Chapter 13. Interrogatory of St

Almachius shuddered in presence of so noble and gentle a victim, and feigning not to recognize the daughter of the Cecilii, thus boldly addressed her : M Young woman, what is thy name?"* 11 Men call me Cecilia," replied the virgin, but my most beautiful name is that of Christian."!

• Quod tibi nomon est, puella? Acta S. CaecU'uv, f CcDcilia, sed apud homines ; quod autem illustrius est Christiana sum. Ibid.

"What is thy rank?" "A citizen of Eome, of an illustrious and noble race."* " My question refers to thy religion ; we know the nobility of thy family."

" Your interrogation was not very precise, since it requires two answers,"! replied Cecilia.

" Whence comes this assurance in my presence?" "From a pure conscience and sincere faith."^: " Art thou ignorant of the extent of my power?" " And do you know who is my protector and my spouse ?"§

"Who is he?" " The Lord Jesus Christ."))

" Thou wert the bride of Valerian ; this I know." The virgin could not unfold the mysteries of heaven to profane ears. She took no notice, therefore, of the prefect's remark, but reverting to the insolent manner in which he had boasted of his power : " Prefect," she said, " you spoke of power ; you have not the least idea of what it is : but if you question me upon the subject, I can demonstrate the truth to you."^[

" Well, speak," replied Almachius, " I would like to hear thy ideas.

" You only listen to what pleases you," said Ce-

• Civis Romana, illustris et nobilis. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Interrogatio tua stultum sunipsit exordium, quae duas responsiones una putat inquisitione concludi. Ibid,

I De conscientia bona et fide non ficta. Ibid.

§ Et tu ignoras cujus sponsa sim ego ? Ibid.

|| Domini Jesu Christi. Ibid.

IT Tu, Praefecte, te ipsum ignoras, cujus sis potestatis ; nam si me interroges de tua potestate, verissimis tibi assertionibus manifesto. Ibid.

cilia; " however, attend. The power of man is like a bladder inflated with wind. Let but a needle pierce the bladder, it will immediately collapse."*

" Thou did'st commence with insult," replied the prefect, " and wilt thou continue in the same strain?"

" Insults," replied the virgin, " consist in alleging things which have no foundation. Prove that what I have said is false, and I will acknowledge that I have insulted you; otherwise your reproach is injurious."!

Almachius changed the subject. " Knowest thou not that our masters, the invincible emperors,;}: have ordered that those who confess themselves Christians are to be punished ; whereas, those who consent to deny the name of Christ are to be acquitted?"

" Your emperors are in error as well as your excellency. The law which you quote simply proves that you are cruel and we innocent. If the name of Christian were a crime, it would be our part to deny it, and yours to force us by torments to confess it."§ uBut," said the prefect, "the emperors have en-

• Qualiter delectaris, taliter judicaris, tamen audi : potestas hominis sic est quasi uter vento repletus, quern si una acus pupugerit, omnis rigor cervicis ejus follescit, et quidquid rigiduin in se habere cernitur incurvatur. Acta S. Cczcilice.

f Injuria non dicitur, nisi quod verbis fallentibus irrogatur ; aut injuriam doce, si false locuta sum, aut te ipsum corripe calumniam inferentem. Ibid.

t We will explain elsewhere the reason why Almachius invoked the emperors rather than the Emperor Alexander Severus, who reigned alone. The reader has probably already divined it.

§ Sic imperatores vestri errant, sicut et Nobilitas vestra ; sententia enim, quam ab eis prolatam esse testaris, vos scevientes, et nos innocentes ostendit ; si enim malum esset hoc nomen, nos negaremus, vos vero ad conntendum suppliciis urgeretis. Ibid.

acted this law through motives of clemency, that they might provide you with a means of saving your lives."

" Can there be any thing more unjust, than your conduct towards the Christians!" replied the virgin. " You use tortures to force criminals to acknowledge the time, the place, and the accomplices of their guilt; whereas, our crime is that we bear the name of Christian, and if we do but deny that name, we obtain your favor. But we know the greatness of this name, and we cannot deny it. Better die and be happy, than live and be miserable. You wish us to pronounce a lie ; but in speaking the truth, we inflict a much greater and more cruel torture upon you than that which you make us suffer.*

u Cease this audacitv " said Almachius, " and choose either to sacrifice to the gods, or to deny the name of Christian, and thou shalt go in peace."

" What a humiliating position for a magistrate!" said Cecilia, with a smile of compassion. M He wishes me to deny the title which proves my innocence, and to pollute my lips with a lie. He consents to spare me, but his clemency is a refinement of cruelty. If you believe the accusation brought against me, why endeavor to force me to deny it ? If you desire to release me, why do you not inquire into the truth of the charge ?"f

" Here are the accusers," replied Almachius, " they

• Acta S. Ccecilice.

t O judicem necessitate confusum, vult ut negem me innocentem, ut ipse faciat nocentem ; parcit et saevit, dissimulat et advertit ; si vis damnare, cur hortaris negare ? Si vis absolvere, quare non vis inquirere ? Ibid.

declare that thou art a Christian. Simply deny it, and the accusation is worthless; but if thou wilt persist in not denying it, thou wilt see thy folly when thy sentence is pronounced."

" The accusation is my triumph," said Cecilia, " the punishment will be my victory. Do not tax me with folly, rather reproach yourself for believing you could induce me to deny Christ."*

"Unhappy woman !" exclaimed Almachius, "knowest thou not that the power of life and death is placed in my hands by the authority of the invincible princes ? How darest thou address me with so much pride?"

" Pride is one thing, firmness another," replied the virgin. "I spoke with firmness, not with pride, for it is a vice we detest. If you are not afraid of hearing the truth, I will prove to you that what you have said i& false ?"f

" "Well," said the prefect, " what did I say that is false?"

"You told an untruth when you said that the princes had conferred upon you the power of life and death."

" I told a lie in saying that ?" said Almachius with astonishment.

" Yes," replied Cecilia," "and if you permit me, I will prove to you that your lie is self-evident."

• Horum mihi accusatio votiva est, et tua poena victoria ; noli me ut dementem arguere, sed te ipsum increpa, quia Christum me aestimas denegare. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Aliud est esse superbum, et aliud esse constantem ; ego constanter locuta sum et non superbe, quia superbiam et nos fortiter execramur ; tu autem si verum audire non times, iterum te docebo falsissime et nunc esse locutum. Ibid.

" Explain thyself," said the prefect quite disconcerted.

11 Did you not say that your princes have conferred upon you the power of life and death ? You well know that you have only the power of death. You can take away life from those who enjoy it, but you cannot restore it to the dead. Say, then, that the emperors have made of you a minister of death, and nothing more; if you add anything else, you do not speak the truth."*

The prefect concealing his "mortification at this affront, said with feigned moderation : " Cease this audacity, and sacrifice to the gods! "As he spoke he pointed to the statues that filled the Praetorium.

11 You certainly have lost the use of your eyes," replied Cecilia, " I, and all who have good sight, can only see in the gods of which you speak, pieces of stone, brass, or lead."f

" As a philosopher, I bore thy insults when they were directed only against me," said Almachius, "but I will not suffer an insult against the gods."

"Since you first opened your mouth," replied the virgin, with severe irony, " you have not uttered a word that I have not proved to be either unjust or

• Dixisti principes tuos, et vivificandi, et mortifieandi copiam tribuisse licentise, cum solem mortifieandi scias tibi traditam potestatem ; vitam enim viventibus tollere potes, mortuis dare non potes : die ergo, quia Imperatores tui, mortis ministrum te esse voluerunt ; nam si quid plus dixeris, videberis frustra mentitus. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Nescio ubi tu oculos amiseris, nam quos tu Deos dicis, ego, et omnes qui oculos sanos habemus, saxa videmus esse, et aeramentum, et plumbum. Ibid, unreasonable. That nothing maybe wanting, behold you convicted of having lost your sight. You call gods, these objects which we all see are but useless stones. Touch them yourself, and you will feel what they are. Why thus expose yourself to the ridicule of the people ? Every one knows that God is in heaven. These stone statues would be of more service if they were cast into a furnace and converted into lime. They decay in their idleness, and are incapable of either protecting themselves from the flames, or of delivering you from them. Christ alone can save from death, and deliver the guilty from eternal fire."*

These were the last words which Cecilia pronounced before the judge. In her animated replies, she had avenged the dignity of man, so unworthily violated by idolatry and Pagan tyranny ; she had branded the gross materialism which had so long enslaved the world, redeemed by the blood of a God. Nothing remained but to suffer the glorious death for which she so ardently longed.

But though Almachius could hardly avoid pronouncing sentence against one who had openly

• Ex eo quod os aperuisti, non fuit sermo quern non probarem injustum, stultum, et vanum ; sed ne quid deeset, puto etiam exterioribus oculis te ccecum ostendis, ut quod omnes lapidem videmus esse, saxum inutile, hoc tu Deum esse testaris. Do, si jubes, consilium : mitte manum tuam, et tangendo disce saxum hoc esse, si videndo non nosti ; nefas est enim ut totus populus de te risum habeat, cum omnes sciant Deum in ccelis esse ; istas autem figuras saxeas per ignem melius in calcem posse converti, quae modo sui otio pereunt, et neque tibi pereunti, neque sibi, si in ignem mittantur, poterunt subvenire. Solus Christus eripit de morte, et do igno ipse valet liberare. Acta S. Ccecilice.

insulted the officers of justice, the religion of the gods, and the majesty of the empire, he dreaded commanding the execution of a noble patrician lady, who added to innumerable charms, the gift of winning the hearts of all who approached her. Moreover, he feared the Emperor's reproaches on his return, for so odious a spectacle in the very heart of Home could scarcely fail to excite murmurs among the patricians. Alexander would learn that the insults offered to the Empire and the gods, had sprung from the imprudence of the prefect, who, without any imperial mandate, had arrested the Christians. His violence against the faithful of the lower class had led not only distinguished noblemen to his bar, but even the daughter of the Cecilii. Almachius would not have exposed himself to such serious embarrassments, had he been aware of the sacred bonds which unites all the disciples of Christ, "in whom," says St. Paul, "there is neither Scythian nor Eoman, nor free man, nor slave, but Christ is all and in all."