Plays

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