Here as ever persecution did but beget fresh victims. The whole Christian population was aflame with desire to confess Christ; and even transgressed the wise rule of the Church, which forbade them to seek imprisonment. But in this moment of spiritual intensity discretion were out of place; who can blame them for not standing meekly by when their brethren were writhing in torture and the name of Christ was being blasphemed? They can well afford to concede superiority in this always somewhat suspicious virtue of discretion to their arm-chair critics; they will have enough left to secure for themselves Heaven and the homage of mankind. The number of the accused increased day by day, especially the number of Roman citizens. This alarmed the legate, and he sent for instructions to the Emperor. After some weeks the reply came: those who recanted were to be released, the obstinate were to be put to death with torture. After all allowance has been made for the circumstances of the time and his own inevitable ignorance, this act remains a dark stain on the Stoic saint. The last act of this long-drawn tragedy at last began. A final inquiry was held by the legate, this time chiefly in order to discriminate the Roman citizens from the non-citizens. The latter were to receive the full measure of torture; the former were to be beheaded outright--all except Attalus, who was reserved for the arena as a favour to the mob. In this last trial despite promises and threats not one, even of those who had before fallen, wavered. The executions continued for several days, owing to the great numbers of the martyrs. Each day from early morning the pagans thronged the amphitheatre. Attalus and Alexander were the next victims. They went through the whole gamut of pain without a word or a groan, their souls wrapped in prayer the while. Finally they were finished off by the sword when the mob tired of them. Blandina and Ponticus were subjected again to yet fiercer torments, ending in death--torments so cruel that the Gauls said one to another: “Never in our country has woman endured so much.” The whole proceedings are a terrible commentary on the rule of the philosopher-king and Gibbon’s picture of the Golden Age, “the happiest period of the world’s history, when the good of the subject was the one object of government.” Much may be admitted to palliate Marcus’ connivance, but assuredly he cannot be wholly excused. We can acquit him of monstrous brutality; but only at the cost of attributing to him narrow prejudice or pusillanimity. We can save his heart, but only at the expense of his intellect and will.