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De martyrio sancti Cypriani (e cod. Florent. Laurent. VII, 10)

1 she recklessly sent away all the young men, as she had made Christ the king her only suitor. But he, having gathered his people, in the royal seats, wished to unite with the noble maiden by force; as many as followed with her shouted loudly, and all rushed from their chambers with arms, and they at once made the newcomers of Aglais unseen. But he himself, bearing all love within his heart, as if struck by a gadfly in secret, was pursuing the maiden. But she quickly made the powerful seal of Christ, and at once threw the shameless one on his back, and with her hands she tore the form of Aglais and his thick-haired cheeks, and she rent his fine garments; and she showed him as a laughing-stock to all, fulfilling the same course as the godlike Thecla. And having done these things, she returned again to the house of God. But he, being angry, besought a malevolent man, an instructor of impious magic, Cyprian, and promised him two talents of gold and of shining silver, so that he might persuade by force the unwilling virgin to consent to love, not knowing the strong, unwearying might of Christ. And the magician, pitying the miserable mortal, by an incantation swiftly summoned a harsh, malevolent demon. And coming winglessly, he said, "Why do you call me? Speak." And he said: "Love has terribly subdued my heart for a certain Galilean maiden; but tell me if you yourself have the power to give her to my bed; for I desire it terribly." And the sober adversary consented to give what was unhoped for. And Cyprian in turn addressed the destroyer: "Tell me your deeds, so that I may have courage in my mind." And he said: "Before, I was the best of the angelic hosts, but persuaded by my father I left the king who is highest of the seven-gated sphere. As many things as I have done, you will know; and I will tell you. The foundations of the pure heaven I myself with my wickedness set asunder, having thrown them into confusion, and the host of heavenly dwellers I cast down to earth. And again I deceived Eve, the mother of mortals, by necessity, and I deprived Adam of the much-delighting paradise. And I myself forged the fratricidal hand of Cain. I drenched the earth with blood; and because of me it sprouts thorny, unseemly fruit for the race of mortals. I contrived things hateful to God; and I brought about stolen unions. And I deceived the mind of mortals to worship feeble idols, and I taught men to offer sacrifices to the grim bull. I myself also incited the Hebrews to fiercely stretch the ruling Word of God, the unbegotten Son, upon a stake. I shook cities and cast down high walls, and by dancing I shook many bridal chambers out of strife. But indeed, having wrought all these countless evils, how shall I not obtain this high-minded maiden?"

And Cyprian said to the baneful, evil-delighting demon: "Taking this herb, moisten the chamber of the venerable maiden all around, and at last I myself will come and I will put a paternal mind in her heart. And she will obey you very much in your desire, even in a dream." But then the young virgin, having her form upon the earth, at the third hour of the night was singing to the good God. But when indeed the maiden was assailed in the midst of her senses, and in her mind she perceived the wickedness of the evildoer, her half-cut kidneys being seared with fire, she quickly recognized the king, whom she longed for; but she quickly signed her whole body with her hand with the cross, and crying out she said: "Ruler of all, glorious God, father of the immaculate child Jesus Christ, who bound the dreadfully monstrous serpent of Tartarus in gloomy courts, and whom he took captive in fetters, all of them, most glorious one, you saved; who stretching out the starry heaven with your hand, and supporting the earth in the midst of chaos on watery foundations; you who give the fiery torches to the steeds of the Titan, and made the silvery moon yoked to oxen for the night; you who made mortal man all-like to your form, whom you commanded to be satisfied with the feast of paradise, but who through the counsels of the most dreadful beast, the serpent, withdrew from the well-treed ground, you yourself again seeking

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De martyrio sancti Cypriani (e cod. Florent. Laurent. VII, 10)

1 πάντας δ' ἠιθέους κεν ἀταρτηρῶς ἀπέπεμπεν, ὡς Χριστὸν μοῦνον μνηστὸν θεμένη τὸν ἄνακτα. ὃς δέ, λεὼν συναγείρας, ἀνακτορίους κατὰ θώκους πρός ῥα βίην ἐθέλεσκεν ἀγαυὴν παῖδα μιῆναι· ὅσσοι δ' ἑσπετόωνθ' ἅμ' αὐτῇ, αἰπὺ βόησαν, πάντες δ' ἐκ θαλάμων σὺν τεύχεσιν ἐσσεύοντο, τεῦξαν δ' Ἀγλαΐδαο νεήλυδας εἶθαρ ἀΐστους. αὐτὸς δ', ἐν κραδίηφι φέρων ὅλον ἔνδον ἔρωτα, πληγεὶς εὖτε μύωπι λαθών, πηχύνετο κούρην. ἡ δ' αἶψα Χριστοῦ κρατερὴν σφρηγῖδα τέλεσσε, ῥῖψεν δ' ὕπτιον εἶθαρ ἀναιδέα, χερσὶ δ' ἔδρυψε μορφὴν Ἀγλαΐδαο καὶ οὐλοκόμους γε παρειάς, ῥῆξεν δ' εἵματα καλά· ὅλοις δ' ἀπέδειξε γέλωτα, Θέκλης ἀντιθέης τὸν ὁμὸν δρόμον ἐκτελέουσα. καὶ τὰ μὲν ὣς ῥέξασα θεοῦ πάλιν ἦλθεν ἐς οἴκους. αὐτὰρ ὁ χωόμενος κακοεργέα λίσσετο φῶτα, δυσσεβέος μαγίης ὑποθήμονα, Κυπριανόν γε, καί οἱ ὑποσχόμενος δοιὰ χρυσοῖο τάλαντα λαμπροῦ τ' ἀργυρίοιο, ὅπως πείσειεν ἀνάγκῃ παρθένον οὐκ ἐθέλουσαν ἐπινεῦσαι φιλότητι, οὐ δεδαὼς Χριστοῦ κρατερὸν μένος ἀκαμάτοιο. οἰκτείρας δὲ μάγος δυερὸν βροτόν, ἐξ ἐπαοιδῆς κίκλησκεν χαλεπὸν κακοεργέα δαίμονα ῥίμφα. ἀπτερέως δ' ἐλθών, «τί μ'», ἔφη, «καλέεις; ἀγόρευε.» ὃς δ' ἔφατ'· «αἰνῶς μοι κούρης γε μιῆς Γαλιλαίης ἦτορ ἔρως ἐδάμασσε· σὺ δ' ἔννεπε, εἴτε μιν αὐτὸς λέκτροισιν δόμεναι κρατέεις· αἰνῶς ποθέω γάρ.» νήφρων δ' ἀντίπαλος δώσειν κατένευσεν ἄελπτα. Κυπριανὸς δ' αὖτίς γε παλαμναῖον προσέειπεν· «ἔννεπέ μοι τεὰ ἔργα, ὅπως φρεσὶ θάρρος ἔχοιμι.» ὃς δ' ἔφατ'· «ἀγγελικῶν στιφέων πάρος ἦα φέριστος, ἀλλά γ' ἐμῷ γενετῆρι πεπιθμένος ἔλλιπ' ἄνακτα ἑπταπόλου σφαίρης τὸν ὑπέρτατον. ὅσσα δ' ἔρεξα, εἰδήσεις· ἐρέω δέ. πόλου καθαροῖο θέμεθλα αὐτὸς ἐμῇ κακίῃ γε διάνδιχα θῆκα ταράξας καὶ στίφος οὐρανίων ναετῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἔριψα. μητέρα δ' αὖ μερόπων πάλιν ἤπαφον Εὖαν ἀνάγκῃ, νοσφισάμην δ' Ἄδαμον πολυγηθέος ἐκ παραδείσου. καὶ Καΐνου παλάμην γνωτοκτόνον αὐτὸς ἔτευξα. αἵματι γαῖαν ἔδευσα· ἀκανθώδη δ' ἀναθάλλει καρπὸν ἀεικέλιον μερόπων γένει εἵνεκ' ἐμεῖο. ἐχθρὰ θεῷ συνάγειρα θεήματα· καὶ κλοπίας δὲ εὐνὰς ἐγὼν ἐτέλεσσα. σεβίζεσθαι δ' ἀμενηνὰ εἴδωλα βρότεον νόον ἤπαφον, ἠδὲ θυηλὰς ἀνθρώπους ῥέζειν βλοσυρῷ κατεμήνυσα ταύρῳ. αὐτὸς καὶ κρατέοντα θεοῦ λόγον, υἱὸν ἄναρχον, ἐν σκόλοπι τανύσαι μαλερῶς Ἐβέρους ὀρόθυνα. ἄστεα συγκλόνεον καὶ τείχεα κάββαλον αἰπά, πολλοὺς δ' ἐξ ἔριδος θαλάμους ἐδόνησα χορεύσας. ἀλλά γε δὴ τάδε πάντα κακὰ καὶ ἀπείρονα τεύξας, πῶς τῆσδ' ἠιθέου μεγαλόφρονος οὐδὲ τυχήσω;»

Κυπριανὸς δ' ἔνεπεν κακοτερπέι δαίμονι λυγρῷ· «τῆνδε λαβὼν βοτάνην κύκλῳ θάλαμον κατάδευσον κούρης αἰδεσίμου, ἀτὰρ ὕστατος ἵξομαι αὐτὸς καὶ νόον ἐνθήσω κραδίῃ πατρώιον αὐτῇ. ἡ δέ σοι ἐλδομένῳ μάλα πείσεται ἔν περ ὀνείρῳ.» παρθένος ἠίθεος δὲ τότ', εἶδος ἔχουσ' ἐπὶ γαίης, ὥρῃ νυκτελίῃ τριτάτῃ μέλπεν θεὸν ἠύν. ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ πραπίδων μέσσον πελεμίζετο κούρη, ἐν φρεσὶ δ' ᾗσι νόησεν ἀτασθαλίην κακοεργοῦ, ἡμιτόμους πρησθεῖσα νεφροὺς πυρί, θᾶσσον ἄνακτα ἔγνω, τὸν ποθέεσκεν· ἀτὰρ σημήνατο χειρὶ σταυρῷ πᾶν δέμας αἶψα, γεγωνήσασα δ' ἔειπε· «πάντων δεσπόζων, θεὲ κύδιμε, παιδὸς ἀχράντου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γενέτα, ὃς ταρταρόεντα αἰνοπέλωρον ὄφιν ζοφεραῖς ἐπέδησας ἐν αὐλαῖς, οὓς δὲ πέδαις ζώγρησεν, ὅλους, κύδιστ', ἐσάωσας· ὃς πόλον ἀστερόεντα τανυσσάμενος σέο χειρί, γῆν δὲ μέσον χάεος νοτίοις νώτοισιν ἐρείσας· ὁ φλογερὰς δαΐδας πώλοις Τιτῆνος ὀπάσσας, μήνην ἀργεννὴν δὲ βοόζυγα νυκτὶ τελέσσας· ὁ βροτὸν ἄνδρα τεῇ μορφῇ τεύξας πανόμοιον, ὃν παραδεισιάδος θαλίης κορέσασθαι ἄνωγας, θηρὸς δ' αἰνοτάτου ὄφεως ὑποθημοσύνῃσιν εὐδένδροιο πέδοιο λιασθέντα πάλιν αὐτὸς διζόμενος