Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

continued

X. The Martyrdom and Miracles of Mercurius the General

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 6802) The martyrdom of saint mercurius the general, who completed his glorious strife on the twentieth day of the month athôr, in the peace of god. MAY HIS HOLY BLESSINGS BE WITH US. AMEN. And it came to pass in the twelfth year [of the reign] of the Emperor Decius, Valerianus and Maximinianus being Caesars and rulers with absolute authority, a persecution arose of all the …and of every one who confessed the Christ. And he published an edict in every city, and in every country, and in every province compelling every race of men …to offer up sacrifice to the gods …in the whole world at that time. And these were the words which were written in this ordinance: 'Decius, Valerianus, and Maxentius, the great Emperors who rule with absolute authority, and who are masters of the whole world, hereby issue a decree to [all those who are] in the world, and in the countries and provinces under our dominion, …victory …the glorious gods have made manifest to us, according as they have had a care for us through their benevolent providence, more especially in the matter of the great victory which they give unto us in the contest of war, and they deliver us from out of the hands of our enemies, who rise up against us from time to time, and who make the dominion of the Romans glorious in every country, and the barbarians become subject unto us …

2 [The rest is wanting, as also is the text of the First, and that of a part of the Second Miracle.]

[The Second Miracle.]

3 'I will teach thee.' And he came forward immediately to leap upon the animal, and to beat the man, who was a poor workman. And straightway Saint Mercurius turned himself on the bier, and the mule, whereon the man was riding, backed, and his feet were at once caught up in the saddle, and the animal ran away and fled with him, with the man hanging [head downwards] …blind. And the mule took the voice of men, and she cried out, saying, 'O thou man of perdition, and O ye pagans, whose god hath been destroyed, come ye out and look upon the holy martyr Mercurius, and the punishment (? of your son, and believe ye on Jesus the Christ, the God of heaven and of earth.' And again the mule took to flight with him, and did not return …[five or six lines wanting]. O how very many were the wonderful things and sights which took place that day! There was not a single man who remained in all the city; for whether he were small or whether he were great, they came forth before the holy martyr, being driven out by [his] power. And the man, and his wife, and his daughter gave chase to the mule, and they suffered trouble, …

4 [seven or eight lines wanting] with him, and she took the image of gold which she used to worship, now it was in two halves, and [she] came out into the midst of the city, and every one was looking at her idol. And her daughter went to her like one of those who are demented, and she cried out, saying, 'O Saint Mercurius, look thou upon my wretched state, and upon my great disgrace, and the disgrace of my image, and have mercy upon me.' And when she had come out, her daughter told her, saying, Saint [Mercurius] …[five or six lines 5 wanting] the coffin, she cried out, saying, 'O thou martyr, who didst receive the [power?] from the King, the Christ, forgive me. I will believe in thee, and in thy God, Whose Name I am not worthy to utter from my polluted mouth.' And straightway the white matter ran down from her eyes as if she were shedding tears, and she was able to see, and her eyesight was restored, and it became even as it had been originally. And afterwards she hacked to pieces the image, and she pounded the fragments of it together, and she cried out, saying, 'O Apollo, take shame to thyself! O Christ, take honour to Thyself! May His martyr do the same!' And when her parents saw the healing which had taken place during the night, they cried out, saying, 'We are Christians! Alike are the God of heaven and His holy martyr, Saint Mercurius. Glory be unto Him for ever and ever! Amen.'

The Third Miracle of Saint Mercurius.

6 And it came to pass after these things that the Christian folk held converse together, saying, 'Let us take the body of the martyr into the eity'; and a few of them answered and said, 'Perhaps the heart of the righteous man will not be persuaded [to allow this].' And after these things they began to strive each against the other, and straightway the righteous man moved of his own accord, and he departed into the eity. And the mule cried out, saying, 'Sing praises to the martyr.' And the father of the young man who had been dragged at the saddle of the mule cried out, saying, 'I beseech thee, O my lord the martyr, as thou hast given light unto my daughter, let thy mercy assist also another child of mine, who is suffering, and is hung up (?).' And straightway the martyr put himself upon the ground, and he rose up and stood upon his feet, and there was not any [sign of] corruption in his body, neither was there in it any mark of a wound, and it had suffered in no way whatsoever. And the clergy and the 'lovers of work' sang hymns before him, and censers (?) filled with burning incense of the choicest kind were there, and branches of shrubs with sweet-smelling flowers, [and these went with him] until they brought him into the city. And a certain man wished to take him into his house, but the righteous man would not be persuaded to allow this; now his body was as heavy as lead, and the people were not able to move it at all. And the multitude cried out, saying, 'He will not be persuaded to allow this; let us take him into the church'; and he went with them, and they took him into the church, and they left him there until a martyrium worthy of him was built. Glory be unto him for ever and ever! Amen.

7 iv

The Fourth Miracle of Saint Mercurius.

8 And it came to pass after seven days, during which all the multitude of the city had eaten and drunk, and had kept the festival with exceedingly great joy because of the manifestation of the body of the saint, that the father of the maiden unto whom the saint had given the light went to the bishop and asked him for holy baptism. And when the bishop had appointed to him a certain number of days wherein to fast, he baptized him and all his house, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And when the number of his kinsfolk who had received baptism with him openly was made clear, it was found that fifty-three souls had been baptized. And after all these things, behold, Saint Mercurius appeared unto the poor man as he did formerly, and he said unto him, 'Why art thou lying here leading a life of ease? Why dost thou not get up and make bricks for my shrine?' And the man said unto him, 'My lord, I am a poor man, and I have no workmen, and I have neither beasts of burden nor money for the expenses [of the same].' And the saint said unto him, 'I will give unto thee whatsoever thou hast need

9 ve of, only thou must remain a poor man. When thou goest into my house, if thou shalt have no doubt in thy mind, thou shalt see my power. And when thou hast risen up early to-morrow morning, come thou to the eastern part of the first of the quarters of the city, and thou shalt find there the young man [who owneth] the mule and who shall go thither by chance, because he is wishful to meet thee and to talk about my body. Say thou unto him, "Whatsoever thou hast in thine hand give thou unto me, for I have need thereof. And he shall give unto thee three oboli, which he is wishing to give as alms. Assuredly I will not permit thee to lack anything, and they shall bring [money] unto thee [in such a quantity] that thou wilt not know what to do therewith. And if he shall ask thee, "Whence didst thou know that I had anything in my hand? say thou unto him, "It was Mercurius, who healed thee, and it was he who told me to speak outo thee. And, moreover, the young man shall speak unto his father, saying, Thou knowest at the moment when thou didst entreat me how I made haste, and hearkened unto thee, and how I gave light (i.e. sight) to thy daughter. And again I gave thee thy son, safe and sound.

10 If there be anything that is lacking, make use of thy friend the martyr, for the honour of a friend [resteth] upon a friend, and the martyr is wont to perform abundantly. For to-morrow, however, this is abundance. If he shall give work unto thee, do thou do it; and if he will not hearken unto thee, feed thyself on the three oboli until we come to thee, by the Will of God, for I will come unto thee again and will not tarry.' And when the [saint] had said these things unto him he came out from him in peace. 11 And when the morning of the next day had come, the poor man rose up, and he walked into the first quarter of the city, and came upon the young man, and took [from him] the three oboli, and told him everything which Saint Mercurius had said unto him in the dream; and the young man went and told his father in fear. And when his father had heard these things he glorified God and His holy martyr Saint Mercurins. And he was not unmindful in the least degree, for he made ready his camels, and a large number of hired workmen, and a large number of waggons, and he collected a very large quantity of materials for building, and delivered them over into the hands of the poor man, so that the men might make bricks. And he gave him tools for digging up the ground, and everything of which he had need.

12 And it came to pass on a certain day that, whilst the beasts were occupied in ploughing, suddenly one of the oxen attacked the other, and gored him with his horns. And when the poor man saw what had happened he was greatly grieved, and he said, 'Woe unto me because of this thing, for the archon's servant hath slain his beast! Would that I had never related this dream to the young man, and would that he had not told it to his father, because he trusted me in this matter, and now this serious calamity hath come upon me.' And whilst he was saying these things, behold, Saint Mercurins took the form of an archon of the city, and came out for a walk, and he saw the poor man, and went up to him, and feigning to be surprised at what he saw said unto him, 'O man, why didst thou let thy beasts be so close together that one of them could gore the other? His master will hold thee liable for him.' And the labourer grieved exceedingly; and again he glorified the God of Saint Mercurius. And when the people unto whom the ox belonged heard [of this] they came to see what had happened, and they were exceedingly sorrowful, because the animal was a very fine one, and was very strong. And Saint Mercurins was sitting some way off, and no one saw him except the poor man. And a very large number of people collected round about the animal, and they took him into the city, into a place where he would be by himself; and they put food before him to make him eat, but he would not taste the food at all. And his master was very much

13 grieved about him, for he was a powerful animal, and his body was goodly and large. And when the people had departed to their houses the poor man remained behind and was alone with the animal; and he was exceedingly sorrowful, and he was meditating upon his poverty. And suddenly, behold, Saint Mercurius came in, and he smiled a holy smile, and stood up by the side of the animal of the poor man, because he was in the habit of appearing unto him face to face. And the saint said unto him with a smile, 'Thou hast not tarried in becoming fatigued, O brother.' And the man said unto him, 'Come, and see what hath happened.' And after these things Saint Mercurius moved the ox with his feet, and he said unto him, 'In the Name of Jesus the Christ, my Lord, rise up, and perform thy work without suffering.' And the ox rose up with great vigour, just as if he had not received any injury whatsoever, and he ate some of the grass that was there. And straightway Saint Mercurius rebuked the ox which had fought with the other ox, and he said unto

14 him, 'Thy horn shall fall out of thy head, and thou shalt never again have the power to drive it into any man or animal, and thou shalt be gentle for evermore.' And straightway his horn withered away and fell out of his head, and he became gentle and docile. And the poor man cast himself down before Saint Mercurius, and said unto him, 'I thank thee, O my lord Mercurius, thou martyr of Christ Jesus, for the sake of whose Holy Name thou didst become a martyr'; and straightway Saint Mercurius hid himself (i. e. disappeared) from him. And the man came out, rejoicing and saying, 'Saint Mercurius hath appeared unto me and hath healed the ox, and hath rebuked the quarrelsome animal that attacked him, and he hath become a rational creature.' And the multitude came to see what had taken place, and they all cried out, 'One is the God of Saint Mercurius. Glory be unto Him for ever and ever. Amen.' And it came to pass after these things that the people began to work at the making of bricks for the shrine of Saint Mercurius, and, behold, the pagan archon himself came and put himself near to the workmen who were making the bricks for the shrine of Saint Mercurius. And he quickly prepared for himself a place on his property for making bricks, which was nigh unto theirs, for he wished to build an entrance hall (or, portico) to his house.

15 And he came one day and sat down by the workmen who were making bricks for him, and he rose up and examined the bricks, and when at length he came to the bricks that were being made for the saint he felt that he would rather have [a few of] those than all his own put together. And he said, moreover, [within himself] 'I will carry away one hundred loads of these bricks which [are made by] the Christians, and I will give orders to the workmen to set them aside [for me]. And if they say we cannot permit thee to take them away, I will beat them, and then carry away the bricks by force, and I will see what this person Mercurius shall do unto me.' And he departed to his house on that day. And when a few days had passed he went and looked at the bricks of the saint, and he heaved deep sighs because both small and great in the city had turned themselves into day-labourers, and were working [at the brick-making] because they were eager to [help in] building the martyrium for the saint. And, moreover, the alien pagan coveted with a great covetousness, which was of the devil, the bricks of the holy man.

16 After these things he called to the poor man unto whom Saint Mercurius used to appear, and he said unto him, 'Come, shew me the limit of my stack of bricks and of thine, for I wish to add a building to my house.' And the man said unto him, 'Thy men know the number of thy bricks.' And the archon said unto him, 'I have taken no man with me except thyself, but, according to 17 my own opinion, up to this place the bricks belong to me.' And the poor man became greatly terrified, and said unto the [pagan], 'Punish not thine own soul, and lay not a finger on the bricks of this holy man, lest some calamity befall thee. Nevertheless, if thou dost determine to take them, I know thy might and thy strength.' And the pagan struck the poor man a blow, and said unto him, 'It is not as thou sayest. That one (i. e. the saint) shall strike a blow at thee, and I shall carry away more than these, [and then] I shall know thy strength, and [the strength] of that one, and what he will do unto me.' And the [poor] man said unto him, 'Do whatsoever pleaseth thee. Behold, the God of Saint Mercurius is looking at thee, and thou wilt certainly not overcome Him.' And the archon straightway, with arrogance, sent a message to his servant, and he went and brought camels, and he walked before them in a haughty manner, and he loaded the camels with the bricks of the saint. And as he was standing before a very large male camel which belonged to him, he ordered with great arrogance his servant to load this camel with bricks, and he said, 'Let me now see the power of this Mercurius.' And straightway, before the words ceased in his mouth, the camel in front of which he was standing opened his mouth, and seizing the pagan archon he cast him down under him, and then lay down (or, rolled) upon him. And behold, straightway Saint Mercurius came riding upon his horse of the spirit, and he stood by the camel who had gained the mastery over the man, and he smote him with his spear in his left leg, and

18 [One leaf wanting—pages and ] 'now he threateneth me, for thou art he who shall give a mark (or, sign) in my martyrium, and thou shalt hang [therein] head downwards.' And the multitude followed after him in fear and trembling until he entered (?) the lower part of the shrine hanging head downwards. And the man cried out, saying, 'My lord, Saint Mercurius, forgive me because of my ignorance, and I will give unto thee all my bricks for the building of thy shrine. And I will give unto thee the finest wood of every kind, and all the materials which I have collected in my house, and all the members of my house shall become Christians. And I will set at liberty my servants, and they shall become free men, and I myself will become the door-keeper of thy shrine until the day of my death.' And when the man had said these words the camel let him down on the ground, and Saint Mercurius laid his hands upon his wounds, and he healed him, and he set him free, and there was no sign of any wound whatsoever in all his body. And great fear seized upon every one who had been standing by and looking on whilst the camel was inflicting wounds on the

19 archon. And the archon made a confession before them and said, 'I saw Saint Mercurius driving his spear into me,' but when the man examined his body he could not find in it the mark of any wound whatsoever. And the people enquired of him, saying, 'Where is the wound in thy body? Assuredly thou didst cry out, saying, "Behold, the righteous man speared me in my legs with his spear."' And the archon said unto them, 'From the very moment wherein the camel dropped me, and [the saint] laid his hands upon all my body, I became healed.' And immediately the archon went to the bishop, who baptized him, and all the people of his house, and all his slaves, whom he set at liberty, and they left in peace. And he gave to the shrine of the saint all the materials which he had collected for the building of his own house, and the wood, and the stone, and all his bricks. And he sent them into the shrine, together with fine gold, and many cart-loads of materials. And he himself worked with his own hands among the workmen, and all his men did likewise, and all his beasts worked [for the saint] for nothing. And he said unto those who were working, 'Continue, and

20 build the house of this mighty man.' And he died, according to the fate of all men, before the martyrium was completed. Glory be to God, and to His holy martyr Saint Mercurius!

The Sixth Miracle of Saint Mercurius.

21 And it came to pass that, when the building of the martyrium of Saint Mercurins had once been begun, it progressed rapidly, for the materials were abundant, and the workmen on the shrine of the saint were many. And after these things a certain man in the city came and walked about the shrine, and when he saw the timber and bricks for the shrine of the martyrium he marvelled, and he coveted some of the wood which was lying about. And he said, 'I have need of this fine plank of wood, and I am going to carry it off.' And he went to where the wood was, and lifted it up on his back, and he walked away with it until he came to within a short distance of the city. He then lost his way, and did not know where he was walking, because the saint had made his mind to wander, and at length he came and stood at the door of the poor man, the steward of Saint Mercurius, unto whom the saint used to appear. Now the man who had stolen the wood did not know whither he was going. And, behold, the saint spake unto the steward,

22 and said unto him, 'What doest thou sitting here [idle]? 23 Behold, the wood is being stolen from my shrine! Rise up, and go to the door of thy house, and there thou shalt find the man with the wood on his back, and he is staggering about hither and thither, and he doth not know whither he is going. Now it is I who have made him lose his way, and I have prevented him from knowing where he was going, until at length he came to this place. Thou wilt see him there carrying the wood which he hath stolen.' And when the thief saw the house in front of him, and that one had opened the door to him, he recognized that the opener of the door was the steward of the martyrium, for his understanding had returned unto him. And straightway he cried out, saying, 'One is the God of Saint Mercurius! Have mercy upon me, and be not angry with me, and bring [not] evil upon me. I have sinned against thee and I have stolen thy wood.' And, behold, the saint spoke again unto the steward, saying, 'Speak thou unto the man in this wise: Why didst thou dare to come and commit this outrageous robbery at my shrine? Moreover, the wood which thou didst go and steal was given unto my shrine [by men] for the redemption and salvation of their souls. But through the compassion of God, behold, I will set thee free. Take the wood and carry it away and lay it in the place wherein thou didst find it, and then get thee to thine own house. And when the morning hath come let him proclaim what hath been done to him, in order that others may fear, and may not again steal the building materials from my shrine, lest I bring evil upon them.' And when the saint had said these things he disappeared from the steward.

24 And the poor man rose up, and came forth, and he found the man with the wood on his back, standing by the door of his house; now the thief knew not whither he had come. And he was saying, 'O Saint Mercurius, have compassion upon me, and have mercy upon me, for I have sinned, O my lord.' And the poor man spake unto him, saying, 'O my beloved brother, whence camest thou carrying [this] wood on thy back? I say unto thee this wood belongeth to Saint Mercurius; moreover, tell me all that hath happened unto thee.' And the man told him how he had carried off the wood, and how Saint Mercurius had made his mind to wander so much that he at length arrived at the door of the house of the poor man without knowing what he was doing. And the man unto whom Saint Mercurius [was wont to appear] announced to the man who had stolen the

25 wood everything which Saint Mercurius had declared unto him. And when the thief had heard these words he marvelled and said, 'I will not do it for one day only, but if the God of Saint Mercurius will graciously grant unto me health, I will never cease to labour at his shrine until it be finished. And I will proclaim his mighty power in every place whereinto I shall go.' And straightway his senses returned unto him, and he departed to his house, and glorified God and His holy martyr, and he lay down and slept until the morning. And when daylight appeared [the thief] proclaimed in all the city what had happened. And he went to the place where the wood had been brought, and he lifted it up on his shoulders—now every one was looking at him—and he carried it to the shrine of the saint, and laid it down in the place wherefrom he had taken it. And great fear fell upon every one who saw him, and no other man again laid a hand upon any other material for the shrine until it was completed. And the man [who had stolen the wood] did not cease to toil in mixing mud and making bricks for the shrine of the saint until [the building] was completed. And he glorified the

26 God of Saint Mercurius.

The Seventh Miracle of Saint Mercurius.

27 Hearken also, O my beloved, to the following great miracle, which is to the glory of the God of Saint Mercurius. And it came to pass that when the building of the shrine had been successfully finished, and it had been beautified with adornments of every kind, they made and placed in it a screen (or, grating) made of shouebe wood. Now there were three large shouebe trees which were the property of the woman unto whom Saint Mercurius had given the light, and these had belonged to her blessed husband, who before his death had intended them to be made into a large kiubél. And besides [these], when God visited him, according to the fate of every man, and he died, he left very large possessions to her. Thereupon the apse was made of good and sound shouebe wood. And when a very large number of men had been gathered together to lift it up into its place, a few of the workmen said among themselves in a jesting manner, 'I really do wish that the heart of Saint Mercurins would be gracious unto us who are building his martyrium, and that he would make the shouelle-wood apse to put forth branches, laden with fruit, just as if it were growing, so that we might eat thereof.' And suddenly, whilst yet the words were coming out of their mouths, the wood sent forth branches laden with very fine ripe fruit.

28 And when the multitude saw what had taken place, they cried out with a loud voice, and glorified God, and His holy martyr who doeth great and mighty and marvellous things. And certain zealous men brought away some of the fruit, and laid it up for themselves in their houses as a phylactery. And O how very many were the cures which were performed by means of that fruit! And the multitudes ate, and drank, and gave thanks unto God and to His holy martyr, Saint Mercurius. And every person who was in the city and in its neighbourhood, both small and great, heard of this, and they came with one accord to see the great miracle; and both men and women came and saw what had happened, and [learned] that it had been done by the righteous man. 29 And there was in the city a certain Jew who was called Gaipios, and he behaved in an uncouth and savage manner to every man, more especially to the Christians. And he too heard of the wonderful thing which had taken place in the shrine of the saint, and he said, 'I will go and see if these things which these Christians are saying are true or not; peradventure they are telling lies.' And he commanded one of his slaves to saddle a white she-mule, and he mounted her, and he said unto his servant, 'Come, and let us see the stupid fraud which the Christians are celebrating.' Thereupon they set out together, and went on until they came to the shrine of Saint Mercurius, and the Jew went into the shrine riding upon his beast. And one of the Christian young men who cleaned and tended the shrine said unto him, 'Whither goest thou, O godless man, with this beast? Wouldst thou go into the church of God [riding upon an ass]?' And the Jew paid not the smallest regard to him, nor to his words, but he went in and stood still, and looked up into the apse, which was laden with fruit and leaves that seemed to be growing upon a tree in the ground. And the Jew said, 'Who is it that hath been adding leaves which are out of season to the crowns?

30 They tell lies about the saint in saying that it is he who hath done this.' And the incorruptible young man, who had at first spoken to the Jew about [bringing] the beast upon which he was riding [into the shrine], answered and said unto him, 'He who shall destroy thee forthwith is he who maketh manifest all the miracles.' And straightway [the Jew] was filled with wrath, and in a mighty passion he rode his beast at the young man in order to trample him under foot. And straightway the feet of the mule sank down into the ground, as if it had been mud, and the Jew fell upon his face, and cut himself on the stones and bricks which were lying scattered about on the floor of the building. And, behold, straightway Saint Mercurius came to the door, and he was accompanied by an angel, and he was holding his spear in his hand. And he said unto the Jew, 'What doest thou in this place, O thou man?... This place is not one in which to stable beasts, [though] thou hast brought thy mule into it. The leaves (or, foliage) are out of season, and so likewise is the fruit. Thou hast come into this place for the purpose of driving away those who are working at my shrine.

31 Thou wilt neither work thyself [for me] nor wilt thou let others work.' And straightway the saint thrust his spear into the middle of the body of the Jew, and his bowels came out, but no man saw the saint except the Jew, whom the saint was piercing. All they saw was a man lying stretched out upon the ground in a state of unconsciousness, and knowing nothing whatsoever about what had happened to him. 32 And it came to pass that after a time the Jew cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'O Saint Mercurius, help thou me in this hour of necessity, and I will never, never again be ignorant concerning any of the saint's deeds. And if thou wilt shew mercy unto me, and wilt bring me out of this sickness, I will become a Christian. And I will make and dedicate a stele to thee whereon thou shalt be represented in all thy glory, and I will make thee [to appear as thou art] now, with thy spear thrust into me; and I will also make a figure of myself lying prostrate under thy feet, in great shame and helplessness. And I will gild thy figure with the finest gold, and will [inlay it] with precious stones which shall sparkle like fire, that is to say, with chrysolites, and the figure of thy spear I will inlay with precious stones of great price, that is to say, with diamonds. Help thou me, O my Lord Mercurius.' And having said these words he fell back prostrate and lay there half dead.

33 And after these things the angel of the Lord spake unto Saint Mercurius, saying, 'Withdraw thy spear from him, if he will truly believe in our King the Christ. Far better is the sinner [who repenteth] that he hath sinned than a righteous man, and there is joy among the angels over a sinner who shall repent of his sins, even according to what the Saviour told His disciples when He was with them, saying, "Let Thy mercy come to him, for he is without knowledge."' And the saint released the Jew. And when his senses returned to him, he related unto the multitude that were gathered together everything that had happened to him, and they glorified God Who worketh these miracles by the hand of His holy martyr. And after these things the man rose up, and departed to his house, and he related to his wife and to his servants everything that had happened unto him; now he had no son, for [his wife] was barren. And on the morrow he said unto his wife, 'Whatsoever God willeth let it come to me.' And

34 he took his wife and his servants, and he went to the bishop, who baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And the bishop called the (sic) name of the Jew Zacharias, and that of his wife Elisabeth. And when he had gone into his house he knew his wife, and she conceived two male children at one time. And when nine months were fulfilled, she brought forth male twins. And she called the first-born Mercurius, after the name of the saint, because, [said she], 'I have obtained salvation through him'; and the second she called John, after the name of the Baptist. And after all these things the Jew summoned an artificer in metals, and gave unto him ten pounds of fine gold, and a number of very fine precious stones, and the artificer made a portrait figure of Saint Mercurius, holding in his hand his spear, which was inlaid with diamonds. And he made also a figure of himself (i. e. of the Jew) in gold, inlaid with precious stones, [lying] at the feet of Saint Mercurius, who was thrusting his spear into his body. And the Jew took this stele into the church, and after it had been consecrated at the shrine he deposited it in the sanctuary, where it remaineth to this day. And it is at this moment a testimony of the miracles of the holy martyr, Saint Mercurius. In the peace of God! Amen.

The Eighth Miracle of Saint Mercurius.

35 And it came to pass that, after the shrine of the saint had been consecrated, the report of the miracles which were performed therein spread abroad into every region. And a great multitude of people came to visit his holy relics, and worshipped them, and those who were sick obtained healing, and departed to their houses. And he (the saint) cast out devils, and the people paid many vows and gave offerings to his shrine. And there was a certain archon who lived on an estate which was nigh unto this place, and who was called, according to his name, that is to say, 'Kuri[o]s Hermapollo.' And he had a little daughter, who was an only child, for he had not begotten a son, and had no child except her. He had brought her up [from the time when] she was a little orphan, and he was wont to regard her in the same way as he regarded God. And he heard of the mighty deeds and miracles of Saint Mercurius, and he rose up and took as a little benefaction thirty oboli, and he went into the shrine of the saint, and he prayed, and gave the thirty oboli to the steward of the shrine. And the clergy made a great feast in his honour, for they were very hospitable men, and they drank a large quantity of wine, and they ate very much food, and they pleased the archon very greatly.

36 And when at length the opportunity offered itself the archon said, 'Of what thing have ye need? Tell me, and I will dedicate it to this shrine.' And the clergy and the steward said unto him, 'We wish to have a good bier whereon we can carry the body of the martyr.' And the archon made answer, saying, 'If the God of Saint Mercurius will fulfil the petition [IIC] which I shall make, I will have made a bier for the martyr. I will decorate it with the finest carvings in ivory, and it shall be like unto the couches of the Roman Emperors.' And after these things the archon laid himself down to sleep in the night, and behold, Saint Mercurius appeared unto him in the form of a general, and he said unto him, 'When thou shalt have risen up, and mounted thy beast, and entered into thy house, do not omit to have this bier made for me even as thou hast promised. For I know that thou art liable to be a little careless about the ordering of the bier concerning which the clergy informed thee in the evening. Now I will not make a bargain with thee, but I know that after a certain time thou shalt beget [a son]. Come to my shrine, and I will shew mercy unto thee.' And the archon awoke from his dream, and he marvelled exceedingly.

37 And when the morning was come the archon went into the church and worshipped before the body of the martyr, and ne he came forth and mounted his beast, and departed to his own house. And when the day had arrived whereon the archon was to come into the martyrium of the saint, a certain archon of the city, hearing that his daughter was a virgin, and that she was very beautiful, sent some of the people of the city to him, saying, 'I wish to take thy daughter to be my son's wife. And I will give thee [for her] a crown (or, sceptre) in gold and silver, and men slaves and women slaves, and camels, and ships with crews that sail on the sea, in such numbers as befit the honour of thy greatness.' Then the mother of the maiden, that is to say, the wife of the archon, called to him, and she informed him of the matter. And the archon said, 'If I cannot find a young man whom I can bring into my house, and to whom I can transfer all my income, I shall never be able to let her leave me; and besides her I have no other child. I regard her as I regard God.' Then the wife of the archon told everything [which the archon said] to the women who had come [from the other archon], and they departed sorrowfully, and reported the matter to the young man and to his parents, and they were grieved exceedingly, and spake never a word.

38 And when the evening had come the parents of the young man called to their son, and they spake unto him about several other maidens in the city, but they did not please the young man; on the contrary, he was sad of heart because of the maiden. Now he knew that she was exceedingly beautiful. And the young man was still a minor, and he attended school (or, college), and was under the direction of his master. And the master was in the habit of sending the young man daily to the maiden, and he told her the things which his master wrote down for him upon his writing tablet. And besides this the young man, because of the intensity of his love for her, would spend the whole night lying on his bed pondering what he could possibly do to obtain possession of the maiden, either by lawful matrimony or by fornication. In short, he continued to be in a very sorrowful state, but he told no man [the cause] of his sorrow.

39 And it came to pass that in less than a month after these things had taken place the mother of the young man died, and because of his great grief for the young man's mother the archon did not again seek out a wife for his son. And as for the young man, his mind never ceased to run upon the maiden, and he pined away daily, and at length he came nigh to die. And he paid visits to many magicians, for he wished to compel the minds of the parents of the maiden to incline to the giving of her to him, but he did not attain this object. And at last he found a mighty magician who said, 'I will make thee to see her, and thou shalt have speech with her several times mouth to mouth.' And the young man by reason of the intensity of the desire of his heart for [the maiden]

40 [One leaf, or more, wanting] the corner. And they made the wooden supports to stand on bases, and they carved leaves in ivory [and affixed them to them]. And they made the bier, and they fastened to it the image of the martyr made in brilliant precious stones, and three crosses of gold and three crosses of silver. At length the bier was finished satisfactorily, and with great splendour, and he laid the bier upon his beasts by night, and he and his wife, and his sick daughter, and his servant set out and arrived at the shrine of the saint on the third day, which was [the day of] the festival of Saint Mercurius, that is to say, the twentieth day of the month Athor. And when the clergy saw the bier they marvelled exceedingly, and they sang hymns of praise, and they took it into the church. And the archon, and his wife, and his daughter went into the martyrium, and they worshipped before the body of the saint with great joy. And the steward took them away into a place by themselves, where

41 [?] they rested from the fatigue of the journey. And their [?] daughter was suffering greatly, because her disease, which was like unto that caused by a devil, was aggravated by the church. And, behold, Saint Mercurius arrayed himself in the garb of a general, and he went to the city of the archon, and entered into the house of the young man who had brought the serious sickness upon the maiden. And he appeared unto him in a very terrifying manner, with his drawn sword in his hand, and he struck him thrice with [the flat] of the sword, being full of wrath. And the young man awoke from his sleep, and he saw the holy man standing over him, face to face, and he rose up quickly upon his bed so that he might leap to his feet and make his escape. And straightway he fell upon his face at the feet of the saint, who continued to beat him very severely for a long time. And the young man kissed the feet of the saint, saying, 'Woe unto me! I am a sinful man!' And he wept, and he said, 'What is the sin which I have committed against thee, O my lord?' And

42 the holy man said unto him, 'Hast thou never heard what [?] is written: "Thou shalt not curse the governor of thy people, neither shalt thou [raise] thine hand against the anointed of the Lord?"' And the young man said, 'It is thus written, my lord. But tell me thy name, and do thou make me to know my sin, for I repent of my sin, and I know that there is repentance [for me].' And the holy man said unto him, 'I am Mercurius, who work these miracles in this city of Caesarea. I have come to scourge thee and thy magician, who hath caused this severe illness to fall wrongfully upon the daughter of Hermapollo of this city. But inasmuch as I see repentance in thee, I will not destroy thee this time. Only take heed, and when thou risest in the morning forget not to go unto the magician who is causing [this] sinful thing, [and bid him cease]. And when thou comest to my shrine thy joy shall be fulfilled in every particular.' And the young man said unto the saint, 'I myself will come joyfully, but perhaps that magician will not agree to come.' And Saint Mercurius answered and said unto him, 'Deliver thyself, and do not permit that man to come and assume authority over thee.' Then the holy man disappeared from him.

43 And when the morning had come the young man went to [his] father, and said unto him, 'My father, help me. I wish to go to the shrine of Saint Mercurius and pray.' And his father cherished him exceedingly, for he had no other child besides him, and he said unto him, 'Go, my son, but do not tarry in coming back, for my bowels yearn for thee, O thou light of mine eyes.' And he gave him a large quantity of goods, and three male slaves to escort him on his way. And he travelled on his way in great haste, and came to the city wherein lived the man who was a magician. And the young man said unto him, 'Magician, rise up, let us go to the shrine of Saint Mercurius, and pray there'; and he related to the magician everything which had happened unto him. And when the magician heard that the man and his daughter were in the martyrium of the saint he was afraid, and he said, 'If thou wert to kill me at this moment I would not come [with thee] to the shrine of Saint Mercurius, for it hath been revealed unto me that the father of the maiden will kill me because of [the illness of] his daughter.' And straightway the young man continued his journey, with great strenuousness, until he came to the martyrium of the saint in great fear; and he worshipped before the body of the saint, and he saw the maiden lying as it were on the body of the saint, and her father and her mother were crying to the saint to help her, and he afforded her some relief (?). And the young man called the steward, and gave to him ten oboli. And the archon, who was the father of the maiden, looked [behind,] and saw the young man, and he recognized him, and he went

44 [?] [?] 3 I to him, knowing nothing about the matter, and saluted him, and enquired of him concerning the health of his house. And when the two of them had prayed the archon urged the young man, and took him to the upper chamber wherein he lodged, and they ate and drank together, and the young man saw the maiden, and he rejoiced exceedingly; but he was grieved for her because she had suffered torments, and the [?] heart of her parents was shamed because [she had not recovered] from her illness. And besides this the young man was afraid that the martyr would not appear, and, in short, there was very great anxiety in the heart of the young man. And Saint Mercurius appeared to the father of the maiden, and he lifted him up as he lay upon his bed, and he took him outside the place wherein he slept, and he said unto him, 'Give thy daughter to the young man who is with thee, if thou wishest to have her healed, and do not seek out evil in him, lest some other trouble, far more serious than this, come upon her.' And he informed him that after three [months] had passed his (the young man's) father would die, and that the young man would attain full age, and he said, 'Neglect not to take him for thy daughter after the death of his father.' And the saint told him how the young man had caused magic to be worked upon his daughter, and how she had fallen sick through his longing for her; and he also told him how he himself had appeared to the young man, and how he had chastised him with his own hand, and concerning everything which had happened to the young man until he came to the martyrium. And when Saint Mercurius had said these

45 things he disappeared. And the archon awoke from his [?] dream, and he smelled a very strong sweet smell, and he said, 'Verily it is Saint Mercurius himself who hath come and appeared unto me.' And he continued to think about the young man, and about what he had done to his daughter, because of his desire for her, and about the giving of his daughter to him, and he pondered and wondered whether or not it would be the wish of the saint to make the mystery clear, and whether he should keep [the matter] secret. And whilst he was meditating upon these matters a trumpet was sounded to make all those who were sleeping in the shrine to get up, and to come to church, and to sing hymns with the 'lovers of work' (?), because it was the day of the great festival of the saint, that is to say, the twentieth day of the month Athor. And the people rose up, and arrayed themselves in white garments with joy, and they came into the church, and they continued to sing hymns until the day came. And the archon also rose up, and he called his wife and his daughter, and they came to the shrine, followed by their slaves, and the young man also came with his slaves,

46 and they went in and worshipped at the body of the saint; and they rejoiced. And the young man looked at the bier and [?] marvelled at its beauty, and he found the magician tied to the bier of the martyr like a muzzled dog. And when he saw the young man he cried out, saying, 'Woe is me, O my lord brother. Come and look upon my most wretched state.' And the young man said unto him, 'Wherefore hast thou come into this place?' And the magician said unto him, 'O my brother, it came to pass when thou didst depart from me that Saint Mercurius came to me, and he gagged me, and he brought me hither, and tied me up to this bier, and the people treat me with scorn.' And forthwith he cried out, 'Help me, [O] my beloved brother, for even whilst I am talking to thee the saint is slapping my face, and I am greatly shamed.' [And the young man] said unto him, 'Have they not informed thee concerning the mystery—that it hath been revealed? Why lost thou seek to make it manifest?' And behold, immediately, a demon leaped upon the magician, and he overpowered him, and thrust him to the ground, and cried out, saying, [?] Let me alone. I will teach him! Saint Mercurius hath commanded me [to do so], for very great are the blasphemies which he hath made (i. e. uttered) against God Who made

47 3 I 2 him.' And behold, a devil took possession of a woman also, even in the presence of the body of the saint. And when the Eucharist was ended all the people gathered themselves together to see how the saint had put to shame the devils. And the archon came and sat down. And the woman who was possessed of the devil cried out, 'O Hermapollo, …' the evil of this magician, for it is he who hath enchanted (or, bewitched) thy daughter. And, moreover, give thou thy daughter to the young man, according to what thou wast told in [thy] dream, otherwise she will never be healed. And do not thou neglect to accept the person of the young man for thy daughter's sake, for his father hath only another three months [to live]. And after these things thy heart shall have rest.' And the heart of the archon's wife wondered by reason of the things which she had heard;

48 and behold, immediately the mother (?) of the maiden looked [?] upon her, she was relieved of the torturing pain, and she was as if she had never been ill at all. And the woman through whom Saint Mercurius had spoken said unto the magician, 'From this moment onwards thou shalt never dwell among men, but thou shalt flee to a remote place, and thither shalt thou abide by thyself in the wilderness until the day of thy death.' And he (Mercurius) rebuked the spirit which was in him, and cast him out, and he made good his faculty of sight, and the magician departed into the desert, and there he dwelt until the day of his death. And when the day of the festival was over Hermapollo mounted his beast, and he, and his wife, and his daughter, and his slave[s], and the young man, and his slave[s] departed, and they came to their native city. And the archon announced to his wife everything which the saint had said to him in the dream. And when his wife knew (or, understood) what the archon told her of the dream she saw that what he had told

49 1 Text illegible. 50 her was the same as that which the saint spake by the mouth of the woman who was possessed of a devil. And when the people heard [these things] a great trembling of heart took place in their midst, and they sent messengers to him, and they ate and drank with him. And they told him, saying, 'Cease to be anxious, and we will arrange the marriage according to what Saint Mercurius spake unto us.' And when the young man heard these things he rejoiced exceedingly; and when the feast was ended the young man went into his house, and he told his father everything, and his father rejoiced exceedingly. And when the morning had come the father of the young man gathered together all the rich noblemen of the city, and they came to the house of Kuri[o]s Hermapollo, and they spake to him concerning his daughter. And they agreed together, and the archon gave her a large quantity of gold and silver, and numerous ornaments of jewellery, and men slaves and women slaves, and boats and ships with crews that sailed the sea. And they brought singers, and players upon pipes and tambourines and [other] musical instruments, and play actors, and acrobats and buffoons, and they celebrated the wedding with very great pomp and ceremony. And one week later a very large number of rich men and a very large number of archons were invited, and they celebrated the wedding with great splendour and they rejoiced exceedingly.

51 And within three months after the wedding the father of the young man died at a ripe old age. And when the days of mourning were fulfilled, the young man took his gold and his silver, and all his possessions, and his slaves, and brought them to the house of his father-in-law, and they remained together until the day of their death. And they (i.e. the young man and his wife) used to come every year to the shrine of Saint Mercurius, on the day of his holy festival, and pray there and give thanks unto God, to Whom belongeth mighty miracles. And, O my beloved, ye see these great and gracious acts which God 52 [?] [?] performeth for His chosen ones from time to time! And, O ye God-loving people, I wish I could set a few of them before you; but I know that I have not the strength to complete the description of the miracles [of any one] of the saints, especially those of the martyr Saint Mercurius! And, moreover, moderation is good in everything. Blessed be every one who readeth [The rest is wanting]

XI. The Encomium of Acacius, Bishop of Caesarea, on Mercurius the Martyr

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 6802) The Encomium Which SAINT APA ACACIUS, BISHOP OF CAESAREA, PRONOUNCED IN THE [A] MARTYRIUM WHICH WAS BUILT IN THE NAME OF SAINT MERCURIUS, ON THE DAY OF HIS HOLY COMMEMORATION, THAT IS TO SAY, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF THE MONTH ATHÔR, WHEREIN HE PRAISED THE NUMEROUS MIGHTY DEEDS AND MIRACLES WHICH TOOK PLACE THROUGH THE HOLY MARTYR, SAINT MERCURIUS. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. MAY HIS HOLY BLESSING BE WITH US ALL TOGETHER. AMEN. 2 Verily, 'the light hath risen upon the righteous,' in respect of this Saint Mercurius, according to the words which the sacred singer, the father of the Christ according to the flesh, the righteous king, the hymn-writer, David spake. He crieth out, he crieth out with his sweet voice, and he singeth to his harp with the plectrum in his hand, saying, 'The light [A] hath risen upon the righteous.' And again he saith, 'The light hath risen in the darkness for those who are right in their hearts.' The Christ Himself saith in the Gospel, 'Then shall the righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.' Now Saint Mercurius …was a pagan before thou didst know the Christ well. And having buckled on his armour he went forth to fight against the Barbarians. Now before these things he served as an officer under Decius, the lawless Emperor. He took in his hands arrows, and ceased (?

3 not to destroy the Barbarians with them. And the angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and gave unto him a sword, saying, 'Destroy the Barbarians [with this] …[several words are wanting here] it is seemly that we should manifest great readiness of disposition towards them (i. e. the gods), and that we should pay honour and glory unto them according to their merit, and offer gifts and offerings in return for the good things which they have performed for us in times past. We order the doors of all the temples to be opened, in every city and in every town, from Rômania [in the north] to Pilak (Philae) and Kûsh in the south, and incense to be offered up therein to the glorious gods, and their worship to be performed therein with great zeal. 4 And we command that no Christian shall be allowed to appear in any sacred place, and that the governors of the provinces shall pursue the Christians in every place, whether bishop, or presbyter, or reader, or monk, or layman, or male, or female, or soldier, or peasant, or civil officer; in short, every class of man [that existeth] for thé administering of my kingdom, and shall compel them to offer up sacrifices to the glorious gods. And whosoever shall gainsay (or, resist) my command him shall they deliver over unto severe tortures of various kinds until he dieth.'

5 Then Decius, the lawless Emperor, ordered the herald to make a proclamation throughout the whole city, saying, 'Take heed, O all ye people, whether soldier or peasant, and every man of every class and of every age whatsoever, and come, all of you, to the temple of the gods and offer up sacrifice to them therein. Build firmly altars at the gate of the temple, offer up sacrifices upon them, frankincense, and bulls, and goats, and feathered fowl, and let the firmament be filled full with the smoke of the heavy fumes of their burning carcases.' And there was great quaking among the Christians, for [the servants of Decius] pursued them, and beat them, and dragged them to the gates [of the temples], and to the secret shrines, and they compelled them to offer up sacrifices. And there was very great trouble in every place, for the tyrant commanded [his soldiers] to produce before him every kind of terrifying instrument of torture in order that when the Christians saw them they might fear the glittering swords, and the iron beds, and the instruments for drawing out the sinews, and the knives for slitting and cutting out the tongue, and the metal helmets, and the sharp butchers' knives, and the brazen cauldrons filled with boiling bitumen, and the brazen cauldrons filled with [boiling] oil (?), and the wheels with knives attached thereto, and all the other terrifying instruments of torture.

6 And that impious Emperor said, 'Whosoever shall gainsay (or, resist) my command I will gouge out his eyes, I will tear out his tongue, I will take out his entrails, I will cut through the soles of his feet, and I will take out his brains, and the rest of his body I will give to the fire that it may consume it.' And when the men who were pious saw these things great despair laid hold upon them, and they were afraid, and they dropped their hands by their sides in helplessness. Every man was delivering his neighbour over unto death, fathers were delivering their sons over unto death, and forgot the truth (i. e. tie) of nature, and brethren dragged out [brethren], and thrust them forward, and delivered them over unto death. And every one who confessed the Name of Jesus was greatly disturbed. 7 And there was in the army a certain valiant young man whose name was Mercurius, and he was an officer in the Martusian regiment, and he feared God. He was exceedingly goodly in appearance, and the whole army loved him because of his intelligence and his cultivated manners. He was by race a native of Cappadocia, and he was a Christian from his childhood, and his parents were Christians. He was a mighty man in battle, and God was with him in all his works. And when the tribune saw that he was far advanced in his knowledge of the theory and practice of the craft of the soldier he made him a commander of his regiment. And when the Emperor saw the valour of the young man he loved him, and clave to him, and took counsel with him about the affairs of the Government. And it came to pass after these things, when the persecution had spread abroad, that the heathen Barbarians revolted against the Romans. And the Emperor Decius and the whole Senate found themselves in a position of great difficulty through their great lack of troops and equipment, and through the defeat which had come upon them suddenly. For the Barbarians had fought against them with such success that they captured the great country of Armenia which was on the frontier between them and the Romans. And the Emperor Decius commanded the soldiers of every troop and regiment to be called up to go to the war and to fight against the Barbarians. Then the Emperor reserved for his own command certain armies and regiments, and he marched out to do battle with the Barbarians. He crossed the Euphrates, the great river, which is on the frontiers of Armenia, and he conquered the Barbarians in the twinkling of an eye, and defeated their king and his army.

8 And it was at that time that the great valour of this noble man, Saint Mercurius, the true believer, the commander of the Martusian regiment, was revealed. He was a man who was perfect in his service of God, and in his daily life and conversation he practised piety of every kind. The Word of God was sweeter than honey in his mouth every moment. And it came to pass that one night when he was sleeping among his troops, having finished reciting his prayers, he lost consciousness for a little while. And behold, the angel of the Lord stood over him, and touched his side, and awoke him. And the angel had a sword in his right hand, and his appearance was awe-inspiring, and he was arrayed in the panoply of war which was marvellous [to behold]; and when Saint Mercurius saw him he was greatly afraid. And the angel answered and said unto him, 'Mercurius.' And Mercurius said unto him, 'Behold me, O Lord.' And Mercurius opened his eyes, and when he saw the angel he was greatly afraid, and he thought that he was one of the imperial officers or a general. And the angel reached out to him the sword which was in his hand, now it was in his hand and drawn from its sheath, saying unto him, 'Take this drawn sword which is in my hand, for by means of it thou shalt destroy the whole host of the Barbarians. I am the Commander-in-Chief of the hosts of the Lord.

9 I have come to help thee and thy fellow soldiers who believe in the Lord Jesus the Christ. Now therefore conquer and prevail, for I will be with thee until the end of thy strife, in peace. Behold, the time hath come, and behold, the contest is arranged. Strive in such wise that thou mayest receive thy strength, for no athlete receiveth the crown unless he hath striven skilfully, and the husbandman who hath toiled strenuously is he who receiveth the fruits first. Now, therefore, hearken unto the words which I shall speak unto thee, and delay not to place thy confidence in the Lord thy God. For a mighty contest is prepared for thee, and thou shalt be a valiant martyr. The fame of thy martyrdom shall be bruited abroad throughout the whole world, and every one who heareth concerning it shall marvel at thy valour, and they shall glorify God because of the mighty deeds, and miracles, and works of valour which the Lord thy God shall have performed for thee. Great tortures await thee at the hands of the lawless Emperor, and cruel tribulations; but endure patiently, and thou shalt receive a crown incorruptible. Whosoever is held to be worthy to touch thy body shall be saved.

10 And if any man shall be in any need or necessity, or shall be suffering torture (?), or [in peril] in the desert, or in peril by sea or by river, or in tribulation, or in prison, if he remember thy name with faith, and call upon thee, he shall be saved. Whosoever shall build a shrine in thy name, and shall give an offering in thy name on the day of thy commemoration, on them will I bestow my blessing and happiness in their habitations, and I will never allow them to lack anything whatsoever. Of the man who shall make a copy of the book of thy martyrdom I will tear up the bill of indictment of his sins, and I will nevermore remember all the evil deeds which he hath committed, and I will bestow him upon thee as a son in my kingdom. And behold, I will bestow upon thee three crowns; one for thy riches (sic), one for the sufferings which thou hast endured in My Name, and one for thy virginity. Be strong and prevail, for I am with thee.' And when the archangel had said these things unto him he went up into heaven surrounded with splendour. Now, when these men who were round about Saint Mercurius saw the great vision which appeared, they became like unto those who are dead.

11 And on the morrow the Emperor Decius commanded his officers to set the hosts and troops in battle array, and when they had arrayed themselves in the panoply of war to attack the Barbarians in battle. Then the truly valiant man Saint Mercurius set out to attack the host of the Barbarians, and he rushed in among them through the power of God which was with him. And he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and saw the Archangel Michael, who was in the form of a general of the army. There was a drawn sword in his right hand, and he reached it out to Saint Mercurius, saying unto him, 'Be of good cheer! Take this sword, and make thy way to the Barbarians, and slaughter them therewith in the Name of the Christ Who shall give strength unto thee.' And Saint Mercurius stretched out his hand and took the sword from the hand of the Archangel Michael, and he set out for the hosts of the Barbarians. And he slaughtered them in the Name of the Christ, giving them no quarter, until his hand stuck to the sword by reason of the great quantity of blood [upon it]. And he destroyed the Barbarians with an exceedingly great and severe slaughter that day. And the remnant betook themselves to flight and made themselves invisible, and these fire from heaven consumed. And when the Emperor saw the deeds of valour which Saint Mercurius performed, through the strength of God, which was with him, he rejoiced exceedingly over the victory and the conquest which had accrued to the Romans. And the Emperor bestowed upon Saint Mercurius great honours and very many possessions, and he determined to make him the captain of the Martusian regiment.

12 And it came to pass after these things that the Emperor Decius commanded all his army, and all the troops and companies thereof, and the exarchs, and the generals, and the patricians, and all the Romans of senatorial rank, to assemble in the temple of Apollo, and to offer up sacrifice. Then, when the blessed man perceived the grievous error which had obtained dominion over the Emperor and over the army through the Devil, he withdrew himself from them, and he went into his house, and he made supplication unto the Lord, saying, 'O Lord Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Christ, take good heed unto Thy clay which Thou hast fashioned, and scatter Thou abroad the stumbling-blocks which the Devil hath cast into the hearts of all mankind. Stablish Thou the hearts of the people, and of [every] one who feareth Thy Holy Name. O Lord, give Thou strength

13 to Thy Church, so that every one may believe in Thy Holy Name. Glory be unto Thee, and unto Thy Good Father, and unto the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.' And it came to pass that when the Emperor had come to the door of the temple, the whole army was gathered together inside it to offer up sacrifice, each one according to his rank. And when it came to the turn of Saint Mercurius to offer up sacrifice, he was not to be found among the soldiers. And when the Emperor had sought for him, he found him in his house sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and he was grieving exceedingly over the great schism which had arisen throughout all the world through the Devil. Then certain of the soldiers of the regiment of Mercurius made their way to the Emperor, and they laid information against the blessed Mercurius, saying, 'O our Lord Emperor, live for ever! Thy glorious sovereignty hath commanded all classes of men to offer up sacrifices to the glorious gods. Behold now, there are those who are nigh unto thee, and who are attached to thy personal service, who treat thy glorious decree with contempt, to wit, Mercurius, who is under the rule of thy kingdom, and whom thou hast exalted to honour, and thou hast bestowed upon him the rank of Count, and hast set him over the regiment. So great is this honour that the whole of the Roman army, when it heard of it, glorified him, and put

14 itself into subjection to him because of the great honour which thou hadst conferred upon him. Behold, he hath treated thy sovereign power with contempt, and he hath not joined us in the temple to offer up sacrifices to the gods; but he hath gone into his house, and stripped off himself the insignia of his rank, and hath thereby disgraced the Roman fame, and hath cast a blemish on the holy law. We found him in his house, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and praying to the Lord his God with tears. And he was persuading every one to turn away from the worship of the gods, and was making them follow Jesus the Nazarene, Whom they crucified, and he said, "It is He Who is God; He created the heavens and the earth"; in this wise he was making every one withdraw from the gods.' 15 And the Emperor spake unto those who related these things unto him, saying unto them, 'These things which ye say unto me about Mercurius, who was attached to me, to the effect that he treateth me with contempt, may be true; nevertheless, let two of the officers who are here go and summon him hither, so that I may know that these things which ye say unto me about him are really true or not.' Then they brought the blessed Mercurius into the presence of the Emperor Decius. His eyes were filled with tears, he was arrayed in the garb of humiliation, and they set him in the presence of the Emperor. When Decius saw him in the garb of humiliation he shook his head, and he found it very difficult to understand what had happened [unto him]. Then he spake unto Mercurius, saying, 'Mercurius, tell me what hath happened unto thee, and what excuse thou hadst for treating with contempt the great honours and the high rank which I have bestowed upon thee. I held thee to be worthy of the forethought of the gods, and thou hast reckoned as dross the high rank which I conferred upon thee, which was above that of every one else in the Army. Furthermore, explain unto me whence this error hath come to thee. The whole of the Roman army is assembled in the temple to offer sacrifice to the righteous gods, and it is thou only who hast separated thyself from the troops. And further, tell me what is the country of which thou art a native. Did thy parents call thee by this name [of Mercurius]?'

16 And the blessed Mercurius answered and said unto the Emperor, 'Thou wishest to know of what country I am a native: listen, then, [and I will tell thee] about my origin (or, kin). I am a native of Cappadocia, so far as this world is concerned; but as for my own native city, I belong to the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother city of the saints. The name which my parents gave unto me originally was Philopator, the interpretation whereof is "lover of his father", but R R when I became a soldier I was called Mercurius by the commander of my regiment. I am a servant of Jesus the Christ, my Lord, the Son of the Living God.' And when the Emperor heard these things he remained stupefied for a very considerable time. Then he shook his head, saying, 'Cast away from thee this silly boasting and this mad idea of thine, and get thee into the temple, and offer up sacrifice to the great god Apollo. Then get thee back to thy troop, where thy fellow soldiers are, and take up thy rank and duty as before.' And the holy man Mercurius said unto the lawless Emperor, 'Let this fact be quite plain before thee, O lawless Emperor: I will not offer up sacrifice unto thy [god] Apollo, that vain thing, and forsake my God, Who is the Creator of R B the heavens and the earth, and of everything [in them]. For I am a Christian. To the liberty and the life of the soldier of this world I bid farewell, and as for the high rank [which thou gavest me] I need it not. I am a servant of the Christ Jesus, the Son of the Living God.'

17 And the Emperor Decius answered and said unto him, 'Mercurius, up to the present I did not believe the things which thy accusers told me concerning thee, for I knew well how envious [of thee] were those who made accusations against thee, and that they did so because they saw the great honour which I had conferred upon thee over the whole regiment, and over the whole army. Now, therefore, hearken unto me: Sacrifice to the gods. Do not let the matter force me to forget the friendly disposition which I had towards thee, and to deprive thee of thy rank, and to inflict severe R C tortures upon thee.' And the blessed Mercurius answered and said unto the Emperor, 'The friendship of this world is of no account whatsoever, and it is a thing inimical to God. Similarly, these honours are for a season only, but the glory of God endureth for ever. Now, therefore, trouble not thyself to no purpose, for I am a Christian, and I will not offer up sacrifice to thine abominable god; moreover, whatsoever thou wishest to do unto me that do.' And Decius said unto him, 'O Mercurius, offer up sacrifice, and do not die a terrible death.' And the blessed Mercurius said unto him, 'O Emperor, let [this] one word be sufficient for thee.

18 I will not hearken unto thee and serve strange gods, and cast my God, Jesus the Christ, behind my back.' And when Decius heard these things he was exceedingly wroth, and he commanded them to strip off his apparel, and to make ten soldiers lay him on the ground, and all of them to beat him with leather whips at once; [and they did so] until the ground under him [was soaked with] his blood. And Decius the Emperor said unto him, 'Mercurius, thou findest tortures to be troublesome things. Are they worse than thy offering of sacrifice or no?' And the blessed Mercurius answered, saying, 'As long as I have with me my Lord Jesus the Christ to help me, I shall not sink under thy tortures. For I am a servant of my Lord Jesus the Christ, Who helpeth me, and Who is the King of what is in heaven and of what is on the earth.'

19 And when the Emperor Decius heard these things he said, 'Mercurius, hearken unto me. Offer sacrifice unto the gods, and take heed to these terrible tortures, in order that thou mayest [not] die an evil death. Up to this point I have had compassion upon thee, and have been long-suffering in respect of thee. For I did not wish to do thee harm, especially because thou wast my friend during the attack upon me in the war. Hearken unto me, and offer up sacrifice to the gods. Destroy not thy early manhood by [these] divers tortures. I am considering carefully thy youth and thy friendship [in speaking thus].' And the blessed Mercurius answered and said, 'Every suffering which shall be unto me through confessing [my] God will add to my holy reward, for the 20 sufferings of this present are not worthy of the glory which shall be revealed unto us.' And when the Emperor Decius heard these things he said unto Mercurius, 'Since thou hast stablished thy heart on words of folly, and reckonest Roman honours to be as dross, and since thou wilt not permit thyself to sacrifice to the righteous gods, according to the ordinance of the Senate, and wilt not obey the Imperial Law, I will punish thee according to thy foolishness, and I shall see whether the God in Whom thou believest can save thee from my hands.' And Saint Mercurius said unto the Emperor, 'It is written in [the Book of] the Holy Apostle, "Who shall separate us from the love of God? Not tribulation, or affliction, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword. Even as it is written, For Thy sake they slay us all the day long. For we are persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angel, nor principality, nor power, nor things which are, nor things which shall be, shall be able to separate us from the love of the Christ."'

21 And when the blessed Mercurius had said these things the Emperor Decius was wroth, and he commanded [his men] to put Mercurius on the rack and to rack him. And the executioners racked him until the bones of his back were pulled asunder, yet the blessed man never ceased to bless God, saying, 'O Lord Jesus the Christ, the Only-begotten of the Father, Who wast born of the holy virgin Mary, Who didst take flesh upon Thyself of the true lamb, and didst at length deliver the whole race of Adam, and didst set us free from the slavery of our sins, I give thanks unto Thee that Thou hast made us worthy of Thy great goodness. Hearken Thou unto me this day. I am Thy servant Mercurius. Make Thou me to be worthy of Thine invitation, and of the participation in Thy holy sufferings, and of the faithful witness of Thy God-head. Now, therefore, O my Lord, forsake me not, and go not Thou far from me, for tribulations await me, and fetters have fallen upon me. But give Thou me strength, O my Lord, until I have finished my contest in peace. Let not my enemies rejoice over me, and let not them say among the heathen, Where is their God?' And when he had said these things, behold, a voice came unto him, saying, 'Be of good cheer, O My athlete Mercurius.

22 Bear patiently, O My chosen hero, for I will be with thee, I will give strength unto thee, and I will be with thee as a Protector. I will help thee in every suffering which thou shalt endure in My Name. Be not dismayed, neither be thou downhearted at the tortures. I will be with thee; I will give strength unto thee, until thou hast completed thy contest bravely.' Then straightway the Archangel Michael kissed him, and made the Sign of the Cross over his whole body, and immediately the rack split asunder and became two parts, and the fetters wherewith he was bound were burst asunder, and he leaped up, and stood upon his feet, and there was no injury on him; on the contrary, he was glorifying God. 23 And when the Emperor saw what had taken place he was filled with wrath, and he said, 'Since this man said, "We have a panoply in which to fight," I hereby give the order for him to be stretched out on four stakes, and to suspend him between heaven and earth one cubit.' And when they had done this unto him the Emperor said, 'Where is now thy panoply in which to fight, wherein thou didst put thy trust? I swear by the greatest of the great gods, Zeus, that thou hast been well handled.' And the holy man looked up into heaven and said, 'O Lord, help me, I am Thy servant.' And the Emperor further commanded them to make gashes in his body with sharp knives and goads of iron, and after- iv A wards to sprinkle burning coals of fire upon it, so that little by little it might be consumed; and [when they did these things] the fiery coals were extinguished by the blood which flowed from the righteous man. And the holy man bore up under this new torture with great fortitude. Then Decius made them carry him away, saying, 'Let him die quickly'; and the soldiers bore him away quickly into a place of darkness. And when they were carrying him away he was half dead, but there was a little breath left in him, although they thought he was dead.

24 And behold, a very short time after this, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, 'Peace be unto thee, O thou mighty athlete!' And when he had said this he healed the wounds which were in his body, and made him to stand up, and he was so sound and well that when he rose and stood up he [was able to] glorify God Who had helped him. And after these things the Emperor made them to set him before the tribune. And when the Emperor [saw] him he said unto him, 'Hast thou been rescued from my hands? Thou art half dead. By what means now wilt thou walk? Perhaps even there are no wounds on thy body?' Then he commanded his spearmen to examine carefully the body of Mercurius, and they said unto the Emperor, 'We swear by thine own power, O pious Emperor, that his entire body is in a healthy state, and that there is no sign of injury upon it, and that it is as if it had never been touched.' And Decius said, 'Assuredly he will say, "It was Christ Who healed me. Did ye not take a physician into the prison to treat him with medicines?' And they said, 'By thy glorious majesty which ruleth the whole world, it was none of the men who heal that cured him. We thought that he would die, and how he is alive and how he hath been relieved we do not understand at all.

25 The magic of the Christians is exceedingly powerful. Yesterday he was a dead man, and to-day he standeth up whole and well.' And the Emperor was filled with wrath, and he said unto Mercurius, 'Tell me truly who it was that healed thee without magic.' And Saint Mercurius answered and said, 'It was my Lord Jesus the Christ, the Physician of souls and bodies, who bestowed a cure upon me: for it is said, "The man who useth magical drugs, and the men who use incantations, and the worshippers of idols shall be strangers unto Him; and He shall bind them with fetters that cannot be loosened, and shall deliver them over to the fire of Gehenna, because they know not the God Who made them.'" 26 And [the Emperor] said, 'I am going to inflict the most terrible tortures upon thy body; let me see if the Christ, on Whom thou believest, will heal thee.' And Saint Mercurius said, 'I believe on my Lord Jesus the Christ; even though thou shalt inflict multitudes of punishments upon me, thou shalt not make me to be troubled. For He said, "Fear not those who can kill your bodies, [but] who have no power to kill your souls; but fear Him Who hath the power to destroy both your souls and your bodies in Gehenna."' Then the Emperor commanded [the executioners] to bring a red-hot iron and to apply it to his members, and to apply blazing torches to his ribs; and when they had done this, instead of smoke, a sweet odour arose and it spread about among all those who were in that place. Now although they tortured him horribly he neither uttered a groan nor wept. And the Emperor said unto him, 'Where is thy Physician now? Let Him come and heal thee. And thou didst also say, If I die He is able to raise me up [again].' And Saint Mercurius said unto him, 'Do whatsoever thou wishest. For thou hast power over my body, but God is the master of my soul. And even if thou shalt destroy my body, my soul shall endure, it being incorruptible.' And the Emperor further ordered them to hang him up head downwards, and to bring a large stone and to suspend it from his neck, so that he might become suffocated and die quickly. And the power of God dwelt in the martyr, and [His] grace, and he subsisted for a long time under this punishment.

27 And when the Emperor Decius saw that he bore the pain with fortitude, and that the torture in no way affected him, he ordered them to remove the stone which was attached to his neck, and to bring a leather whip with four thongs, and to beat him until the ground [under him] was saturated with his blood. And the noble man bore up under this torture also, and he was even like unto an adamantine stone in his fortitude. And Mercurius said, 'I give thanks unto Thee, O my Lord, that Thou hast held me to be worthy to suffer for Thy holy Name.' And when the Emperor saw that his resolution was immovable, and that he could never persuade him to offer up sacrifice [to the gods], he came to a decision, for it was urgent for him to go to Rome, and he passed the sentence of death upon him, and ordered them to dispatch him with the sword, saying, 'Mercurius having treated the gods with scorn, and despised the holy dogma of our compassion, and esteemed our power of no account, [I] hereby command that he be taken to the city of Cappadocia, and that he be beheaded there, in the sight of all men.

28 For unto every one who, having received honour from the Emperor, shall contradict his command, shall stripes be given, and finally he shall be delivered over to the sword.' When those who had been appointed to remove him lifted him up, and set him on a beast, they had to tie him on because the body of the martyr swayed about from side to side, for he was, as it were, dead. And they journeyed on the high road, and after a few days they reached the city of Caesarea, and in this state they carried him along, little by little. And the Lord stood by him, and He said unto him, 'Mercurius, come, take thy rest with Me, since thou hast finished thy course, and hast kept the faith; receive thou the crown of the athlete's craft, and that which hath been allotted to thee thou shalt inherit.' And when the Lord had appeared unto him the martyr became strong, and he said unto those who were in charge of him, 'Do quickly that which ye have been commanded to do. The Lord Who calleth every man to repentance shall make you to be worthy of His grace. For He is rich, and He is wont to be gracious unto those who go to Him willingly, and without ill will.' And when he had said these things they took off his head, and he completed the good confession of our Saviour on the twentieth day of November, which is Athor.

29 And a great miracle took place which is worthy of mention. After the martyr had ended [his course] his body became as white as snow, and it emitted a sweet smell which was like unto choice incense, and because of this sign very many men became Christians. And they laid the holy man in a prominent place, wherein very many works of power and miracles were performed. Glory be to God the Father, and to His Only-begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, our Lord, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, for ever and ever. Amen.