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Defence of his flight

7. Outrages of George.

And having seized upon forty men, he beat them after a new fashion. Cutting some sticks fresh from the palm tree, with the thorns still upon them ¹, he scourged them on the back so severely, that some of them were for a long time under surgical treatment on account of the thorns which had broken off in their flesh, and others unable to bear up under their sufferings died. All those whom they had taken, and the virgin, they sent away together into banishment to the great Oasis. And the bodies of those who had perished they would not at first suffer to be given up to their friends, but concealed them in any way they pleased, and cast them out without burial ², in order that they might not appear to have any knowledge of these cruel proceedings. But herein their deluded minds greatly misled them. For the relatives of the dead, both rejoicing at the confession, and grieving for the bodies of their friends, published abroad so much the more this proof of their impiety and cruelty. Moreover they immediately banished out of Egypt and Libya the following Bishops ³, Ammonius, Muïus ⁴, Gaïus, Philo ⁵, Hermes, Plenius, Psenosiris, Nilammon, Agathus, Anagamphus, Marcus, Ammonius, another Marcus, Dracontius ⁶, Adelphius ⁷, Athenodorus, and the Presbyters, Hierax ⁸, and Dioscorus; whom they drove forth under such cruel treatment, that some of them died on the way, and others in the place of their banishment. They caused also more than thirty Bishops to take to flight; for their desire was, after the example of Ahab, if it were possible, utterly to root out the truth. Such are the enormities of which these impious men have been guilty.

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Apologie de Saint Athanase sur sa fuite

7.

Il prend quarante hommes et les bat avec une cruauté inouïe. Coupant des branches de palmier armées de leurs épines, il leur en déchire le dos; quelques-uns furent obligés de se faire opérer pour enlever les épines; d’autres ne supportèrent pas ces blessures et moururent. Tout ce qui fut pris fut, avec les vierges, relégué dans la grande oasis. Dans le principe, ils ne firent point rendre les corps des morts à leurs parents, mais les cachèrent et les jetèrent sans sépulture, dans l’espoir de dérober aux regards une telle cruauté. Ils agissent ainsi dans l’égarement de leur pensée, les insensés! Car les parents des morts, heureux de leur confession, mais pleurant sur leurs corps, rendaient plus éclatante la preuve de leur impiété et de leur cruauté. Aussitôt en effet, ils bannirent d’Egypte et de Libye les évêques Ammonius, Muius, Gaius, Philon, Hermès, Plenius, Psénosiris, Nilammon, Agathus, Anagamphus, Marc, un autre Ammonius et un autre Marc, Dracontius, Adelphius, Athénodore, les prêtres Hiéracas et Dioscorus; et ils les chassèrent si cruellement que quelques-uns moururent n chemin et d’autres dans le lieu de leur exil. Ils firent fuir plus de trente évêques; car ils n’avaient qu’un souci, celui d’Achab, faire, s’il était possible, disparaître la vérité. Voilà les audaces de ces impies,