Touching the Tyrants of This Time, and their Tyranny

Among all the cruel bloodhounds and persecutors of the Christians, Isdigerdis and his son, Geroranes, may well be counted. They not only flayed and roasted the Christians alive, but also split reeds and bound them, with the cut side inward, tightly around the naked bodies of the martyrs, whom they then drew out by force, thus shockingly lacerating the bodies of the Christians. They also shut the steadfast martyrs up naked in cells, bound them hand and foot, and then drove in a great number of rats, which, driven by hunger, gnawed their bodies, and in the course of time devoured them entirely. Yet by these and similar cruelties they could not force many Christians to deny their Redeemer. All this is told in order to convey an idea of the cruel tyranny that was practiced against the Christians at this time. Compare with Chron. Leonh., book 2. Will Baudart. Denckw., book 5. Hist. Joh. Wega, book 4, chapter 3. Theodoret., book 5, chapter 39.