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to see the end of what was happening, and having seen there the remnants of the city gathered together, we marveled most of all at this, that although there was a multitude at the doors, a very deep silence reigned, as if no one were present, all looking at one another, and no one daring either to ask the person standing by, or to hear anything from him. For each man suspected his neighbor, because many had already, against all expectation, been seized from the middle of the marketplace and were being held within; and we all in common looked up to heaven, and stretched out our hands in silence, awaiting the turn of events from above, and beseeching God to stand by those being judged, and to soften the hearts of the judges, and to make the verdict merciful. And just as those who from the land watch men being shipwrecked cannot approach and extend a hand and remedy the disaster, being kept apart by the waves, but from the shores stretch out their hands, and weeping, beseech God to stand by those who are tossed by the storm; so also here everyone in silence and in their mind called upon God, asking him to extend a hand to those in the court, as if caught in the waves, and not to allow the vessel to be sunk, nor the judgment of the judges to end in complete shipwreck. And these things were happening before the gates; but when we entered further into the court, we saw again other things more terrible than these, soldiers armed with swords and clubs, and providing much quiet for those judging within. For since all the relatives of those men—wives, and mothers, and daughters, and fathers—were standing before the doors of the courthouse, so that if it should happen that someone be led away to death, no one, inflamed by the sight of the disaster, should make any noise or disturbance, the soldiers frightened everyone from a distance, preoccupying their minds with fear. But the most pitiable thing of all was that one mother and sister of one of those being judged within sat at the very entrance of the court, rolling on the ground, and being a common spectacle to all who stood around, covering their faces, and feeling only so much shame as the necessity of their misfortune allowed; and no maidservant was with them, nor neighbor, nor friend, nor any other of their acquaintances, but alone in mean garments, hemmed in in the midst of so many soldiers, dragging themselves on the ground about the very doors, they suffered things more pitiable than those being judged within, hearing the voice of the executioners, the sound of the scourges, the wailing of those being scourged, the terrible threats of the judges, and at each one of those being struck, these women endured pains harsher than theirs. For since the proof of the charges depended on the testimonies of others, whenever they perceived someone being scourged to make him name the guilty parties, and crying out, looking up to heaven they besought God to give some strength and endurance to that man, so that the salvation of their relatives might not be betrayed by the weaknesses of others, who could not bear the sharp pain from the blows; and again the same thing happened as in the case of those tossed by a storm. For just as 49.138 those men, if ever they should see the assault of a wave cresting from afar and gradually growing and about to sink the ship, even before it gets near the vessel, die beforehand from fear; so indeed those women, whenever they perceived voices and cries being carried out, fearing that those being forced to testify against others, giving up under the tortures, might name one of their acquaintances, saw a thousand deaths before their eyes. And one could see tortures within, tortures without; for the executioners tortured those men, while the tyranny of nature and the sympathy of their bowels tortured these women; and there was wailing within, wailing without; within, of the accused, without, of their relatives. Rather, not these only, but even the very

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τέλος ὀψόμενοι τῶν γινομένων, καὶ ἰδόντες ἐκεῖ τῆς πόλεως τὰ λείψανα συνειλεγμένα, μάλιστα πάντων ἐθαυμάσαμεν ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι πλήθους ὄντος περὶ τὰς θύρας, ὡς οὐδενὸς παρόντος, βαθυτάτη ἦν ἡ σιγὴ, πάντων εἰς ἀλλήλους βλεπόντων, καὶ μήτε ἐρέσθαι τὸν παρεστῶτα, μήτε ἀκοῦσαί τι παρ' ἐκείνου τολμῶντός τινος. Τὸν γὰρ πλησίον ὑπώπτευεν ἕκαστος, διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἤδη παρ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν ἐκ μέσης ἀναρπασθέντας τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ἔνδον κατέχεσθαι· καὶ πάντες κοινῇ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐβλέπομεν, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀνετείνομεν σιγῇ τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐκδεχόμενοι ῥοπὴν, καὶ Θεὸν παρακαλοῦντες παραστῆναί τε τοῖς δικαζομένοις, καὶ μαλάξαι τὰς τῶν δικαζόντων καρδίας, καὶ ποιῆσαι ἥμερον γενέσθαι τὴν ψῆφον. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τοὺς ναυαγοῦντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς βλέποντες, προσελθεῖν μὲν καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι καὶ διορθῶσαι τὴν συμφορὰν οὐκ ἔχουσι, τοῖς κύμασι διειργόμενοι, ἔξωθεν δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰγιαλῶν τὰς χεῖρας ἀνατείνοντες, καὶ δακρύοντες, τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλοῦσι παραστῆναι τοῖς κλυδωνιζομένοις· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάντες σιγῇ καὶ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐκάλουν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀξιοῦντες τοῖς ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, καθάπερ ἐν κύμασιν ἀνειλημμένοις, χεῖρα ὀρέξαι, καὶ μὴ συγχωρῆσαι καταποντισθῆναι τὸ σκάφος, μηδὲ εἰς ναυάγιον παντελὲς καταλῦσαι τῶν δικαζόντων τὴν κρίσιν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἦν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐνδοτέρω τῆς αὐλῆς εἰσέβημεν, πάλιν εἴδομεν ἕτερα φοβερώτερα τούτων, στρατιώτας καθωπλισμένους ξίφεσι καὶ ῥοπάλοις, καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς ἔνδον δικάζουσι τὴν ἡσυχίαν παρέχοντας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ προσήκοντες ἅπαντες ἐκείνοις, καὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ μητέρες, καὶ θυγατέρες, καὶ πατέρες εἱστήκεισαν πρὸ τῶν τοῦ δικαστηρίου θυρῶν, ὥστε, εἴ τινα συμβαίη τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἀπενεχθῆναι, μηδένα τῇ θέᾳ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐμπρησθέντα θόρυβόν τινα ποιῆσαι καὶ ταραχὴν, πόῤῥωθεν ἐφόβουν οἱ στρατιῶται πάντας, προκαταλαμβάνοντες αὐτῶν τῷ δέει τὴν διάνοιαν. Τὸ δὲ πάντων ἐλεεινότερον, μήτηρ μία καὶ ἀδελφὴ τῶν ἔνδον κρινομένων τινὸς, πρὸς αὐτὰ τῶν δικαζόντων ἐκάθηντο τὰ πρόθυρα, κυλινδούμεναι περὶ τὸ ἔδαφος, καὶ κοινὸν οὖσαι θέατρον τοῖς περιεστῶσιν ἅπασι, συγκαλυπτόμεναι τὰς ὄψεις, καὶ τοσοῦτον αἰσχυνόμεναι μόνον, ὅσον ἐπέτρεπεν ἡ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἀνάγκη· καὶ οὔτε θεραπαινὶς αὐταῖς παρῆν, οὔτε γείτων, οὔτε φίλη, οὐκ ἄλλη τις τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ἀλλὰ μόναι μετὰ εὐτελῶν ἱματίων ἐν μέσῳ τοσούτων ἀπειλημμέναι στρατιωτῶν, χαμαὶ συρόμεναι περὶ τὰς θύρας αὐτὰς, τῶν ἔνδον δικαζομένων ἐλεεινότερα ἔπασχον, τῆς τῶν δημίων ἀκούουσαι φωνῆς, τοῦ κτύπου τῶν μαστίγων, τοῦ θρήνου τῶν μαστιζομένων, τῆς φοβερᾶς τῶν δικαζόντων ἀπειλῆς, καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν παιομένων χαλεπωτέρας ἐκείνων ὑπέμενον ὀδύνας αὗται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἑτέρων μαρτυρίαις ἐκινδυνεύετο ἡ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἀπόδειξις, εἴ ποτέ τινος ᾔσθοντο μαστιζομένου, ὥστε εἰπεῖν τοὺς ὑπευθύνους, καὶ ὀλολύζοντος, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπουσαι τὸν Θεὸν παρεκάλουν δοῦναί τινα ἰσχὺν καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἐκείνῳ, ὥστε μὴ τῶν αὐτοῖς προσηκόντων τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐν ταῖς ἑτέρων ἀσθενείαις προδοθῆναι, τὴν δριμεῖαν ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν ὀδύνην μὴ δυναμένων ἐνεγκεῖν· καὶ ταυτὸν πάλιν οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν χειμαζομένων συνέβαινε. Καθάπερ 49.138 γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, εἴ ποτε κύματος ἴδοιεν ἐμβολὴν πόῤῥωθεν κορυφουμένην καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν αὐξομένην καὶ μέλλουσαν βαπτίζειν τὸ σκάφος, καὶ πρὶν ἢ πλησίον γενέσθαι τοῦ πλοίου προαποτεθνήκασι τῷ δέει· οὕτω δὴ κἀκεῖναι, εἴ ποτε φωνῶν καὶ ὀλολυγμῶν ᾔσθοντο φερομένων, δεδοικυῖαι μὴ πρὸς τὰς βασάνους ἀπαγορεύσαντες οἱ καταμαρτυρεῖν ἀναγκαζόμενοι, κατείπωσί τινος τῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτηδείων, μυρίους πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἑώρων θανάτους. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ἕνδον βασάνους, ἔξω βασάνους· ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ οἱ δήμιοι, ταύτας δὲ ἐβασάνιζεν ἡ τῆς φύσεως τυραννὶς καὶ ἡ τῶν σπλάγχνων συμπάθεια· καὶ ἦν ἔνδον θρῆνος, ἔξω θρῆνος· ἔνδον τῶν ὑπευθύνων, ἔξω τῶν αὐτοῖς προσηκόντων. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ οὗτοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ