sacrifice to the devil with him, on pain of capital punishment; and everyone did so for dread of the emperor, and durst not do otherwise ; but each one defiled himself miserably, in body and soul, with that idolatry. Wheresoever any idol was set up, all the citizens came together from day to day according to the emperor's commands, and they slew there heifers and cattle of every kind; and there the heathen strewed burning coals all about, and thereupon offered to the devil; and the thickness of the smoke and the smell of the flesh rose up on every side throughout the city, just as if it were mist, so that one could see nigh nothing there save smoke alone. And while the heathen rejoiced in such diabolic delusion, those who believed in God wept and lamented, and continned in the greatest sadness, to think that they should ever have seen with their eyes such miseries as they saw there, and that the devil should ever have so great dominion over mankind ; they knew not what to do on that account, nor could they do more than let fall bitter tears continually, and go about bowed down, and hide them- selves wheresoever they could. But suddenly, in about three days, the emperor sent his heralds, and commanded that men should watch the Christian men very zealously, and that each man should seize them wherever he could on pain of death ; and if they could anywhere find out that any man had protected them, he should be guilty of death ; and he who betrayed them should be worthy of great reward. Then they, the heralds, and many others, as hoping for the pay, went and sought the Christians wherever they could find them, and tried to please the emperor, to receive some pay from him; and these heathen men, when they anywhere found Christian men, drove them out, and carried them before 56 them like little grasshoppers, and brought them to the people where all men were worshipping idols with the emperor, and compelled the Christians to submit to the devil like themselves; and some of them did so — so miserable was their lot ; for when they saw so manifold terrors in divers torments, they soon became disheartened, and fell down prostrate, and sacrificed to the devil before all the people, however much they
