of God. For this reason many, who had adopted the monastic rule,
abhorred alike all the sweets of this world, and were enamoured
of one thing only, namely godliness, thirsting to lay down their
lives for Christ his sake, and yearning for the happiness beyond.
Wherefore they preached, not with fear and trembling, but rather
even with excess of boldness, the saving Name of God, and naught
but Christ was on their lips, as they plainly proclaimed to all
men the transitory and fading nature of this present time, and
the fixedness and incorruptibility of the life to come, and sowed
in men the first seeds, as it were, towards their becoming of the
household of God, and winning that life which is hid in Christ.
Wherefore many, profiting by this most pleasant teaching, turned
away from the bitter darkness of error, and approached the sweet
light of Truth; insomuch that certain of their noblemen and
senators laid aside all the burthens of life, and thenceforth
became monks.

But when the king heard thereof, he was filled with wrath, and,
boiling over with indignation, passed a decree forthwith,
compelling all Christians to renounce their religion. Thereupon
he planned and practised new kinds of torture against them, and
threatened new forms of death. So throughout all his dominions
he sent letters to his rulers and governors ordering penalties
against the righteous, and unlawful massacres. But chiefly was
his displeasure turned against the ranks of the monastic orders,
and against them he waged a truceless and unrelenting warfare.
Hence, of a truth, many of the Faithful were shaken in spirit,
and others, unable to endure torture, yielded to his ungodly
decrees. But of the chiefs and rulers of the monastic order some
in rebuking his wickedness ended their lives by suffering