8.3.1
ΙII. τότε δὴ οὖν, τότε πλεῖστοι μὲν δάοι τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἄρχοντες, δειναῖς αἰκίαις προθύμως ἐναθλήσαντες, μεγάλων ἀγώνων ἱστορίας ἐπεδείξαντο, μυρίοι δ’ ἄλλοι τὴν Ψυχὴν ὑπὸ δειλίας προναρκήσαντες προχείρως οὕτως ἀπὸ πρώτης ἐξησθένησαν προσβολῆς, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἕκαστος εἴδη διάφορα βασάνων ἐνήλλαττεν, ὃ μὲν μάστιξιν αἰκιζόμενος τὸ σῶμα, ὃ δὲ στρεβλώσεσιν καἰ ξεσμοῖς ἀνυπομονήτοις τιμωρούμενος, ἐφ’ οἷς ἤδη τινὲς οὐκ αἴσιον ἀπηνέγκαντο τοῦ βίου τέλος. ἄλλοι δ’ αὖ πάλιν ἄλλως τὸν ἀγῶνα διεξῄεσαν· ὃ μὲν γάρ τις ἑτέρων βίᾳ συνωθούντων καὶ ταῖς παμμιάροις καὶ ἀνάγνοις προσαγόντων θυσίαις ὡς τεθυκὼς ἀπηλλάττετο, καὶ εἰ μὴ τεθυκὼς ἢν, ὃ δὲ μηδ’ ὅλως προσπελάσας μηδέ τινος ἐναγοῦς ἐφαψάμενος, εἰρηκότων δ’ ἑτέρων ὅτι τεθύκοι, σιωπῇ φέρων τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἀπῄει· ἡμιθνὴς αἰρόμενος ὡς ἂν ἤδη νεκρὸς ἐρρίπτετο, καί τις αὖ πάλιν ἐπ’ ἐδάφους κείμενος μακρὰν ἐσύρετο τοῖν ποδοῖν, ἐν τεθυκόσιν αὐτοῖς ὁ δέ τις ἐβόα καὶ μεγάλῃ διεμαρτύρετο φωνῇ τῆς θυσίας τὴν ἄρνησιν, καὶ εἶναι ἐκεκράγει, τῆ τοῦ σωτηρίου ὁμολογίᾳ λαμπρυνόμενος· ἕτερος τὸ μὴ τεθυκέναι μηδὲ θύσειν ποτὲ διετείνετο. δμὼς δ’ οὗν καὶ οἵδε πολυχειρίᾳ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦτο τεταγμένης στρατιωτικῆς παρατάξεως κατὰ στόματος παιόμενοι καὶ κατασιγαζόμενοι κατά τε προσώπου καὶ παρειῶν τυπτόμενοι μετὰ βίας ἐξωθοῦντο· οὕτως ἐξ ἅπαντος οἱ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐχθροὶ τὸ δοκεῖν ἠνυκέναι περὶ πολλοῦ ἐτίθεντο.
I. Then indeed, then very many rulers of the churches contended with a stout heart under terrible torments, and displayed spectacles of mighty conflicts; while countless others, whose souls cowardice had numbed beforehand, readily proved weak at the first assault; and, of the rest, each underwent various forms of torture: one would have his body treated by scourgings; another would be punished with the rack and torn to an unbearable degree, whereat some met a miserable end to their life. But others, again, emerged from the conflict otherwise: one man was brought to the abominable and unholy sacrifices by the violence of others who pressed round him, and dismissed as if he had sacrificed, even though he had not; another who did not so much as approach or touch any accursed thing, when others had said that he had sacrificed, went away bearing the false accusation in silence. A third was taken up half-dead and cast aside as if he were a corpse already; and, again, a certain person lying on the ground was dragged a long distance by the feet, having been reckoned among those who had voluntarily sacrificed. He cried out and with a loud voice attested his refusal to sacrifice, and another shouted aloud that he was a Christian, glorying in his confession of the saving Name. Another stoutly maintained that he had not sacrificed, and never would. These also were struck on the mouth and silenced by a large band of soldiers drawn up for that purpose, with blows on their face and cheeks driven violently away. So great store did the enemies of godliness set on seemingly by any means to have accomplished their purpose.