171

second. For just as in a certain circumstance it is more preferable for one's cloak to be torn away for the sake of the body, so it is more preferable in temptations, having kept the soul undefiled, to betray the flesh to those who wish to abuse it in every way than to destroy the nobility of the soul." But she, having heard this, went away with a wavering mind, as one aspiring to two good things. But divine grace preserved her virginity in the following way. For when she was shut up in a house, she says to the soldier, "Do nothing amiss to me, man, and I will provide you a worthy reward; for I will give you a drug, being a sorceress, a cause of immortality, by which being anointed you will remain invulnerable in wars. And if you wish to make a test of this, allow me to prepare it." And when he with much 1.466 joy permitted it, the blessed one, taking wax and mixing it with oil and softening it, and anointing her own neck, says to him, "Strike, as hard as you can." But he, bringing down the sword with force, immediately cut off her precious head. And so, having conquered the malice of the enemies, she bound on the double crown of martyrdom and purity. Likewise, another very comely woman, being a maiden and practicing virginity, was accused of insulting the gods; whom they seized and scourged, and as she would not yield to their impiety, they handed her over to a brothel, having instructed the one managing it to collect three coins daily on her behalf. He put her up for hire to those who wished it; and when many rushed in to her, she turned them all away, making the excuse that she had a sore in a hidden place and was awaiting its healing. Thus, therefore, beguiling them, she besought God to preserve her virginity undefiled. And indeed God heard her. And there comes a certain distinguished and very pious young man in the late evening to the brothel-keeper, and gives him five coins, saying, "Leave this maiden to me" .... his garments, and covering her head, he sent her out uncorrupted and untouched. And when day came and the deed was made known, the young man was condemned to be executed, and when this happened, he fulfilled the Lord's saying which states, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

1.467 Likewise, another monk having been seized by the impious, 1.467 after many torments and scourges, they at last devised a wicked scheme for the corruption of the just man's chastity. For in a certain garden, having spread a couch and having bound the saint on it, they sent in to him a licentious woman, so that, being unable to escape her devices, he might be unwillingly drawn into the wicked deed. And as she was embracing and kissing him, having cut off his own tongue with his teeth, he spat it into her face, and from this he brought upon himself pains and agonies instead of pleasures, but he greatly terrified her and filled her with disgust by the stream of blood. When the Greeks heard these things, they marveled at the chastity and rigor of the monks. Therefore the impious tyrants Diocletian and Maximian, being overcome by the multitude of those being put to death, issued an edict that Christians who were found should have their right eyes gouged out, not only because of the pain but also because of the dishonor and the public notice and its alienation from the Roman state. In their seventh year, they razed to the ground Busiris and Coptos, cities in the Thebaid of Egypt, which had revolted from Roman rule. in the ninth year the impious ones inscribed against us as on a pillar, that when all Christians had been destroyed, the Roman state would be filled with all abundance and good climate, 1.468 as the accursed ones supposed; for which reason both famine and plague and drought, and every evil one can name, came upon men, and a portion of another disease. and it was a sore, appropriately named from the fiery carbuncle

171

δεύτερα. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν περιστάσει τινὰ γενόμενον αἱ ρετώτερόν ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος διαρπαγῆναι τὸ ἱμάτιον, οὕτως μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ἄσπιλον τηρήσαντα τὴν ψυχὴν προδοῦναι τὴν σάρκα τοῖς παντοίως ἐνυβρίζειν ἐθέλουσιν ἢ ἀπολέ σαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν εὐγένειαν." ἡ δὲ τούτου ἀκούσασα ἀπῄει τα λαντευομένη τὸν νοῦν, ὡς δύο καλῶν ἀντιποιουμένη. ἀλλ' ἡ θεία χάρις ταύτης διεφυλάξατο τὴν παρθενίαν τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ὡς γὰρ ἐφ' ἑνὸς οἴκου συνεκλείσθη, λέγει τῷ στρατιώτῃ "μηδὲν ἄτοπον πράξῃς εἰς ἐμέ, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ παρέξω σοι μισθὸν ἐπάξιον· δώσω γάρ σοι φάρμακον, οὖσα φαρμακίς, ἀθανασίας πρόξενον, ᾧ χριό μενος ἄτρωτος μενεῖς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις. καὶ εἰ βούλῃ τούτου λα βεῖν πεῖραν, ἐπίτρεψόν με σκευάσαι αὐτό." τοῦ δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς 1.466 χαρᾶς ἐπιτρέψαντος, λαβοῦσα κηρὸν ἡ μακαρία καὶ ἐλαίῳ συμμί ξασα καὶ μαλάξασα, καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῆς αὐχένα περιχρίσασα, λέγει αὐτῷ "πάταξον, ὡς δύνῃ." ὁ δὲ μετὰ δυνάμεως κατενέγκας τὸ ξίφος ἀπέτεμεν εὐθέως τὴν τιμίαν αὐτῆς κεφαλήν. καὶ οὕτω νικήσασα τῶν δυσμενῶν τὴν κακουργίαν διπλοῦν τὸν στέφανον τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ τῆς ἁγνείας ἀνεδήσατο. Ὡσαύτως δέ τις καὶ ἄλλη γυνὴ εὐπρεπεστάτη, κόρη οὖσα καὶ παρθενίαν ἀσκοῦσα, διεβλήθη ὡς τοὺς θεοὺς ἐνυβρίζουσα· ἣν συλλαβόμενοι καὶ μαστιγώσαντες μὴ ὑπείκουσαν τῇ τούτων δυσσεβείᾳ παρέδωκαν εἰς πορνεῖον, ἐντειλάμενοι τῷ ταύτην νέμοντι κομίζειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἡμερήσιον νομίσματα τρία. ὃς ἔκδοτον αὐτὴν ἔστησε τοῖς βουλομένοις· καὶ πολλῶν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἰσπηδώντων πάντας ἀπεκρούετο, προφασιζομένη ἕλκος ἔχειν ἐπὶ κρυπτοῦ τόπου καὶ τούτου τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐκδέξασθαι. οὕτως οὖν τούτους ἀπο βουκολοῦσα τὸν θεὸν ἱκέτευεν ἄσπιλον τὴν παρθενίαν αὐτῆς δια φυλάξαι. καὶ δὴ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῆς ὁ θεός. καὶ ἔρχεταί τις νεα νίσκος περιφανὴς καὶ λίαν εὐσεβὴς ἑσπέρας βαθείας πρὸς τὸν πορ νοβοσκόν, καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ νομίσματα πέντε, λέγων "ἔασόν μοι ταύτην τὴν κόρην" .... τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ περικαλύψας τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς ἐξέπεμψεν αὐτὴν ἄφθορον καὶ ἀνέπαφον. ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης καὶ τοῦ δράματος γνωσθέντος ἐκρίθη ὁ νεανίας ἀναι ρεθῆναι, καὶ τούτου γενομένου ἐπλήρωσε τὸ κυριακὸν λόγιον τὸ φάσκον "μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ."

1.467 Ὁμοίως καὶ ἑτέρου μονάζοντος κατασχεθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσε 1.467 βῶν, μετὰ πολλὰς ποινὰς καὶ μάστιγας τελευταῖον πονηρὰν ἐπε νόησαν ἐπίνοιαν εἰς φθορὰν τῆς σωφροσύνης τοῦ δικαίου. ἔν τινι γὰρ κήπῳ κλίνην στρώσαντες καὶ τὸν ἅγιον ἐν αὐτῇ δεσμήσαντες ἐπαφῆκαν αὐτῷ γύναιον ἄσεμνον, ὡς ἂν μὴ δυνάμενος τὰς ἐκ ταύτης μηχανὰς διαφυγεῖν καὶ ἄκων εἰς τὴν πονηρὰν καθελκυσθῆ ναι πρᾶξιν. τῆς δὲ τούτῳ περιπλεκομένης καὶ καταφιλούσης αὐ τόν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γλῶσσαν ἀποτεμὼν τοῖς ὀδοῦσι προσέπτυσεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς, κἀκ τούτου ἑαυτῷ μὲν πόνους καὶ ἀλγηδό νας ἀντὶ ἡδονῶν ἐπεισήγαγεν, ἐκείνην δὲ σφόδρα κατέπληξε καὶ ἀηδίας ἐνέπλησε τῷ ῥεύματι τοῦ αἵματος. ἅπερ ἀκούσαντες οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐθαύμαζον τὴν τῶν μοναζόντων σωφροσύνην καὶ ἀκρί βειαν. Ἡττηθέντες οὖν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς τύραννοι ∆ιοκλητιανὸς καὶ Μαξιμιανὸς τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀναιρουμένων, δόγμα ἐξέθεντο ὥστε τοὺς εὑρισκομένους Χριστιανοὺς ἐξορύττεσθαι τὸν δεξιὸν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ὀδυνηρὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἄτιμον καὶ πρόδηλον καὶ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας ἀλλότριον. Τῷ ζʹ ἔτει αὐτῶν τὴν Βούσιριν καὶ τὴν Κοπτόν, πόλεις ἐν Θήβαις τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀποστατησάσας τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς εἰς ἔδαφος κατέσκαψαν. τῷ θʹ ἔτει ὡς ἐν στήλῃ ἐνέγραψαν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς καθ' ἡμῶν, ὡς πάντων ἀναιρεθέντων Χριστιανῶν πά σης εὐθηνίας καὶ εὐκρασίας ἡ Ῥωμαίων πολιτεία πλησθήσεται, 1.468 καθὼς ὑπελάμβανον οἱ ἀλάστορες· διὸ καὶ λιμὸς καὶ λοιμὸς καὶ αὐχμός, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἔστι κακὸν εἰπεῖν, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μετῆλ θε, καί τινος ἑτέρου νοσήματος μοῖρα. ἕλκος δὲ ἦν φερωνύμως τοῦ πυρώδους ἄνθρακος