathing, he was thrown into the prison, and after two days he expired. 5.1.32 Then indeed a great dispensation of God took place and the immeasurable mercy of Jesus was manifested, a thing that had rarely happened in the brotherhood, yet not falling short of the art of Christ. 5.1.33 For those who had denied at the first arrest were themselves also shut up and shared in the sufferings; for at this time their denial was of no advantage to them, but those confessing what they really were, were imprisoned as Christians, with no other charge being brought against them, but these others were now detained as murderers and polluted persons, being punished twice as much as the rest. 5.1.34 For those were relieved by the joy of their martyrdom and the hope of the promises and love for Christ and the Father's Spirit, but these were greatly tormented by their conscience, so that even as they passed by, their faces were distinguishable among all the others. 5.1.35 For the one group went forth cheerfully, with much glory and grace mingled in their faces, so that even their bonds were worn about them as a becoming ornament, like a bride adorned with variegated golden fringes, at the same time smelling of the sweet fragrance of Christ, so that some thought

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θελήσας δὲ καὶ διὰ βλασφημίας κατακρῖναι, ἦγεν ἐπὶ κόλασιν, ἀναγκάζων εἰπεῖν τὰ ἄθεα περὶ ἡμῶν, ὡς εὔθραυστον ἤδη καὶ ἄνανδρον· 5.1.26 ἣ δὲ ἐν τῇ στρεβλώσει ἀνένηψεν καὶ ὡς ἂν εἰπεῖν ἐκ βαθέος ὕπνου ἀνεγρηγόρησεν, ὑπομνησθεῖσα διὰ τῆς προσκαίρου τιμωρίας τὴν αἰώνιον ἐν γεέννῃ κόλασιν, καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἀντεῖπεν τοῖς βλασφήμοις, φήσασα «πῶς ἂν παιδία φάγοιεν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, οἷς μηδὲ ἀλόγων ζῴων αἷμα φαγεῖν ἐξόν;» καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦδε Χριστιανὴν ἑαυτὴν ὡμολόγει καὶ τῷ κλήρῳ τῶν μαρτύρων προσετέθη. 5.1.27 «καταργηθέντων δὲ τῶν τυραννικῶν κολαστηρίων ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ τῆς τῶν μακαρίων ὑπομονῆς, ἑτέρας μηχανὰς ὁ διάβολος ἐπενόει, τὰς κατὰ τὴν εἱρκτὴν ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ τῷ χαλεπωτάτῳ χωρίῳ συγκλείσεις καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ διατάσεις τῶν ποδῶν, ἐπὶ πέμπτον διατεινομένων τρύπημα, καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς αἰκίας, ὅσας εἰώθασιν ὀργιζόμενοι ὑπουργοὶ καὶ ταῦτα διαβόλου πλήρεις διατιθέναι τοὺς ἐγκλειομένους· ὥστε ἀποπνιγῆναι τοὺς πλείστους ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ, ὅσους γε ὁ κύριος οὕτως ἐξελθεῖν ἠθέλησεν, ἐπιδεικνύων τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν. 5.1.28 οἱ μὲν γὰρ βασανισθέντες πικρῶς ὥστε δοκεῖν μηδὲ τῆς πάσης θεραπείας τυχόντας ἔτι ζῆσαι δύνασθαι, παρέμενον ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ, ἔρημοι μὲν τῆς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελείας, ἀναρρωννύμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ κυρίου καὶ ἐνδυναμούμενοι καὶ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς παρορμῶντες καὶ παραμυθούμενοι· οἱ δὲ νεαροὶ καὶ ἄρτι συνειλημμένοι, ὧν μὴ προκατῄκιστο τὰ σώματα, τὸ βάρος οὐκ ἔφερον τῆς συγκλείσεως, ἀλλ' ἔνδον ἐναπέθνῃσκον. 5.1.29 ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ποθεινός, ὁ τὴν διακονίαν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐν Λουγδούνῳ πεπιστευμένος, ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη τῆς ἡλικίας γεγονὼς καὶ πάνυ ἀσθενὴς τῷ σώματι, μόλις μὲν ἐμπνέων διὰ τὴν προκειμένην σωματικὴν ἀσθένειαν, ὑπὸ δὲ προθυμίας πνεύματος ἀναρρωννύμενος διὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα ἐσύρετο, τοῦ μὲν σώματος καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ γήρως καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου λελυμένου, τηρουμένης δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα δι' αὐτῆς Χριστὸς θριαμβεύσῃ· 5.1.30 ὃς ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα κομισθείς, παραπεμπόντων αὐτὸν τῶν πολιτικῶν ἐξουσιῶν καὶ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους, ἐπιβοήσεις παντοίας ποιουμένων ὡς αὐτοῦ ὄντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀπεδίδου τὴν καλὴν μαρτυρίαν. 5.1.31 ἀνεταζόμενος δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος τίς εἴη Χριστιανῶν ὁ θεός, ἔφη «ἐὰν ᾖς ἄξιος, γνώσῃ»· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἀφειδῶς ἐσύρετο καὶ ποικίλας ἔπασχε πληγάς, τῶν μὲν σύνεγγυς χερσὶν καὶ ποσὶν ἐνυβριζόντων παντοίως, μηδὲ τὴν ἡλικίαν αἰδουμένων αὐτοῦ, τῶν δὲ μακράν, ὃ μετὰ χεῖρας ἕκαστος εἶχεν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἀκοντιζόντων, πάντων δὲ ἡγουμένων μεγάλως πλημμελεῖν καὶ ἀσεβεῖν, εἴ τις ἀπολειφθείη τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσελγείας· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν ᾤοντο οὕτως ἐκδικήσειν. καὶ μόγις ἐμπνέων ἐρρίφη ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ καὶ μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἀπέψυξεν. 5.1.32 ἐνταῦθα δὴ μεγάλη τις οἰκονομία θεοῦ ἐγίνετο καὶ ἔλεος ἀμέτρητον ἀνεφαίνετο Ἰησοῦ, σπανίως μὲν ἐν τῇ ἀδελφότητι γεγονός, μὴ ἀπολειπόμενον δὲ τῆς τέχνης Χριστοῦ. 5.1.33 οἱ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην σύλληψιν ἔξαρνοι γενόμενοι συνεκλείοντο καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ μετεῖχον τῶν δεινῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ ὄφελός τι αὐτοῖς ἡ ἐξάρνησις ἐγίνετο, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ὁμολογοῦντες ὃ καὶ ἦσαν, συνεκλείοντο ὡς Χριστιανοί, μηδεμιᾶς ἄλλης αἰτίας αὐτοῖς ἐπιφερομένης, οὗτοι δὲ λοιπὸν ὡς ἀνδροφόνοι καὶ μιαροὶ κατείχοντο, διπλότερον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς κολαζόμενοι. 5.1.34 ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ ἐπεκούφιζεν ἡ χαρὰ τῆς μαρτυρίας καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀγάπη καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πατρικόν, τούτους δὲ τὸ συνειδὸς μεγάλως ἐτιμωρεῖτο, ὥστε καὶ παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅπασιν κατὰ τὰς παρόδους διαδήλους τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν εἶναι. 5.1.35 οἳ μὲν γὰρ ἱλαροὶ προῄεσαν, δόξης καὶ χάριτος πολλῆς ταῖς ὄψεσιν αὐτῶν συγκεκραμένης, ὥστε καὶ τὰ δεσμὰ κόσμον εὐπρεπῆ περικεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς, ὡς νύμφῃ κεκοσμημένῃ ἐν κροσσωτοῖς χρυσοῖς πεποικιλμένοις, τὴν εὐωδίαν ὀδωδότες ἅμα τὴν Χριστοῦ, ὥστε ἐνίους δόξαι