Eulampius and Eulampia and Companions

ON SS. EULAMPIUS AND EULAMPIA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS, AT NICOMEDIA IN BITHYNIA,

About the beginning of the fourth century.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

The memory of the Martyrs in the sacred Fasti, their cult, the time of their martyrdom, the Acts to be published.

Eulampius, M., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (S.)

Eulampia, M., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (S.)

Their companions, MM., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (SS.)

BY I. H.

Nicomedia, anciently Astacus, today Nichor and Comidia, a city of Bithynia, of the holy Martyrs was, while the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, and then also Maximinus, were raging against the Christians, a theatre of the cruelty exercised against the Martyrs of Christ, bloodied with the blood of very many. And among those who sealed the faith of Christ with their blood in that place, Eulampius and his sister Eulampia gained for themselves an illustrious name through various kinds of punishments. Both are announced today both by the Latin martyrologists and by the Greek compilers of the Menaea and of other sacred Fasti. And in the Menology of the Greeks which was formerly published in Greek by order of the emperor Basil, and in this century printed with Roman types, they are commemorated thus at the 10th day of October: Ἄθλησις τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων Εὐλαμπίου καὶ Εὐλαμπίας: The contest of the holy martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia. Presently a more prolix narrative of the illustrious martyrdom of both is attached, with which, not only in substance but also in almost all circumstances, the printed Menaea of the Greeks and the Menology which was rendered into Latin by Sirleto agree very closely. Here it is, as it is expressed in the Menaea just praised after the principal Office which they exhibit to be celebrated on that day concerning our Saints.

[2] Οὗτοι οἱ ἅγιοι Μάρτυρες ὑπῆρχον ἐπί Μαξίμιανοῦ, ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ τῇ πόλει, ἡγεμονεὐοντος Μαξίμου, κατεκρύπτοντο δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει, ὄιτινες ἀπέστειλαν τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον ἀγοράσαι ἄρτους ἐν τῇ πόλει· ὁ δὲ ἀπελθὼν, καὶ ἰδῶν γράμματα προτεθειμένα τῶν βασιλικῶν διατάξεων, καὶ τᾶυτα ἀναγινώσκων, ἐκρατήθη παρὰ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν. Καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡμολόγησεν ἑαυτὸν Χριστιανὸν, καὶ εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν εἰδώλων ὡς θύσων, ἐπέταξε τῷ Ἄρεῖ πεσεῖν, καὶ πεσὼν συνετρίβη. Τιμωρουμένου δὲ ἀυτοῦ, Εύλαμπία ἡ ἀδελφὴ ἀυτοῦ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἑλθοῦσα, ἐδυσώπει τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον εὐξασθαι ὑπὲρ ἀυτὴς, καὶ συμμαρτυρῆσαι ἀυτῷ. Ἐμβληθέντων δὲ εἰς λέβητα καχλάζοντα, καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικηθέντων, ἐπίστευσαν ἄνδρες διακόσιοι, καὶ σὺν ἀυτοῖς ἀπεκεφαλίσθησαν. Which are rendered in Latin: These Saints were in the city of Nicomedia under Maximian, Maximus being prefect of the city; at which time many of the Christians had hidden themselves on a mountain, who sent holy Eulampius to buy loaves in the city. And he, going off, saw letters publicly posted which contained the royal edicts; and while he reads them, he is seized by the idolaters. And being questioned by the emperor, he professed that he was a Christian; and having entered the shrine of the idols, as though about to sacrifice, he commanded Mars to fall; it fell and was shattered. And while Eulampius was being tortured, his sister Eulampia, coming forward into the midst, asked her brother to pray (to God) for her, and to undergo martyrdom with him. And when, cast into a boiling cauldron, they were in no way harmed by it, two hundred men were converted to the faith and were beheaded with them.

[3] as among the Greeks. In the same great printed Menaea of the Greeks there are placed before the aforesaid elogium of our Saints two little verses, in which you may see expressed in a few words the death of both and the martyrdom endured by them for the name of Christ, a further hexameter being attached at once, which openly indicates both the kind of death by which both Saints consummated their martyrdom and also the day on which this happened. The first two, which I also render in Latin, run thus:

Καὶ προφθάσασα τὴν τομὴν Ἐυλαμπία Ἐυλαμπίῳ τμηθέντι κοινωνεῖ στέφους.

Anticipating even the cutting, Eulampia Shares the crown with Eulampius, who was cut.

And the hexameter is conceived in these terms:

Ἐτμήθη δεκάτῃ Ἐυλάμπιος, ἔκθαν᾽ αδελφὴ.

Which, most elegantly rendered in Latin by Daniel Papebroch among the Graeco-Muscovite Ephemerides prefixed to tome 1 of May of our Work, in the metrical October of the Greeks at this day, I join here:

On the tenth Eulampia dies together with her brother, who was cut.

Further, in the same Graeco-Muscovite Ephemerides, at the tenth day of the Muscovites' Figured October, the praised hagiographer notes our Saints announced briefly thus: Eulampius, Eulampia, martyrs: where he also remarks that St. Eulampius is wrongly called Eulatipius by Possevino; which error Possevino perhaps incurred from the fact that the letter μ, less rightly written, seemed to show τ and ι. Finally, in a very old manuscript Slavonic-Russian Menology, as the title bears, preserved in our Museum, one reads thus at the same day of October, which month that nation names Pasdernik: SS. MM. Eulampius and Eulampia. And what has been said thus far shows that the sacred memory of our Saints was celebrated among various nations different from the Latin.

[4] as among the Latins Now, in order that the studious reader may learn that these champions are not passed over unmentioned by the Latin martyrologists either, at least of the later age, it is necessary only that he cast his eyes on the Martyrologies, the Roman one of Baronius, and those of Galesinius, Molanus and Labbe's French one, at the day of October already mentioned so often. Nor is much difference detected among these. Molanus, citing Metaphrastes in the margin, in a few words, the other three with a more prolix narrative of their martyrdom, announce SS. Eulampius and Eulampia; and the second of these, namely Galesinius, differs from Baronius both because, while the latter makes no mention of the tyrant under whom our Champions are said to have contended for the name of Christ, the former seems to indicate that it happened under Maximian; and because he records the images of the idols prostrated and shattered at the prayers poured out by Eulampius to Christ, Baronius being silent about these. The other things in which the authors just praised do not agree the reader, even one not very perspicacious, will easily perceive for himself from comparing their passages, so that I judge it superfluous to dwell on them longer. It will be helpful, however, to have alleged the annotation of both Baronius and Galesinius on their Martyrologies concerning our Saints. The former, in the place cited, at letter e, has this: The Greeks also treat of these (Saints) in the Menology. Their Acts (of which below) Metaphrastes pursued at greater length, which Lippomano has in tome 9, and Surius in tome 5, and they are reported to have suffered in the persecution of Diocletian: and the latter that one: SS. Eulampius and Eulampia, martyrs, of whose contest and illustrious testimony of faith the Greeks narrate at greater length.

[5] The sacred monuments both of the Greeks and of the Latins adduced thus far are surely an argument by no means doubtful memory. that our illustrious Champions have long since enjoyed great veneration in the Church of Christ. And this indeed, even if it were not established either from the Great Menaea of the Greeks or from the Menologies, or finally from the other testimonies which I have adduced, would nevertheless be evident if only from the principal Office which St. Sabas sets forth in the Typicon, arranged by this most holy archimandrite twelve hundred years ago, to be celebrated concerning our Saints on the tenth day of October; but whether I should ascribe a legitimate age and a true parent to this very ancient Ritual of the Greek church can be seen both in Leo Allatius, On the ecclesiastical books of the Greeks, Dissertation 1, and in Wangnereck in the Prolegomena which he prefixed to the Marian Piety of the Greeks. Further, that we may be more fully assured of the cult of our Saints, in the manuscript Constantinopolitan Synaxarion which belonged to Sirmond we have the following Auctarium, which is attached to their elogium: Τελεῖται δὲ ἡ ἀυτῶν σὐναξις ἐν τῷ ἁγιώτατῳ ἀυτῶν μαρτυρείῳ τῷ ὀντὶ ἐν τῷ Αδδᾶ: And their festival (namely of SS. Eulampius and Eulampia, of whom discourse is held there) is celebrated in their most holy martyry, which is in the (estate) of Addas the Magister, where the emperor Justin II built a temple to Michael the Archangel. Concerning which place, if you please, consult further Anselmo Banduri in the Antiquities of Constantinople, part 3, page 46, and our Stilting in tome 8 of September, page 51. Our Saints will therefore have had in the aforesaid temple of St. Michael either a place dedicated to themselves, or, as they call it, a confessio or martyry. The signification of these words see in du Cange in both his Glossaries of middle and low Latinity and Greek. Let us now come to investigating the time at which they suffered.

[6] If credit is to be given to the authors of the Menology of the Greeks and of the Great Menaea, Into the time and to the Acts which our Forefathers formerly had copied from the Vatican Library, and if the annotation added by Baronius to his Martyrology and the conjecture drawn from the announcement of Galesinius rest on truth, who would deny that the Passion of these Martyrs is to be fixed at the beginning of the fourth century?

For both the Menaea and the Menologies of Basil and of Sirleto most openly pronounce that these noble Athletes of Christ were crowned under Maximian. The words of the Menaea you have above at num. 2: and of the latter monuments the first begins thus: Εὐλάμπιος … καὶ Εὐλαμπία ἡ ἀυτοῦ ἀδελφὴ ὑπῆρχον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Νικομηδείας ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας Μαξιμιανοῦ· Eulampius… and Eulampia his sister were from the city of Nicomedia under the rule of Maximian: and the beginning of the other of this kind is: The heavenly birthday of the holy martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia, who suffered under the emperor Maximian at Nicomedia, Maximus presiding, for the confession of the Christian faith. Nor do either Baronius, who says in the annotation on the Roman Martyrology cited above: And they are reported to have suffered in the persecution of Diocletian: or Galesinius, commemorating our Saints in this way: At Nicomedia, of the saints Eulampius and Eulampia his sister, martyrs: who, in order to avoid the storms of the persecutions of that tyrant, stirred up more vehemently day by day, etc., seem to dissent from these; since it was well known to Baronius that Maximian also exercised his ferocity against the Christians in the persecution of Diocletian; and Galesinius must be judged to have wished to designate by that tyrant none other than Maximian, of whom he had made mention a little before on the same day of October in the announcement of SS. MM. Gereon and the other 318.

[7] of the martyrdom What has been said thus far manifestly declares that the more general epoch of the passion of our Champions is to be taken from that famous ten-year persecution; but certainly the time of the martyrdom cannot be defined more closely without any danger of error, either from this, or from what we have reported above, or, as far as I know, from elsewhere. Tillemont, in tome 5 of the Monuments, article 43, would have settled the matter completely, if it were established that credit could sufficiently safely be had in the Acts, different from those of Metaphrastes, whose beginning he cites from Leo Allatius, On the Writings of Symeon: for from these, a single slip having been corrected, the most common among the Greeks, as is often indicated in our Work, by which they write Maximian for Maximinus, the martyrdom of our Saints would have to be tied to the year 311 of the Christian era. Here are the very words of the praised writer in the place cited, rendered into Latin: Here (namely to the year of Christ 311) perhaps should also be referred the martyrdom of St. Eulampius and St. Eulampia his sister, since concerning them Leo Allatius cites Acts whose opening has that they suffered in the seventh year of the reign of Maximian. Then, rightly noticing these things, he proceeds thus: For we do not see that this time can be sustained in any other way than by changing the name of MAXIMIAN into MAXIMINUS, as is frequently necessary in the Greeks. Finally, at the foot of the page, he subjoins: The seventh year of Galerius (Maximian), who was created Caesar in the year 292, falls in the year 298, before the persecution: but the seventh, after he was declared Augustus in the year 305 (on the Kalends of May), begins in the year 311, in which he died in the month of May; and the feast of St. Eulampius (and St. Eulampia) is celebrated on the 10th day of October, on which they are believed to have suffered, and which falls in the seventh year since Maximinus had been created Caesar. But since he seems to have some doubt about the truth of those Acts, as it is easy to judge from the particle perhaps added by him, and we ourselves in this matter desire a more ancient and more legitimate monument than these Acts, it will suffice to have assigned our Saints to the beginning of the fourth century, in which at least the authors cited above agree. Let us proceed to their Acts.

[8] We have two Acts of SS. Eulampius and Eulampia in the Greek language in the manuscript codex marked and the Acts of the Saints are inquired into. ✠ MS. 193, of which our Forefathers had the one copied from codex 797 of the Vatican Library, and the other from a Medici manuscript of the King of France. These latter have Metaphrastes as their author, and, presented in Latin, can be read in Surius at the 10th day of October, and also in Lippomano in the Lives of the Saints, tome 6, page 324 verso. Tillemont, out of the singular affection with which he was carried towards the writer cited in the former place, pronounces that these are of no value at all, alleging there no reason for so sharp a censure. The former, that is, those taken from the Vatican Library, since I know that they have not yet been published, I have thought it not useless labour to place before the reader's eyes here with a Latin version. Although the name of the author and the time at which he wrote are hidden from me, and besides they contain some things which will not at once and everywhere find credit with all; far be it from me nevertheless to judge with reason on this account that they are of no value at all. On the contrary, if anyone should contend that these are both sufficiently ancient and guided not Metaphrastes only, but also the compilers of the Menaea, or at least of the elogia which are joined to these, and indeed of the Menologies, I for my part do not see in what way he could rightly be convicted of falsehood. For all those monuments so agree with these Acts that most things in them seem to have been taken from them: for in the Menaea (let the same judgment hold of the rest, Metaphrastes excepted) only those things have been omitted which seemed less necessary to their compilers, such as are read at the beginning about the severity of the persecution, and then very many sayings attributed to the Martyrs or the persecutors, not everywhere sufficiently consonant with the circumstances of times and persons. I would not, however, wish anyone to think that these things are so put forward by me that I seem to contend that these Acts merit credit in every respect. Indeed, some things are asserted in them which seem altogether improbable, about which I shall also warn the reader in the Annotations, lest he either admit as genuine what was undoubtedly added afterwards by the unskilled hand of some interpolator, or, on account of it, reject as spurious and unworthy of all credit whatever is reported. Of the Latin version added, there is no need that I discourse at length: I have endeavoured, after the manner of very many of my predecessors, so to arrange it that not only period may correspond to period, but also word to word, as far as could be done with the purity of the Latin speech preserved.

ACTS,

By an anonymous author,

From the manuscript of the Vatican Library, codex marked 797, page 171, collated with those which Lippomano made Latin from Metaphrastes, tome VI, from page 324 verso.

TRANSLATED BY I. H.

Eulampius, M., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (S.)

Eulampia, M., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (S.)

Their companions, MM., at Nicomedia in Bithynia. (SS.)

By an Anonymous author.

CHAPTER I.

St. Eulampius is seized and, having inveighed sharply against the tyrant and the idols, is tortured with various punishments.

ἜΤους ἑβδόμου τῆς βασιλείας Μαξιμιανου, ἡγεμονεύοντος Μαξίμου, κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν διωγμὸς ἐγένετο τῶν Χριστιανῶν· καὶ ἡ δυσσεβὴς μανία τῶν εἰδώλων ἐδημηγορεῖτο· καὶ ἡ εὐσεβὴς θρησκεία τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὡς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἠλατοῦτο, καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος ἐβασίλευσεν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ὑπεκρύπτετο· καὶ ὁ διάβολος διὰ τῶν ὑπουργῶν αὐτοῦ ἐνεφανίζετο, σπουδάζων τὴν ἀγαθὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας διδασκαλίαν ἐπισκοτίσαι. Τότε διὰ τοῦ Μαξίμου κελεύει διατάγματα καταπεμφθῆναι κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐπαρχίαν, ὥστε προθέματα τεθῆναι ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν ἑκάστης πόλεως. Μαξίμου δὲ ἡγεμονεύοντος κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον τῆς Βιθυνῶν ἐπαρχίας ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν τῆς Νικομηδείασ τῆς πόλεως προθέματα περιέχοντα οὓτως· Μαξιμιανὸς βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν ἐν τῇ Νικομηδαίων μητροπόλει, μικροῖστε καὶ μεγάλοις, ἐλευθέροις καὶ ξένοις καὶ πολίταις παρεγνῶ τάδε· ἔδοξέν μοι ἃμα τῇ ἱερᾷ συγκλήτῳ κατὰ τὸν ὀφθέντα μοὶ χρησμὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀηττήτων θεῶν, ὥστε τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Ἄρεως πάντας τοὺς ὑπ᾽ έμοῦ βασιλευομένους θᾶττον ἀνιέναι ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν τῆς μεγάλης θεὰς Δημήτρας, καὶ θυσίαις καὶ καπνίσμασιν ἐξιλεοῦσθαι τὴν θεὸν. Εἰ δὲ τίς καταφρονητὴς ὀφθείη τῶν θείων τούτων προσταγμάτων, καὶ μὴ βουληθείη θυσίαις θεραπεῦσαι τοὺς θεοὺς, τοῦτον βουλόμεθα προνοίᾳ καὶ κινδύνῳ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἡγεμόνος, καὶ τῆς ἐξυπηρετουμένης αὐτῷ τάξεως συναχθείσης ταῖς δεούσαις τιμωρίαις ὑποβάλεσθαι.

[2] Τῶν δὲ δυσσεβῶν τούτων προσταγμάτων ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν προτεθέντων, καὶ πάντων θεωρούντων, τῶντε εἰσιόντων, καὶ ἐξιόντων ἐν τῇ πόλει, οἱ μὲν ἐβυθίζοντο ἐπὶ γῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ναυαγοῦντες, οἱ δὲ εὐλαβεῖς καὶ φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεὸν ἔφυγον ἐν ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις ἀγρίοις, ἡγούμενοι τὰς πόλεις, ἔχοντες δὲ ἐν διανοίᾳ τοῦ οὐρανοδρόμου Ἡλία τὰς διδασκαλίας, ὃς ποτὲ ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἰεζάβελ καὶ ἦν ἠθισμένος ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν· οὓτω καὶ οἱ τὸν εὐσεβῆ λογισμὸν ἔχοντες τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπελέξαντο πολιτείαν. Φεύγοντες γὰρ τοῦ ἀθέου προστάγματος τὴν ἀπειλὴν· ἀπελθόντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν οἱ δοῦλοι τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ, εὑρόντες σπήλαιον ἀπεκρυψαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τοῦ φόβου. Ἐπικρατούσης δὲ τῆς παρανομίας, ἐγένετο χρόνος ἱκανὸς. Οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ἐδεήθησαν τροφῆς, καὶ σκεψάμενοι, ἐξελέξαντο ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἕνα νεώτερον, Εὐλάμπιον ὀνόματι, καὶ ἀπέστειλαν ἐν τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὸ ἀγορᾶσαι αὐτοῖς ἐπισιτισμὸν εἰς διατροφὴν.

[3] Ἐλθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως θεωρεῖ τὸ διάταγμα πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν τῆς πόλεως προκείμενον, καὶ στὰς ὁ παῖς Εὐλάμπιος ἀνεγίνωσκε τοὺς στίχους. Ἦν δὲ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη τοῦ Ἄρεως, καὶ πάντες ἔτρεχον κατὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν. Ἦσαν δὲ ἄνδρες τεταγμένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως πρὸς τὸ περιεργάζεσται τοὺς εἰσιόντας, καὶ ἐξιόντας ἐν τῇ πόλει· καὶ οἰ ἄνδρες ἰδόντες ἀναγινώσκοντα, καὶ ἐπιλαβόμενον τῶν δυσσεβῶν προσταγμάτων, ἐξέστησαν, καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, λέγουσι πρὸς αὐτὸν· τί ἵστασαι νεανίσκε, καὶ οὐ πορεύει ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ θεῶν, καὶ θύεις αὐτοῖς, ὃτι σήμερον θυσία ἐπιτελεῖται τοῖς θεοῖς; Ὁ δὲ παῖς ὡς ἅτε νέος ὤν ἐξουδένωσεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ κινήσας τοὺς πόδας ὤχετο σπουδαίως πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς· οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες ἰδόντες ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ νεανίσκος, καταλαβόντες ἐπελάβοντο αὐτοῦ, καὶ τύπτοντες διεξήταζον αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Πόθεν εἶ, καὶ ποῦ πορεύει, καὶ πόθεν ἧκας; καὶ διατὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθης ἡμῖν; ἀλλ᾽ ἐξουδενώσας ἡμᾶς ἐπορεύου, ἐμπαίζων πάντως ὂτι καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν Χριστιανῶν εἶ, καὶ εἰσέρχη κρυφίως ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἐξαπατῶν τοὺς προερχομένους τοῖς θεοῖς. Καὶ δήσαντες αὐτὸν εἰσήγαγον εἰς τὴν φρουρὰν, βουλόμενοι τῆ ἕωθεν προσαγαγεῖν τῷ ἡγεμόνι.

[4] Τῇ δὲ ἐξῆς προσήγαγον αὐτὸν τῷ ἡγεμόνι λέγοντες· Τοῦτον ηὓραμεν τινὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὄντα, καὶ καταγινώσκοντα τῶν βασιλικῶν προσταγμάτων· οὗτος γὰρ πολλοὺς διαστρέφει μὴ θύειν τοῖς θεοῖς. Τούτου χάριν ἠγάγομεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἀρετὴν, ἵνα πρὸς τὸ παριστάμενον ὑμῖν τοῦτον ἀποσχέσθαι πείσητας τῆς τοιαύτης μωρίας. Ὁ δὲ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ποῦ ἐστιν; εἰσαγάγετέ μοι αὐτὸν, ὃπως θεάσωμαι αὐτὸν, καὶ εἰσήχθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ ἡγεμὼν τὴν μορφὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀκμὴν τῆς νεότητος αὐτοῦ, ἔφη τοῖς συλλαβοῦσιν αὐτὸν στρατιῶταις· ἳνα τί προπετῶς δήσαντες, ἐνυβρίσατε τὸν νεανίαν; λύσατε ἀνόσιοι τὰ χειρόπεδα ἀπὸ τοῦ νέου· σπλαγχνίζομαι γὰρ ὁρῶν αὐτὸν ἀδαῆ ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ τραφέντα· ἀγάγετε οὖν αὐτὸν, καὶ στήσατε πλησίον μοῦ πρὸς τὸ μὴ θαμβεῖσθαι ὡς ἄγροικον καὶ ἄπειρον τῶν σαικρέτων, ἳνα

ἐπιεικεστέρως τὴν πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ διόπερ παραδέδοται τῷ ἡμετέρῳ δικαστηρίῳ· οὐ δὲ γὰρ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ προσέταξεν μοὶ ἠκεῖ * καὶ μάτην τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φονεύειν, μάλιστα τοὺ θύοντας τοῖς μεγάλοις θεοῖς.

[5] Καὶ παρελθὼν εἷς τῶν κουρσώρων, ὀνόματι Ἀπολλώνιος, λύσας τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ νεανίσκου, ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πλησίον τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, Τότε ὁ ἡγεμὼν μετὰ πάσης κολακείας λέγει αὐτῷ· Νεανίσκε τί τὸ ὄνομά σου; ἀνάγγειλόν μοι. Δοῦλος εἶ, ἢ ἐλεύτερος; καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ νεανίσκος εἶπεν· Δοῦλος εἰμὶ τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς δεσπότου· τὸ δὲ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους γένος ἐλεύθερος ἐπισήμων γονέων, ἐπικληθέν μοι ὄνομα Εὐλάμπιος καλοῦμαι. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· εἰπέ οὖν, Εὐλάμπιε, δια τί ἐλεύθερος τυγχάνων ὡς ἀγενής καὶ ἀσήμων γονέων οῦ πειθαρχεῖς τοῖς δόγμασι τῶν αὐτοτρατόρων, καὶ θύεις τοῖς θεοῖς; Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἃγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Ποίοις θεοῖς ἔχω θῦσαι; Ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Τῷ Διΐ καὶ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι, μάλιστα δὲ τῇ μεγάλῃ Δημήτρᾳ. Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· ὁ πιστεύων αὐτοῖς ἐμπίπτει εἰς ἀπώλειαν· Ζεὺς γάρ ἔστιν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀπωλείας· Ἀπόλλὼν δέ ἐστι τῶν ψυχῶν ὄλεθρος. Δήμητρα δὲ ἡ δημηύσασα * τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐλπιζόντων. Μάξιμος δὲ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Εὐλάμπιε, κακῶς ποιεῖς κακολογῶν τοὺς θεοὺς· φοβοῦμαι, μήπως ὀργισθέντες ἐξαναλώσωσίν σε. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ἃγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Μὴ πλανῶ, ἡγεμὼν· οἳ γὰρ θεοὶ ὑμῶν δαιμόνια εἰσὶ, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὃμοιοι αὐτῶν γένοιντο οἳ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἳ πεποιθότες ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς.

[6] Τότε ὀργισθεὶς ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Εὐλάμπιε, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ σχήματος καὶ τῆς ὄψεως συνήρπασάς με· ἐνόμιζον γάρ σε ἄνθρωπον εἴναι, ὡς ἔφης, ἐλεύθερον, ἁπλώτητι πλανώμενον. Τούτου χάριν σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐπὶ σὲ προσκαλεσάμενός σε πλησίον, παρήναισά σοι ὣστε φίλον εἶναι τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ διάγειν σὺν ἡμὶν ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ, οὐκ εἰδώς ὃτι μιαρὸς τοῖς τρόποις ὑπάρχεις, καὶ δεινῆς ψυχῆς κυριεύεις· οἱ γὰρ θεοὶ ὀργισθέντες τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ τῆς ἀφροσύνης σου, καὶ τῇ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰς αὐτοὺς μελλούσῃ γίνεσθαι θυσίᾳ, ἀνάξιόν σε δοκιμάσαντες, παρέδωκάν σοι ἐμοὶ τοῦ κακῶς ἀπολέσαι σε· διὸ καὶ τὸ νῦν πάλιν παραινῶ σοι φειδόμενός σοι· ἄπελθε ἐπὶ τῶν βωμῶν, καὶ θύσας ἰκέτευσον τοὺς οἰκτείρμονας θεοὺς, ἰλέους γενέσθαι τῶν παρὰ σοῦ εἰς αὐτοὺς τετολμημένων. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· ἄφρων καὶ ἀνόητε, οὗτω πεπαρωμένην ἐκτίσω τὴν καρδίαν ὥστε μὴ νοεῖν; Θεοὶ εἰσὶν, εἰπέ μοι, οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες αἴσθησιν εἰς τὸ αἰσθάνεσθαι, μήτε ἀκοάς εις τὸ ἀκούειν, ἢ ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸ βλέπειν, μὴ πόδας εἰς τὸ περιπατεῖν; Οὗτοι οὖν ποταποὶ θεοὶ; Τότε ὀργισθεὶς ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· ὁ ἐνυβρίσας τοὺς θεοὺς ἀφαιρείσθω τὴν ἐσθῆτα διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ προπέτειαν, καὶ ἐκταθεὶς τυπτέσθω.

[7] Μαστιζομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μηδὲν ὃλως ἀποκρινομένου, ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Εὐλάμπιε, ἐπείσθης, πῶς αἰκίζουσιν οἱ θεοὶ; ἔγνως, ὁποἶα ἡ ὁργὴ τῶν θεῶν ὑπάρχει; παυσάμενος οὖν τῆς μωρίας ἐκείνης ὁμολόγει θυειν αὐτοῖς, καὶ σωθήση ἐκ τῶν βασάνων. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος λέγει· Μόλις ἔπεισάς μοι, ὅτι οἱ θεοί σου χείρων σου εἰσὶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἑκουσίως ὃμοιος αὐτῶν ἐγένου· ἐτυφλώθησαν γὰρ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς διανοίας εἰς τὸ μὴ βλέπειν τίς ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς ὁ δημιουργήσας τὰ σύμπαντα. Τότε θυμοθεὶς ὁ ἡγεμὼν κελεύει διὰ τεσσάρων ὑπηρετῶν εὐτόνως λεπτοῖς βουνεύροις τύπτεσθαι αὐτὸν. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν· Δέομαί σου, δέσποτα οὐρανοῦ τὲ καὶ γῆς, ὁ τὴν πληγὴν τὴν ἀνίατον θεραπεύσας τοῦ Ἀδάμ, ὁ χορὸν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων συστησάμενος, καὶ δοξαζόμενος ὐπ᾽ αὐτῶν μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου, σὲ ἐπικαλοῦμαι, Κύριε, τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ λυτρωτὴν, ῥύσαι με άπό τῆς ἐπινοίας τοῦ ἀσεβεστάτου Μαξίμου; ἄσυλόν με διατήρησον ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου, καὶ ἀπόστρεψον ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὴν τῶν βασανιστηρίων τούτων κόλασιν. Ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ βασανιζομένου τοῦ παιδὸς, οἱ μὲν βασανίζοντες ἠτόνησαν· ὁ δὲ βασανιζόμενος δοκιμότερος ἐγίνετο. Τότε λέγει ὁ ἡγεμὼν· Φείσασθε αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄφετε ἀναστῆναι. Ἀναστάς δὲ ὁ ἅγιος Μάρτυς καὶ πλησθεὶς πνεὐματος ἁγίου ἔφη· Τί μαίνει ὡς κύων μαχόμενος κατὰ Χριστοῦ; ἐπίγνωθι ὅτι παροργίζεις Θεὸν τὸν Ποιήσαντά σε· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτα πάσχω, πιστεύων ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης τοῦ διαβόλου· σὺ δὲ ὁ ταῦτα μοὶ ἐπάγων, αἰωνιως κολασθήση. Μάξιμος ὁ ἡγεμων εἶπεν· Μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀθανάτους τοιαύταις σε κολάσεσιν τιμωρήσομαι, ἵνα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις φανερὸν σὲ ποιήσω, ὅτι μὴ ὢν Χριστιανὸς κακοήθως ψευδηγορεῖς ἑαυτὸν ἀπατῶν.

[8] Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος ἀκούσας ταῦτα, καὶ ἡδύ γελάσας εἶπεν· Χαίρω, Μάξιμε, ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπὸ σοῦ λοιδωρίᾳ· ἐγὼ δὲ σπεῦδω ἐν ταύτῃ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἀθλήσεως δέξασθαι. Ακούσας δὲ ταῦτα ὁ ἡγεμὼν, ὀργίσθη, καὶ κελεύει ἀναρτιθέντα αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου ξέεσθαι. Ξεομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ δεινῶς, καὶ τῶν ἑστώτων θαυμαζόντων, φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὁ Μάρτυς ἀνεβόησεν· Ὁ βασιλεύων εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας Χριστέ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπάκουσόν μου, καὶ δείξον τῷ κακόφρονι ἡγεμόνι, ὅτι ἀληθεῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι σου. Ἠτόνησαν δὲ οἱ δήμιοι τοῦ ξέειν αὐτὸν. Τότε κελεύει ὁ ἡγεμὼν κατενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καὶ δεθῆναι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἀπὸ τῶν δακτύλων ἰμᾶσι λεπτοῖς, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Θῦσον τοῖς θεοῖς. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ δαίμοσι ἀκαθάρτοις οὐ θύω, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ μου λατρεύω Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῷ σταυρωθέντι διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν σωτηρίαν. Μάξιμος ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Κατάδηλον ἐποίησας τὴν σεαυτοῦ μώρίαν, Ἐσταυρωμένῳ προσέχων. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος· Τί γὰρ ἐστὶ τὸ ἐμποδίζον ἐπιγνῶναι ὑμᾶς τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ νικοποιὸν αὐτοῦ σημεῖον; οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ἄπιστος ὑμῶν γνώμη· γέγραπται γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, ἔθνεσιν δὲ μωρίαν τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ὄνομα γενονέναι. Μάξιμος ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Ἔστιν οὖν Θεὸς ἐσταυρωμένος; Ὁ Ἅγιος εἶπεν· Εἰσὶν δὲ θεοὶ ἀναίσθητοι, καὶ ἀκίνητοι, κωφοὶ, καὶ τυφλοὶ, ξύλα, καὶ λίθοι, ἔργα χειρῶν; Ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Ἀνάβλεψον, Εὐλάμπιε, καὶ θέασαι πόλον, καὶ φωσφόρον ἥλιον, καὶ ἄστρων χωρείας, ἅτινα καταλιπεῖν θέλεις, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν. Ὁ Μάρτυς εἶπεν· Ταῦτα ὁρᾶς καὶ Θαυμάζεις, καὶ τὸν τούτων Δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην οὐ κατανοεῖς· εἰ θέλεις οὖν ἐπιγνῶναι Θεὸν τὸν ποιήσαντα ταῦτα, πίστευσον εἰς Χριστὸν, καὶ ἐπιγνώσει καὶ ταῦτα ὀρθῶς· δι᾽ αύτοῦ γὰρ πάντα τὰ παρ᾽ ἡμῖν ὁρώμενα, καὶ μὴ ὁρώμενα γεγόνασιν.

[9] Μάξιμος ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Τίς οὖν ἐστὶν πάντων τούτων Θεὸς Ὁ Ἐσταυρωμένος; Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν. Σύ κακοῦργος ὢν, τὸ μὲν πάθος ἁκήκοας, καὶ τοῦτο ὁμολογεῖς ὡς ἀσθενείας σημεῖον, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοεῖς· οὐ γὰρ θέλεις πιστεῦσαι αὐτῷ. Ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Πολλήν σου περίοδον λόγων ἀκήκοα· ἀλλὰ τοῦ λοιποῦ πεῖσαι καὶ θύσαι θέλησον τοῖς θεοῖς, Εὐλάμπιε, ἵνα μὴ μὲ ἀναγκάσης δειναῖς κολάσεσιν ἀναλῶσαι σε. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Πάντων τῶν κατὰ τὸν βιὸν μοῦ χρημάτων, καὶ κτημάτων, καὶ γένους, καὶ πατρίδος ἐξενώθην, ἵνα τὸν ἀληθινὸν καὶ οὐράνιον πλοῦτον κτήσωμαι, ὃν οὔτε σὺ, οὔτε ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ σου, οὔτε αἱ τοῦ κόσμου βασιλείαι ἀφελεῖν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ δύναται. Εἰ οὖν δοκεῖ σοι βασανίζειν, βασάνιζε. Ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Καθαροῖς καὶ ἀμέμπτοις καὶ ἡμεῖς θύομεν θεοῖς, καὶ σὺ πῶς τολμᾶς εἴδωλα αὐτοὺς ἀποκαλεῖν; καὶ κελεύει ἐνεχθῆναι κράβατον σιδηροῦν, καὶ ἐπιτεθῆναι ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον, καὶ ἐκπυροῦσθαι σφοδρῶς. Ἐκπυρουμένου δὲ τοῦ Ἁγίου ὑπὸ τῆς φλογὸς, διεῤῥήγνυτο τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ. Ἀναβλέψας δὲ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπεν· Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ, ὁ ὁδηγὸς τῶν πεπλανημένων, ὁ λιμὴν τῶν χειμαζομένων, ὁ ἰατρὸς τῶν ἀσθενούντων, ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ, καὶ ἀνάγαγε ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως ταύτης, καὶ κούφισον ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὸν πόνον τοῦ πυρὸς τούτου. Καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἀνεχθῆναι αὐτὸν τῶν βασάνων, καὶ ἤρξατο μετὰ κολακείας λέγειν αὐτῷ· Τέκνον Εὐλάμπιε, σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει σου· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ αὐτοκάτορος οὐ δύναμαι παριδεῖν τὸ πρόσταγμα. Χαριζόμενος οὖν κἀμοὶ, καὶ τῇ σεαυτοῦ ἡλικίᾳ προσελθὼν θῦσον τοῖς θεοῖς, καὶ ἔση φίλος τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ πολλῶν ἄρξεις. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Τίνι ἔχω θῦσαι, ἤ ποίῳ θεῷ; Ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν, τῷ Διΐ, καὶ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι, καὶ τῇ θεᾷ Δημήτρᾳ. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ θεοί σου, ἵνα ἴδω αὐτοὺς; Καὶ περιχαρὴς γενόμενος (ὁ ἡγεμὼν) εἶπεν· Τί καλὴ ἡ μακροθυμία. Τὸν νεανίαν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν άνάξιον τῶν θεῶν ἐν τῷ ἐξκουβιτωρίῳ, τὴν δέουσαν αὐτῷ τιμὴν ἀπονείματε, ὅπως τῇ ἔωθεν προσαχθεὶς, ὡς ἐφη, θύσῃ τοῖς θεοῖς.

Edicts having been issued against the Christians, In the seventh year of the reign of Maximian ^a, Maximus holding the prefecture ^b, at that time a persecution blazed up against the Christians ^c; and the impious madness of the idols grew strong, and the holy religion of the Christians was as it were failing among men, and falsehood reigned and truth was hidden: and the devil manifested himself through his ministers, taking pains to wrap the sacred teaching of piety in darkness. Then he ordered edicts to be published by Maximus throughout the whole province, and to be fixed to the gates of each city. Maximus, therefore, who at that time presided over the province of Bithynia, caused edicts to be fixed to the gates of the city of Nicomedia, running thus: "Maximian ^d, emperor, makes these things known to those dwelling in the metropolis of the Nicomedians, small and great, free men and strangers and citizens: it has seemed good to me and to the sacred senate, according to the oracle manifested to me by the invincible gods, that all who are subject to our rule should speedily assemble on the third day of Mars at the temple of the great goddess Ceres, and render the goddess propitious with sacrifices and burnt incense. But if anyone shall be detected despising these divine edicts, and shall refuse to venerate the gods with sacrifices, we will that he be subjected to fitting punishments by the care and at the peril of the prefect of that place and of the council which, assembled, assists him."

[2] And when all who entered the city, or went out of it, saw these impious edicts fixed to the gates, very many flee from Nicomedia, among whom St. Eulampius, some indeed, having suffered shipwreck through the devil, lost heart ^e; but others, pious and fearing God, fled to the mountains, and held wild caves in place of cities, turning over in their minds the teaching of Elijah, taken up into heaven, who once fled from the face of Jezebel ^f and dwelt in the mountains: so also those who thought piously chose a rule of life of this kind; for they fled the threats of the impious command. When the worshippers of piety had now with one mind escaped to the holy mountain, they found a cave, in which they hid themselves for fear. And as impiety grew strong, a long time

they lay hidden there. When, therefore, those who were in the cave were in need of food, and had deliberated, they chose from among the brethren a certain young man named Eulampius and sent him ^g into the city to buy provisions for their sustenance.

[3] When he had drawn near to the city, he saw the edict fixed to the gates of the city, who, when, having returned to the city, he despised them, is seized and the boy Eulampius, standing still, read through what was contained in it. And it was the day of Mars, and all were flocking according to custom to the temple to sacrifice. But certain men had been stationed by the prefect at the gates of the city, to observe diligently those entering and going out from the city: and these, seeing him reading and finding fault with the impious edicts, were astounded, and, going out from the city, they say to him: Why do you stand there, young man, and do not betake yourself to the temple of the gods and sacrifice to them, since today sacrifice is made to the gods? But the boy, since he was rather young, despised them, and, moving his steps from there, at once ran back towards the brethren; but when those men had seen what the young man had done, they pursued and seized him, and examined him amid blows, saying: Where are you from, where are you going, and where have you come from? why did you not answer us, but, despising us, went away, altogether mocking us, because you too are a Christian, and are entering the city secretly to seduce those who approach the gods. Then they bound him and dragged him off to prison, intending to present him to the prefect the next morning.

[4] On the next day, therefore, they led him to the governor, saying: and he is set before the tyrant, by whom We have found that this man is one of the Christians and a despiser of the imperial command: for he turns many away from the sacrifices of the gods. For this reason we have brought him down to your authority, that you may induce him, brought to you, to abandon madness of this kind. Then the prefect said to them: Where is he? lead him to me, that I may see him: and at once he was brought before him. And the prefect, looking at his form and the vigour of his youth, said to the soldiers who had seized him: Why have you rashly bound the young man and done him injury? Loose, you impious men, the bonds of the youth: for I pity him, while I see him, as one brought up in a solitude, ignorant of all things: bring him, then, and, lest as a rustic man and unskilled in confidential matters he be struck with stupor, set him near me, that I may learn the whole truth more fittingly, and for what cause he has been handed over to our judgment: for the emperor has not ordered me to kill men rashly and without counsel, especially those who sacrifice to the great gods.

[5] stirred up in vain to sacrifice to the gods Then one of the runners ^h, named Apollonius, coming up, when he had loosed the Youth's hands, led him close to the governor. Then the governor said to him with much flattery: Young man, what is your name? tell me. Are you a slave or free? And the young man answering said: I am the servant of the Lord who is in the heavens: but according to men I am free by birth, sprung from distinguished parents, and the name given me is Eulampius. And the prefect answering said: Tell me, then, Eulampius, why do you, though you are freeborn, as though ignoble and the son of obscure parents, not obey the commands of the emperors and sacrifice to the gods? Holy Eulampius answering said: And to what gods should I sacrifice? To Jupiter, the prefect replies, and to Apollo, but chiefly to the great Ceres. Eulampius said: He who believes in them rushes into perdition: for Jupiter is the beginning of destruction; Apollo the ruin of souls; and Ceres destroys the souls of those who hope in her. Maximus the prefect said: You do ill, Eulampius, in cursing the gods: I fear lest perhaps, provoked to anger, they destroy you utterly. But holy Eulampius answering said: Do not err, O governor: for your gods are demons, works of the hands of men; let those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them ⁱ.

[6] to be stripped of his garments. Then the prefect, angered, said: Eulampius, you have as it were carried me away with your form and countenance: for I thought that you were, as you said, a free man, deceived by simplicity. For this reason, having pity on you and ordering you to come nearer, I exhorted you to become a friend of the emperor and to live with us in freedom, not knowing that you were of polluted morals and possessed a savage mind: for the gods, inflamed at the contumacy of your madness, and reckoning you unworthy to sacrifice to them, have handed you over to me, that I might destroy you evilly: wherefore I now exhort you again, sparing you: approach the altars, and, sacrificing, venerate the merciful gods, that they may become propitious to the audacity committed by you against them. But holy Eulampius said: Mad and senseless man, shall I carry so dissolute a heart as not even to have the power of thinking rightly? tell me, are they gods who have neither sense to perceive, nor ears to hear, nor eyes to see, nor feet to walk? What, then, at length are these? Then the prefect, blazing up, said: Let the slanderer of the gods be stripped of his garments for his insolence, and stretched out and beaten.

[7] to be beaten with scourges And when he was being beaten with scourges and answered nothing at all, the prefect said: Eulampius, are you persuaded how the gods punish? do you know what the wrath of the gods is like? Desisting, then, from that madness, promise that you will sacrifice to them, and you will be freed from torments. Holy Eulampius said: You will hardly persuade me, because your gods are of your hands; and you have very much made yourself like them of your own accord: for the eyes of your mind have been blinded, so that you do not see who is God, the founder of all things. Then the prefect, angered, orders him to be sharply beaten by four ministers with thin thongs of ox sinew. But holy Eulampius, looking up to heaven, said: I pray Thee, Lord of heaven and earth, who healed the incurable wound of Adam, who gathered into one the choir of the holy Angels, who art glorified by them with fear and trembling, Thee, Lord, I invoke as Saviour and Redeemer; snatch me from the designs of the most impious Maximus, preserve me undefiled for Thy glory, and turn away from me the torment of these tortures. And when the Youth had been tortured a long time, the torturers indeed were failing; but he who was being tortured appeared more glorious. Then the prefect said: Spare him and let him rise. And when the holy Martyr had risen, full of the Holy Spirit he said: Why do you rage like a dog, fighting against Christ? Recognize that you provoke to anger God your Creator: for I suffer these things for God, trusting that I shall be freed from the diabolical error; but you, who inflict these things on me, will be punished for eternity. Maximus the prefect said: By the immortal gods, I shall afflict you with such torments that I shall show you to every single man as one who, though you are not a Christian, lie maliciously, deceiving yourself.

[8] Having heard these things, St. Eulampius, smiling sweetly, said: and with other I rejoice, Maximus, at your insults against me: and through these I hasten to receive the prize of the contest. When the prefect had heard these things, he was inflamed with anger and ordered him to be hung on the rack and scraped. And when he was being cruelly scraped and the bystanders were astounded, the Martyr cried out with a loud voice: Thou who reignest for ever, Christ God, hear me, and show the impious prefect that Thy promises are true. And the lictors grew weary of scraping him. Then the prefect ordered him to be taken down from the wood, and the fingers and toes of his hands and feet to be bound with thin cords ^k, and said to him: Sacrifice to the gods. Holy Eulampius said: I do not sacrifice to impure demons, but I worship my God Jesus Christ, crucified for my salvation. Maximus the prefect said: You make your madness manifest while you cling to the Crucified. And what, replies holy Eulampius, is a hindrance to you, so that you do not acknowledge the God of all and His triumphal sign? nothing other than your unbelieving mind: for it is written that the name of the cross is to the Jews indeed a stumbling block, but has become to the gentiles foolishness. Maximus the prefect said: Is, then, the crucified one God? The Saint replied: Are they gods who lack sense and motion, deaf and blind, wood and stones, works of hands? The governor replied: Look up, Eulampius, and gaze at the sky, and the sun spreading its light, and the course of the stars, which you desire to lose and to perish. These things, said the Martyr, you see and wonder at, and you do not understand their Maker and Lord; if, then, you wish to know God, who founded these things, believe in Christ, and you will perceive them rightly: for through Him all things visible and invisible were made for us.

[9] Maximus the prefect said: Who, then, is the God of all these things? is ordered to be racked with tortures. The Crucified? Holy Eulampius answered: You, wicked as you are, have heard of His passion indeed, and admit it as a sign of weakness; but you do not understand the power of His resurrection: for you are not willing to believe Him. The prefect said: I have heard many windings of your words: for the rest, Eulampius, be willing to obey and to sacrifice to the gods, lest you compel me to destroy you with atrocious punishments. Holy Eulampius said: I have been bereft of all things useful to me for life, and of possessions, and of family, and of fatherland, that I might possess the true and heavenly riches, which neither you, nor your emperor, nor the kingdoms of the world can snatch from me. If, therefore, you desire to torture me, torture. The prefect said: We ourselves sacrifice to pure and irreproachable gods, and how do you dare to call them idols? And he ordered an iron bed to be brought, and holy Eulampius to be placed on it and cruelly burned. And when the Saint was being scorched with the flame, his body was dissolving. Then, looking up to heaven, he said with raised voice: Lord Jesus Christ, guide of the wandering, haven of the shipwrecked, healer of the sick, look upon me, and rescue me from this tribulation, and take from me the pain of this fire. And the prefect ordered him to be taken from the punishments, and began to say to him with flattery: My son Eulampius, I pity your beauty; but for fear of the emperor I cannot go against the edict. Gratifying, then, both me and your age, come and sacrifice to the gods, and you will be a friend of the emperor and will obtain many things. Holy Eulampius said: To whom should I sacrifice, or to what kind of God? To Jupiter, said the prefect, to Apollo and to the goddess Ceres. Where, the Saint answers, are your gods, that I may see them? Then (the prefect), filled with joy, said: How good is long-suffering! Taking the Youth, who has not honoured the gods, into the guardhouse, render him due honour, that, brought in the morning, he may sacrifice to the gods, as he has said.

ANNOTATA.

seems to be attributed. But indeed, the things which are reported a little lower down in these Acts about Maximus, ordered to publish edicts through the province and presiding over the whole of Bithynia, seem to overturn this opinion: but it is easy to conjecture that the author slipped here, since Bithynia was made consular after the times of Maximus, not this one, but the one who reigned with Balbinus, and remained in that state, as Panciroli says in the Notitia Dignitatum, chapter 127, up to Justinian, and was accustomed to be ruled by consular men only, such as this Maximus is nowhere found to have been.

* ηὑράμεθα

* πείσητε

* read εἰκῆ

* perhaps δημεὐσασα?

CHAPTER II.

The image having been shattered by the prayers of Eulampius, Eulampia joins herself to her Brother, and both, with very many others, consummate their martyrdom.

ἜΦθασεν δὲ καὶ ἡ τρίτη ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἀῤῥεως, ὅτε ἔδει θύειν τοῖς θεοῖς· καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἡγεμὼν κήρυκας κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον καὶ τὴν πόλιν διελθεῖν, λέγοντας οὕτως· Ὁ Εὐλάμπιος, ὁ ποτέ τοῦ Ἐσταυρωμένου, νῦν δὲ φίλος τῶν θεῶν ἀνέρχεται ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν θῦσαι, καὶ θεραπεῦσαι οὕς κατὰ ἄγνοιαν πλανώμενος παρώργιζεν θεοὺς. Πάντες οὖν ὁμοθυμαδὸν συνελθόντες συνεορτάσωμεν τῷ νέω. Συνελθόντος οὖν ὄχλου πολλοῦ τῆς τε πόλεως καὶ πάσης τῆς περιχώρου ἐν τῷ ναῷ, κελεύει ὁ ἡγεμὼν καλεῖσθαι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ δοῦλον Εὐλάμπιον· εἰσελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν· Χαίροις, Εὐλάμπιε, ἴδε οἱ θεοὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην συντηροῦντες, ἴδε τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἰσχὺν. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Τούτοις ἔχω θῦσαι; ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Καὶ νῦν σοφίζῃ με, Εὐλάμπιε; γίνωσκε οὖν, ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ βδελύσσονται τοὺς ἀλώκοτα φθεγγομένους. Ὁ δὲ Μάρτυς τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσελθὼν τῷ ἀγάλματι ἔφη· Σοὶ λέγω, λίθινε θεέ, θέλεις φαγεῖν; θέλεις πἳεῖν; θέλεις ἐνδύσασθαι; χρείζεις θυσιῶν; καὶ λέγει τῷ ἡγεμόνι· Ἴδε, οἱ θεοί σου ἀργοὶ ἵστανται, καὶ οὐ καθέζονται, καθέζονται καὶ οὐκ ἀνίστανται· κιθαριζόντων καὶ ὀρχουμένων οὐδαμῶς ἀκούουσιν· τὸ στόμα ἀνέωγε, καὶ οὺ λαλοῦσι· οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν οὐχ ὁρῶσιν· κράζωμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν· θύομεν, καὶ οὐκ ὀσφραίνονται τῆς κνίσης· χεῖρας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιλαμβάνονται τῶν θυσιῶν. Κελεύεις, καταβάλλω ἕνα ἐξ αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἀντιτείνει, οὐκ ἀντιποιεῖται, οὐκ ὀργίζεται, οὐ καλεῖ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα πρὸς βοήθειαν, οὐ τὸν ἡγεμόνα· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ καλέσῃ τίς, θεὸς ἢ δαίμων, οὐ τιμὴν ταῦτα ἡγεῖται, οὐκ ἀτιμίαν. Ἴδε οὖν ἡγεμὼν, τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν ὁποῖα ἐστὶν.

[11] Μάξιμος ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Πολυλογεῖς, Εὐλάμπιε, ἐξέστησας δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐν τούτοις· οὐκ ἄγροικος ἦς, καὶ τῶν θηρίων συνόμιλος· πῶς ἐγένου φιλοσοφικῆς μετέχων ἐπιστήμης; Ὁ ἁγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Οὐ μέμφομαί σε· ἐσκοτισμένος γὰρ ὤν ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἀγνοεῖς ποῖαν σοφίαν δίδωσι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν Θεὸς. Ὁ δὲ ἡγεμὼν ὀργισθεὶς λέγει· Τολμηρώδης, καὶ ὑβριστικὴ σοφία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ σου ἐστὶν. Ὁ ἅγιος Μάρτυς εἶπεν· μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ᾽ ἵν᾽ εἴδῃς, πῶς ὁ Θεός μου καὶ παροργίζεται, καὶ μακροθυμεῖ, ἀνάσχου καὶ ἴδε. Τότε ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ παῖς ἀνατείνας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν· Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ δεξάμενος τὴν θυσίαν τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, δέξαι κἀμοῦ τὴν δέησιν, καὶ ἐπιφάνηθι μοι ἐν τῇ ὣρᾳ ταύτῃ τοῦ ἀγῶνος, καὶ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπης μὲ, δέσποτα Κύριε, ἀλλὰ δὸς δόξαν τῶ ὀνόματί σου, οὐ διὰ τὸν ἡγεμόνα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τοὺς περιεστῶτας ὄχλους· σὺ γὰρ ἐπίβλεψον * ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ σοὶ. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, λέγει τῷ ξοάνῳ· Σοὶ λέγω τῷ κοφῷ καὶ ἀλάλῳ, δεῦρο ταχὺ ἐπί τῆς γῆς. Καὶ εἰπόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Εὐλάμπιου ταῦτα, εὐθέως ἐῤῥάγη τὸ ἄγαλμα τοῦ διὸς, καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ κονιορτὸς, καὶ τινες τῶν παρεστώτων ἀνέκραξαν μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ· Μέγας ὁ Θεὸς Εὐλαμπίου, ὁ ποιήσας τοιαῦτα σημεῖα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ.

[12] Καὶ ἐξπηδήσασα ἐξ αὐτῶν κόρη τίς περιεπλάκει τῷ τραχήλῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Εὐλαμπίου ἐπὶ πάντων λέγουσα· Ἀδελφέ μου, μνήσθητι, ὃτι μία μήτηρ ἔτεκεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐθηλάσαμεν μασθὸν τῆς πίστεως· μία πόλις ἡμῖν· ἕν γένος· συνταφῶμεν ἀλλήλοις· μία κάμψει γὴ τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους· μέγας γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ὃν σὺ ἐξελέξω, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ· Ἀδελφέ μου, μὴ μὲ ἀποβάλης ἐκ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου, ὅπως καταξιωθῶ κἀγὼ δουλεῦσαι Θεῷ, ῷ σὺ πεπίστευκας· δεήθητι οὖν ὑπέρ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι φοβοῦμαι τὰς βασάνους, ὅπως ὑπομείνω καὶ καταξιωθῶ μετὰ σοῦ τελειωθῆναι, καὶ λαβεῖν τὸν στέφανον. Τότε σκυθρωπάσας ὁ ἡγεμὼν, δεδοικώς τὸν περιεστῶτα ὄχλον, κελεύει τὸν συσχεθῆναι μετὰ τῆς παρθένου, καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι ἐν τῇ εἰρκτῇ, καὶ σιδηρωθῆναι αὐτοὺς κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος· μανία γὰρ καὶ φόβος συνέσχεν αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγάλματος ἀπώλειαν· λέγει δὲ τῷ συνκαθέδρῳ αὐτοῦ· δεῦρο σκεψώμεθα πῶς τάχειον ἀναλώσωμεν αὐτοὺς πρὸ τοῦ ἀναστατῶσαι πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν καταλιπεῖν τοὺς θεοὺς. Τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καθίσας ἐπὶ τῷ βήματι ὁ ἡγεμὼν κελεύει εἰσαχθῆναι τὴν Παρθένον.

[13] Εἰσαχθείσης δὲ αὐτῆς ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Λεγέτω ἡ προεστῶσα τὸ ὄνομα καὶ τὴν τύχην· Ἡ Παρθένος Λέγει· Ἐλευθέρα εἰμὶ, καὶ Εὐλαμπία λέγομαι, δούλη δὲ Χριστοῦ γενέσθαι εὔχομαι. Μάξιμος λέγει· Μὴ ἑτέρῳ ὀνόματι κέκλησαι, καὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον οὐχ ὁμολογεῖς; σεμνὴν γάρ σε, καὶ εὐπρόσωπον ὁρῶ· τί δέ σοι ἔδοξεν ἐπεισελθεῖν ταῖς θυσίαις, καὶ ἀνάστατον ποιῆσαι τὸν λαὸν; εἰς τὸ καλλος τοῦ ἀνοσίου ἐτέρφθης; ἤ καὶ σὲ ἔπεισεν φαρμακεύσας ἄνθρωπον σέβειν σταυρωμένον; τοσοῦτον ἐπύρωσέν σε, ὅτι καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ περιεβάλου; Εὐλαμπία ἠ μάρτυς λέγει. Ὅσον ἐν βροτοῖς ἀμφοτέρους μία φύσις ἔτεκεν, οὕτως ἐλπίζω, ὅτι καὶ ἑνὶ Θεῷ ζῶντι ἀμφότεροι δουλεύσωμεν· ἐξεπύρωσεν γάρ μου τὴν καρδίαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ μόνου ζῶντος Θεοῦ· ἕτοιμος οὖν εἰμὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν τιμωρίαν· ὃ οὖν βούλει, πράττε· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐλπίζω διὰ τῆς δεήσεως τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου Εὐλαμπίου καταξιωθῆναι τῷ Χριστῷ προσκυνῆσαι. Τότε ὁργισθεὶς ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγει· Ἐξαλαπίζοντες αὐτὴν λέγετε, μὴ οὕτως ἀναιδῶς λάλη τῷ ἡγεμόνι· ῥαπιζομένης δὲ αὐτῆς, κελεύει εἰσαχθῆναι καὶ τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον· Λέγει, ἴδε ὁ μάγος καὶ ἐπίβουλος τῶν θεῶν, καὶ κελεύει πυρωθῆναι λέβητα καὶ εμβληθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτῷ. Οἱ δὲ ὑπηρέται τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐτελείουν. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Μάρτυς εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῷ λέβητι, ἐδόξαζεν τὸν Θεὸν λέγων· Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ δοξαζόμενος ὑπὸ ἁγγέλων καὶ χερουβίμ, καὶ σεραφίμ· ὁ ποιήσας ἑνὶ λόγῳ τὰ πάντα, ῥῦσαι με ἀπὸ τοῦ μιαροῦ τούτου καὶ ἀντιπάλου τυράννου, ὅπως νικήσας τὴν ἀσθενῆ αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, καταλογισθῶ μετὰ τῶν εὐαρεστησάντων τῇ δόξῃ σου. Τότε ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐπιβλέψας ἐπἱ τὴν παρθένον Εὐλαμπίαν, λέγει αὐτῇ· Σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ σὲ, ἄχουσόν μου ὡς πατρὸς σου, καὶ θύσον τοῖς θεοῖς, ἵνα μὴ τιμωρίαις ἀναλώσω τὸ κάλλος σου· ὁρᾶς γὰρ τὸν λέβητα πὥς ἐκέκαυται· τί οὖν βούλει; θύεις, ἢ ὑποβαλῶ σε τῇ τιμωρίᾳ;

[14] Ἡ δὲ Ἁγία ἀκούσασα τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ἐδειλίασεν, καὶ ἀναστενάξασα ἔφη. Ἀδελφέ μου Εὐλάμπιε, πῶς μου ἐπελάθου; βοήθει μοι, ὅτι ἀγωνιᾶ μου ἡ καρδία μου ὁρῶσα τὰς τιμωρίας. Ἰδοὺ οὖν ἐγὼ ἐλπίζω, δεομένου σου, σωθῆναι. Ταῦτα εἰπούσης αὐτῆς, ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἔκθαμβος γενόμενος ἔφη· Εὐλαμπία, κενολογίαις τισὶ, καὶ ἀπάταις πεποιθέναι ἐδιδάκθης· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ σώζων; ποῦ ἐστιν Εὐλάμπιος ὁ βοηθών σοι; γνῶθι ὅτι προτον ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, ἀλλὰ κακῶς ἀπώλετο· θέλησον οὖν θύσαι τοῖς θεοῖς, μὴ καὶ σὺ τῇ αὐτῇ βασάνῳ τὴν ψυχὴν παραδῷς. Τότε ἀνανεύσας ἐκ τοῦ λέβητος ὁ ἅγιος Εύλάμπιος ἔφη· Ἀδελφή μου Εὐλαμπία, μὴ πτωηθῇς τὸν τύραννον, μὴ δὲ ἀπατῶ τοῖς ἀνοσίοις λόγοις αὐτοῦ, οὐδέν εἰσιν αἱ βάσανοι αὐτοῦ· ποιήσασα οὖν καὶ σὺ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφραγίδα, δεῦρο ἐνταῦθα,

καὶ ἐπίγνωθι ποῖος ἐστὶν ταχὺς εἰς τὸ σώζειν ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Ἡ δὲ ἁγία Εὑλαμπία μόνον ἤκουσεν τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Εὐλαμπίου, ποιήσασα τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφραγίδα, γενναίως ἔῤῥιψεν ἑαυτὴν εἰς τὸν λέβητα. Τότε ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος πλησθεὶς πνεύματος ἁγίου ἤρξατο προσεύχεσθαι καὶ λέγειν· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, τήρησόν σου τὸ ποίμνιον ἄσυλον, ἀπέλασον τὸν λύκον τὸν διαρπάζοντα τὰ πρόβατά σου, σὲ ἐπικαλοῦμαι τὸν εὔσπλαγχνον Θεὸν, εἰσάγαγε ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν σου, ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν τὴν θύραν τῆς εύσπλαγχνίας σου, ὅτι σοῦ ἐστὶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ ἡ ἁγία Εὐλαμπία τὸ ἀμὴν. Τελεσάντων δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν εὐχὴν, ἐγένετο ὁ λέβης ὁ κοχλάζων ὡσεὶ κρύσταλλος. Τότε θαρσοποιηθεῖσα ἐν τῷ λέβητι ἡ ἁγία Εὐλαμπία λέγει τῷ ἡγεμόνι· Ἁναίσθητε τύραννε, οὐδὲν εἰσὶν αἱ βάσανοί σου, εἰ ἔχεις καὶ ἑτέρας τιμωρίας, προσάγαγε ἡμῖν.

[15] Καὶ δὴ πολλοὶ τῶν παρεστώτων ἰδόντες τὴν Παρθένον οὕτω γενναίως διαλεγομένην, ἐπίστευσαν εἰς Θεὸν, ὁμοφώνως λέγοντες· Μέγας ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Χριστιανῶν, καὶ ἡμεῖς Χριστιανοὶ ἐσμὲν, καὶ ἕτοιμοι πρὸς τὸ τιμωρεῖσθαι· ὁ οὖν βούλει ἡμῖν . Τότε ὁ ἠγεμὼν θυμωθεὶς κελεύει τὸ πλῆθος ἐκεῖνο ἅπαν ἀποκεφαλισθῆναι. Λέγουσι τῷ ἁγίῳ Εὐλαμπίῳ· Δεήθητι ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα δέξηται ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἡμῶν. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Μάρτυς λαβὼν ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ λέβητος ἐπιραντίσας αὐτοὺς τῷ ὕδατι, ἐβάπτισεν αὐτοὺς εἰπὼν, φωτίσει Κύριος τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ πνεύματι, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπενεχθέντες ἁπεκεφαλίσθησαν. Καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐκβληθῆναι ἐκ τοῦ λέβητος τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν παρθένον Εὐλαμπίαν, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· οὔπω ἐπείσθητε θῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς; Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἰπεν, ὄντως οὐ συλήσεις ἡμᾶς, ἀναιδέστατε κύων· ἱκανὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου, καὶ πάσης τῆς κακονοίας σου. Καὶ ὁ ἡγεμὼν κελεύει ὀγκίνοις σιδηροῖς ἐξοφθαλμισθῆναι τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλαμπιον. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Μάρτυς δεχόμενος τὰς πυνὰς προσηύχετο λέγων· Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, φώτισόν μου τοὺς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὺς, μήποτε ὑπνώσω εἰς θάνατον. Λέγει δὲ πρὸς τὴν Παρθένον ὁ ἡγεμὼν· Ἰδοὺ τὸν μάγον τὸν κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς σου πῶς ἐτύφλωσα, καὶ ἐκώλυσα τοῦ βλέπειν, καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ μαγεύειν σε. Λοιπὸν οὖν δεῦρο κᾀννυν ἐπάκουσόν μου, καὶ θῦσον τοῖς θεοῖς· εὐγενὴς γὰρ τυγχάνουσα, καὶ ἐν γνώσει σεμνὴ καθεστηκυῖα, συγγνώθητί μοι ὅτι παρύβρισά σε· σὲ γὰρ οἱ μέγιστοι θεοὶ ἐξευμενισάμενοι, σῶαν καὶ ἀκεραίαν διαφυλάττουσι πρὸς θυσίαν ἑαυτῶν ἀναμένοντές σε· σέβω οὖν ἐν πᾶσιν, καὶ τιμῶ σου τὸ γένος· καὶ ὡς σοφὴν παρακαλῶ σε, θῦσον τῷ μεγάλῳ θεῷ Ἀπόλλωνι.

[16] Ἡ δὲ Ἁγία λέγει· Ὦ τῆς κακίστης βουλῆς! οἱ γὰρ λόγοι σου ἀψινθίου πικρότεροι εἰσὶν, καὶ αἱ παραινέσεις σου ὡς παγίδες κεκρυμμέναι· μὴ οὖν ὑπολάβης ὅτι ἡ δολία σου παραίνεσις ὑποσκελίσαι δυνήσηται τὸν λογισμόν μου· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου μου χάρις ἐνεδυνάμωσέν με πρὸς τὸ νικῆσαι τὰς μιαράς σου ἐπινοίας. Τότε ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐκέλευσεν διὰ τροχίσκων ἐπὶ κόντου κρεμασθῆναι αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τριχῶν τῆς κεφαλῆς, καὶ ξεωμένην ἀποθανεῖν. Ἡ δὲ κρεμασθεῖσα εἶπεν· δόξα σοι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὅτι ἔδειξας τῇ δούλῃ σου τὰ ἐλέη σου, καὶ κατῄσχυνας τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡγεμόνα· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει ἴδια βασανιστήρια, ἀλλὰ τὸ περισσεύον τοῦ σώματός μου, καὶ εἰς κόσμον καὶ περιβολὴν παρὰ σοὺ χαρισθέν μοι εἰς δόξαν σὴν, αὐτὸ δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ ἐχρήσατο ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἰς μαρτυρίαν μου. Ξεομένης δὲ αὐτῆς, καὶ μὴ αἰσθανομένης, ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν πρὸς τὴν Ἁγίαν· Ἀνδρίζου, Νύμφη Χριστοῦ, ἀνέωγεν γάρ σοι τὴν εἴσοδον ὁ Νυμφὼν, καὶ ὁ στέφανός σου ἕτοιμος. Καὶ κελεύει ὁ ἡγεμὼν παγῆναι πάλους καὶ ἐκταθῆναι τὸν ἅγιον Εὐλάμπιον, ὑποστρωθῆναι δὲ λίθους ὀξεῖς ὑπὸ τὰς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄνωθεν εὐτόνως βασανίζεσθαι αὐτὸν. Τῶν δὲ ὑπηρετῶν ἀτονισάντων, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἡγεμὼν κατενεχθῆναι τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὁργάνου, καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αὐτῆς συνθλασθῆναι. Οἱ δὲ ὑπηρέται τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐπετέλουν, ἡ δὲ ἁγία Εὐλαμπία προσηύχετο λέγουσα· Τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ διὰ τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος ὑποστηρίζων τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς δούλης σου, στήριζον πρὸς ὑπομονὴν τῶν ἐπαγομένων μοι βασάνων, καὶ ρῦσαι με ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ τυράννου. Τότε ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐξασθενήσας κελεύει ἀναληφθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ δεσμοτηρίῳ καὶ ἐκκαῆναι κάμινον ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας· ἐξεπυρώθη δὲ ἡ κάμινος σφόδρα, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαί τινα τῇ φλογί αὐτῆς ἐνατενίζειν. Τῇ οὖν τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κελεύει ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἰσαχθῆναι τοὺς Ἁγίους, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἴδε, Εὐλάμπιε, τυφλὸς ὑπάρχεις, καὶ οὐ δύνη θεάσασθαι τὴν φλόγα τοῦ πυρὸς, τὴν ἔχουσάν σε ἀπολέσαι διὰ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀθλίων τῶν διὰ σου ἀπολεσθέντων, καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὕβριν. Σὺ δὲ, Γυναικάριον, εἰπέ μόνον, ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ Δήμητρα, καὶ ἀπολύω σε. Ὁ ἅγιος Εὐλάμπιος εἶπεν· Κακόφρων καὶ ἀπηνὴ, αἰσχήνθητι * Θεὸν τὸν Δημιουργὸν πάντων, τὸν ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἀπωλέσαι σε σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς εἰδώλοις σου.

[17] Ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐκέλευσεν βληθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν κάμινον. Ἐυθύμως δὲ ἡ ἁγία Εὐλαμπία καὶ αὐτὴ προέδραμεν· καὶ ἐμβληθέντων αὐτῶν, ἄγγελος Κυρίου καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἀπεδίωξεν τὴν φλόγα, ὡς νομίζειν πάντας ἐκεῖσαι ὄντας, ὅτι παραχρῆμα ἀπώλοντο· τὰ γὰρ ἔξω τῆς καμίνου σφοδρῷ πυρὶ κατεφλέγετο. Οἱ δὲ Ἅγιοι ὡς ἐν παραδείσῳ περιεπάτουν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς καμίνου, εὐλογοῦντες καὶ δοξάζοντες τὸν Θεὸν. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἐξέστη, καὶ ἁπεφῄνατο κατ᾽ αὐτῶν λέγων· Εὐλάμπιον τὸν πολλαῖς μαγείαις κατεσκευασμένον, τὸν τῶν θεῶν ἐπίβουλον, καὶ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι μὴ πειθόμενον, κελεύομεν τὴν διὰ ξίφους κεφαλὴν ὑποστῆναι τιμωρίαν· Εὐλαμπίαν δὲ τὴν ἄσεμνον, καὶ πλάνην παρθένον συμμέτοχον οὖσαν τῷ μάγῳ, προκρίνουσα * τὸν θάνατον τῆς ζωῆς, κελεύομεν κατὰ τὸν θεσμὸν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος καὶ αὐτῆς ἀποτμηθῆναι τὴν κεφαλὴν. Οἱ δὲ ὑπηρέται παραλαβόντες αὐτοὺς ἀπήγαγον ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ὁποῦ ἦν ἔθος ἀποτέμνεσθαι τοὺς καταδίκους. Ὄχλος δὲ πολὺς ἠκολούθη αὐτοῖς. Ἡ οὖν ἁγία μάρτυς Εὐλαμπία ἤρξατο εὐλογεῖν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ λέγειν· Δόξα τῷ πανυψίστῳ Θεῷ, τῷ ἐκ τῆς πλάνης ἐλευθερώσαντί με, καὶ νῦν δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμα μου μετ᾽ εἰρήνης ἐν χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ. Καὶ εἰποῦσα ταῦτα, κλίνασα τὰ γόνατα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐτελειώθη. Τότε ἰδών ὁ σπεκουλάτωρ, ὅτι ἀπέθανεν, φόβῳ συνεχόμενος διὰ τὴν ἀπειλὴν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτῆς ἀπεκεφάλισεν. Καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ παῖς Εὐλάμπιος τὴν τῆς Ἀδελφῆς αὐτοῦ τελείωσιν, θρύλλος γὰρ ἐκ τῶν περιεστώτων γέγονεν, ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν προσηύξατο λέγων· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ δοὺς τὴν ὑπομονὴν τῇ δοῦλῃ σου Εὐλαμπίᾳ, ἐπίβλεψον καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν, καὶ δέξαι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἀνάπαυσον αὐτὴν μετὰ πάντων τῶν εὐαρεστησάντων σοι, καὶ τελειωθέτων ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου, ὅτι σὺ εἶ εὐλογημένος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀμὴν. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, κλίνας τὸ γόνυ, ἐδέξατο τὴν διὰ ξίφους σφαγὴν κατὰ τοῦ τραχήλου, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τὸν αἰώνων. Ἀμὴν.

Eulampius, having mocked the gods, The third day of Mars was now at hand, on which it was required to sacrifice to the gods; and the governor commanded that heralds should go round the whole adjacent region and the city, proclaiming thus: Eulampius, lately a friend of the Crucified, but now of the gods, approaches the altars to sacrifice and to venerate the gods whom, deceived by ignorance, he had provoked to anger. Let us all, therefore, assembling with one mind, celebrate the festival together with the Youth. A great multitude, therefore, having gathered both from the city and from the surrounding places, the governor ordered Eulampius, the servant of God, to be summoned: and when he had come, the prefect said to him: Rejoice, Eulampius, behold the gods, the preservers of the universe; see their strength and power. Holy Eulampius said: Must I sacrifice to these? Will you deceive me now, Eulampius? said the governor; know, then, that the gods execrate those who blurt out absurdities. But the Martyr of Christ, approaching the image, said: I speak to you, stone god, do you wish to eat? do you wish to drink? do you wish to be clothed with garments? or do you need sacrifices? Then to the prefect: Behold, he said, your gods stand idle, and do not sit; they sit, and do not rise; they in no way hear those who play the cithara and dance: their mouth is open, and they do not speak; with their eyes they do not see: we cry out and they do not perceive; we sacrifice, and they do not smell the savour; they have hands, and do not receive the victims. If you command, I shall throw down one of them, and it will not oppose itself, or resist, or be angry, nor will it call either the emperor or the prefect to its aid: and if anyone should say to them god or demon, they will reckon these things neither an honour nor a disgrace. See, therefore, O governor, what sort of deities yours are ^a.

[11] Maximus the prefect said: You say many things, Eulampius, and one image also being shattered by his prayers to God, and by these you have struck us with astonishment: were you not a rustic, and did you not live among beasts? how have you become a partaker of philosophical learning? Holy Eulampius answered: I do not reprove you; for since you have been blinded by the devil, you do not know what wisdom God bestows on those who love Him. And the prefect, angered, said: Bold and injurious is the wisdom of your God. Far from it, said the holy Martyr, but that you may know how my God is provoked to anger and bears it patiently, bear with me and see. Then the holy Boy of God, raising his eyes to heaven, said: Lord, my God, who received the sacrifice of Abraham, receive also my supplication, and manifest Thyself to me in this time of contest, and do not forsake me, Lord, but give glory to Thy Name, not on account of the prefect only, but also on account of the multitude of those standing by: for Thou regardest all who hope in Thee. Having spoken these things, he said to the image: To you, deaf and dumb, I say, fall at once to the ground. And as holy Eulampius was uttering these things, at once the statue of Jupiter ^b was broken in pieces and became like dust; and some of those standing by cried out with a loud voice: Great is the God of Eulampius, who has wrought such signs on his account.

[12] [whence, with his sister Eulampia, who then came up to him, he is thrust into prison.] And from among them, leaping forth ^c, a certain Girl embraced the neck of holy Eulampius before all, saying: Remember, my Brother, that the same mother bore us, and that we have sucked the same breasts of faith;

one city is ours, one family; let us be buried together, the same earth shall lay us both away; for great is the God whom you have chosen, and great is His power; my Brother, do not deprive me of the grace of your Christ, that I too may be found worthy to serve the God in whom you have believed; pray, therefore, for me, because I fear the punishments, that I may bear them patiently, and be reckoned worthy to complete the contest with you, and to obtain the crown. Then the prefect, showing anger in his whole countenance, fearing the multitude standing by, ordered him to be seized with the Virgin and dragged off to prison, and both to be loaded over their whole body with iron chains: for fury and fear had seized him on account of the destruction of the image: and he said to his assessor: Come, let us take counsel how we may destroy them at once, before they move the whole city to desert the gods. And on the third day the prefect, sitting before the tribunal, ordered the Virgin to be brought to him.

[13] [Eulampia, brought out of it, is struck with slaps, and, Eulampius having been thrown into a boiling cauldron,] When she had been brought, the prefect said: Tell, you who stand there, your name and condition. The Virgin replied: I am free and am called Eulampia; and I pray that I may become a handmaid of Christ. Maximus said: Have you not another name, and do you not confess it for fear? for I see that you are honourable and comely: but why did it seem good to you to come to the sacrifices and stir up the people? were you delighted by the beauty of the impious man? or did he, using sorceries, persuade you too to worship a crucified man? did he so inflame you that you have even put on his name? The Martyr Eulampia said: As one birth brought us both forth among mortals, so I hope it will come about that we both serve the one living God; for the words of the only living God have kindled my heart: I am therefore ready for all torments: do, then, what you will; for it will come about, I hope, that through the prayers of my brother Eulampius I shall be held worthy to venerate Christ. Then the prefect, angered, said: Beating her with slaps ^d, tell her not to address the governor so impudently. And while she was being struck in the face, he ordered holy Eulampius also to be summoned, and said: Behold the sorcerer and adversary of the gods; and he commanded that a cauldron be kindled and the Saint thrown into it. And the ministers of the devil carried out the command: but the holy Martyr, entering the cauldron, glorified God, saying: Blessed art Thou, Lord God, whom the angels praise, and the cherubim and seraphim: who by one word created all things, free me from this insane and hostile tyrant, that, his weak power being overcome, I may be numbered among those who please Thy glory. Then the prefect, gazing at the virgin Eulampia, said to her: I pity you; hear me as your father, and sacrifice to the gods, lest I destroy your beauty with punishments: for you see how the cauldron has been kindled; what then pleases you? do you sacrifice, or shall I subject you to torment?

[14] she too, strengthened by her Brother, throws herself into it, and thence both But the Saint, having heard the words of the prefect, was afraid ^e, and, groaning, said: My brother Eulampius, how have you forgotten me? help me, because, having seen the torments, my heart is pressed with anguish. Behold, then, I trust that I shall be saved by your prayers. While she was saying these things, the governor, struck with dread, said: Eulampia, you have learned to trust in certain vain words and frauds: where is the God who may save you? where is Eulampius, who may succour you? know that he could not first help himself, but has perished miserably: be willing, then, to sacrifice to the gods, lest you hand over your soul too to the same punishment. Presently holy Eulampius, emerging from the cauldron, said: My sister Eulampia, do not fear the tyrant, nor be deceived by his impious words; his torments are nothing; fortifying yourself, then, with the seal of Christ, come here to me and know how ready the God of the Christians is to save. And holy Eulampia, when she had heard the voice of the holy martyr Eulampius, having formed the sign of Christ, threw herself nobly into the cauldron ^f. Then holy Eulampius, full of the Holy Spirit, began to pray and to say: Lord God almighty, good Shepherd, preserve Thy flock unharmed, drive away the wolf that snatches Thy sheep, I invoke Thee, merciful God, lead us into Thy kingdom, open to us the gate of Thy mercy, for Thine is the glory for ever; and holy Eulampia answered him, Amen. And when their prayers were finished, the boiling cauldron became like ice ^g. Then holy Eulampia, having taken confidence in the cauldron, said to the prefect: Senseless tyrant, your torments are nothing; if you have other tortures, afflict us with these.

[15] And then very many of those standing by, seeing the Virgin who had spoken so fearlessly, [having been drawn out after the conversion of many bystanders, who are killed for that reason,] believed ^h in God, crying out with one mind: Great is the God of the Christians, and we are Christians, and ready for tortures; what, then, you wish to be done about us, (do ⁱ.) Then the governor, angered, ordered this whole multitude to be beheaded. And these said to holy Eulampius: Pray for us, that God may receive our repentance. And the holy Martyr, taking water from the cauldron and sprinkling it, baptized ^k them, saying: God will illuminate your hearts with His Holy Spirit; and at once they were led away and beheaded. Then the prefect ordered holy Eulampius and the holy virgin Eulampia to be drawn out of the cauldron, and said to them: Are you not yet willing to sacrifice to the gods? Assuredly, said holy Eulampius, we shall not be your prey, most impudent dog: for our God is mighty, who will snatch us from your hands and from all your malevolence. Presently the governor ordered the eyes of holy Eulampius to be torn out with iron hooks. But the holy Martyr, undergoing the torment, prayed, saying: Lord, my God, enlighten the eyes of my mind, lest at any time I sleep in death. And the prefect said to the holy Virgin: Behold the magician of your soul, how I have blinded him and prevented him from seeing or deceiving you any further with sorceries. At length, then, come, and now obey me and sacrifice to the gods; for since you are noble and endowed with remarkable knowledge, forgive me that I have done you injury ^l: for the greatest gods, rendered propitious, preserve you safe and entire, awaiting you for their sacrifices. I venerate, then, in all things and honour your family, and as a wise woman I exhort you; sacrifice to the great god Apollo.

[16] To these things the Saint answered: O most wicked counsel! are afflicted with one torment after another, and at length, for your words are more bitter than wormwood, and your exhortations like hidden snares; do not, then, think that your fraudulent flattery could shake my mind; for the grace of my Lord has strengthened me to overcome your insane inventions. Then the prefect ordered her to be hung by the hair of her head from a stake by pulleys ^m, and to be shaved and killed. And she, so suspended, said: Glory to Thee, almighty God, that Thou showest Thy clemency to Thy handmaid, and hast confounded the hostile governor: for the torments have not attained their effect; but that which remains of my body, and was granted me by Thee for adornment and clothing to Thy glory, the prefect of himself has used for my martyrdom. And while she was being shaved and did not feel it, holy Eulampius addressed the Saint thus: Be strengthened, Bride of Christ; for your Bridegroom has opened the entrance to you, and the crown is prepared for you. Presently the prefect orders stakes to be fixed, and holy Eulampius to be stretched upon them; then sharp stones to be strewn under his sides, and himself to be cruelly tortured from above. And when the ministers were wearied, the governor commanded that they should take the holy Virgin from the instrument, and beat her face. And while the ministers were carrying out the command, holy Eulampia prayed thus: Christ God, true Light, who by Thy goodness strengthenest the thoughts of Thy handmaid, add strength to me, that I may bear patiently the punishments which are inflicted on me, and snatch me from the mouth of the tyrant. Then the governor, wearied, ordered them to be thrust into prison, and a furnace to be kindled for three days and as many nights: and the furnace was so kindled that no one could direct his eyes at the flame. On the fourth day, therefore, the prefect orders the Saints to be brought, and says to them: Behold, Eulampius, you are blind, and so cannot look at the flame of the fire, which will consume you on account of the souls of these wretches ⁿ whom you have destroyed, and for the injury done to the emperor. But you, little Woman, say now that Ceres is great, and I absolve you. Holy Eulampius said: Foolish and cruel man, revere God the Creator of all, who has power to destroy you with all your idols.

[17] Having heard these things, [sentence of death having been pronounced on them, Eulampia praying, Eulampius struck with the sword, expire.] the governor ordered him to be thrown into the furnace ^o. And at once holy Eulampia also ran up, and when both had been thrown in, an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, turned aside the flame, so that those who were present thought that they would at once perish; for the things which were outside the furnace were burned by a vehement fire. But the Saints walked about in the middle of the furnace as in paradise, blessing and glorifying God. And the prefect, seeing them, was astounded, and pronounced sentence against them, saying: Eulampius, infected with many magic arts, a despiser of the gods and unwilling to obey the emperor, we order to have his head cut off with the sword: and Eulampia, an impudent and fraudulent virgin, partner of this sorcerer, who prefers death to life, we order likewise, according to the statutes of the emperor, to be beheaded. And the ministers, seizing them, led them away to the place where the condemned were accustomed to be punished with death. And a great crowd followed them. Holy Eulampia, then, the martyr, began to praise God and to say: Glory be to the most high God, who has freed me from superstition, and now receive my spirit with peace into joy unspeakable. When she had said this, having bent her knees to the ground, she expired. Then the executioner [p], seeing that she had died, seized with fear on account of the threats of the prefect, cut off the head of her corpse. But the holy servant of God Eulampius, having heard of the death of his Sister (for a murmur had arisen among those standing round), looking up [q] to heaven, prayed, saying: Lord our God, who granted perseverance to Thy handmaid Eulampia, look also upon me a sinner, and receive my soul, and make it rest with all who have pleased Thee and have completed their life in Thy name, for Thou art blessed for ever, amen. And having said these things, bending to the ground, he received the stroke of the sword on his neck, and at once gave up his spirit to the Lord, to whom be glory and power now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

ANNOTATA.

critics, I judge, will think forged in the author's own brain.

p. In Greek also σπεκουλάτωρ is here taken for executioner; that this signification belongs to it, see in du Cange's Glossaries.

q. Certainly not with bodily eyes, but with the eyes of the soul, that is, with thought; since he had already before been deprived of his bodily eyes. It could surely have been expressed better.

* ἐπιβλέπεις

* perhaps περιεπλάγη?

* perhaps θάψει?

* supply πράττε.

* perhaps ποινάς?

* read αἰσχύνθητι.

* read προκρίνουσαν.