The same man, before his own contest, makes mention in his earlier Apology of others who had been martyred before him, narrating these things also in a manner useful to his subject.
And he writes thus: 「A certain woman lived with a licentious husband, having herself also formerly been licentious. But when she came to know the teachings of Christ, she became sober-minded, and tried to persuade her husband likewise to be sober-minded, relating the teachings to him, and announcing the punishment in eternal fire that shall come upon those who do not live soberly and according to right reason.」
「But he, persisting in the same debaucheries, by his deeds estranged his wife from him. For the woman, henceforth deeming it impious to share the bed of a husband who sought by every means to procure channels of pleasure contrary to the law of nature and to righteousness, wished to be separated from the marriage.」
「And when she was dissuaded by her own people, who counselled her still to remain, on the ground that there was yet hope the husband would at some time change, she did violence to herself and stayed on.」
「But when her husband had gone to Alexandria and was reported to be behaving more wickedly, in order that she might not become a partaker of his wrongdoings and impieties by remaining in the marriage and sharing his table and his bed, she gave him what is called among us a writ of divorce and was separated.」
「But her fine and noble husband, who ought to have rejoiced that the things she once readily did with servants and hirelings—delighting in drunkenness and every vice—she had now ceased from doing, and wished him also to cease from doing the same, when she departed against his will, brought an accusation against her, alleging that she was a Christian.」
「And she for her part presented a petition to you, the emperor, asking that she first be permitted to settle her own affairs, and afterwards to make her defence concerning the accusation, after the settlement of her affairs; and you granted this.」
「But her former husband, being now unable any longer to make charges against her, turned against a certain Ptolemy—whom Urbicius punished—who had become her teacher in the doctrines of the Christians; and he did so in the following manner.」
「He persuaded a centurion, who was a friend of his and who had thrown Ptolemy into bonds, to lay hold of Ptolemy and to question him on this one point only: whether he was a Christian. And Ptolemy, being a lover of truth and not deceitful nor a liar in disposition, confessed himself to be a Christian; whereupon the centurion put him in bonds and punished him for a long time in the prison.」
「At last, when the man was brought before Urbicius, he was likewise examined on this one point only: whether he was a Christian. And again, conscious of the good things that had come to him through the teaching of Christ, he confessed the school of divine virtue.」
「For he who denies anything either does so condemning the matter and rejecting it, or, knowing himself unworthy and alien to the matter, shuns the confession; and none of these belongs to the true Christian.」
「And when Urbicius ordered him to be led away, a certain Lucius, himself also a Christian, seeing the judgement thus given so unreasonably, said to Urbicius: ‘What is the reason for punishing this man, who has not been convicted of being an adulterer, or a fornicator, or a murderer, or a clothes-stealer, or a robber, or, in short, of having done any wrong at all, but merely confesses that he bears the name of Christian? You judge in a manner not befitting the Pious Emperor, nor the philosopher son of Caesar, nor the sacred Senate, O Urbicius.’」
「And he, answering nothing else, said also to Lucius: ‘You too seem to me to be such a one.’ And when Lucius said, ‘Most certainly,’ he ordered him also to be led away. But Lucius confessed that he gave thanks, for, he added, he was being delivered from such wicked masters and was going to God, the good Father and King. And yet a third man came forward and was sentenced to be punished.」 To these things Justin fittingly and consequently adds the words we mentioned above, saying: 「I too, then, expect to be plotted against by one of those who have been named,」 and the rest.