inflicted on him three
days; on the third the judge commanded him to be laid on his back, and a
heavy beam pressed down by the weight of two men on his legs, crushing
the flesh to the very bone. The martyr's tranquillity and patience
astonished the officer, who went again to acquaint the king of his
behavior. In his absence the jailer, being a Christian by profession,
though too weak to resign his place rather than detain such a prisoner,
gave every one free access to the martyr. The Christians immediately
filled the prison; every one sought to kiss his feet or chains, and kept
as relics whatever had been sanctified by their touch: they also
overlaid his fetters with wax, in order to receive their impression. The
saint, with confusion and indignation, strove to hinder them, and
expressed how extremely dissatisfied he was with such actions. The
officer returning from the king caused him to be beaten again, which the
confessor bore rather as a statue, than as flesh and blood. Then he was
hung up for two hours by one hand, with a great weight at his feet, and
tampered with by threats and promises. The judge despairing to overcome
him, went back to the king; for his last orders, which were, that he and
all the Christian captives should be put to death. He returned speedily
to put them in execution, and caused Anastasius's two companions, with
threescore and six other Christians, to be strangled one after another
on the banks of the river, before his face, whom the judge all the time
pressed to return to the Persian worship, and to escape so disgraceful a
death, promising, in case of compliance, that he should be made one of
the greatest men in the court. Anastasius, with his eyes lifted up to
heaven, gave thanks to God for bringing his life to so happy a
conclusion; and said he expected that he should have met with a more
cruel death in the torture of all his members: but seeing God granted
him one so easy, he embraced with joy that end of a life which he
otherwise must shortly have lost in a more painful manner. He was
accordingly strangled, and after his death his head was cut off. This
was in the year 628, the seventeenth of the emperor Heraclius, on the
22d of January, on which day both the Latins and Greeks keep his
festival. His body, among the other dead, was exposed to be devoured by
dogs, but it was the only one they left untouched. It was afterwards
redeemed by the Christians, who laid it in the monastery of St. Ser