in these matters, saying [5]: _Benedictus Deus
quandoquidem ex AEgypto prodeunt martyres, ex AEgypto illa cum Deo pugnante
ac insanissima, & unde impia ora, unde linguae blasphemae; ex AEgypto martyres
habentur; non in AEgypto tantum, nec in finitima vicinaque regione, sed
_UBIQUE TERRARUM_. Et quemadmodum in annonae summa ubertate, cum viderunt
urbium incolae majorem quam usus habitatorum postulat esse proventum, ad
peregrinas etiam urbes transmittunt: cum & suam comitatem & liberalitatem
ostendant, tum ut praeter horum abundantiam cum facilitate res quibus
indigent rursus ab illis sibi comparent: sic & AEgyptii, quod attinet ad
religionis athletas, fecerunt. Cum apud se multam eorum Dei benignitate
copiam cernerent, nequaquam ingens Dei munus sua civitate concluserunt, sed
in _OMNES TERRAE PARTES_ bonorum thesauros effuderunt: cum ut suum in
fratres amorem ostenderent, tum ut communem omnium dominum honore
afficerent, ac civitati suae gloriam apud omnes compararent, totiusque
terrarum _ORBIS_ esse _METROPOLIN_ declararent.--Sanctorum enim illorum
corpora quovis adamantino & inexpugnabili muro tutius nobis urbem
communiunt, & tanquam excelsi quidam scopuli undique prominentes, non horum
qui sub sensus cadunt & oculis cernuntur hostium impetus propulsant tantum,
sed etiam invisibilium daemonum insidias, omnesque diaboli fraudes
subvertunt ac dissipant.--Neque vero tantum adversus hominum insidias aut
adversus fallacias daemonum utilis nobis est haec possessio, sed si nobis
communis dominus ob peccatorum multitudinem irascatur, his objectis
corporibus continuo poterimus eum propitium reddere civitati_. This Oration
was written at _Antioch_, while _Alexandria_ was yet the Metropolis of the
_East_, that is, before the year 381, in which _Constantinople_ became the
Metropolis: and it was a work of some years for the _Egyptians_ to have
distributed the miracle-working reliques of their Martyrs over all the
world, as they had done before that year. _Egypt_ abounded most with the
reliques of Saints and Martyrs, the _Egyptians_ keeping them embalmed upon
beds even in their private houses; and _Alexandria_ was eminent above all
other cities for dispersing them, so as on that account to acquire glory
with all men, and manifest herself to be the _Metropolis_ of the world.
_Antioch_ followed the example of _Egypt_, in dispersing the reliques of
the forty Martyrs: and the examples of _Egypt_ and _Syria_ were soon
followed by the rest o