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IT iS now proper to mention what took place in the churches under the
same [emperor]. A great disturbance occurred at Alexandria in
consequence of the following circumstance. There was a place in that
city which had long been abandoned to neglect and filth, wherein the
pagans had formerly celebrated their mysteries, and sacrificed human
beings to Mithra. This being empty and otherwise useless,
Constantius had granted to the church of the Alexandrians; and
George wishing to erect a church on the site of it, gave directions
that the place should be cleansed. In the process of clearing it, an
adytum of vast depth was discovered which unveiled the nature of their
heathenish rites: for there were found there the skulls of many persons
of all ages, who were said to have been immolated for the purpose of
divination by the inspection of entrails, when the pagans performed
these and such like magic arts whereby they enchanted the souls of men.
The Christians on discovering these abominations in the adytum of the
Mithreum, went forth eagerly to expose them to the view and execration
of all; and therefore carried the skulls throughout the city, in a
kind of triumphal procession, for the inspection of the people. When
the pagans of Alexandria beheld this, unable to bear the insulting
character of the act, they became so exasperated, that they assailed
the Christians with whatever weapon chanced to come to hand, in their
fury destroying numbers of them in a variety of ways: some they killed
with the sword, others with clubs and stones; some they strangled with
ropes, others they crucified, purposely inflicting this last kind of
death in contempt of the cross of Christ: most of them they wounded;
and as it generally happens in such a case, neither friends nor
relatives were spared, but friends, brothers, parents, and children
imbrued their hands in each other's blood. Wherefore the Christians
ceased from cleansing the Mithreum: the pagans meanwhile having
dragged George out of the church, fastened him to a camel, and when
they had torn him to pieces, they burnt him together with the camel.
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