The masters of the slave girl dragged Paul and Silas along. At
their heels came the shouting mob and when they came in front of the
prætors, the men cried out:

"See these fellows! Jews as they are, they are upsetting everything in
the city. They tell people to take up customs that are against the Law
for us as Romans to accept."

"Yes! Yes!" yelled the crowd. "Flog them! Flog them!"

The prætors, without asking Paul or Silas a single question as to
whether this was true, or allowing them to make any defence, were
fussily eager to show their Roman patriotism. Standing up they gave
their orders:

"Strip them, flog them."

The slaves of the prætors seized Paul and Silas and took their robes
from their backs. They were tied by their hands to the whipping-post.
The crowd gathered round to see the foreigners thrashed.

The lictors--that is the soldier-servants of the prætors--untied their
bundles of rods. Then each lictor brought down his rod with cruel
strokes on Paul and Silas. The rods cut into the flesh and the blood
flowed down.

Then their robes were thrown over their shoulders, and the two men,
with their tortured backs bleeding, were led into the black darkness
of the cell of the city prison; shackles were snapped on to their