Dulcitius
Scene
I
Diocletian
The pure and famous race to which you belong and your own rare beauty make it fitting that you should be wedded to the highest in our court. Thus we decree, making the condition that you first promise to deny your Christ and sacrifice to the gods.
Agape
We beg you not to concern yourself about us, and it is useless to make preparations for our marriage. Nothing can make us deny that Name which all should confess, or let our purity be stained.
Diocletian
What does this madness mean?
Agape
What sign of madness do you see in us?
Diocletian
It is clear enough.
Agape
In what way are we mad?
Diocletian
Is it not madness to give up practising an ancient religion and run after this silly new Christian superstition?
Agape
You are bold to slander the majesty of Almighty God. It is dangerous.
Diocletian
Dangerous? To whom?
Agape
To you, and to the state you rule.
Diocletian
The girl raves. Take her away.
Chionia
My sister does not rave. She is right.
Diocletian
This maenad seems even more violent than the other! Remove her also from our presence, and we will question the third.
Irena
You will find her as rebellious and as determined to resist.
Diocletian
Irena, you are the youngest in years. Show yourself the oldest in dignity.
Irena
Pray tell me how.
Diocletian
Bow your head to the gods, and set an example to your sisters. It may rebuke and save them.
Irena
Let those who wish to provoke the wrath of the Most High prostrate themselves before idols! I will not dishonour this head which has been anointed with heavenly oil by abasing it at the feet of images.
Diocletian
The worship of the gods does not bring dishonour to those who practise it, but, on the contrary, the greatest honour.
Irena
What could be more shameful baseness, what baser shame, than to venerate slaves as if they were lords?
Diocletian
I do not ask you to worship slaves, but the gods of princes and the rulers of the earth.
Irena
A god who can be bought cheap in the marketplace, what is he but a slave?
Diocletian
Enough of this presumptuous chatter. The rack shall put an end to it!
Irena
That is what we desire. We ask nothing better than to suffer the most cruel tortures for the love of Christ.
Diocletian
Let these obstinate women who dare to defy our authority be laden with chains and thrown into a dungeon. Let them be examined by Governor Dulcitius.
Scene
II
Dulcitius
Soldiers, produce your prisoners.
Soldiers
The ones you wanted to see are in there.
Dulcitius
Ye Gods, but these girls are beautiful! What grace, what charm!
Soldiers
Perfect!
Dulcitius
I am enraptured!
Soldiers
No wonder!
Dulcitius
I’m in love! Do you think they will fall in love with me?
Soldiers
From what we know, you will have little success.
Dulcitius
Why?
Soldiers
Their faith is too strong.
Dulcitius
A few sweet words will work wonders!
Soldiers
They despise flattery.
Dulcitius
Then I shall woo in another fashion—with torture!
Soldiers
They would not care.
Dulcitius
What’s to be done, then?
Soldiers
That is for you to find out.
Dulcitius
Lock them in the inner room—the one leading out of the passage where the pots and pans are kept.
Soldiers
Why there?
Dulcitius
I can visit them oftener.
Soldiers
It shall be done.
Scene
III
Dulcitius
What can the prisoners be doing at this hour of night?
Soldiers
They pass the time singing hymns.
Dulcitius
Let us approach.
Soldiers
Now you can hear their silver-sweet voices in the distance.
Dulcitius
Take your torches, and guard the doors. I will go in and enjoy myself in those lovely arms!
Soldiers
Enter. We will wait for you here.
Scene
IV
Agape
What noise is that outside the door?
Irena
It is that wretch Dulcitius.
Chionia
Now may God protect us!
Agape
Amen.
Chionia
There is more noise! It sounds like the clashing of pots and pans and fire-irons.
Irena
I will go and look. Come quick and peep through the crack of the door!
Agape
What is it?
Irena
Oh, look! He must be out of his senses! I believe he thinks that he is kissing us.
Agape
What is he doing?
Irena
Now he presses the saucepans tenderly to his breast, now the kettles and frying-pans! He is kissing them hard!
Chionia
How absurd!
Irena
His face, his hands, his clothes! They are all as black as soot. He looks like an Ethiope.
Agape
I am glad. His body should turn black—to match his soul, which is possessed of a devil.
Irena
Look! He is going now. Let us watch the soldiers and see what they do when he goes out.
Scene
V
Soldiers
What’s this? Either one possessed by the devil, or the devil himself. Let’s be off!
Dulcitius
Soldiers, soldiers! Why do you hurry away? Stay, wait! Light me to my house with your torches.
Soldiers
The voice is our master’s voice, but the face is a devil’s. Come, let’s take to our heels! This devil means us no good.
Dulcitius
I will hasten to the palace. I will tell the whole court how I have been insulted.
Scene
VI
Dulcitius
Ushers, admit me at once. I have important business with the Emperor.
Ushers
Who is this fearsome, horrid monster? Coming here in these filthy rags! Come, let us beat him and throw him down the steps. Stop him from coming further.
Dulcitius
Ye gods, what has happened to me? Am I not dressed in my best? Am I not clean and fine in my person? And yet everyone who meets me expresses disgust at the sight of me and treats me as if I were some foul monster! I will go to my wife. She will tell me the truth. But here she comes. Her looks are wild, her hair unbound, and all her household follow her weeping.
Scene
VII
Wife of Dulcitius
My lord, my lord, what evil has come on you? Have you lost your reason, Dulcitius? Have the Christ-worshippers put a spell on you?
Dulcitius
Now at last I know! Those artful women have made an ass of me!
Wife of Dulcitius
What troubled me most, and made my heart ache, was that you should not know there was anything amiss with you.
Dulcitius
Those impudent wenches shall be stripped and exposed naked in public. They shall have a taste of the outrage to which I have been subjected!
Scene
VIII
Soldiers
Here we are sweating like pigs and what’s the use? Their clothes cling to their bodies like their own skin. What’s more, our chief, who ordered us to strip them, sits there snoring, and there’s no way of waking him. We will go to the Emperor and tell him all that has passed.
Scene
IX
Diocletian
I grieve to hear of the outrageous way in which the Governor Dulcitius has been insulted and hoaxed! But these girls shall not boast of having blasphemed our gods with impunity, or of having made a mock of those who worship them. I will entrust the execution of my vengeance to Count Sisinnius.
Scene
X
Sisinnius
Soldiers, where are these impudent hussies who are to be put to the torture?
Soldiers
In there.
Sisinnius
Keep Irena back, and bring the others here.
Soldiers
Why is one to be treated differently?
Sisinnius
She is young, and besides she may be more easily influenced when not intimidated by her sisters.
Soldiers
That may be so.
Scene
XI
Soldiers
We have brought the girls you asked for.
Sisinnius
Agape, and you, Chionia, take my advice.
Agape
And if we do, what then?
Sisinnius
You will sacrifice to the gods.
Agape
We offer a perpetual sacrifice of praise to the true God, the eternal Father, to His Son, co-eternal, and to the Holy Ghost.
Sisinnius
I do not speak of that sacrifice. That is prohibited on pain of the most severe penalties.
Agape
You have no power over us, and can never compel us to sacrifice to demons.
Sisinnius
Do not be obstinate. Sacrifice to the gods, or by order of the Emperor Diocletian I must put you to death.
Chionia
Your Emperor has ordered you to put us to death, and you must obey, as we scorn his decree. If you were to spare us out of pity, you also would die.
Sisinnius
Come, soldiers! Seize these blasphemers and fling them alive into the flames.
Soldiers
We will build a pyre at once. The fierceness of the fire will soon put an end to their insolence.
Agape
O Lord, we know Thy power! It would not be anything strange or new if the fire forgot its nature and obeyed Thee. But we are weary of this world, and we implore Thee to break the bonds that chain our souls, and to let our bodies be consumed that we may rejoice with Thee in heaven.
Soldiers
O wonderful, most wonderful! Their spirits have left their bodies, but there is no sign of any hurt. Neither their hair, nor their garments, much less their bodies, have been touched by the flames!
Sisinnius
Bring Irena here.
Soldiers
There she is.
Scene
XII
Sisinnius
Irena, take warning from the fate of your sisters, and tremble, for if you follow their example you will perish.
Irena
I long to follow their example, and to die, that I may share their eternal joy.
Sisinnius
Yield, yield!
Irena
I will yield to no man who persuades me to sin.
Sisinnius
If you persist in your refusal, I shall not grant you a swift death. I shall eke it out and every day I shall increase and renew your torments.
Irena
The greater my pain, the greater my glory!
Sisinnius
You are not afraid of being tortured, I know, but I can use another means that will be abhorrent to you.
Irena
By Christ’s help I shall escape from all you can devise against me.
Sisinnius
I can send you to a house of ill-fame, where your body will be abominably defiled.
Irena
Better far that my body should suffer outrage than my soul.
Sisinnius
When you are dishonoured and forced to live among harlots, you can no longer be numbered among the virgins.
Irena
The wage of sin is death; the wage of suffering a crown. If the soul does not consent, there is not guilt.
Sisinnius
In vain I try to spare her, and show pity to her youth!
Soldiers
We could have told you as much. She is not to be frightened, and nothing can make her worship the gods.
Sisinnius
I will show her no more mercy.
Soldiers
That is the only way to deal with her.
Sisinnius
Have no pity. Be rough with her, and drag her to the lowest brothel you can find.
Irena
They will never take me there.
Sisinnius
Indeed! What can prevent them?
Irena
The power that rules the world.
Sisinnius
We shall see.
Irena
Yes! Sooner than you will like!
Sisinnius
Soldiers, do not let the absurd prophecies of this woman interfere with your duty.
Soldiers
We are not likely to be frightened by a slip of a girl! We will carry out your orders at once.
Scene
XIII
Sisinnius
Who are these men hurrying towards us? They cannot be the soldiers who took away Irena. Yet they resemble them. Yes, these are the men! Why have you returned so suddenly? Why are you panting for breath?
Soldiers
We ran back to find you.
Sisinnius
Where is the girl?
Soldiers
On the crest of the mountain.
Sisinnius
What mountain?
Soldiers
The mountain yonder, nearest this place.
Sisinnius
O fools, madmen! Have you lost your senses?
Soldiers
What’s the matter? Why do you look at us so threateningly, and speak with such anger?
Sisinnius
May the gods crush you with their thunder!
Soldiers
What have we done? How have we offended? We have only obeyed your orders.
Sisinnius
Fools! Did I not tell you to take this rebellious girl to a brothel?
Soldiers
That is so, but while we were on the way up came two young strangers and told us you had sent them to take Irena to the summit of the mountain.
Sisinnius
I learn this for the first time from you.
Soldiers
So we see.
Sisinnius
What were these strangers like?
Soldiers
They were gorgeously dressed and looked like people of rank.
Sisinnius
Did you not follow them?
Soldiers
Yes, we followed them.
Sisinnius
What did they do?
Soldiers
They placed themselves one on each side of Irena, and told us to hasten and tell you what we had seen.
Sisinnius
Then there is nothing to do but for me to mount my horse and ride to the mountain to discover who has dared to play us this trick.
Soldiers
We will come too.
Scene
XIV
Sisinnius
What has happened to me? These Christians have bewitched me. I wander blindly round this hill, and when I stumble on a path I can neither follow it nor return upon my steps.
Soldiers
We are all the sport of some strange enchantment. We are exhausted. If you let this madwoman live an hour longer it will be the death of us all.
Sisinnius
Take a bow one of you, bend it as far as you can, and loose a shaft that shall pierce this devilish witch.
Soldiers
That’s the way!
Irena
You wretched Sisinnius! Do you not blush for your shameful defeat? Are you not ashamed that you could not overcome the resolution of a little child without resorting to force of arms?
Sisinnius
I accept the shame gladly, since now I am sure of your death.
Irena
To me my death means joy, but to you calamity. For your cruelty you will be damned in Tartarus. But I shall receive the martyr’s palm, and, adorned with the crown of virginity, I shall enter the azure palace of the Eternal King, to Whom be glory and honour forever and ever!