were any where stimulating them from without. But they would not even touch the holy wrestlers standing naked and striking at them with their hands, as they were commanded, in order to irritate the beasts against them. Sometimes, indeed, they would also rush upon them, but, as if repulsed by some divine power, they again retreated.

This continuing, also, for a long time, created no little wonder to the spectators; so that now again on account of the failure in the first instance, they were obliged to let loose the beast a second and a third time upon one and the same martyr. One could not help being astonished at the intrepid perseverance of these holy men, and the firm and invincible mind of those, also, whose bodies were but young and tender. For you could have seen a youth of scarcely twenty years, standing unbound, with his arms extended, like a cross, but with an intrepid and fearless earnestness, intensely engaged in prayer to God, neither removing nor declining from the spot where he stood, whilst bears and leopards breathed rage and death, and almost touched his very flesh, and yet I know not how, by a divine and inscrutable power, they had their mouths in a manner bridled, and again retreated in haste. And such was he of whom we now speak.

Again, you might have seen others, for they were five in all, cast before a wild bull, who indeed seized others, that approached from without, with his horns, and tossed them in the air, leaving them to be taken up half dead, but only rushing upon the saints with rage and menaces; for the beast was not able even to approach them, but beating the earth with his feet, and pushing with his horns hither and thither, and from the irritation excited by the brands of glowing iron, he breathed madness and death, yet was drawn back again by a divine interposition. So that as

• Valesius and others understand this expression figuratively, as in the passage, "What have we to do with those without?" meaning the heathen. But the literal meaning seems to be natural and obvious, and refers to those who, standing without the arena, in the amphitheatre, were urging and stimulating the beasts. Our author uses the same expression below, evidently with the same intention as here, to designate particular persons. The figurative sense seems to be too general in an account like this.

he did not even injure them in the least, they let loose other beasts upon them. At length, however, after these various and terrible assaults, all of them were despatched with the sword, and instead of an interment and sepulchre, they were committed to the waves of the sea.

CHAPTER VIIL

Those who suffered in Egypt.

AND such, too, was the severity of the struggle which was endured by the Egyptians, who wrestled gloriously for the faith at Tyre. But one cannot but admire those that suffered also in their native land, where thousands, both men, and women, and children, despising the present life for the sake of our Saviour's doctrine, submitted to death in various shapes. Some, after being tortured with scrapings and the rack, and the most dreadful scourgings, and other innumerable agonies, which one might shudder to hear, were finally committed to the flames; some plunged and drowned in the sea, others voluntarily offering their own heads to the executioners, others dying in the midst of their torments, some wasted away by famine, and others again fixed to the cross. Some, indeed, were executed as malefactors usually were; others more cruelly, were nailed with the head downwards, and kept alive until they were destroyed by starving on the cross itself.

CHAPTER IX.

Of those in Thebais.

But it would exceed all power of detail to give an idea of the sufferings and tortures which the martyrs of Thebais endured. These, instead of hooks, had their bodies scraped with shells, and were mangled in this way until they died. Women tied by one

foot, and then raised on high in the air by certain machines, with their naked bodies and wholly uncovered, presented this most foul, cruel, and inhuman spectacle to all beholders; others again perished, bound to trees and branches. For, drawing the stoutest of the branches together by machines for this purpose, and binding the limbs of the martyrs to each of these, they then let loose the boughs to resume their natural position, designing thus to produce a violent action, to tear asunder the limbs of those whom they thus treated. And all these things were doing not only for a few days or some time, but for a series of whole years. At one time, ten or more, at another, more than twenty, at another time not less than thirty, and even sixty, and again at another time, a hundred men with their wives and little children were slain in one day, whilst they were condemned to various and varied punishments. We ourselves have observed, when on the spot, many crowded together in one day, some suffering decapitation, some the torments of flames; so that the murderous weapon was completely blunted, and having lost its edge, broke to pieces; and the executioners themselves, wearied with slaughter, were obliged to relieve one another. Then, also, we were witnesses to the most admirable ardour of mind, and the truly divine energy and alacrity of those that believed in the Christ of God. For as soon as the sentence was pronounced against the first, others rushed forward from other parts to the tribunal before the judge, confessing they were Christians, most indifferent to the dreadful and multiform tortures that awaited them, but declaring themselves fully and in the most undaunted manner on the religion which acknowledges only one Supreme God. They received, indeed, the final sentence of death with gladness and exultation, so far as even to sing and send up hymns of praise and thanksgiving, until they breathed their last. Admirable, indeed, were these, but eminently wonderful were also those who, though they were distinguished for wealth and noble birth and great reputation, and excelled in philosophy and learning, still regarded all as but secondary to the true religion and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Such was Philoromus, who held no mean office in the imperial district of Alexandria, and

who, according to his rank and Roman dignity, was attended by a military guard, when administering justice every day. Phileas, also, bishop of the churches of Thmuis, a man eminent for his conduct and the services rendered to his country, as well as in the different branches of philosophy. These, although urged by innumerable relatives and other friends, and though many eminent persons and the judge himself entreated them, that they should take compassion on themselves and have mercy upon their children and wives, were nevertheless not in the least induced by these things to prefer life, when it stood in competition with the command that regarded the confession or the denial of our Saviour. And thus, with a manly and philosophical mind, rather let me say with a mind devoted to God and his religion, persevering in opposition to all the threats and the insults of the judge, both of them were condemned to lose their heads.

CHAPTER X.

The writings of Phileas, which give an account of the martyrs of Alexandria.

But since we have mentioned Phileas, as highly estimable for his great proficiency also in foreign literature and science, we will let him bear witness for himself, whilst he may also show us who he was, and also what martyrdoms happened at Alexandria, all which he can state more accurately than ourselves, in the extract we here present.

From the epistle of Phileas to the inhabitants of Thmuis. "As all these signs, examples, and noble precepts are presented to us in the Holy Scriptures, those holy martyrs with us did not hesitate, whilst they sincerely directed their mental eye to that God who rules over all, and in their minds preferred death for their religion, and firmly adhered to their vocation. They had well understood that our Lord Jesus Christ became man for us, that he might remove all sin, and furnish us with the means of entering

*

into eternal life. For he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but humbled himself, taking upon him the form of a servant, and being found in the fashion of man, he humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross." Hence, also, these Christbearing martyrs, zealously strove to attain unto better gifts, and endured every kind of trial, every series of tortures not merely once, but once and again, the second time; and though the guards assailed them with every kind of threat, not merely in words, but vied with one another in violent acts, they did not surrender their faith, because "perfect love casteth out fear." And what language would suffice to recount their virtues, and their fortitude under every trial? For as every one had the liberty to abuse them, some beat them with clubs, some with rods, some with scourges, others again with thongs, others with ropes. And the sight of these torments was varied and multiplied, exhibiting excessive malignity. For some had their hands tied behind them, and were suspended on the rack, † and every limb was stretched with machines. Then the torturers, according to their orders, applied the pincers to the whole body, not merely as in the case of murderers, to the sides, but also to the stomach and knees and cheeks. Some, indeed, were suspended on high by one hand, from the portico, whose sufferings by reason of the distention of their joints and limbs, were more dreadful than any. Others were bound face to face to pillars, not resting

The original here is the expressive epithet xpToCOPOS, Christ-bearing, Christophori; as they bore all for the sake of Christ, by a strong synecdoche, they were said to bear Christ himself, the voluntary object of their love; and thus the indirect cause of these sufferings in which they rejoiced. We must indulge such anomalous compounds, as this, in our language, when a novel idea seems to require it. The composition itself is not more singular than the idea which it expresses. Valesius, though he does not follow the idea in his version, explains the word as meaning full of Christ, and refers to the epithet Theophorus given to Ignatius. Shorting has rendered it, therefore, full of Christ. But by such a version and etymology, the allusion in the context is entirely lost. The martyrs were called by a strong figure, Christophori, because they bore, and Ignatius was called Theophorus for the same reason.

†The instrument of torture here mentioned, appears to have been the Roman eculeus. It was so constructed, that the person was suspended on it, and his limbs stretched by screws. It was applied at first only to slaves.