6.5.1
V. Ἕβδομος ἐν τούτοις ἀριθμείσθω Βασιλείδης, τὴν περιβόητον ποταμίαιναν ἀπαγαγών, περὶ ἧς πολὺς ὁ λόγος εἰς ἔτι νῦν παρὰ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις ᾄδεται, μυρία μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἁγνείας τε καὶ παρθενίας, ἐν ἧ διέπρεψεν, πρὸς ἐραστὰς ἀγωνισαμένης (καὶ γὰρ οὗν αὐτῇ ἀκμαῖον πρὸς τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τὸ τοῦ σώματος ὡραῖον ἐπήνθει), μυρία δὲ ἀνατλάσης καὶ τέλος μετὰ δεινὰς καὶ φρικτὰς εἰπεῖν βασάνους ἅμα μητρὶ Μαρκέλλῃ διὰ πυρὸς τελειωθείσης. φασί γέ τοι τὸν δικαστήν (Ἀκύλας ἦν τούτῳ ὄνομα) χαλεπὰς ἐπιθέντα αὐτῇ κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος αἰκίας, τέλος ἐφ’ ὕβρει τοῦ σώματος μονομάχοις αὐτὴν ἀπειλῆσαι παραδοῦναι· τὴν δὲ βραχύ τι πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπισκεψαμένην ἐρωτηθεῖσαν ὃ κρίνειεν, τοιαύτην δοῦναι ἀπόκρισιν δι’ ἧς ἐδόκει νενομισμένον τι αὐτοῖς ἀσεβὲς ἀποφθέγξασθαι. ἅμα δὲ λόγῳ τὸν τῆς ἀποφάσεως ὅρον καταδεξαμένην ὁ Βασιλείδης, εἰς τις ὢν τῶν ἐν στρατείαις ἀναφερομένων, ἀπάγει παραλαβὼν τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ. ὡς δὲ τὸ πλῆθος ἐνοχλεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀκολάστοις ἐνυβρίζειν ῥήμασιν ἐπειρᾶτο, ὃ μὲν ἀνεῖργεν ἀποσοβῶν τοὺς ἐνυβρίζοντας, πλεῖστον ἔλεον καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ἢ δὲ τῆς περὶ αὐτὴν συμπαθείας ἀποδεξαμένη τὸν ἄνδρα θαρρεῖν παρακελεύεται· ἐξαιτήσεσθαι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀπελθοῦσαν παρὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῆς κυρίου καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν τῶν εἰς αὐτὴν πεπραγμένων τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἀποτίσειν αὐτῷ. ταῦτα δ’ εἰποῦσαν γενναίως τὴν ἔξοδον ὑποστῆναι, πίττης ἐμπύρου κατὰ διάφορα μέρη τοῦ σώματος ἀπ’ ἄκρων ποδῶν καὶ μέχρι κορυφῆς ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ περιχυθείσης αὐτῇ. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀοιδίμου κόρης τοιοῦτος κατηγώνιστο ἆθλος· οὐ μακρὸν δὲ χρόνον διαλιπὼν ὁ Βασλείδης ὅρκον διά τινα αἰτίαν πρὸς τῶν συστρατιωτῶν αἰτηθείς, μὴ ἐξεῖναι αὐτῷ τὸ παράπαν ὀμνύναι διεβεβαιοῦτο· χριστιανὸν γὰρ ὑπάρχειν καὶ τοῦτο ἐμφανῶς ὁμολογεῖν. παίζειν μὲν οὗν ἐνομίζετο τέως τὰ πρῶτα, ὡς δ’ ἐπιμόνως ἀπισχυρίζετο, ἄγεται ἐπὶ τὸν δικαστήν· ἐφ’ οὗ τὴν ἔνστασιν ὁμολογήσας, δεσμοῖς παραδίδοται. τῶν δὲ κατὰ θεὸν ἀδελφῶν ὡς αὐτὸν ἀφικνουμένων καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀθρόας καὶ παραδόξου ταύτης ὁρμῆς πυνθανομένων, λέγεται εἰπεῖν ὡς ἄρα Ποταμίαινα τρισὶν ὕστερον ἡμέραις τοῦ νύκτωρ ἐπιστᾶσα, στέφανον αὐτοῦ τῇ κεφαλῇ περιθεῖσα εἴη φαίη τε παρακεκληκέναι χάριν αὐτοῦ τὸν κύριον καὶ τῆς ἀξιώσεως τετυχηκέναι οὐκ εἰς μακρόν τε αὐτὸν παραλήψεσθαι. ἐπὶ τούτοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῆς ἐν κυρίῳ σφραγῖδος μεταδόντων αὐτῷ, τῆ μετέπειτα ἡμέρᾳ τῷ τοῦ κυρίου διαπρέψας μαρτυρίῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνεται. καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ πλείους τῶν κατ’ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀθρόως τῷ χριστοῦ λόγῳ προσελθεῖν κατὰ τοὺς δηλουμένους ἐπιφανείσης ὡς δὴ καθ’ ὕπνους τῆς δηλουμένους ἐπιφανείσης καὶ προσκεκλημένης αὐτούς. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὧδε ἐχέτω.
V. Seventh among them must be numbered Basilides, who led away the famous Potamiaena. The praise of this woman is to this day still loudly sung by her fellow-countrymen, as of one who, for the chastity and virginity of her body, in which she excelled, contended much with lovers (for assuredly her body, as well as her mind, was in the full bloom of its youthful beauty); as of one who endured much, and at the end, after tortures that were terrible and fearful to relate, was perfected by fire, along with her mother Marcella. It is said, in fact, that the judge, whose name was Aquila, after inflicting severe tortures upon her entire body, at last threatened to hand her over to the gladiators for bodily insult, and that, when after a brief period of reflection she was asked what her decision was, she made a reply which involved from their point of view something profane. No sooner had she spoken than she received the sentence, and Basilides, being one of those serving in the army, took her and led her away to death. And as the crowd tried to annoy her, and insult her with shameful words, he kept restraining them and driving away the insulters, displaying the greatest pity and kindness towards her. She on her part accepted his fellow-feeling for her and bade him be of cheer, for that she would ask him from her Lord, when she departed, and before long would requite him for what he had done for her. Thus speaking, [it is said,] she right nobly endured the end, boiling pitch being poured slowly and little by little over different parts of her body from head to toe. Such was the contest waged by this maiden celebrated in song. And not long afterwards, when Basilides was asked by his fellow-soldiers to swear for some reason or other, he stoutly affirmed that swearing was altogether forbidden in his case, for that he was a Christian and acknowledged it openly. At first, indeed, for a time they thought he was jesting, but when he continued steadfastly to affirm it, they brought him to the judge. And when he admitted the constancy [of his profession] in his presence, he was committed to prison. When his brethren in God came to him and inquired the reason of this sudden and incredible impulse, it is said that he stated that three days after her martyrdom Potamiaena appeared to him by night, wreathing his head with a crown and saying that she had called upon the Lord for him, and obtained what she requested, and that before long she would take him to herself. Thereupon the brethren imparted to him the seal in the Lord, and on the day afterwards he gave notable testimony for the Lord and was beheaded. And it is related that many others of those at Alexandria came over all at once to the word of Christ in the time of the persons mentioned, because Potamiaena appeared to them in dreams and invited them. But this must suffice.