pscelestinus.encomium.01 Chapter 1

THE ENCOMIUM WHICH WAS PRONOUNCED THE GLORIOUS PATRIARCH, THE VERITABLE TEACHER, APA CELESTINUS, ARCHBISHOP OF THE CITY OF ROME,

IN HONOUR OF THE MARTYR AND TRUE CROWN-BEARER IN THE CHRIST, THE HOLY VIRGIN, SAINT VICTOR THE GENERAL.

HE PRONOUNCED IT ON THE DAY OF HIS HOLY COMMEMORATION, WHICH IS THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF THE MONTH PARMOUTE,

AND HE PRONOUNCED IT IN HIS MARTYRIUM WHICH THE GOD-LOVING EMPEROR HAD BUILT FOR HIM IN ROME.

AND HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING THE ADMONISHING OF THE SOUL WHICH MAKETH ITSELF MANIFEST IN WORK, FOR THERE IS NOTHING CERTAIN IN THE LIFE OF MAN EXCEPT SUFFERING AND MISERY.

AND HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE (BOOK OF THE) APOSTLE, 'IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF GOD.' ' AND (HE SPAKE ALSO) CONCERNING THE MISERABLE STATE OF A MAN AT THE MOMENT WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO YIELD UP HIS SPIRIT INTO THE HANDS OF GOD.

AND THE ENCOMIUM OF CELESTINUS CELESTINUS PRONOUNCED THIS ENCOMIUM WHEN THE EMPEROR VALENTIANUS WAS PRESENT, AND ALL HIS NOBLES, AND ALL THE PEOPLE, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE, WERE WITH HIM,

AND THEY CELEBRATED THE (GLORIOUS) FESTIVAL OF SAINT VICTOR, AND MARVELLED ESPECIALLY AT THE WISDOM OF SAINT CELESTINUS. IN THE PEACE OF GOD!

MAY HIS HOLY BLESSING COME UPON US, AND MAY WE ALL OBTAIN SALVATION! AMEN. BLESS US!

When He Who is alone the Handicraftsman, and the Deliverer of His day, and the Storehouse Who is filled with, compassion of every kind, is pleased in His loving-kindness to call to remembrance the work of His hand, He giveth to His creatures food in its season, He openeth His hand which is filled wath. righteousness of every kind, and He maketh the sky to pour out rain at the time that is fitting.

And by these means the meadow doth become soft, and doth, burst into flower, in order that all mankind may rejoice.

He bringeth down upon the earth the rain in the season of rain,

and the husbandman cleaveth the furrows of the meadow wdth the plough, and casteth the seed into them at the season of sowing. And the grain beginneth to sprout, and the plants which bear grain grow up and ripen, according to their kind.

And there is very great rejoicing in all beings,

for they enjoy their food, and the things whereby the body is sustained; yea, even in the beasts of the field, which are wont to leap about and spring into the air when they eat the grass and herbs in the season of spring.

And the husbandmen are wont to rejoice exceedingly, because they have good hope of paying the revenue tax on their flocks and herds.

If now there is wont to be joy of this kind over the food that appertaineth to the body, how much greater should be the joy this day, O flock of reasoning sheep, O ye blessed Christian people, over the Blood that flowed out from the Side of God, and the Water that fell upon the earth?

For it made the world new again, and it became a fountain of water which bubbleth up unto life for ever.

And all mankind rejoiced, and leaped for joy,

and they blossomed once again through the Water and the Blood that flowed forth out of the side of Emmanuel.

And they brought forth spiritual fruits, that is to say, the virtues of the Holy Spirit.

There were some who chose for themselves purity from the time when they were born into the world to the time of their departure from it.

There were others who had wives, and yet they were even as if they had had none.

There were some who lived the lives of ascetics from the earliest years of their childhood to the last days of their old age, and fasted most rigidly.

Some withdrew themselves from the world,

and departed into the mountains,

and became monks, and nobly fought the battle of the ascetic life to the day of their deaths,

Others took up their crosses and followed after the Lord.

They poured out their blood in their confession of God, and they received the crown of martyrdom.

In short, all mankind hath blossomed and brought forth fruit with great gladness.

The word which is written hath been fulfilled in this generation, 'They shall all know Thee, from the least of them even to the greatest.'

For our Saviour and His angels, who are in our midst this day, celebrate the festival of Apa Victor the general on the day of his commemoration, which is this day.

All the ranks of the angels who are in heaven gather together to us this day,

and they ascribe glory unto the man who withdrew himself from the world and the possessions thereof, and took (i.e. chose) the kingdom which is perfect.

The Prophets and the Martyrs are in our midst this day, and they celebrate the festival of him that withdrew himself from the world and the possessions thereof;

the Christ loved him, and crowned him with the crown of the kingdom which is in heaven.

O Saint Victor the General!

O thou who wearest the martyr's crown!

O thou unconquered fighter!

O thou true crown-bearer of the Christ!

O thou who didst make thy body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, I wish to pronounce an encomium upon thee at thy festival this day, but I am afraid that I do not possess the strength that is necessary to sail over the sea of thy splendid actions.

Since my tongue is a tongue of flesh, and my heart (i. e. understanding) within me is that of a man, I am not able to describe (adequately) the glory and the honour wherewith God hath invested thee.

Among all the wise men who are in the world, who was there that was ever able to describe thine honourable life completely, O Saint Victor?

Thou wast a virgin from thy youngest days,

and an ascetic from thy childhood.

Thou didst fast two days at a time during the lie whole period of thy life.

The door of thy house was open unto every one.

For this reason I am afraid to set out upon the sea of thy virtues;

I know well the haltingness of my tongue, and that my heart hath no wisdom in it.

In what way is it possible for me to honour thee according to thy deserts?

Thou wast a virgin like unto Elijah, and thou didst never touch a woman.

Thou wast a righteous man, and a good man, and a man of good heart towards all the poor, even like Abraham the Patriarch.

Thou wast the martyr who was the mightiest of all the martyrs.

Thou wast not afraid of kings and dukes and governors, nor did tortures destroy thy reasoning powers.

The threats of thy father Romanus did not prevent thee from following thy true Father the Christ; nay, thou didst lay hold firmly upon the Rock which cannot be moved, the Christ, until thy latest breath,

O thou who wast righteous in thy generation, who didst make thy body a sacrifice unto God,

what shall I say, or what shall I proclaim concerning thee, O Saint Victor?

I compare thee unto Noe, because thou wast perfect in thy generation, as was he in his.

I compare thee unto Abraham, because thou wast a lover of strangers, as was he. Now God and His angels sojourned with Abraham because of his love for strangers.

In thine own case, O Saint Victor, it was the Christ Who came unto thee, and the Son of God was in the garb of a poor man.

He comforted thee in the Camp in a desert land, because of the great suffering which thou hadst endured for His Holy Name's sake.

I compare thee unto Isaac the Patriarch, because in his case his father took him, though Isaac was unwilling, to offer him up as a sacrifice unto the Lord.

In thy case, however, O Saint Victor, by thine own deliberate intent

and choice thou didst offer up thy body as a whole burnt-offering to the Lord, through the manifold tortures which thou didst suffer for the Name of the Christ.

I compare thee unto Jacob the Patriarch, because the Christ took (His) name from him.

And as for thee, O Saint Victor, all the martyrs who are in the heavens boast themselves over thee, and all the dwellers upon the earth do likewise, because of thy patient endurance.

I compare thee unto Joseph, because thou didst fight against passion, even as did he.

In the case of Joseph it was his brethren who sold him into slavery,

and in thy case, O Saint Victor, it was thy father who delivered thee over (into the hands of the wicked) for the sake of the Name of the Christ.

Joseph obtained a kingdom (upon earth) because of his patient endurance,

and thou, O Saint Victor, didst obtain a kingdom in the heavens.

I compare thee unto Melchisedek and Aaron, because they offered up sheep and bulls as types (or, symbolically),

whilst thou, O Saint Victor didst thyself make thine own body to be an offering unto God.

For this reason we shall obtain great glory in the kingdom of the heavens.

I compare thee unto Moses the Law-giver, because thou thyself didst reject the rank of general in this world, and the riches of thy parents, and thine own possessions,

and didst take up thy Cross and follow thy Lord.

Moses did not wish for men to call him the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but ho chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season.

And thou also, O Saint Victor, didst not wish for men to call thee the son of Romanus, the first in the salutation of the Emperor,

and thou didst reject the honourable rank of riches,

and didst follow Him Who said, 'Whosoever loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.'

And thou didst grasp the generalship which endureth for ever.

I compare thee with Isaiah the Prophet, because thou thyself hast seen Him that sitteth above the Cherubim and Seraphim,

and He came to thee, He delivered thee out of all thy tribulation,

and gave glory unto thee in the heavens and on the earth.

And He Who dwelleth in the heavens hath made thee a general among all the martyrs, even as we shall make the matter quite clear unto yon, provided that (our) words can go so far.

And, moreover, on the earth hath He given glory unto thee, glory so great that thy sweet odour hath filled every country in the world. And men build martyriums unto thee in every place, wherein mighty deeds and miracles take place,

and men ascribe glory to God and to His holy martyr.

For true is that which is written: 'Whosoever shall ascribe glory unto Me, him shall My Father honour.'

Although thou didst pass thy whole life in association with the cares of this world, yet was thy whole zeal devoted to the love of God.

For this reason God hath graciously bestowed upon thee this great favour, namely, He hath conceded to thy shrine the power of healing both the soul and the body.

Although thou healest the diseases of the body by means of the grace which God hath given unto thee, yet thou dost also cleanse the diseases of the soul, which are sins, through the signs I and the miracles which thou dost make manifest in thy martyrium in the four quarters of the world.

O Saint Victor, thy blood which hath been shed hath overthrown the pillar of Baal, even as did Elijah and thou hast destroyed the idols and the pillars (thereof).

Thou hast become the pillar of the whole choir of the martyrs.

Thou hast quenched the flame of fire by the power of God which is with thee, like the Three Holy (Children).

With what man (mentioned) in the Scriptures can I compare thee and not find that thou art his equal, nay, we will say even his superior?

What shall I say concerning thee, O thou healer of the sicknesses that are secret as well as those that are manifest?

For he hath even raised the dead by means of the oil of the sanctuary of his martyrium, wherein ye are assembled this day, and I have seen the miracle with my own eyes,

I the least (of all here present).

But let no man become an unbeliever concerning the miracle which took place, lest there be fulfilled in him the proverb which is written, 'The unbeliever is not (worth) an obolus.'

Hearken ye then, and I will make manifest the matter unto you, so that there may be glory to God and to Saint Victor, whose festival we commemorate this day.

Now the Saviour said, 'Whosoever believeth on Me shall himself see the works which I do in the Name of My Father,

and he shall do things which are even greater than they.'

There was in this city a certain man whose name was Alexander,

and he had great possessions in gold and silver;

this man had a wife who was barren,

and who had never given birth to a child, and there was great sorrow in their hearts because of this thing, for they had no heir to inherit their substance.

And they heard of the mighty deeds and miracles that took place in the martyrium of Saint Apa Victor,

and they rose up and went together to the holy shrine,

and they made an offering in the martyrium on the Lord's Day.

And afterwards they made a vow, saying, 'Hear thou this day wherein we make supplication unto thee.

If thou wilt come unto us, and wilt give us the seed of man, we will dedicate him to thy martyrium to the day of his death.

Only take away the cause of the reproaches which we endure, and grant unto us our petition.'

And when they had said these things they departed to their house in gladness.

And it came to pass on a certain day that Saint Victor made supplication to the Christ on their behalf,

and the wife of Alexander gave birth to a male child, who was exceedingly beautiful to look upon, and the grace of God enveloped him,

and they called his name 'Victor', naming him after Saint Victor,

And there was great joy in the house of Alexander and his wife, and they distributed much alms among the poor.

And when the child was five years of age the hearts of his parents would not permit them to send the child away to the shrine of Saint Apa Victor, according to the promise which had come forth from their mouths, but they went back on their vow.

And they remembered not that which is written, 'Take good heed to thyself to perform the words which come forth from thy mouth, for the Lord will assuredly keep strict watch on thy ways, and will take vengeance upon thee.'

Finally, the father of the child and his mother spake together, saying, 'Behold, our hearts will not let us send the child into the shrine according to what we vowed.

Let us call some man in the city who buyeth slaves, (and let him put a value on the child,) and we will give the value to the shrine, so that the martyr may not be angry with us.'

And they rose up and called a merchant in the city who bought slaves, and Alexander set before him all the slave children which he had on his estate,

and the merchant valued the child at forty holokottinoi. And Alexander and his wife took the gold,

and gave it to the shrine of the martyr,

and they did not remember that it was written, 'If thon shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God thou shalt pay it.'

And when Saint Victor saw that the parents of the child were not paying their vow in a right manner,

and that they were thinking that the gift of God was like the other things which they were wont to obtain by money,

he made the matter to work out in the way which I will describe, and they were punished for their senseless behaviour.

And it came to pass on a day that the child was in the courtyard round about his father's house playing with a number of other children of the same rank and age as himself.

And suddenly a large stone which was in the corner of the house dropped upon the child,

who fell upon the ground and died immediately.

When his parents heard of this they rent their garments, and they cried out with a loud voice,

and they came rushing out with the servants,

and they fell upon the child, who was dead.

O what an exhibition of great grief was that which took place there at that moment!

And the parents cried out, 'Woe unto us, beloved child!

It is we ourselves who have been the cause of thy death; because we made a vow, and we did not fulfil our vow. We dedicated thee to the shrine of the holy man,

and behold, he received thee from our hands before thou wast conceived.

He hath burned up our bowels with grief for oar beloved son.

It is we who deserve death.

What shall we do? At this moment we know not.'

As for the father of the child a firm faith held him fast.

He took up his little child in his arms, and the mother and his servants followed him,

and they brought him into the martyrium of Saint Victor,

and he laid him down before the altar of sacrifice.

And he cried out, saying, 'O Saint Victor, I know that thou hast the power to do everything, and that it was thou who didst graciously bestow upon me this child.

Act not towards me according to my senseless behaviour, but consider graciously my tears, and do thou make the soul of the child to come back into him again,

and he and we together will make ourselves slaves unto thee until the day of our death.'

And when he had said these words, and he was crying as he said them, Alexander took a little oil from the lamp,

and made the Sign of the Cross over the child, and he put some on his lips, and on his breast and on his belly.

And the miracle which took place straightway was greater than any miracle of Elijah and Elisha.

For at the very moment when the oil of the lamp touched the child now what (his father) said was, 'May the skin of my hand make healing to arise;

return, O soul, into the child again through the supplication of Saint Victor the child opened his eyes.

Great was the joy that fell upon his parents on that day, and on all those who belonged to them,

and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Great art Thou, O God of Saint Victor, and there is no god besides Thee in heaven or upon earth!

In the place of grief Thou hast given unto us gladness,

and Thou hast raised up to his parents the child who was dead.'

And when the multitude saw the great miracle which had happened, they cried out with a loud voice,

and they ran to where the child was,

and they cried out, saying, 'One is the God of Saint Victor!'

And the father of the child went afe round about the whole city with him, and he clasped his hand and proclaimed the mighty deeds of Saint Victor.

After this he went into his house,

and he brought out all his possessions and his slaves,

and he gave them to the shrine of Saint Victor;

and he remained in the shrine and served the Saint until the day of his death. And the child became a man who was chosen of God, and he lived as a virgin all his life.

He attained at length to the rank of the presbytery, and it used to be said of him that Saint Victor was wont to appear unto him, and that he saw him many times.

Verily, true is the word which our Saviour spake, 'Him who shall minister unto Me shall My Father honour.'

See, O my beloved, how exceedingly powerful is the supplication of Saint Victor!

And observe that God is wont to take vengeance upon the man who maketh a vow to Him and who payeth it not.

As for us, when we make a vow to the martyr,

let us fulfil it zealously in order that he may not be wroth with us.

And moreover, to vow (and not to pay) is a great sin. Take thou then good heed concerning that which thou hast vowed.

However, we must not tarry in our discourse.

Let us now go back and tell you concerning another very great miracle which took place in the martyrium of Saint Victor, to the glory of God and the martyr.

There was in this city a certain woman whose name was Kallieutropia, and she was the daughter of the sister of the Emperor Honorius,

and she was exceedingly rich.

And it came to pass one day, when she was lying down in her house about the time of noon, in a cave-like place, at the hottest part of the day,

that a certain demon leaped into her two breasts,

and they swelled up (?) and throbbed (?) violently,

and at the same time they shrivelled up, and became as hard as stones, and they hung down on her body;

and the woman was in very great torture by day and by night.

And she spent large sums of money on the physicians,

but obtained from them neither relief nor healing; and she continued to suffer agonies,

and her husband fell into abject despair about her.

And the physicians used their utmost endeavours to work a cure upon her, the more so because she was a king's sister (sic),

but they were powerless before the pain of the disease, according to what hath been written concerning physicians, 'Their wisdom remaineth in them.'

And when the woman heard of the mighty deeds and miracles which were taking place in the shrine of Saint Victor, she made entreaty to her husband, and to her brother, that they would allow her to go to the shrine of the saint, for perhaps he might come to her, and graciously bestow healing upon her.

And her kinsmen were persuaded by her,

(for) they saw that she was in danger of dying,

and they commanded that a litter wherein to carry her should be made ready, and they took her to the shrine of Saint Victor.

And when she had entered into the shrine she cried out, saying, 'O my Lord Saint Victor, I entreat thee to have compassion upon me, and to remove from me these pains which I suffer, for thou art a saint of God.'

And in the middle of the night Saint Victor considered the misfortune of the woman,

and he brought unto her a cessation (of pain),

and she lost consciousness; and her slave and her eunuch were close to her.

And Saint Victor came unto her in a vision, and he was clad in. purple, and he emitted rays of light, and there was a staff of light in his hand.

And he said unto her, 'If thou wishest to be healed (do this).

When thou risest up tomorrow morning take a little of the oil which is in the lamp that burneth before the altar of sacrifice, and with it do thou smear thy breasts,

and the demon shall be sore troubled, and shall come out of them, and through this these pains shall cease.

But take good heed that thou dost not display arrogance towards thy slave-woman, and take good heed that thou dost not in future walk haughtily and stiffneckedly, and take good heed to stretch out thy hand to the poor.

For these sufferings have come upon thee because of thine uncharitableness, and because of thy pride.'

And the woman became greatly disturbed,

and she answered with fright, 'Who art thou who appearest in such a wonderful form, and surrounded with such great glory?'

And he made answer in a gentle (or, sweet) voice, saying, 'I am Victor, the general of the Great King';

and when he had said these words she ceased to see him.

And straightway she awoke from her dream,

and she smelled a very strong sweet smell which filled the whole martyrium. And she said within herself, 'Verily this man who spake unto me was Saint Victor;

I am a sinful woman.'

And straightway she woke up her men,

and told them her dream.

And when the morning had come she went to the elder in the martyrium,

and he gave her a little of the oil which was in the lamp.

And when she had taken it into her hand she smeared her breasts therewith, saying, In the Name of the God of Saint Victor, whose glory I have been held worthy to see; do graciously grant unto me healing.'

And immediately the demon became terrified,

and he leaped out of her breasts in the form of a gryphon, and all the people saw him, and he was like unto a flame of fire. And straightway her breasts assumed their usual shape,

and she cried out, saying, 'One is the God of Saint Victor!'

And she gave splendid gifts to the martyrium, gold and very much silver, as a memorial of the healing which had taken place in her.

Afterwards she went to her house to her kinsfolk, giving glory to God and to His holy martyr.

And again it is necessary for us to tell you of another great miracle which took place through this holy man.

And it came to pass that when the Emperor Honorius saw the healing which had taken place in his sister through Saint Victor he rejoiced exceedingly,

and it pleased him to restore the apse of the altar chamber, and to decorate the woodwork of the martyrium with fine gold, as a memorial of the glory of the saint.

And he caused handicraftsmen who were masters of their craft to be brought,

and they began their work of decorating the chamber of the altar of sacrifice with gold.

And whilst they were working on the woodwork, the Devil, who hateth that which is good, overturned one of the workmen whilst he was at work,

and he fell to the ground.

And the other workmen were afraid,

and they cried out, saying, 'Lord, have mercy upon us.' And the Emperor and the other men who were below were greatly disturbed because of what had taken place.

And behold, at the very moment (when the workman began to fall), Saint Victor appeared from heaven arrayed in great glory,

and he laid hold of the hand of the workman before he reached the ground, and when he was still three cubits above it, and he held him suspended there.

Then he went up with him to the woodwork,

and set him down on his feet in front of the woodwork by the side of his fellow workmen;

and the workman had suffered no injury in any way, and no man had seen Saint Victor, with the exception of the workman.

And when the Emperor and the multitude had seen the mighty miracle which had taken place they were afraid, and they cried out, 'One is the God of Saint Victor, and besides Him there is no other god, either in heaven or on the earth.'

And when the workman had recovered from the attack of terror which had come upon him, he proclaimed to the Emperor and to all the people, saying, 'I saw a huge creature

with his wing[s] spread out,

and his eyes were filled as it were with fire,

and he struck me with what he had in his hand, and threw me down.

And whilst I was falling down, behold a man of light who was wearing the apparel worn by men of royal rank, and whose face was shining like the sun,

laid hold of my hand before I could reach the earth:

and he came up with me, and brought me into this place,

and he made the Sign of the Cross over me, and he removed fear from me, saying, 'Be not thou afraid, for I am Victor, on whose martyrium thou art working.'

And straightway I ceased to see him.'

And when the multitude had heard these thing's they cried out, saying, 'One is the God of Saint Victor!'

And thus by the zeal of the God-loving Emperor, and the might of Saint Victor, the decoration of the woodwork in the chamber of the altar of sacrifice with fine gold and its inlaying with Literally 'porcupine'. very costly stones were completed.

And now, O my beloved, ye see how great are the mighty deeds and wonders of Saint Victor, whose festival we are celebrating this day.

And to every man who shall make supplication unto him with his whole heart, no matter what kind of sickness it is from which he is suffering, the saint will graciously bestow upon him healing.

And again, there was a certain man in this city who was a patrician (in the service) of the Emperors, and who fell ill of a certain kind of sickness which was incurable;

and his whole body swelled up to such a degree that he resembled a pillar.

And to see this man in such a state of wretchedness made one's heart to ache, for he lived in great tribulation,

he suffered excruciating pains, which were well nigh unbearable. Often it would happen that thou wouldst find him sitting (on the ground),

and his servant would be obliged to carry him to his house; and his feet and his (other) members would burst from time to time, and eject large quantities of unclean matter.

And he gave very much money to the physicians,

but gained no relief thereby.

And besides this the Emperors of Rome sent the archiators (to treat him), for he was a nobleman of high rank in the Palace, and others also used every effort to cure him, but he failed to find any relief whatsoever.

And thus he continued to live, suffering these excruciating pains, until (one day) he heard of the mighty deeds and miracles which took place in the shrine of Saint Apa Victor.

Then his servant lifted him up and carried him into the shrine of the holy man,

and he laid him down before the altar of sacrifice,

and he cried out by day and by night, 'O Saint Victor, look upon my humility and my sufferings, and graciously bestow healing upon me, for I am grievously tortured.

Or let thy mercy come to me, and do thou make supplication to God on my behalf, so that He may take me out of this life (of suffering). Behold, thou seest my tribulation by day and by night.'

And he lost consciousness for a short space of time.

And behold, Saint Victor gave consideration to his miserable condition, for he is a lover of mankind.

And the sick man saw him in a dream apparelled in great glory,

and he was wearing rich purple garments, and he was girded with a girdle of gold,

and he shot forth from his person rays of light. And he said (unto the sick man) in the dream, 'Why art thou here in this condition?'

And the sick man said unto him, 'Behold, thou seest my sufferings and my tribulations, and that I have drawn nigh unto death.'

And the holy man said unto him with a joyful face, 'I am he who shall cure thee, for thou must know that I have the power to do everything through the grace of God which is with me.'

And he stretched out the rod which was in his hand,

and he laid it upon the sick man, saying, 'Healing shall come to thee this day.

But do not sin again, or evil which is worse than this shall befall thee;

and do not thou shew thyself haughty towards the poor.'

And the sick man answered and said with trepidation, 'My lord, who art thou that appearest in this form?

I have never before seen any one like unto thee, whether it be Emperor or whether it be general in the Palace.'

And he answered and said unto the man, 'I am Victor, the general of the King of heaven.'

And when he had said these things unto him the man ceased to feel pain, and he ejected a mass of pus which was so abundant that it overflowed and soaked all his bed; and he ceased to swell up,

and became like unto a man who had never suffered from any skin disease at all.

And he leaped up on his feet, and stood up,

and he cried out, saying, 'One is the God of Saint Victor!'

And when the multitudes who were gathered together inside the martyrium they cried out, saying, 'Blessed are we, because we are held to be worthy (to have) this pearl in our city, for he healeth our sicknesses and our diseases.'

And the man gave gifts to the shrine of Saint Victor, both gold and silver, so that they might be distributed among the poor and the destitute.

And he departed to his house ascribing glory to Grod, and he took care for his soul unto the day of his death.

What can I say about the miracles which thou hast performed, O thou wearer of the crown of the Christ?

And what tongue of flesh is there that is able to describe thy blessed estate, O thou valiant general?

Verily, if I were to pass the whole of my time in going through the miracles which thou hast wrought, I should be wholly unable to recount even a very small portion of them.

O thou confessor and invincible athlete, who is there that is able to comprehend the full extent of thine honourable estate, and the wonderful things that have taken place in thy martyrium?

For as it is impossible for a man to estimate the honourableness of this holy man so also is it impossible (to declare) the mighty deeds which have gone forth from his sanctuary,

O thou veritable crown-bearer of the Christ, thou youth whose wisdom vanquished that of the trained orator!

O thou who didst despise a kingdom in this world in order that thou mightest receive one which was more excellent and belonged to heaven,

great is the glory which God hath given unto thee both in heaven and upon the earth!

As I have already said, the sweet odour of thee hath filled all the countries of the world, and men make mention of thy O name in every country, from the Camp wherein thou didst complete thy course even to the (region of the First) Cataract. And they ascribe glory unto thee throughout the world, saying that thou art the greatest of the martyrs,

the more so because God hath made the (fame of the) wonders and miracles to go forth from thy martyrium into every place. And the wonders of healing exist for those who shall believe on thy name, and this selfsame gift cometh forth from thy martyrium and goeth from one end of the inhabited world to the other.

If this be not so (in your opinion), hearken and I will shew you that it is.

And it came to pass, they say, that in the beginning, when the God-loving Emperor Constantine built this very martyrium wherein we are assembled this day in honour of Saint Apa Victor, a certain great general fell sick of a very severe disease.

Now he was sixty years of age, and he suffered great pain in his inward parts, and he was unable to sleep; and he was sick with the disease which the physicians call καλκηνωμα.

He had given many large sums of money to one physician after the other,

without feeling any benefit from their treatment. On the contrary, he was in imminent danger of dying.

Then he heard about the mighty deeds and miracles which took place in the martyrium of Saint Victor in Antioch,

and he rose up and went to Antioch.

And he passed two days in the martyrium there, and did not receive healing.

And on the night of the third day he felt a slight alleviation of the pain through the invincible power of God,

and straightway Saint Victor came to him in a dream.

He was in the form of a mighty general,

and his face shot forth rays of light,

and he said unto the sick general, 'If thou wishest to be made free of this disease, rise up quickly and depart to the martyrium (of Saint Victor) which is in Rome. Thou shalt drink the water which is in the vessel in the chamber of the altar of sacrifice, and thou shalt find healing.

Was it because (my) martyrium which is in Rome is difficult (to reach) that thou didst come to this place? Didst thou not know that my power is in all the world,

and that it is the selfsame gift of healing which is (to be obtained) in them all, by those who believe and do not halt between two opinions? Didst thou not know that this selfsame power permeateth my martyrium which is in Rome and that which is in Antioch?

Why didst thou bring upon thy head the vexatious trouble of journeying over a sea of ocean to come to this place?

Didst thou not know that I have the power to heal in this place?

But I will not do this in this place, and unless thou goest to my martyrium which is in Rome thou shalt (not) find healing, so that every one may know my power.'

And the sick general trembling answered and said, 'My lord, who art thou who appearest in this form, and art surrounded with such great glory?'

And he answered and said, ' I am Victor the general.

I will heal thy body. I will give salvation to thy soul.'

And straightway he awoke from his dream, and he was trembling exceedingly.