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they charge all at once. But those who engaged in part, numbering about two hundred, since the rest of them were widely scattered, nevertheless killed some and captured others who had turned to flight, themselves suffering no irreparable harm.
32. And at this time a wonderful miracle of the holy martyr Theodosia is performed, about which for me, who am narrating each event, not to speak would be no small danger, it being proper to proclaim the works of God, and no slight loss will befall those who do not hear; 453 and being told, it will in every way confirm the providence of God, and present a sign of the care of the Almighty for us. A certain young man in Constantinople had been deaf and dumb for no few years, and the affliction, and he being at a loss for the means of life, consigned him to service, through which he was provided with necessities, even if his service was not constant under one master, but changing masters. He served, then, among others, also a certain man named Pegonites, who lived very near the renowned temple of the God-heralds. To this man in a dream the martyr and virgin appeared, and commanded his arrival at her temple by all means with wax and incense. And he gets up, and having begged for the things announced only by gesture, and having received them from those who heard and understood, he runs to the temple and supplicates for a long time, and being anointed with the oil of the lamp, falling at her feet as was customary, he becomes a suppliant to the martyr. And departing from there, his ear seemed to be bothered. And as he scratched it often with his forefinger, immediately there falls out from there, as it seemed, a small living and winged creature, which, as he in wonder touched it and went to defend himself, forthwith becomes invisible. But nevertheless the thing nesting inside seemed to have been relieved in other respects, and he was in good hopes. But he arrives at the house still having the same affliction again. They, as before, 454 gestured for him to light the fire, bringing flour, but he, falling upon it, blew faintly. But no flame arose nor did the wondrous fire cry out, as in poetry, but only smoke smouldered, and he toiled and was vexed in vain. But after much trying with the fire yielding nothing, his breath was changed into words and his voice burst forth. For he curses the hearth, curses it never to light up nor produce a flame at all, shouting loudly from the depths. This, as was likely, did not escape the notice of those in the house. But hearing it they were astonished, disbelieving themselves, and thinking it one of two things, either that the fire let out the voice or indeed the one who was formerly deaf and whom they had never known to utter a sound. And when calling from afar they asked whose voice this was and what was being said, the deaf man hears, and bears witness about himself, that he himself had heard them asking, and it was he who had cursed the fire with his own mouth. And immediately coming upon him they behold that awesome miracle, and they spread the story, and what had happened becomes known to all. Then the wonder reaches the emperor, and they bring to him as ordered, with the patriarch also being present, the man who was once deaf and dumb, who indeed, being questioned from beginning to end, 455 recounts the whole story, narrating it with his own mouth. Therefore, and the ruler judging it not at all right to pass over the event in silence, an all-night vigil from that very night is proclaimed for the martyr, with not even the emperor himself being absent from it. Rather, then, he, wishing to show honor even more abundantly to the wonder-worker, allowed the others to proceed as they wished, but he himself together with the whole senate and the patriarch, proceeding on foot to the temple at nightfall, comes to the martyr.
{Z.} But I return again to give to the account those things at which indeed I myself am reasonably
at a loss, overcome by the magnitude of the events, so that if this has been said by many about the things each proposed to speak of, in their case the practice is one of art, and the irony of the writer refutes it, but in these events and these alone to such an extent be
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εἰσβάλλουσι ἐκ μιᾶς· οἱ δ' ἐν μέρει συμβαλόντες ὡς εἰς διακο σίους ποσοῦσθαι, τῶν ἄλλων αὐτῶν ὡς ἐκ πολλοῦ διασκεδα σθέντων, ὅμως τοὺς μὲν κτείνουσι τοὺς δ' αἱροῦσιν εἰς φυγὴν τραπέντας, αὐτοὶ μηδὲν παθόντες τῶν ἀνηκέστων.
32. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τέρας τελεῖται θαυμάσιον τῆς ὁσιο μάρτυρος Θεοδοσίας, περὶ οὗ μὴ λέγειν ἱστοροῦντι καθ' ἕκαστον ἐμοὶ μὲν κίνδυνος οὐ μικρός, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνακηρύττειν ἄξιον ὄν, ζημία δὲ οὐκ ὀλίγη τοῖς μὴ ἀκούσουσι περιστήσεται· 453 ῥηθὲν δὲ πάντως καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἀκριβώσει, καὶ δεῖγμα τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς κηδεμονίας τοῦ κρείττονος παραστῇ. νεανίας τις ἀνὰ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου κωφός τε καὶ ἐνεὸς ἐπὶ χρό νοις ἦν οὐκ ὀλίγοις, καὶ τὸ πάθος καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀποροῦντα θητείαις ἐδίδου, δι' ὧν ἐπολυωρεῖτο τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις, κἂν μὴ μόνιμος ἦν τὴν ἐφ' ἑνὶ δεσπότῃ θητείαν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς δε σπότας ἀλλάττων. θητεύει γοῦν πρὸς τοῖς λοιποῖς καί τινι Πη γωνίτῃ τοὔνομα, τοῦ περιφανοῦς που νεὼ τῶν θεοκηρύκων ἔγ γιστα καταμένοντι. τούτῳ κατ' ὄναρ ἡ μάρτυς ἐφίσταται καὶ παρθένος, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νεὼν πάντως ἐκείνης σὺν κηρῷ τε καὶ θυμιάματι παραγγέλλει ἄφιξιν. ὁ δ' ἐγείρεται, καὶ σχή ματι μόνῳ προσῃτηκὼς τὰ ἀγγελθέντα, καὶ λαβὼν ξυνιέντων τῶν ἀκουόντων, προστρέχει τῷ ναῷ καὶ ἐφ' ἱκανῷ ποτνιᾶται, καὶ τῷ τῆς φωταγωγοῦ ἐλαίῳ χρισθείς, πεσὼν ὑπὸ πόδας κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ἱκέτης τῇ μάρτυρι γίνεται. ἐπαναζευγνὺς δ' ἐκεῖθεν ἔδοξε τὸ οὖς ἐνοχλεῖσθαι. πολλάκις δὲ κνωμένου τῷ λιχανῷ ἐκ πίπτει ἐκεῖθεν αὐτίκα, ὡς ἐδόκει, ζωΰφιον ἔμπνουν τε καὶ ὑπό πτερον, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀφωμένου ἐν θαύματι καὶ πρὸς ἄμυναν ἰόντος ἀφανὲς παραχρῆμα γίνεται. ἔδοξε δ' ὅμως ῥαΐσαι τὸ ἐμφωλεῦον ἄλλως, καὶ ἐν χρησταῖς ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἦν. ἀλλ' ἐφίσταται τῇ οἰκίᾳ ὁμοίως ἔχων καὶ αὖθις τοῦ πάθους. οἱ μὲν ὡς τὸ πάλαι 454 τὸ πῦρ διένευον ὑπανάπτειν, φέροντες ἄλευρα, ὁ δ' ἐμπεσὼν ἐφύσα λιγέως. ἀλλ' οὔτε φλὸξ ὦρτο οὔτε πῦρ θεσπιδαὲς ἴαχε κατὰ ποίησιν, μόνος δ' ὑπετύφετο καπνός, καὶ εἰκαίως οὗτος ἐπόνει καὶ ἐδυσχέραινε. μετὰ πολλὴν δὲ πεῖραν τοῦ πυρὸς μηδὲν ὑπακούοντος, μετεβλήθη τὸ ἆσθμα εἰς λόγους καὶ φωνὴν ἐκρήσ σει· ἀρᾶται γὰρ τῇ ἑστίᾳ, ἀρᾶται μή ποτε ὑπανάψαι μηδὲ φλό γα τὸ σύνολον ποιῆσαι, μέγα βοῶν ἐκ βαρύτητος. ὃ δή, ὡς εἰκός, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας οὐκ ἔλαθεν. ὅμως δ' ἀκούσαντες ἐξεπλήττοντο, σφίσιν ἑαυτοῖς διαπιστοῦντες, καὶ δυοῖν ἡγούμε νοι θάτερον, ἢ τὸ πῦρ τὴν φωνὴν ἀνεῖναι ἢ μὴν τὸν τέως κω φὸν καὶ ὃν οὐκ ᾔδεσαν φωνήν ποτε προϊέμενον. ὡς δὲ πόρρωθεν φωνοῦντες ἀνέκρινον τίνος ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη καὶ τὰ λαλούμενα, ὁ κωφὸς ἀκούει, καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖ, ὡς αὐτὸς ἀκούσας ἀνακρινόντων, αὐτὸς ἦν καὶ ὁ τῷ πυρὶ ἰδίῳ ἐπαρασάμενος στό ματι. καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιστάντες τὸ φρικτὸν ἐκεῖνο τέρας κατανοοῦ σιν, τὸν λόγον τε διεκδιδοῦσι, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνάπυστον τὸ πραχθὲν γίνεται. εἶτα καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα φθάνει τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ φέρουσι παρ' αὐτὸν ὁρισθέν, παρόντος καὶ πατριάρχου, τόν ποτε κω φὸν καὶ ἐνεόν, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐρωτώμενος ἀρχῆς ἀπ' ἄκρης τὸ πᾶν 455 ἐξαγγέλλει, αὐτὸς οἰκείῳ στόματι διηγούμενος. ταῦτα ἄρα καὶ μηδὲν κρίναντος δίκαιον τοῦ κρατοῦντος σιγῇ παρελθεῖν τὸ δρᾶ μα, πάννυχος ἐξ αὐτῆς παννυχὶς τῇ μάρτυρι διαγγέλλεται, μηδὲ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως ἐκεῖθεν λείποντος. μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ πλέον οὗτος τὸ σέβας τῇ θαυματουργῷ θέλων φιλοτιμεῖσθαι, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἐφῆκε βαδίζειν ὡς βούλοιντο, αὐτὸς δὲ συνάμα συγκλήτῳ πάσῃ καὶ πατριάρχῃ ἀκρόνυχος πεζῇ βαδίζων πρὸς τὸν ναὸν τῇ μάρτυρι παραγίνεται.
{Ζ.} Ἐπάνειμι δ' αὖθις ἐκεῖνα δώσων τῷ λόγῳ πρὸς ἃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιεικῶς
ἀπορεῖ ἡττώμενος τῷ μεγέθει τῶν γιγνομένων, ὥστ' εἰ ρημένον τοῦτο πολλοῖς περὶ ὧν ἕκαστος λέγειν προυτίθετο, ἐπ' ἐκείνοις μὲν τέχνης εἶναι τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, καὶ εἰρωνεία τοῦ γρά φοντος ἀντικρούει, ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ μόνοις ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον πι