And the same man, in his letter to Fabius, bishop of the Antiochenes, relates after this manner the struggles of those who were martyred under Decius at Alexandria: 「The persecution among us did not begin from the imperial edict, but preceded it by a whole year; and the prophet and author of evils for this city, whoever he was, getting the start, set in motion and stirred up against us the multitudes of the heathen, kindling them to their native superstition.」
「And they, incited by him and laying hold of all license for unholy deeds, supposed this alone to be true religion—the worship of their demons—namely, to thirst for our blood.」
「First, then, they seized an old man named Metras, and bade him utter godless words; and when he would not obey, they beat his body with clubs, and pricked his face and his eyes with sharp reeds, and then led him to the suburb and stoned him.」
「Next, a faithful woman called Quinta they led to the idol-temple to worship; but when she turned away and abhorred it, 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; then, bringing her to the same place, they stoned her to death.」
「Then with one accord they all rushed upon the houses of the God-fearing; and each, falling upon those whom they recognized, hurried them away, and plundered and pillaged, appropriating the more valuable of their treasures, while the cheaper things and whatever was made of wood they threw about and burned in the streets, presenting the spectacle of a city captured by enemies.」
「But the brethren withdrew and gave way, and like those to whom Paul also bore witness, they received with joy the plundering of their possessions. And I know not whether anyone—save perhaps some one man who happened to fall into their hands—denied the Lord up to this point.」
「But they also seized that most admirable aged virgin Apollonia, and, smiting her on the jaws, they knocked out all her teeth; and heaping up a pyre before the city, they threatened to burn her alive unless she would join them in uttering the proclamations of impiety. But she, asking for a brief respite and being released, with sudden vehemence leaped into the fire and was consumed.」
「And seizing Serapion at his own hearth, they tormented him with cruel tortures, and having broken all his joints, they cast him down headlong from the upper storey. And no road, no highway, no alley was passable for us, neither by night nor by day, all men everywhere always crying out that, unless one would chant the blasphemous words, he must be dragged off and burned.」
「And these things flourished in this manner for a long time; but civil strife and war, succeeding upon the wretches, turned their cruelty against us back upon one another. And for a little while we drew breath, they having gotten respite from their rage against us; but immediately the change from that reign which was more favourable to us was announced, and great was the fear of the threat impending over us that loomed up.」
「And indeed the edict came, very nearly such as that which was foretold by the Lord, declaring the most fearful thing, so as, if possible, to cause even the elect to stumble.」
「In any case, all cowered in terror; and many of the more illustrious at once came forward of their own accord, some led by their public duties, others dragged on by those about them; and being called by name, they approached the impure and unholy sacrifices, some pale and trembling, as though not about to sacrifice but rather themselves to be victims and offerings to the idols, so that mockery was heaped upon them by the great crowd standing round, and it was plain that they were cowards in everything, both as to dying and as to sacrificing.」
「But some others ran more readily to the altars, asserting by their boldness that they had never been Christians at all; concerning whom the Lord's prediction is most true, that they shall hardly be saved. Of the rest, some followed each of these two classes, others fled, and others were caught.」
「And of these, some, having gone as far as bonds and imprisonment—and some, after being shut up for several days—then, even before coming to the tribunal, abjured; while others, after holding out for a time under tortures, in the end gave way.」
「But the firm and blessed pillars of the Lord, being strengthened by Him, and receiving power and endurance worthy of and proportionate to the strong faith within them, became admirable martyrs of His kingdom.」
「The first of these was Julian, a man afflicted with gout, able neither to stand nor to walk, who was brought forward together with two others who carried him; of whom the one straightway denied, but the other, Cronion by name, surnamed Eunous, and the aged Julian himself, having confessed the Lord, were carried on camels through the whole city, which is very great, as you know, and scourged aloft, and at last, with all the people poured round about, were burned up in quicklime.」
「And a soldier who stood by them as they were led off and opposed those who were insulting them—when these cried out, that most manly man-at-arms of God, Besas, was brought forward; and having proved himself a champion in the great battle for godliness, he was beheaded.」
「And a certain other, a Libyan by race, who in his appellation and likewise in the blessing was truly Macar (『Blessed』), though much exhortation was used upon him by the judge toward denial, did not yield, and was burned alive. And after them Epimachus and Alexander, after the long time they remained in bonds, having endured countless agonies, scrapers and scourges, were also dissolved in quicklime.」
「And together with them four women: Ammonarion, a holy virgin, whom the judge tortured most contentiously for a very long time, since she had declared beforehand that she would utter none of the things he commanded; and having kept true to her promise, she was led away. And the rest—the most venerable aged Mercuria, and Dionysia, who, though the mother of many children, did not love them above the Lord—when the governor was ashamed to go on torturing them to no purpose and to be worsted by women, they died by the sword, no longer making trial of tortures; for Ammonarion, their champion, had taken up the tortures on behalf of them all.」
「Heron and Ater and Isidore, Egyptians, and with them a lad of about fifteen years, Dioscorus, were delivered up; and when the judge first tried to deceive him by words as one easily misled, and to constrain him as one easily yielding, Dioscorus was neither persuaded nor gave way.」
「And the rest he most savagely tore with combs, and, when they had held out, delivered these also to the fire; but Dioscorus, who had shone forth in public and answered most wisely to his private questionings, the judge, in admiration, dismissed, saying that, on account of his youth, he granted him a postponement for repentance. And now this most God-befitting Dioscorus is with us, abiding for a longer and more enduring contest and prize.」
「And a certain Nemesion, he too an Egyptian, was falsely accused as being an associate of robbers; but when he had cleared himself before the centurion of this most foreign slander against him, he was informed against as a Christian and came in bonds before the governor. And the most unjust man, having maltreated him with twice the tortures and scourges given to the robbers, burned him between the robbers, the blessed man being honoured by the likeness to Christ's example.」
「And a whole company of soldiers—Ammon and Zeno and Ptolemy and Ingenes, and with them an aged man, Theophilus—were standing before the tribunal. And when a certain man being tried as a Christian was now inclining toward denial, these, standing by, ground their teeth, and made signs with their faces, and stretched out their hands, and gestured with their bodies.」
「And when all turned toward them, before any others could lay hold of them, they hastened and ran up to the dock, saying that they were Christians; so that the governor and his assessors were filled with fear, and those being tried appeared most courageous as to what they were about to suffer, while the judges lost heart. And these went forth from the tribunals in triumph and exulted in their testimony, God leading them gloriously in triumph.」