8.4.1
IV. μυρίους μὲν γὰρ ἱστορήσαι ἄν τις θαυμαστὴν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐνδεδειγμένους προθυμίαν, οὐκ ἐξ ὅτουπερ μόνον ὁ κατὰ πάντων ἀνεκινήθη διωγμός, πολὺ πρότερον δὲ καθ’ ὃν ἔτι τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης συνεκροτεῖτο. ἄρτι γὰρ ἄρτι πρῶτον ὡσπερ ἄπο κάρου βαθέος ὑποκινουμένου τοῦ τὴν ἐξουσία εἰληφότος κρύβδην τε ἔτι καὶ ἀφανῶς μετὰ τὸν ἀπὸ Δεκίου καὶ Οὐαλεριανοῦ μεταξὺ χρόνον ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐπιχειροῦντος οὐκ ἀθρόως τε τῷ καθ’ ἡμῶν ἐπαποδυομένου πολέμῳ, ἀλλ’ ἔτι τῶν κατὰ τὰ στρατόπεδα μόνων ἀποπειρωμένου (ταύτῃ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἁλῶναι ῥᾳδίως ᾤετο, εἰ πρότερον ἐκείνων καταγωνισάμενος περιγένοιτο), πλείστους παρῆν τῶν ἐν στρατείαις ὁρᾶν ἀσμενέστατα τὸν ἰδιωτικὸν προασπαζομένους βίον, ὡς ἄν μὴ ἔξαρνοι γένοιντο τῆς περὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν εὐσεβείας. ὡς γὰρ ὁ στρατοπεδάρχης, ὅστις ποτὲ ἢν ἐκεῖνος, ἄρτι πρῶτον ἐνεχείρει τῷ κατὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων διωγμῷ, φυλοκρινῶν καὶ διακαθαίρων τοὺς ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις ἀναφερομένους αἵρεσίν τε διδοὺς ἢ πειθαρχοῦσιν ἦς μετῆν αὐτοῖς ἀπολαύειν τιμῆς ἢ τοὐναντίον στέρεσθαι ταύτης, εἰ ἀντιτάττοιντο τῷ προστάγματι, πλεῖστοι δάοι τῆς Χριστοῦ βασιλείας στρατιῶται τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολογίαν, μὴ μελλήσαντες, τῆς δοκούσης δόξης καὶ εὐπραγίας ἧς εἴχοντο, ἀναμφιλόγως προυτίμησαν. ἤδη δὲ σπανίως τούτων εἷς που καὶ δεύτερος οὐ μόνον τῆς ἀξίας τὴν ἀποβολήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θάνατον τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἐνστάσεως ἀντικατηλλάττοντο, μετρίως πως ἤδη τότε τοῦ τὴν ἐπι- βουλὴν ἐνεργοῦντος καὶ μέχρις αἵματος ἐπ’ ἐνίων φθάνειν ἐπιτολμῶντος, τοῦ πλήθους, ὡς ἔοικεν, τῶν πιστῶν δεδιττομένου τε αὐτὸν ἔτι καὶ ἀποκναίοντος ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ πάντων ἀθρόως ἐφορμῆσαι πόλεμον. ὡς δὲ καὶ γυμνότερον ἐπαπεδύετο, οὐδ’ ἔστιν λόγῳ δυνατὸν ἀφηγήσασθαι δάους καὶ ὁποίους θεοῦ μάρτυρας ὀφθαλμοῖς παρῆν ὁρᾶν τοῖς ἀνὰ πάσας τάς τε πόλεις καὶ τὰς χώρας οἰκοῦσιν.
IV. For one might tell of countless numbers who displayed a marvelous zeal for piety toward the God of the universe; not only from what time the persecution was stirred against all, but long before, during the period when peace was still firmly established. For when he who had received the authority was just now awakening, as it were, from profound torpor, though still secretly and hiddenly already making attempts against the churches during the time after Decius and Valerian, and did not get himself ready for the war against us all at once, but as yet made an attempt only upon those in the camps (for in this way he thought that the rest also could easily be taken, if first of all he were to get the better of them in the conflict): then one could see a great number of those in the army most gladly embracing the civil life, so that they might not prove renegades in their piety toward the Creator of the universe. For when the supreme commander, whoever he was, was just making his first attempt at persecuting the soldiers—separating into classes and thoroughly sifting out those serving in the camps, giving them a choice whether they would obey and enjoy the rank they held, or else be deprived of it, if they continued to disobey the commandment—a great many soldiers of Christ's kingdom, without hesitation, unquestionably preferred to confess Him than retain the seeming glory and prosperity that they possessed. And already in rare cases one or two of these were receiving not only loss of honor but even death in exchange for their godly steadfastness, for as yet the instigator of the plot was working with a certain moderation and daring to proceed unto blood only in some instances; fearing, presumably, the multitude of believers, and hesitating to plunge into the war against us all at once. But when he prepared himself still further for battle, it is quite impossible to recount the number or the splendor of God's martyrs that it was given to the inhabitants throughout all the cities and country parts to see.