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Acts of Disputation

Archelaus

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Archelaus

Section 2

2. Marcellus, as might well be expected, was exceedingly

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

gratified

by

these

incidents

;

and

summoning

one

of

the

prisoners

,

by

name

Cortynius

,

he

inquired

of

him

the

cause

of

the

war

,

and

by

what

chance

it

was

that

they

were

overcome

and

bound

with

the

chains

of

captivity

.

And

the

person

addressed

,

on

obtaining

liberty

to

speak

,

began

to

express

himself

in

these

terms

:

“

My

lord

Marcellus

,

we

believe

in

the

living

God

alone

.

And

we

have

a

custom

of

such

a

nature

as

I

shall

now

describe

,

which

has

descended

to

us

by

the

tradition

of

our

brethren

in

the

faith

,

and

has

been

regularly

observed

by

us

up

to

the

present

day

.

The

practice

is

,

that

every

year

we

go

out

beyond

the

bounds

of

the

city

,

in

company

with

our

wives

and

children

,

and

offer

up

supplications

to

the

only

and

invisible

God

,

praying

Him

to

send

us

rains

for

our

fields

and

crops

.

Now

,

when

we

were

celebrating

this

observance

at

the

usual

time

and

in

the

wonted

manner

,

evening

surprised

us

as

we

lingered

there

,

and

were

still

fasting

.

Thus

we

were

feeling

the

pressure

of

two

of

the

most

trying

things

men

have

to

endure

,

—

namely

,

fasting

and

want

of

sleep

.

But

about

midnight

sleep

enviously

and

inopportunely

crept

upon

us

,

and

with

necks

drooping

and

unstrung

,

and

heads

hanging

down

,

it

made

our

faces

strike

against

our

knees

.

Now

this

took

place

because

the

time

was

at

hand

when

by

the

judgment

of

God

we

were

to

pay

the

penalty

proper

to

our

deserts

,

whether

it

might

be

that

we

were

offenders

in

ignorance

,

or

whether

it

might

be

that

with

the

consciousness

of

wrong

we

nevertheless

had

not

given

up

our

sin

.

Accordingly

at

that

hour

a

multitude

of

soldiers

suddenly

surrounded

us

,

supposing

us

,

as

I

judge

,

to

have

lodged

ourselves

in

ambush

there

,

and

to

be

persons

with

full

experience

and

skill

in

fighting

battles

;

and

without

making

any

exact

inquiry

into

the

cause

of

our

gathering

there

,

they

threatened

us

with

war

,

not

in

word

,

but

at

once

by

the

sword

.

And

though

we

were

men

who

had

never

learned

to

do

injury

to

any

one

,

they

wounded

us

pitilessly

with

their

missiles

,

and

thrust

us

through

with

their

spears

,

and

cut

our

throats

with

their

swords

.

Thus

they

slew

,

indeed

,

about

one

thousand

and

three

hundred

men

of

our

number

,

and

wounded

other

five

hundred

.

And

when

the

day

broke

clearly

,

they

carried

off

the

survivors

amongst

us

as

prisoners

here

,

and

that

,

too

,

in

a

way

showing

their

utter

want

of

pity

for

us

.

For

they

drove

us

before

their

horses

,

spurring

us

on

by

blows

from

their

spears

,

and

impelling

us

forward

by

making

the

horses

’

heads

press

upon

us

.

And

those

who

had

sufficient

powers

of

endurance

did

indeed

hold

out

;

but

very

many

fell

down

before

the

face

of

their

cruel

masters

,

and

breathed

out

their

life

there

;

and

mothers

,

with

arms

wearied

,

and

utterly

powerless

with

their

burdens

,

and

distracted

by

the

threats

of

those

behind

them

,

suffered

the

little

ones

that

were

hanging

on

their

breasts

to

fall

to

the

ground

;

while

all

those

on

whom

old

age

had

come

were

sinking

,

one

after

the

other

,

to

the

earth

,

overcome

with

their

toils

,

and

exhausted

by

want

of

food

.

The

proud

soldiers

nevertheless

enjoyed

this

bloody

spectacle

of

men

continually

perishing

,

as

if

it

had

been

a

kind

of

entertainment

,

while

they

saw

some

stretched

on

the

soil

in

hopeless

prostration

,

and

beheld

others

,

worn

out

by

the

fierce

fires

of

thirst

and

with

the

bands

of

their

tongues

utterly

parched

,

lose

the

power

of

speech

,

and

beheld

others

with

eyes

ever

glancing

backwards

,

groaning

over

the

fate

of

their

dying

little

ones

,

while

these

,

again

,

were

constantly

appealing

to

their

most

unhappy

mothers

with

their

cries

,

and

the

mothers

themselves

,

driven

frantic

by

the

severities

of

the

robbers

,

responded

with

their

lamentations

,

which

indeed

was

the

only

thing

they

could

do

freely

.

And

those

of

them

whose

hearts

were

most

tenderly

bound

up

with

their

offspring

chose

voluntarily

to

meet

the

same

premature

fate

of

death

with

their

children

;

while

those

,

on

the

other

hand

,

who

had

some

capacity

of

endurance

were

carried

off

prisoners

here

with

us

.

Thus

,

after

the

lapse

of

three

days

,

during

which

time

we

had

never

been

allowed

to

take

any

rest

,

even

in

the

night

,

we

were

conveyed

to

this

place

,

in

which

what

has

now

taken

place

after

these

occurrences

is

better

known

to

yourself

.

”

Notes

1
[The similar institution of the Rogation fasts in the West is referred to the fifth century. Pellicia, p. 372; Hooker, book v. cap. xli. 2.]
2
Reading cervicibus degravatis et laxis, demisso capite, frontem genibus elidit. The text gives demerso.