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they dragged me out by the hands. And these witnesses to all things followed me: Gaius, Faustus, Peter, Paul. who also took me up and carried me out of the small town and, placing me on a bare donkey, led me away. Thus, therefore, the encompassing conduct of this great father differed in every way from the desertion of Origen. The same, he says, most wise Dionysius, also writes to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, concerning those who were martyred in Alexandria under Decius: The persecution among us did not begin with the royal edict, but preceded it by a whole year. For a certain prophet and poet of evils for this city, whoever he was, anticipated it and stirred up and incited the masses of the gentiles against us, fanning the flames of their local superstition. And they, provoked by him and having received full power for impiety, considered this to be the only piety—the worship of their demons—to murder us. First, then, they seized an elderly man named Metras and commanded him to speak impious words; when he did not obey, they beat his body with clubs and his face and eyes with sharp reeds, and leading him away to the suburb, they stoned him to death. Then they led a faithful woman named Quinta to the idol-temple and tried to force her to worship; and when she turned away in disgust, they bound her by the feet and dragged her through the whole city over the rough pavement, dashing her against the millstones and at the same time scourging her; and having brought her to the same place, they stoned her. Then with one accord they all rushed upon the houses of the God- 449 fearing, and those whom they each knew as neighbors they hurried and led away, and plundered and pillaged them, appropriating the more valuable treasures, but the more worthless and whatever was made of wood they broke up and burned in the streets, presenting the spectacle of a city captured by enemies. And the brethren gave way and withdrew, and the seizure of their possessions they accepted with joy, just like those to whom Paul also testified. And I know of no one, except perhaps one who has fallen away, who up to this point has denied the Lord. But they also seized the most admirable aged virgin Apollonia, and knocking out all her teeth, they shattered her jaws, and having built a pyre before the city, they threatened to burn her alive if she would not join them in uttering their impious cries. But she, begging a little time and being released, leaped eagerly into the fire and was consumed. And they seized Sarapion in his own house, and after torturing him with cruel torments and breaking all his limbs, they threw him headlong from an upper story. And no road, no main street, no alley was passable for us, neither by night nor by day, as everyone everywhere was always shouting that if anyone did not repeat their blasphemous words, he should immediately be dragged away and burned. And these things flourished for a long time at first, but sedition and civil war came upon the wretched people and turned their cruelty against us toward one another. And we had a little breathing space while they were too busy to be angry with us, but immediately the change in that more illustrious reign was announced to us, and great fear of the threat against us intensified the proclamation. And the edict arrived, to speak plainly, like that which was foretold by the Lord, or almost the most terrible, so as, if possible, to cause even the elect to stumble. Indeed, all were terrified. And many of the more distinguished immediately came forward, some out of fear, others, being public officials, were led by their duties, and others were dragged by those around them; and being called by name, they approached the unclean and unholy sacrifices, some pale and trembling, as if they were not 450 about to sacrifice, but to be themselves victims and sacrifices to the idols, so that they were mocked by many of the surrounding crowd, and were cowards in all things, trembling also at the

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δῶν σύροντες ἐξήγαγον. ἐπηκολούθουν δέ μοι οὗτοι τῶν πάντων μάρτυρες, Γάιος, Φαῦστος, Πέτρος, Παῦλος. οἱ καὶ ὑπολαβόντες με φοράδην ἐξ ήγαγον τοῦ πολιχνίου καὶ ὄνῳ γυμνῷ ἐπιβιβάσαντες ἀπήγαγον. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἡ τοῦ μεγάλου τούτου πατρὸς περιέχουσα χρῆσις πάντη τῆς Ὠριγέ νους λειποταξίας διενήνοχεν. Ὁ δ' αὐτός, φησί, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ μαρτυρησάντων ἐπὶ ∆εκίου σοφώτατος ∆ιονύσιος γράφει πρὸς τὸν Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπον Φάβιον· οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ διωγμὸς ἤρξατο, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὅλον ἐνιαυτὸν προὔλαβε, καὶ φθάσας ὁ κακῶν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ μάντις καὶ ποιητής, ὅστις ἐκεῖνος ἦν, ἐκίνησε καὶ παρώρμησε καθ' ἡμῶν τὰ πλήθη τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν ἐπιχώριον αὐτοῦ δεισιδαιμονίαν ἀναρριπίσας. οἱ δὲ ἐρεθισθέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ πάσης ἐξουσίας εἰς ἀνοσιουργίαν λαβό μενοι, μόνην εὐσέβειαν τὴν θρησκείαν τῶν δαιμόνων ταύτην ὑπέλαβον τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν φονᾶν. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν πρεσβύτην Μητρανὸν ὀνόματι συναρπά σαντες καὶ κελεύσαντες ἄθεα λέγειν ῥήματα, μὴ πειθόμενον ξύλοις τε παίοντες τὸ σῶμα καὶ καλάμοις ὀξέσιν τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἀπαγαγόντες εἰς τὸ προάστειον κατελιθοβόλησαν· εἶτα πιστὴν γυναῖκα Κώινταν καλουμένην ἐπὶ τὸ εἰδωλεῖον ἀγαγόντες ἠνάγκαζον προσκυνεῖν, ἀποστρεφομένην τε καὶ βδελυττομένην ἐκδήσαντες τῶν ποδῶν διὰ πάσης τῆς πόλεως κατὰ τοῦ τραχέος λιθοστρώτου σύροντες, προσαρασσομένην τοῖς μυλιαίοις λίθοις ἅμα καὶ μαστιγοῦντες, ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγαγόντες κατέλευσαν τόπον. εἶθ' ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἅπαντες ὅρμησαν ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν θεο 449 σόφων οἰκίας, καὶ οὓς ἐγνώριζον ἕκαστοι γειτνιῶντας ἐπισπεύδοντες ἦγον ἐσύλων τε καὶ διήρπαζον, τὰ μὲν τιμιώτερα τῶν κειμηλίων νοσφιζόμενοι, τὰ δ' εὐτελέστερα καὶ ὅσα ξύλων ἐπεποίητο διαρρήσσοντες καὶ κατακαίον τες ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, ἑαλωκυίας ὑπὸ πολεμίων πόλεως παρεῖχον θέαμα. ἐξέ κλιναν δὲ καὶ ὑπανεχώρουν οἱ ἀδελφοί, καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις, οἷς καὶ Παῦλος ἐμαρτύρησε, μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξαντο. καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει τις πλὴν εἰ μή πού τις εἷς ἐκπεσὼν μέχρι γε τούτου τὸν κύριον ἠρνήσατο. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν θαυμασιωτάτην ποτὲ παρθένον πρεσβῦτιν Ἀπολ λωνίαν διαλαβόντες, τοὺς μὲν ὀδόντας ἅπαντας κόπτοντες τὰς σιαγόνας ἐξήλασαν, πυρὰν δὲ νήσαντες πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ζῶσαν ἠπείλουν κατακαύ σειν, εἰ μὴ συνεκφωνήσειεν αὐτοῖς τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας κηρύγματα· ἡ δ' ὑπο παραιτησαμένη βραχὺ καὶ ἀνεθεῖσα συντόνως ἐπεπήδησεν εἰς τὸ πῦρ καὶ καταπέφλεκται. Σαραπίωνά τε καταλαβόντες ἐφέστιον, σκληραῖς βασά νοις αἰκισάμενοι καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄρθρα διακλάσαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπερῴου πρη νῆ κατέρραξαν. οὐδεμία δὲ ὁδός, οὐ λεωφόρος, οὐ στενωπὸς ἡμῖν βάσιμος ἦν, οὐ νυκτός, οὐ μεθ' ἡμέραν, ἀεὶ καὶ πανταχοῦ πάντων κεκραγότων, εἰ μὴ τὰ δύσφημά τις ἀνυμνεῖ ῥήματα, τοῦτον εὐθέως δεῖν σύρεσθαί τε καὶ πίμπρασθαι. καὶ ταῦτα ἐπὶ πολὺ μὲν ἤκμασε τὸ πρῶτον, διαδεξαμένους δὲ τοὺς ἀθλίους ἡ στάσις καὶ πόλεμος ἐμφύλιος τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν ὠμότητα πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτῶν ἔτρεψε. καὶ σμικρὸν μὲν προσανεπνεύσαμεν, ἀσχο λίαν τοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς θυμοῦ λαβόντων, εὐθέως δὲ ἡ τῆς βασιλείας ἐκείνης τῆς ἐπιφανεστέρας ἡμῖν μεταβολὴ διήγγελται, καὶ πολὺς ὁ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἀπειλῆς φόβος ἐπανέτεινε τὸ κήρυγμα. καὶ παρῆν τὸ πρόσταγμα αὐτοσχέ διον εἰπεῖν, οἷον τὸ προρρηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, ἢ παρὰ βραχὺ τὸ φοβερώ τατον, ὡς εἰ δυνατὸν σκανδαλισθῆναι καὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς. πλὴν πάντες γε κατεπτήχεσαν. καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν εὐθέως τὴν περιφανεστέραν οἱ μὲν ἀπήν των δεδιότες, οἱ δὲ δημοσιεύοντες ὑπὸ τῶν πράξεων ἤγοντο, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτοῖς ἀφείλκοντο, ὀνομαστί τε καλούμενοι ταῖς ἀνάγνοις καὶ ἀνιέροις θυσίαις προσῄεσαν, οἱ μὲν ὠχριῶντες καὶ τρέμοντες, ὥσπερ οὐ 450 θύσοντες, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ θύματα καὶ σφάγια τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐσόμενοι, ὡς ὑπὸ πολλῶν τοῦ περιεστῶτος δήμου χλεύην αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρεσθαι καὶ ἄλλους μὲν εἶναι πρὸς πάντας δειλούς, ὑποτρέμοντας καὶ πρὸς τὸ