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to die and to sacrifice; but some, being more ready, ran to the altars, boldly asserting that they had not even been Christians before; concerning whom the Lord's prophecy is most true, that they will with difficulty be saved. Of the rest, some followed both these groups, others fled, and others were captured, and of these, some went as far as bonds and prison, and some, having been confined for several days, then, even before coming to the tribunal, denied their faith; others, having endured tortures for a time, afterwards recanted. But the firm and blessed pillars of the Lord, being strengthened by him and receiving power and endurance analogous to and worthy of the strong faith within them, became wonderful witnesses of his kingdom. Of whom, the first was Julianus, a man with gout, unable to stand or walk, who was brought forward with two others who carried him, of whom one immediately denied, but the other, Cronion by name, surnamed Eunous, and the elder Julianus himself, having confessed the Lord, were carried through the whole city, which is very great, as you know, on camels and scourged while aloft, and finally were burned in an unquenchable fire with the whole populace crowding around. And a soldier, who stood by them as they were being led away and opposed those who were insulting them, when they cried out, was brought forward, the most courageous champion of God, Besas, and having distinguished himself in the great war for piety, was beheaded. And another, a Libyan by race, but in his name and his blessing a true Macar, when much exhortation was made to him by the judge to deny, was not persuaded, and was burned alive. And Epimachus and Alexander, after a long time which they remained in bonds, having endured countless pains, scrapers, and scourges, these also were consumed by unquenchable fire, and with them four women, and Ammonarion, a holy virgin, whom the judge tortured very obstinately for a very long time, since she had declared beforehand that she would utter none of the things he commanded, and having proved her promise true, she was led away. The others, the most venerable old woman Mercuria and the remaining Dionysia, who loved her children but not more than the Lord, since the governor was ashamed to torture them further to no effect and be defeated by women, died by the sword without further trial. For the champion Ammonarion had endured on behalf of all. Further, concerning those perfected in Christ during the persecution under Decius, from the same letter of the blessed Dionysius: And Heron and Ater and Isidore, Egyptians, and with them a boy of about fifteen years, Dioscorus, were handed over. And first, when they tried to deceive the youth with words as being easily led, and to compel him with tortures as being easily yielding, Dioscorus was neither persuaded nor did he give in. The others he tore most savagely, and when they endured, he gave these also to the fire. But Dioscorus, admiring him for his brilliant public testimony and for answering his own questions most wisely, he released him, saying that he granted him time for repentance on account of his age. And now the most godly Dioscorus is with us, for a longer contest and a more lasting prize. A certain Nemesion, he too an Egyptian, was falsely accused of being an associate of robbers, and having cleared himself of this most foreign accusation before the centurion, he was informed against as a Christian and came as a prisoner to the governor. And the most unjust man, having tormented him with twice the tortures and scourges of the robbers, burned him between the robbers, the blessed one being honored by the example of Christ. And suddenly a group, a military company, Ammon and Zeno and Ptolemy and Ingenuus and with them an old man, Theophilus, were standing before the tribunal. And when a certain person was being judged as a Christian and was leaning towards denial, these men, standing by, were gnashing their teeth, and they nodded with their faces, and raised their hands, and made gestures with their bodies. And when the attention of all turned toward them,

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τεθνάναι καὶ πρὸς τὸ θῦσαι· οἱ δέ τινες ἑτοιμότεροι τοῖς βωμοῖς προσέτρεχον, ἰσχυρι ζόμενοι τῇ θρασύτητι τὸ μηδὲ πρότερον γεγονέναι Χριστιανούς· περὶ ὧν ἡ τοῦ κυρίου πρόρρησις ἀληθεστάτη ὅτι δυσκόλως σωθήσονται. τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν εἵποντο τούτοις ἑκατέροις, οἱ δὲ ἔφευγον, οἱ δὲ ἡλίσκοντο, καὶ τούτων οἱ μὲν ἄχρι δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς χωρήσαντες, καί τινες καὶ πλείονας ἡμέρας καθειρχθέντες, εἶτα καὶ πρὶν ἐπὶ δικαστήριον ἐλθεῖν ἐξωμόσαντο· οἱ δὲ καὶ βασάνοις ἐπὶ ποσὸν ἐγκαρτερήσαντες, πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς ἀπεῖπον. οἱ δὲ στερροὶ καὶ μακάριοι στῦλοι τοῦ κυρίου κραταιωθέν τες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἰσχυρᾶς ἐν αὐτοῖς πίστεως ἀνάλογον καὶ ἀξίαν δύναμιν καὶ καρτερίαν λαβόντες θαυμαστοὶ γεγόνασιν αὐτοῦ τῆς βασι λείας μάρτυρες. ὧν πρῶτος Ἰουλιανὸς ἄνθρωπος ποδαλγός, μὴ στῆναι μηδὲ βαδίσαι δυνάμενος, σὺνἑτέροις δύο τοῖς φέρουσιν αὐτὸν προσήχθη, ὧν ὁ μὲν ἕτερος εὐθὺς ἠρνήσατο, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος Κρονίων ὀνόματι, ἐπίκλην δὲ ὁ Νοῦς, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πρεσβύτερος Ἰουλιανὸς ὁμολογήσαντες τὸν κύριον, διὰ πάσης τῆς πόλεως μεγίστης οὔσης, ὡς ἴστε, καμήλοις ἐποχούμενοι καὶ μετέωροι μαστιγούμενοι, τέλος ἀσβέστῳ πυρὶ κεχυμένου τοῦ δήμου παντὸς κατεκάησαν. στρατιώτης τε αὐτοῖς ἀπαγομένοις παραστὰς καὶ τοῖς ἐφυβρίζουσιν ἐναντιωθεὶς ἐκβοησάντων ἐκείνων προαχθεὶς ὁ ἀν δρειότατος ὁ πρόμαχος τοῦ θεοῦ Βησᾶς κἀν τῷ μεγάλῳ πολέμῳ τῷ περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀριστεύσας ἀπετμήθη τὴν κεφαλήν. καί τις ἕτερος τὸ μὲν γένος Λίβυς, τὴν δὲ προσηγορίαν ἅμα καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν ἀληθὴς Μάκαρ, προτροπῆς αὐτῷ πολλῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ δικαστοῦ γενομένης πρὸς ἄρνησιν, οὐχ ὑπαχθείς, ζῶν καταπέφλεκται. Ἐπίμαχός τε καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος μετὰ πολὺν ὃν ἔμειναν δεσμῶται χρόνον μυρίας διενεγκόντες ἀλγηδόνας, ξυστῆρας, μάστιγας, πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ καὶ οὗτοι διεχύθησαν, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς γυναῖκες δʹ, Ἀμμωναρία τε ἁγία παρθένος, πάνυ φιλονείκως αὐτὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τοῦ δικαστοῦ βασανίσαντος, ἅτε προαποφηναμένην ὅτι μηδὲν ὧν ἐκεῖνος κελεύει φθέγξαιτο, ἀληθεύσασα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀπήχθη. αἱ δὲ λοιπαί, 451 σεμνοτάτη πρεσβῦτις Μερκουρία καὶ αἱ ὑπόλοιπαι μὲν οὐχ ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον δὲ ἀγαπήσασαι τὰ τέκνα ∆ιονυσία, καταιδεσθέντος εἰς ἀνήνυτον ἔτι βασανίζειν καὶ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν ἡττᾶσθαι τοῦ ἡγεμόνος σιδήρῳ τεθνᾶσι μηκέτι πεῖραν λαβοῦσαι. τὰς γὰρ ὑπὲρ πασῶν ἡ πρόμαχος Ἀμμωναρία ἀναδέδεκται. Ἔτι περὶ τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ τελειωθέντων κατὰ τὸν ἐπὶ ∆εκίου διωγμὸν ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῦ μακαρίου ∆ιονυσίου ἐπιστολῆσ Ἥρων δὲ καὶ Ἀστὴρ καὶ Ἰσίδωρος Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς παιδάριον ὡς πεντεκαιδεκαετὴς ∆ιόσκορος παρεδόθησαν. καὶ πρῶτον τὸ μειράκιον λόγοις τε ἀπατᾶν ὡς εὐπαράγωγον καὶ βασάνοις καταναγκάζειν ὡς εὐέν δοτον πειρωμένου, οὔτε ἐπείσθη οὔτε εἶξεν ὁ ∆ιόσκορος. τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἀγριώτατα ξήνας, ἐγκαρτερήσαντας πυρὶ καὶ τούτους ἔδωκε. τὸν δὲ ∆ιόσ κορον ἐλλαμπρυνόμενόν τε δημοσίᾳ καὶ σοφώτατα πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας πεύσεις ἀποκρινόμενον θαυμάσας παρῆκεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἦν φήσας εἰς μετάνοιαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐπιμετρεῖν. καὶ νῦν ὁ θεοπρεπέστατος σὺν ἡμῖν ἐστι ∆ιόσ κορος εἰς μακρότερον τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ διαρκέστερον εἶναι τὸν ἆθλον. Νεμεσίων τις κἀκεῖνος Αἰγύπτιος ἐσυκοφαντήθη μὲν ὡς δὴ σύνοικος λῃ στῶν, ἀποδυσάμενος δὲ ταύτην παρὰ τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῃ τὴν ἀλλοτριωτάτην διαβολήν, καταμηνυθεὶς ὡς Χριστιανὸς ἧκε δεσμώτης ἐπὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα. ὁ δὲ ἀδικώτατος διπλαῖς αὐτὸν ἢ τοὺς λῃστὰς βασάνοις τε καὶ μάστιξι λυμηνάμενος, μεταξὺ τῶν λῃστῶν κατέφλεξε τιμηθέντα τὸν μακάριον τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραδείγματι. ἀθρόον δέ τι σύνταγμα στῖφος στρατιωτικόν, Ἄμμων καὶ Ζήνων καὶ Πτολεμαῖος καὶ Ἰγγένης καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς πρεσβύτης Θεόφιλος, εἱστήκεισαν πρὸ τοῦ δικαστηρίου. κρινομένου δέ τινος ὡς Χριστιανοῦ καὶ πρὸς ἄρνησιν ῥέποντος ἐπρίοντο οὗτοι παρεστηκότες καὶ τοῖς προσώποις ἐνένευον καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέτεινον καὶ συνεσχηματίζοντο τοῖς σώμασιν. ἐπιστροφῆς δὲ πάντων πρὸς αὐτοὺς γενομένης,