Section 206
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 175 reach of the skill of Christ. For those that had fallen from the faith on the first seizure, were also themselves imprisoned, and shared in the sufferings of the rest. Their renunciation did them no good at this time, but those that confessed what they really were, were imprisoned as Christians ; no other charge being alleged against them. But these, at last, were confined as mur derers and guilty culprits, and were punished with twice the se verity of the rest. The former, indeed, were refreshed by the joy of martyrdom, the hope of the promises, the love of Christ, and the spirit of the Father ; but the latter were sadly tormented by their own conscience. So that the difference was obvious to all in their very countenances, when they were led forth. For the one went on joyful, much glory and grace being mixed in their faces, so that their bonds seemed to form noble ornaments, and, like those of a bride, adorned with various golden bracelets, and im pregnated with the sweet odour of Christ, they appeared to some anointed with earthly perfumes. But the others, with downcast look, dejected, sad, and covered with every kind of shame, in ad dition to this, were reproached by the heathen as mean and cow ardly, bearing the charge of murderers, and losing the honourable, glorious, and life-giving appellation of Christians. The rest, how ever, seeing these effects, were so much the more confirmed, and those that were taken immediately, confessed, not even admitting the thought suggested by diabolical objections. Introducing some further rema*rks, they again proceed : " After these things their martyrdom was finally distributed into various kinds ; for platting and constituting one crown of various colours and all kinds of flo\vers, they offered it to the Father. It was right, indeed, that these noble wrestlers, who had sustained a diversi fied contest, and had come off with a glorious victory, should bear away the great crown of immortality. Maturus, therefore, and Sanctus, and Blandina, and Attalus, were led into the amphi theatre to the wild beasts, and to the common spectacle of hea thenish inhumanity, the day for exhibiting the fight with wild beasts being designedly published on our account. Maturus, how ever, and Sanctus, again passed through all the tortures in the amphitheatre, just as if they had suffered nothing at all before, or