Then commanded the wicked Flaccus to bring the maiden
into a very dark prison, and said, that no man was to
give her any sustenance for seven nights.
Thus she remained seven nights meatless,
and was afterwards tortured for the sake of the true faith,
and for the sake of her virginity, until she was martyred,
and her free soul departed to Heaven.
Then came Nicomedes the aforesaid mass-priest,
and buried her body, to the praise of the Almighty.
Then Flaccus seized the faithful priest,
and, because he would not sacrifice to the foul gods,
commanded him to be scourged until he gave up the ghost.
Thus he departed to Heaven to Jesus Christ,
To Whom is glory and worship world without end. Amen.
MARCH 9.
THE FORTY SOLDIERS, MARTYRS.
We will relate to you the passion of the Forty Soldiers,
that your faith may be the firmer when ye hear
how devotedly (lit. thane-like) they suffered for Christ.
In the emperor's days who was called Licinius
a great persecution was stirred up against the Christians,
so that every Christian man had, for the sake of his own life,
to deny the Saviour and conform to heathenism,
and to sacrifice the Lord's honour to idols.
There was set a certain bloodthirsty judge,
called Agricola, in a city
hight Sebaste, in the land of Armenia.
The aforesaid judge was very wicked,
