silver and gold, and spent them all publicly and privately for the sake of God, and distributed to poor men, and took counsel among themselves, and thus unanimously spoke; " Better we should free ourselves from the tumult of this population ; let us go into the great cave here beyond on the Celian Hill, and there let us pray earnestly to God; and there we may full easily dwell in safety until the emperor come again into this city; and let him then decree even as he will, and let nothing in the world keep us back from God; but let Him do about us even as His will may be, that we may through his aid accomplish martyrdom before the emperor, and receive from Him the eternal diadem without end with His Saints." When they had thus spoken, these seven chosen Saints, they gave each other a pledge that they would all hold to this until their life's end. And the money which they still had left they took with them in the cave in common, and all went in thither and continued therein many a day, and with prostrate bodies they prayed fervently to God that He would have pity on them, even as His will might be. Then they appointed a faithful steward, and very discreet; the name of this blessed man was Malchus the good, along of whom [i. e. by whose means] was all their food; his office was to provide their meat at all times, and he with humility undertook that service; and as often as he went into the city he showed himself in the appearance of a poor man, and privately enquired how it fared in the emperor's household ; and, as diligently as he could, distributed alms to poor men, and bought meat for his companions, and brought it to them ; and made known to them every word which he had heard spoken anywhere within the town about them. Then it befell that, whilst these things were taking place, the emperor came again with his army into the city Epliesus, and he straightway bade summon the holy Maximian, and his six companions with him, that they all together might sacrifice to the devils. When with excessive wrath he commanded each man, then they all continued faithful, and oppressed with fear, and everyone sought refuge immediately where he could find any ; and he, Malchus the faithful, fled instantly from the city with awe and
