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The judges lamented in their minds, and suffered more grievously than all, being compelled then to serve such a bitter tragedy.

b. But I, sitting by and seeing these things, that women and virgins kept in seclusion now became a common spectacle for all, and those who used to recline on soft couches, now have the ground for a couch, and those who enjoyed such service of maidservants, eunuchs, and all other pomp, now destitute of all those things are dragged to the feet of all, beseeching each one to contribute something of what was in his power to those on trial, and for some common collection of mercy to be made from all, I uttered that saying of Solomon, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. For I saw this very thing, and another saying coming to pass through these very deeds, the one that says, "All the glory of man is as the flower of the grass; the grass withered, and the flower fell." For then wealth, and noble birth, and renown, and the protection of friends, and kinship, and all worldly things were put to the test, since the sin and lawlessness that had occurred had turned all this alliance to flight. And just as a mother sparrow, when her young have been taken away, comes and finds the nest empty, she cannot rescue her captured young, but by fluttering around the hands of the hunter, by this very act she shows her pain; so indeed also did those women then do, when their children had been snatched from their homes, and shut up inside, as if in some net and trap, they were not strong enough to approach and rescue the captured, but by rolling about the doors, and wailing, and lamenting, and trying to get near the captors, they showed their pain. Seeing these things then, I brought to mind that terrible judgment seat, and said to myself: If now, when men are judging, neither mother, nor sister, nor father, nor anyone else, although they are not responsible for the audacious deeds, is able to rescue those on trial, who at the terrible judgment seat of Christ will stand by us on trial? who will dare to utter a sound? who will rescue those being led away to those unbearable punishments? And yet those then on trial were the first men of the city, and the very chief of the nobility. But nevertheless they would have been content, having lost everything, and, if need be, their very liberty, to be granted the enjoyment of this present life. And as the day was now hastening to its end, and the evening had become very deep, and the end of the verdict was expected, all were in greater agony, and they begged God that there might be some delay and postponement, and to put into the minds of the judges to refer the knowledge of what had been investigated 49.139 to the emperor's judgment; for perhaps something good would come from this deferral. And common supplications from the people were sent up to the benevolent God, to save the remnants of the city, and not to overlook it being completely torn up from its foundations. And it was not possible to see anyone shouting these things without tears; but nevertheless none of these things which the judges inside heard swayed them then, but they considered one thing only, how the examination of the audacious deeds might be precise; and finally putting chains on them, and binding them with iron, they sent them to the prison through the middle of the marketplace, men who were horse-breeders, presidents of the games, who could count ten thousand other more splendid public services, and they confiscated their property, and seals could be seen on the doors of all. And the wives of these men, being cast out of their ancestral homes, each fulfilled through her deeds that of Job's wife; for they wandered from house to house and from place to place, in need of lodging. For not even this itself was easy for them, since everyone feared and trembled to receive and care for any relative of the accused.

c. But nevertheless when so many things had happened, those who suffered were content with all these things, since they had not been deprived of the present life; and neither the loss of money, nor the dishonor,

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δικάζοντες ἐθρήνουν κατὰ διάνοιαν, καὶ χαλεπώτερα πάντων ἔπασχον, οὕτω πικρᾷ τραγῳδίᾳ ἀναγκαζόμενοι τότε ὑπηρετεῖν.

βʹ. Ἐγὼ δὲ παρακαθήμενος καὶ ταῦτα βλέπων, ὅτι γυναῖκες καὶ παρθένοι θαλαμευόμεναι νῦν κοινὸν ἐγένοντο θέατρον ἅπασι, καὶ αἱ ἐπὶ στρωμνῆς ἁπαλῆς κατακλινόμεναι, τὸ ἔδαφος ἀντὶ στρωμνῆς ἔχουσι, καὶ αἱ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύουσαι θεραπείας θεραπαινίδων, εὐνούχων, τῆς ἄλλης ἁπάσης φαντασίας, νῦν ἁπάντων ἐκείνων ἔρημοι πρὸς τοὺς ἁπάντων σύρονται πόδας, ἕκαστον παρακαλοῦσαι συνεισενεγκεῖν τι τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἡκόντων τοῖς κρινομένοις, καὶ κοινὸν παρὰ πάντων ἐλέου τινὰ ἔρανον γενέσθαι, ἐφθεγξάμην ἐκεῖνο τὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος, Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. Εἶδον γὰρ τοῦτό τε αὐτὸ, καὶ ἕτερον λόγιον δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἐκβαῖνον, τὸ λέγον, ὅτι, Πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσε. Καὶ γὰρ πλοῦτος τότε, καὶ εὐγένεια, καὶ περιφάνεια, καὶ φίλων προστασία, καὶ συγγένεια, καὶ πάντα ἠλέγχετο τὰ βιωτικὰ, τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῆς παρανομίας τῆς γεγενημένης τὴν συμμαχίαν ἅπασαν τρεψαμένης ταύτην, Καὶ καθάπερ μήτηρ στρουθῶν, τῶν νεοττῶν ἀφαιρεθέντων, ἐλθοῦσα καὶ τὴν καλιὰν εὑροῦσα κενὴν, ἐξελέσθαι μὲν οὐ δύναται τοὺς ἁλόντας αὐτῆς νεοττοὺς, περιιπταμένη δὲ τοῦ θηρατοῦ τὰς χεῖρας, αὐτῷ τούτῳ τὴν ὀδύνην ἐνδείκνυται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ἐποίουν τότε ἐκεῖναι, ἀναρπασθέντων αὐταῖς ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τῶν παίδων, καὶ ἔνδον ἀπειλημμένων, ὥσπερ ἐν δικτύῳ τινὶ καὶ παγίδι, προσελθεῖν μὲν καὶ ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς ἁλόντας οὐκ ἴσχυον, τῷ δὲ περὶ τὰς θύρας αὐτὰς καλινδεῖσθαι, καὶ θρηνεῖν, καὶ ὀλοφύρεσθαι, καὶ τῶν θηρευσάντων πειρᾶσθαι γενέσθαι ἐγγὺς, τὴν ὀδύνην ἐδείκνυον. Ταῦτα δὴ τότε ὁρῶν, εἰς νοῦν ἐβαλόμην τὸ φοβερὸν ἐκεῖνο δικαστήριον, καὶ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν εἶπον· Εἰ νῦν ἀνθρώπων δικαζόντων, οὐ μήτηρ, οὐκ ἀδελφὴ, οὐ πατὴρ, οὐκ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς, καίτοι γε ἀνεύθυνοι τῶν τολμηθέντων ὄντες, οὐκ ἰσχύουσιν ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς κρινομένους, τίς ἐν τῷ φοβερῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δικαστηρίῳ παραστήσεται κρινομένοις ἡμῖν; τίς τολμήσει ῥῆξαι φωνήν; τίς ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς ἀπαγομένους ἐπὶ τὰς ἀφορήτους ἐκείνας κολάσεις; Καίτοι πρῶτοι τῆς πόλεως ἦσαν οἱ τότε δικαζόμενοι, καὶ αὐτὸ τῆς εὐγενείας τὸ κεφάλαιον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἠγάπων, εἴ τις δῴη πάντα ἀποβαλοῦσιν, εἰ δέοι, καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν αὐτὴν τῆς παρούσης ἀπολαύειν ζωῆς. Τῆς ἡμέρας δὲ λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐπειγομένης, καὶ βαθυτάτης γενομένης ἑσπέρας, καὶ τοῦ τέλους τῆς ψήφου προσδοκωμένου ἐν μείζονι πάντες ἦσαν ἀγωνίᾳ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἠξίουν μέλλησίν τινα καὶ ἀναβολὴν γενέσθαι, καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν δικαζόντων ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως γνώμην ἀνενεγκεῖν τῶν 49.139 ἐξητασμένων τὴν γνῶσιν· ἔσεσθαι γάρ τι ἴσως χρηστὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερθέσεως ταύτης. Καὶ κοιναὶ παρὰ τοῦ δήμου λιταὶ πρὸς τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Θεὸν ἀνεπέμποντο, τὰ λείψανα σῶσαι τῆς πόλεως, καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν τέλεον ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπωμένην αὐτήν. Καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἰδεῖν οὐδένα ἀδακρυτὶ ταῦτα βοῶντα· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τούτων τοὺς δικάζοντας ἔνδον ἀκούοντας ἐπέκαμπτε τότε, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον ἐσκόπουν, ὅπως ἀκριβὴς γένηται ἡ τῶν τολμηθέντων ἐξέτασις· καὶ τέλος ἁλύσεις αὐτοῖς περιθέντες, καὶ σιδήρῳ δήσαντες, ἐπὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔπεμπον διὰ μέσης τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ἀνθρώπους ἱπποτρόφους, ἀγωνοθέτας, ἐτέρας μυρίας λαμπροτέρας ἔχοντας ἀριθμεῖν λειτουργίας, καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἐδήμευον, καὶ σήμαντρα ἐν ταῖς θύραις ἁπάντων ἦν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αἱ τούτων τῆς πατρῴας ἐκβαλλόμεναι οἰκίας, ἑκάστη ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ Ἰὼβ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπλήρουν· οἰκίαν γὰρ ἐξ οἰκίας καὶ τόπον ἐκ τόπου περιήρχοντο καταγωγίου δεόμεναι. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτὸ αὐταῖς εὔκολον ἦν, ἑκάστου δεδοικότος καὶ τρέμοντος τῶν προσηκόντων τινὰ τῶν ὑπευθύνων ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ θεραπεῦσαι.

γʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τοσούτων γενομένων, ἔστεργον πᾶσι τούτοις οἱ παθόντες, ἐπειδὴ τῆς παρούσης οὐκ ἐξέπεσαν ζωῆς· καὶ οὔτε ζημία χρημάτων, οὔτε ἀτιμία,