278 THE PASSION OF and my father,forthe sake of hisaffectionfor me, was per sistingin seekingto turn me away, and to castme down [from the faith],— 'Father,'said I, 'do you see,letus say, thisvessellyinghere to he a littlepitcher,orsomethingelse!' And he said,*I seeitto he so.' And I repliedto him, 'Can it he calledhy any othername than what itis? ' And he said,'No.' 'Neither can I callmyself anythingelsethan what I am, a Christian.'Then my father,provoked at this saying,threw himselfupon me, as if he would tear my eyes out. But he only distressedme, and went away overcome hy the devil'sarguments. Then, in a few days afterI had heen withoutmy father,I gave thanks to the Lord ; and his ahsence hecame a source of consolation1 to me. In that same intervalof a few days we were baptized,and to me the Spiritprescribedthatin the water [of baptism]nothingelse was to be sought for than bodilyendurance.* After a few days we are taken into the dungeon, and I was very much afraid,because I had never feltsuch darkness. O terrible day ! 0 the fierceheat of the shock of the soldiery,because of the crowds! I was very unusuallydistressedby my anxiety formy infant. There were presentthereTertiusand Pom- ponius,the blesseddeacons who ministeredto us, and had arranged by means of a gratuitythatwe might be refreshed by being sent out fora few hours into a pleasanterpartof the prison. Then going out of the dungeon, allattended to theirown wants.3 I suckledmy child,which was now enfeebledwith hunger. In my anxietyfor it,I addressed my mother and comforted my brother,and commended to theircare my son. I was languishingbecause I had seen them languishingon my account. Such solicitudeI suffered formany days,and I obtainedleaveformy infantto remain in the dungeon with me ; and forthwithI grew strong,and was relievedfrom distressand anxiety about my infant; and the dungeon became to me as itwere a palace,so thatI preferredbeing thereto being elsewhere. 1" Refrigeravit,"Grseceintrmvau,tcil."requiemdedit." 2i.e.thegraceofmartyrdom. * Sibivacabant.