through the great conflict, were at last sacrificed, having been made throughout that day a spectacle to the world, in place of the usual variety of combats.

But Blandina was suspended on a stake, and exposed to be devoured by the wild beasts who should attack her. 5 And because she appeared as if hanging on a cross, and because of her earnest prayers, she inspired the combatants with great zeal. For they looked on her in her conflict, and beheld with their outward eyes, in the form of their sister, Him who was crucified for them, that He might 10 persuade those who believe on Him, that every one who suffers for the glory of Christ has fellowship always with the living God. As none of the wild beasts at that time touched her, she was taken down from the stake, and cast again into prison. She was preserved thus for another 15 contest, that, being victorious in more conflicts, she might make the punishment of the crooked serpent irrevocable; and, though small and weak and despised, yet clothed with Christ the mighty and conquering Athlete, she might arouse the zeal of the brethren, and, having overcome the 20 adversary many times might receive, through her conflict, the crown incorruptible.

After all these, on the last day of the contests, Blandina was again brought in, with Ponticus, a boy about fifteen years old. They had been brought every day to witness 25 the sufferings of the others, and had been pressed to swear by the idols. But because they remained steadfast and despised them, the multitude became furious, so that they had no compassion for the youth of the boy nor respect for the sex of the woman. Therefore they exposed 30 them to all the terrible sufferings and took them through the entire round of torture, repeatedly urging them to swear, but being unable to effect this; for Ponticus, encouraged by his sister so that even the heathen could see that she was confirming and strengthening him, having 35

κόλασιν γενναίως ὑπομείνας, ἀπέδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα. ἡ δὲ μακαρία Βλανδίνα πάντων ἐσχάτη, καθάπερ μήτηρ εὐγενὴς παρορμήσασα τὰ τέκνα καὶ νικηφόρους προπέμψασα πρὸς τὸν Βασιλέα, ἀναμετρουμένη καὶ αὐτὴ 5 πάντα τὰ τῶν παίδων ἀγωνίσματα, ἔσπευδε πρὸς αὐτοὺς χαίρουσα καὶ ἀγαλλιωμένη ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξόδῳ, ὡς εἰς νυμφικὸν δεῖπνον κεκλημένη, ἀλλὰ μὴ πρὸς θηρία βεβλημένη. καὶ μετὰ τὰς μάστιγας, μετὰ τὰ θηρία, μετὰ τὸ τήγανον, τοὔσχατον εἰς γύργαθον βληθεῖσα, ταύρῳ παρεβλήθη· το καὶ ἱκανῶς ἀναβληθεῖσα πρὸς τοῦ ζώου, μηδὲ αἴσθησιν ἔτι τῶν συμβαινόντων ἔχουσα διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐποχὴν τῶν πεπιστευμένων καὶ ὁμίλιαν πρὸς Χριστόν, ἐτύθη καὶ αὐτή, καὶ αὐτῶν ὁμολογούντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ὅτι μηδὲ πώ ποτε παρ' αὐτοῖς γυνὴ τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα ἔπαθεν.

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Αλλ ̓ οὐδ ̓ οὕτως κόρον ἐλάμβανεν αὐτῶν ἡ μανία καὶ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους ὠμότης. ὑπὸ γὰρ ἀγρίου θηρὸς ἄγρια καὶ βάρβαρα φῦλα παραχθέντα δυσπαύστως εἶχε, καὶ ἄλλην ἰδίαν ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ἐλάμβανεν ἡ ὕβρις αὐτῶν. τὸ γὰρ νενικῆσθαι αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐδυσώπει, διὰ τὸ 20 μὴ ἔχειν ἀνθρώπινον ἐπιλογισμόν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐξέκαεν αὐτῶν τὴν ὀργὴν καθάπερ θηρίου, καὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος καὶ τοῦ δήμου τὸ ὅμοιον εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀδίκως ἐπιδεικνυμένων μῖσος· ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ, «Ὁ ἄνομος ἀνομησάτω ἔτι, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος δικαιωθήτω ἔτι.” καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἐν 25 αποπνιγέντας ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ παρέβαλλον κυσίν, ἐπιμελῶς παραφυλάσσοντες νύκτωρ καὶ μεθημέραν, μὴ κηδευθῇ τις ὑφ ̓ ἡμῶν. καὶ τότε δὴ προθέντες τά τε τῶν θηρίων, τά τε τοῦ πυρὸς λείψανα, πῆ μὲν ἐσπαραγμένα, πῆ δὲ ἠνθρακευμένα, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τὰς κεφαλὰς σὺν τοῖς 30 ἀποτμήμασιν αὐτῶν ὡσαύτως ἀτάφους παρεφύλαττον μετὰ στρατιωτικῆς ἐπιμελείας ἡμέραις συχναῖς. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐνεβριμῶντο καὶ ἔβρυχον τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐπ ̓ αὐτοῖς, ζητοῦντές τινα περισσοτέραν ἐκδίκησιν παρ' αὐτῶν λαβεῖν·

nobly endured every torture, gave up the ghost. But the blessed Blandina, last of all, having, as a noble mother, encouraged her children and sent them before her victorious to the King, endured herself all their conflicts and hastened after them, glad and rejoicing in her departure as if called 5 to a marriage-supper, rather than cast to wild beasts. And, after the scourging, after the wild beasts, after the roasting-seat, she was finally enclosed in a net, and thrown before a bull. And having been tossed about by the animal, but feeling none of the things which 10 were happening to her, on account of her hope and firm hold upon what had been entrusted to her, and her communion with Christ, she also was sacrificed. And the heathen themselves confessed that never among them had a woman endured so many and such terrible tortures.

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But not even thus was their madness and cruelty toward the saints satisfied. For, incited by the Wild Beast, wild and barbarous tribes were not easily appeased, and their violence found another peculiar opportunity in the dead bodies. For, through their lack of manly reason, the fact 20 that they had been conquered did not put them to shame, but rather the more enkindled their wrath as that of a wild beast, and aroused alike the hatred of governor and people to treat us unjustly; that the Scripture might be fulfilled: He that is lawless, let him be lawless still, 25 and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still.' For they cast to the dogs those who had died of suffocation in the prison, carefully guarding them by night and day, lest any one should be buried by us. And they exposed the remains left by the wild beasts and by fire, mangled and 30 charred, and placed the heads of the others by their bodies, and guarded them in like manner from burial by a watch of soldiers for many days. And some raged and gnashed their teeth against them, desiring to execute more severe vengeance upon them; but others laughed and 35

οἱ δὲ ἐνεγέλων καὶ ἐπετώθαζον, μεγαλύοντες ἅμα τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκείνοις προσάπτοντες τὴν τούτων τιμωρίαν. οἱ δὲ ἐπιεικέστεροι, καὶ κατὰ ποσὸν συμπαθεῖν δοκοῦντες, ὠνείδιζον πολὺ λέγοντες, “ Ποῦ ὁ Θεὸς 5 αὐτῶν, καὶ τί αὐτοὺς ὤνησεν ἡ θρησκεία, ἣν καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν εἵλοντο ψυχῆς;” καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀπ ̓ ἐκείνων τοιαύτην εἶχε τὴν ποικιλίαν, τὰ δὲ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς ἐν μεγάλῳ καθειστήκει πένθει, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὰ σώματα κρύψαι τῇ γῇ. οὔτε γὰρ νὺξ συνεβάλλετο ἡμῖν πρὸς ο τοῦτο, οὔτε ἀργύρια ἔπειθεν, οὔτε λιτανεία ἐδυσώπει, παντὶ δὲ τρόπῳ παρετήρουν, ὡς μέγα τι κερδανοῦντες εἰ μὴ τύχοιεν ταφῆς.

XXI A.

EUSEBIUS, Hist. Eccl. v. 1.

Passio Sanctorum Scilitanorum.

Praesente bis et Claudiano consulibus, XVI Kalendas Augustas, Kartagine in secretario inpositis Sperato, 15 Nartzalo et Cittino, Donata, Secunda, Vestia ; Saturninus proconsul dixit: Potestis indulgentiam domini nostri imperatoris promereri, si ad bonam mentem redeatis.

Speratus dixit: Numquam malefecimus, iniquitati nullam operam praebuimus; numquam malediximus, ao sed male accepti gratias egimus; propter quod imperatorem nostrum obseruamus.

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Saturninus proconsul dixit: Et nos religiosi sumus, et simplex est religio nostra, et iuramus per genium domini nostri imperatoris, et pro salute eius supplicamus, quod et 25 uos quoque facere debetis.

Speratus dixit: Si tranquillas praebueris aures tuas, dico mysterium simplicitatis.

Saturninus dixit: Initianti tibi mala de sacris nostris

mocked at them, magnifying their own idols, and imputed to them the punishment of the Christians. Even the more reasonable, and those who had seemed to sympathize somewhat, reproached them often, saying, 'Where is their God, and what has their religion, which they have chosen 5 rather than life, profited them?' So various was their conduct toward us; but we were in deep affliction because we could not bury the bodies. For neither did night avail us for this purpose, nor did money persuade, nor entreaty move to compassion; but they kept watch in every way, as 10 if the prevention of the burial would be of some great advantage to them.

A. N. L.

Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs.

When Praesens, for the second time, and Claudianus were the consuls, on the seventeenth day of July, at Carthage, there were set in the judgment-hall Speratus, 15 Nartzalus, Cittinus, Donata, Secunda and Vestia.

Saturninus the proconsul said: Ye can win the indulgence of our lord the Emperor, if ye return to a sound mind.

Speratus said: We have never done ill, we have not lent ourselves to wrong, we have never spoken ill, but 20 when ill-treated we have given thanks; because we pay heed to OUR Emperor.

Saturninus the proconsul said: We too are religious, and our religion is simple, and we swear by the genius of our lord the Emperor, and pray for his welfare, as ye also 25 ought to do.

Speratus said: If thou wilt peaceably lend me thine ears, I can tell thee the mystery of simplicity.

Saturninus said: I will not lend mine ears to thee, when

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