Section 362
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 331 upon their feet, but forced down by the weight of the body, whilst the pressure of their weight also increased the tension of their cords. And this they endured, not merely as long as the governor spoke to them, or as long merely as he had leisure to hear, but nearly the whole day. For when he passed on to others, he left some of his subordinate officers to attend to the former, to observe whether any of them seemed overcome by the torments, to surrender. But he gave orders to proceed with out sparing, to bind with bonds, and afterwards, when they had breathed out their life, to drag them on the ground. For they said that there should not the least regard be paid to us, but that they should think and act with us as if we were nothing at all. Our enemies, therefore, had devised this second torture beside the scourging. But there were some, also, after the tortures, placed in the stocks, stretched by both feet to the fourth hole. So that they were of necessity obliged to keep in a lying posture on their back, not being able to have any command of their man gled bodies, in consequence of the blows and scourges they had received. Others, again, being cast on the ground, lay prostrated by the accumulated tortures which they had endured, exhibiting a still more dreadful spectacle in that condition than when under the actual infliction of the torture, and bearing on their bodies the various and multiplied proofs of the ingenuity of their tor turers. Whilst these things were doing, some indeed died under their torments, covering their enemies with shame by their persever ance. Others, again, almost dead, were thrust into prison, and before many days ended their life through incessant pain. The rest, however, somewhat recovering by the application of reme dies, by time and their long detention in prison, became more confident. Thus, then, when ordered to take their choice, either by touching the unholy sacrifice, to remain without further mo lestation, and to obtain the execrable sentence of liberation from them, or else, without sacrificing, to expect the sentence of death, they without delay cheerfully embraced death. They well knew what had been anciently prescribed in the sacred Scriptures " For he that offereth sacrifice to other gods," saith the Scrip