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abandoning the idol, which it had as its old dwelling, it drove the priest's daughter mad and led her in a frenzy to the shore, where the rowers had moored the ferry. And using the maiden's tongue as an instrument, it shouted through her the same things as the woman in Philippi who had the spirit of Python. And all heard, both men and women, that demon saying: "O your power, O servants of Christ, from everywhere we have been driven out by you, from cities and villages, from mountains and hills, from the desert bereft of inhabitants. We hoped that by staying on this little island we would be delivered from your arrows, and we were deceived in our hope; for those who persecute you have sent you here, not to distress you, but to drive us out through you. We are departing from the islet as well; for we are struck by the rays of your virtue." Saying these and similar things, they threw the maiden to the ground, and they themselves vanished completely. And that divine company, after praying, raised the maiden up, and gave her back to her father, sound of mind 249 and well; and the spectators of the miracle, rolling before the feet of those holy men, begged to receive the provisions of salvation. And they destroyed the precinct of the idols, and being illumined by the rays of the teaching, they were deemed worthy of the grace of all-holy baptism. When these things became known in the city, they all gathered together publicly, reviling Lucius and saying that a divinely sent wrath would seize them if that divine company of holy men were not released; thus Lucius, fearing the city's uproar, permitted the divine men to return to their caves. Indeed, these things are sufficient to show his loathsomeness and impiety; but the writings of the wondrous Peter will more clearly teach the lawless deeds that were dared. But I, avoiding length, will place the middle parts of the letter in my history. "Palladius, the prefect of the province, being a pagan by persuasion "and always prostrating himself before idols, having often planned to wage war against Christ, "gathering together the aforementioned crowds, rushes against "the church as though hurrying to subdue barbarians. Then indeed the worst "things happened. But even wishing only to dictate, the memory "having caused me pain, I let loose an immeasurable flow of tears; and for "a long time I would have remained suffering this, if I had not prepared myself to cease by divine "reasoning. For in the so-called church of Theonas, the crowds having rushed in, 250 "instead of solemn words, were drinking toasts to idols, instead of the divine "reading of scriptures, indecent clapping of hands and broken voices with "shameful conduct, insults against the virgins of Christ, which the "tongue cannot bear to utter; for it is shameful even to speak them. "For any of the right-minded, having only heard these things, stopped their "ears, and would have prayed rather to become deaf than to become a hearer of "their foul language. "But if only they had sinned in words alone and had not overcome with deeds "the licentiousness of their words; for reproach is easy to bear, "of whatever sort it may be, for those in whom dwells the mind of Christ and divine "teachings. These men therefore, being "vessels of wrath" "fitted for destruction," turning up their noses, an indecent "sound from their nostrils, long, and so to speak, pouring forth as from a spring, "they tore the garments of the holy virgins of Christ, "whose ascetic practice marked them as a type of holy <angels>, "and as nature has them, they paraded them naked through the whole city, mocking them "with licentiousness in whatever way they wished, and altogether, the things "that happened were cruel and strange. If, then, anyone sympathizing with them tried to prevent it using words of "exhortation, he was sent away wounded. But alas for the calamities, 251 "many suffered violent violation of the body, many of the virgins, "being struck on the head with clubs, remained breathless, their bodies not even "being permitted to be given a holy burial; therefore many, with their parents "lamenting to this day, are not found

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καταλιπὼν εἴδωλον, ὅπερ εἶχε παλαιὸν οἰκη τήριον, τὴν τοῦ ἱερέως ἐξέμηνε θυγατέρα καὶ βακχευομένην πρὸς τὴν ἀκτὴν ἐξήγαγεν, ᾗ τὸ πορθμεῖον οἱ ἐρέται προσώρμισαν· ὀργάνῳ δὲ τῇ γλώττῃ χρησάμενος τῆς κόρης, ἐβόα δι' αὐτῆς ἅπερ ἐν Φιλίπποις ἡ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ Πύθωνος ἔχουσα. ἤκουον δὲ ἅπαντες, καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, ἐκείνου τοῦ δαίμονος λέγοντος· "ὢ τῆς ὑμετέρας δυνα στείας, ὦ θεράποντες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πανταχόθεν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐληλά μεθα ἀπὸ πόλεων καὶ κωμῶν, ἀπὸ ὀρέων καὶ βουνῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς οἰ κητόρων ἐστερημένης ἐρήμου. ἠλπίσαμεν ἐν τῷδε τῷ νησυδρίῳ διάγοντες τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀπηλλάχθαι βελῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐψεύ σθημεν· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐξέπεμψαν οἱ διώκοντες, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμᾶς ἀνιάσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμᾶς δι' ὑμῶν ἐξελάσωσιν. ἀφιστάμεθα καὶ τῆς νησίδος· ταῖς γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑμῶν ἀκτίσι βαλλόμεθα". ταῦτα λέ γοντες καὶ τὰ τούτοις προσόμοια, εἰς μὲν τὸ ἔδαφος τὴν κόρην κατέβαλον, αὐτοὶ δὲ φροῦδοι πάμπαν ἐγένοντο. ὁ δὲ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος χορὸς προσευξάμενος τὴν κόρην ἀνέστησεν, καὶ τῷ γεγεννηκότι σωφρο 249 νοῦσάν τε καὶ ἐρρωμένην ἀπέδωκεν· οἱ δὲ τοῦ θαύματος θεαταὶ πρὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ποδῶν κυλινδούμενοι τῶν τῆς σωτηρίας ἐφοδίων μεταλαχεῖν ἠντιβόλησαν. καὶ τὸ μὲν τῶν εἰδώλων κατέλυσαν τέμε νος, ταῖς δὲ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀκτίσι καταυγασθέντες τῆς τοῦ πανα γίου βαπτίσματος ἠξιώθησαν χάριτος. τούτων ἐν τῷ ἄστει δήλων γεγενημένων, πανδημεὶ συνῆλθον ἅπαντες, τῷ Λουκίῳ λοιδορούμενοι καὶ θεήλατον σφὰς ὀργὴν καταλήψεσθαι λέγοντες εἰ μὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ὁ θεῖος ἀφεθείη χορός· οὕτω δείσας ὁ Λούκιος τὸν τῆς πό λεως θόρυβον ἐπανελθεῖν τοῖς θεσπεσίοις ἀνδράσιν ἐπέτρεψεν εἰς τὰ σπήλαια. Ἱκανὰ μὲν δὴ καὶ ταῦτα δεῖξαι τὴν ἐκείνου βδελυρίαν τε καὶ ἀσέβειαν· σαφέστερον δὲ τὰς τολμηθείσας διδάξει παρανομίας τοῦ θαυμασίου Πέτρου τὰ γράμματα. ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ μῆκος φεύγων τὰ ἐν μέσῳ κείμενα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐνθήσω τῇ συγγραφῇ. "Ὁ τοῦ ἔθνους ἡγεμονεύων Παλλάδιος, ἐθνικὸς ὢν τὴν αἵρεσιν "καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων ἀεὶ προκυλινδούμενος, κατὰ Χριστοῦ στρατεύεσθαι "πολλάκις μελετήσας, τὰ προειρημένα συναθροίσας πλήθη, ὁρμᾷ κατὰ "τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡς ὑποτάξαι βαρβάρους ἐπειγόμενος. τότε δὴ τὰ χεί "ριστα γέγονεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ μόνον ὑπαγορεῦσαι θέλων, τῆς μνήμης "ὀδύνην μοι παρασχούσης, ἐπαφῆκα δακρύων ἄμετρον φοράν· καὶ ἐπὶ "πολὺ ἔμεινα ἂν τοῦτο πάσχων, εἰ μὴ θείῳ λογισμῷ λωφῆσαι παρε "σκεύασα. ἐν γὰρ τῇ καλουμένῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεωνᾶ ἐπεισελθόντα τὰ 250 "πλήθη ἀντὶ ῥημάτων σεμνῶν εἰδώλων εὐφημίας ἐπήφιον, ἀντὶ θείων "γραφῶν ἀναγνώσεως κρότους χειρῶν ἀσέμνους καὶ κεκλασμένας μετ' "αἰσχρότητος φωνάς, κατὰ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρθένων ὕβρεις, ἃς ἡ "γλῶττα προφέρειν οὐκ ἀνέχεται· αἰσχρὸν γάρ ἐστι καὶ λέγειν. "καὶ γὰρ μόνον τις τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἔβυσε τὰς "ἀκοάς, καὶ μᾶλλον ηὔξατο ἂν γενέσθαι κωφὸς ἢ αὐτήκοος γενέσθαι "τῆς αἰσχρολογίας αὐτῶν. "Ἀλλ' εἴθε λόγοις ἀρκούμενοι μόνον ἐξημάρτανον καὶ μὴ πράξει "τὴν τῶν· λόγων ἐνίκων ἀσέλγειαν· εὐύποιστος γὰρ ἡ λοιδορία, κἂν "οἵα δή ποτ' οὖν τυγχάνῃ, παρ' οἷς οἰκεῖ Χριστοῦ φρόνησις καὶ θεῖα "διδάγματα. αὐτοὶ τοίνυν οὗτοι " ὀργῆς σκεύη " τυγχάνοντες " κατ "ηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν ", τὴν ῥῖνα σιμώσαντες, ψόφον ἀσελγῆ "ἀπὸ τῶν μυκτήρων μακρόν, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ὡς ἀπὸ κρουνοῦ "προχέοντες, τὴν μὲν ἐσθῆτα διέρρησσον τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ "παρθένων, ὧν ἡ ἄσκησις τύπον ἁγίων <ἀγγέλων> ἐχαρακτήριζεν, ὡς "δ' ἡ φύσις ἔχει γυμνὰς πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἐθριάμβευον, διαπαίζοντες "μετὰ ἀσελγείας ὃν τρόπον ἐβούλοντο, καὶ ὅλως ὠμὰ καὶ ξένα τὰ "γενόμενα. εἰ γοῦν τις ἐπὶ τούτοις συμπαθὼν ἐκώλυεν παραινέσεως "χρώμενος λόγοις, τραυματίας ἀπελύετο. ἀλλὰ φεῦ τῶν συμφορῶν, 251 "πολλαὶ βίαιον φθορὰν ὑπέστησαν σώματος, πολλαὶ τῶν παρθένων "ῥοπάλοις κατὰ κεφαλῆς τυπτόμεναι ἔμενον ἀχανεῖς, οὐκ ἐπιτρεπο "μένων τῶν σωμάτων οὐδὲ τῇ ὁσίᾳ παραδίδοσθαι· πολλὰ οὖν μέχρι "σήμερον τῶν γονέων ὀδυρομένων οὐχ εὑρίσκεται