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they received in exchange death for their pious resistance, the one carrying out the plot acting then with some moderation and venturing to proceed as far as bloodshed only in some cases, since the multitude of the faithful, as it seems, still both terrified him and made him shrink from rushing into an all-out war against everyone. 8.4.5 But when he stripped himself more openly for the contest, it is not possible for words to describe how many and what kind of martyrs of God it was possible for those dwelling throughout all the cities and the countryside to see with their own eyes. 8.5.1 For example, immediately one of those who were not obscure, but most distinguished according to the accepted pre-eminence in life, as soon as the edict against the churches was published in Nicomedia, moved by zeal for God and impelled by a fiery faith, seized and tore to pieces the edict as it lay in a conspicuous and public place, as an unholy and most impious thing, while two emperors were present in the same city, both the most senior of all and he who held the fourth degree of rule after him. But he was the first at that time to be distinguished in this manner and, after enduring such things as were likely for such a daring act, he maintained his composure and calm until his very last breath. But beyond all those ever celebrated as marvelous and renowned for their courage, whether among Greeks or barbarians, the occasion brought forth divine and distinguished martyrs, the imperial servants with Dorotheus, who, having been deemed worthy of the highest honor by their masters and lacking nothing in their affection for them as genuine children, truly considered the reproaches and sufferings for piety and the various new forms of death inflicted upon them a greater wealth than the glory and luxury of this life. Of whom, having mentioned the kind of end of life one of them met, we will leave it to our readers to consider from his case what happened also to the others. 8.6.2 One was brought into the midst in the aforementioned city, before the rulers we have mentioned. So then, being ordered to sacrifice, when he refused, he was commanded to be stripped, raised up, and to have his whole body torn with whips, until, defeated, he should do what was commanded, even if unwillingly. 8.6.3 But as he remained unyielding while suffering these things, they then mixed vinegar with salt and poured it on the mangled parts of his body, as his bones were already showing. But when he trod upon even these pains, a brazier and fire were then dragged into the middle, and like edible meats, the remains of his body were consumed by the fire, not all at once, lest he be quickly released, but little by little, his torturers not being allowed to let up before he should, even after so much, assent to the commands. 8.6.4 But he, holding fast to his purpose, victoriously gave up his spirit in the very tortures. Such was the martyrdom of one of the imperial servants, worthy indeed also of his name; for he was called Peter. 8.6.5 And the things concerning the others being no less severe, we will pass over out of regard for due proportion, having related only this much, that both Dorotheus and Gorgonius, along with many others of the imperial household, after their various contests, exchanged their life for a halter, and carried off the prizes of the divine victory. 8.6.6 At this time Anthimus, who then presided over the church in Nicomedia, was beheaded for his testimony to Christ; and to him was added a whole multitude of martyrs, when, I know not how, a fire broke out in the imperial palace at Nicomedia in those very days, and when a report spread, based on a false suspicion, that it had been started by our people, by an imperial decree the pious in that place were slain in heaps, the entire population, some by the sword, others were perfected by fire, at which time a report holds that with a certain divine and ineffable eagerness men and women together leaped onto the pyre; and the executioners, binding another multitude, threw them on boats into the depths of the sea. 8.6.7 And the

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θάνατον τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἐνστάσεως ἀντικατηλλάττοντο, μετρίως πως ἤδη τότε τοῦ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐνεργοῦντος καὶ μέχρις αἵματος ἐπ' ἐνίων φθάνειν ἐπιτολμῶντος, τοῦ πλήθους, ὡς ἔοικεν, τῶν πιστῶν δεδιττομένου τε αὐτὸν ἔτι καὶ ἀποκναίοντος ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ πάντων ἀθρόως ἐφορμῆσαι πόλεμον. 8.4.5 Ὡς δὲ καὶ γυμνότερον ἐπαπεδύετο, οὐδ' ἔστιν λόγῳ δυνατὸν ἀφηγήσασθαι ὅσους καὶ ὁποίους τοῦ θεοῦ μάρτυρας ὀφθαλμοῖς παρῆν ὁρᾶν τοῖς ἀνὰ πάσας τάς τε πόλεις καὶ τὰς χώρας οἰκοῦσιν. 8.5.1 Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῶν οὐκ ἀσήμων τις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν κατὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ βίῳ νενομισμένας ὑπεροχὰς ἐνδοξοτάτων, ἅμα τῷ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐν τῇ Νικομηδείᾳ προτεθῆναι γραφήν, ζήλῳ τῷ κατὰ θεὸν ὑποκινηθεὶς διαπύρῳ τε ἐφορμήσας τῇ πίστει, ἐν προφανεῖ καὶ δημοσίῳ κειμένην ὡς ἀνοσίαν καὶ ἀσεβεστάτην ἀνελὼν σπαράττει, δυεῖν ἐπιπαρόντων κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν πόλιν βασιλέων, τοῦ τε πρεσβυτάτου τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦ τὸν τέταρτον ἀπὸ τούτου τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπικρατοῦντος βαθμόν. ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν τῶν τηνικάδε πρῶτος τοῦτον διαπρέψας τὸν τρόπον ἅμα τε τοιαῦτα οἷα καὶ εἰκὸς ἦν, ὑπομείνας ὡς ἂν ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ τολμήματι, τὸ ἄλυπον καὶ ἀτάραχον εἰς αὐτὴν τελευταίαν διετήρησεν ἀναπνοήν. Πάντων δὲ ὅσοι τῶν πώποτε ἀνυμνοῦνται θαυμάσιοι καὶ ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ βεβοημένοι εἴτε παρ' Ἕλλησιν εἴτε παρὰ βαρβάροις, θείους ἤνεγκεν ὁ καιρὸς καὶ διαπρεπεῖς μάρτυρας τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν ∆ωρόθεον βασιλικοὺς παῖδας, οἳ καὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω παρὰ τοῖς δεσπόταις ἠξιωμένοι τιμῆς γνησίων τε αὐτοῖς διαθέσει τέκνων οὐ λειπόμενοι, μείζονα πλοῦτον ὡς ἀληθῶς ἥγηνται τῆς τοῦ βίου δόξης καὶ τρυφῆς τοὺς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ὀνειδισμούς τε καὶ πόνους καὶ τοὺς κεκαινουργημένους ἐπ' αὐτοῖς πολυτρόπους θανάτους· ὧν ἑνός τινος οἵῳ κέχρηται μνησθέντες τῷ τοῦ βίου τέλει, σκοπεῖν ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις συμβεβηκότα τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν καταλείψομεν. 8.6.2 ἤγετό τις εἰς μέσον κατὰ τὴν προειρημένην πόλιν ἐφ' ὧν δεδηλώκαμεν ἀρχόντων. θύειν δὴ οὖν προσταχθείς, ὡς ἐνίστατο, γυμνὸς μετάρσιος ἀρθῆναι κελεύεται μάστιξίν τε τὸ πᾶν σῶμα καταξαίνεσθαι, εἰς ὅτε ἡττηθεὶς κἂν ἄκων τὸ προσταττόμενον ποιήσειεν. 8.6.3 ὡς δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πάσχων ἀδιάτρεπτος ἦν, ὄξος λοιπὸν ἤδη τῶν ὀστέων ὑποφαινομένων αὐτοῦ σὺν καὶ ἅλατι φύραντες κατὰ τῶν διασαπέντων τοῦ σώματος μερῶν ἐνέχεον· ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύτας ἐπάτει τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ἐσχάρα τοὐντεῦθεν καὶ πῦρ εἰς μέσον εἵλκετο, καὶ κρεῶν ἐδωδίμων δίκην τὰ λείψανα αὐτῷ τοῦ σώματος ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς οὐκ εἰς ἄθρουν, ὡς ἂν μὴ συντόμως ἀπαλλαγείη, κατὰ βραχὺ δὲ ἀνηλίσκετο, οὐ πρότερον ἀνεῖναι τῶν ἐπιτιθέντων αὐτὸν τῇ πυρᾷ συγχωρουμένων, πρὶν ἂν καὶ μετὰ τοσαῦτα τοῖς προσταττομένοις ἐπινεύσειεν. 8.6.4 ὃ δ' ἀπρὶξ ἐχόμενος τῆς προθέσεως νικηφόρος ἐν αὐταῖς βασάνοις παρέδωκε τὴν ψυχήν. τοιοῦτον τῶν βασιλικῶν ἑνὸς τὸ μαρτύριον παίδων, ἄξιον ὡς ὄντως καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας· Πέτρος γὰρ ἐκαλεῖτο. 8.6.5 οὐ χείρονα δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ὄντα λόγου φειδόμενοι συμμετρίας παραλείψομεν, τοσοῦτον ἱστορήσαντες ὡς ὅ τε ∆ωρόθεος καὶ ὁ Γοργόνιος ἑτέροις ἅμα πλείοσιν τῆς βασιλικῆς οἰκετίας μετὰ τοὺς πολυτρόπους ἀγῶνας βρόχῳ τὴν ζωὴν μεταλλάξαντες, τῆς ἐνθέου νίκης ἀπηνέγκαντο βραβεῖα. 8.6.6 Ἐν τούτῳ τῆς κατὰ Νικομήδειαν ἐκκλησίας ὁ τηνικαῦτα προεστὼς Ἄνθιμος διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν μαρτυρίαν τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνεται· τούτῳ δὲ πλῆθος ἄθρουν μαρτύρων προστίθεται, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Νικομήδειαν βασιλείοις πυρκαϊᾶς ἐν αὐταῖς δὴ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἁφθείσης, ἣν καθ' ὑπόνοιαν ψευδῆ πρὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπιχειρηθῆναι λόγου διαδοθέντος, παγγενεῖ σωρηδὸν βασιλικῷ νεύματι τῶν τῇδε θεοσεβῶν οἳ μὲν ξίφει κατεσφάττοντο, οἳ δὲ διὰ πυρὸς ἐτελειοῦντο, ὅτε λόγος ἔχει προθυμίᾳ θείᾳ τινὶ καὶ ἀρρήτῳ ἄνδρας ἅμα γυναιξὶν ἐπὶ τὴν πυρὰν καθαλέσθαι· δήσαντες δὲ οἱ δήμιοι ἄλλο τι πλῆθος ἐπὶ σκάφαις τοῖς θαλαττίοις ἐναπέρριπτον βυθοῖς. 8.6.7 τοὺς δέ γε