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AFTER this fatal distribution of money some of the recipients were
feasting together at an entertainment. One of them who had taken the
cup in his hand did not drink before making on it the sign of
salvation.
One of the guests found fault with him for this, and said that it was
quite inconsistent with what had just taken place. "What," said
he, "have I done that is inconsistent?" Whereupon he was reminded
of the altar and the incense, and of his denial of rite faith; for
these things are all contrary to the Christian profession. When they
heard this the greater number of the feasters moaned and bewailed
themselves, and tore out handfuls of hair from their heads. They rose
from the banquet, and ran through the Forum exclaiming that they were
Christians, that they had been tricked by the emperor's
contrivances, that they retracted their apostasy, and were ready to
try to undo the defeat which had befallen them unwittingly. With these
exclamations they ran to the palace loudly inveighing against the wiles
of the tyrant, and imploring that they might be committed to the flames
in order that, as they had been befouled by fire, by fire they might
be made clean. All these utterances drove the villain out of his
senses, and on the impulse of the moment he ordered them to be
beheaded; but as they were being conducted without the city the mass of
the people started to follow them, wondering at their fortitude and
glorying in their boldness for the truth. When they had reached the
spot where it was usual to execute criminals, the eldest of them
besought the executioner that he would first cut off the head of the
youngest, that he might not be unmanned by beholding the slaughter of
the rest. No sooner had be, knelt down upon the ground and the
headsman bared his sword, than up ran a man announcing a reprieve, and
while yet afar off shouting out to stop the execution. Then the
youngest soldier was distressed at his release from death. "Ah,"
said he, "Romanus" (his name was Romanus) "was not worthy of
being called Christ's martyr." What influenced the vile trickster
in stopping the execution was his envy: he grudged the champions of the
faith their glory. Their sentence was commuted to relegation beyond
the city walls and to the remotest regions of the empire.
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