was no mark of death seen upon them, neither was their clothing at all moth-eaten ; but both the very same clothes which lay upon them were all sound, and their holy bodies they saw all blooming. They all supposed that they had slept in the evening, and soon after in the morning had awaked from sleep; and the same thought and the same anxiety which was in their hearts during their night-sleep, the same things they thought of when they awoke, and they knew no other thing save that Decius the emperor had bidden to seize them; and when they thought thus, being grieved, and on account of their minds' sadness, they let fall tears. Then they all looked to Malchus who was one of their companions, and he was also their steward; and they then asked him what he had heard in the evening that people said about them in the town. Then he, Malchus, answered, and said to his companions, " That which I said to you before in the evening, that same I now say to you, that men sought us to-night everywhere, and asked diligently everywhere for us, that we might sacrifice to the idols; and Decius the emperor is even now considering where we have gone, or where he may seek us out; now knoweth our Lord that we have no need of this, that we should ever swerve from Him."
Then answered Maximianus, and said to his brethren, "If it shall so happen that men find us here, and lead us for God's name to the emperor, let us straightway go thither very readily, and let us there stand readily before him, and let him command such punishment as he may command us. Let us not be at all affrighted, neither let us ever deny our former life, that we have purely kept up the praise of God amongst us until now, through the holy faith of the Son of the living God." And they, the brothers, cried to Malchus and said to him; " Take now, brother, a sum of money with thee, and go to the town with it and buy us a portion of bread; and enquire diligently, as well as thou canst, what the emperor may have commanded concerning us ; and do us all again to wit of that which thou mayest learn. Buy us, however, more liberally of bread to-day than thou boughtest yesterday, and bring us better bread than thou before broughtest; because the loaves were very scanty which came to us yesterday
