and regulated by a small committee of
the most prominent persons in that business. The license came from
this committee; and each one taking out a license was required to
give two or more sureties for good conduct. Licenses were refused to
the evangelical Armenians; or if not, they were not accepted as
sureties for each other, and none others ventured to assume the
relation. Thus, until the slow moving Turk discovered the abuse, the
persecutor pursued his work with impunity under the broad shield of
the law.

It was specially so in the interior. One of the most trying cases of
persecution was that of Priest Haritun at Nicomedia, whose
conversion was mentioned in connection with that of Vertanes, more
than twelve years before. When Der Vertanes was anathematized, the
bishop of Nicomedia required Haritun to write a confession of his
faith, in order to show the people that he was a true son of the
Armenian Church. The document was far from being satisfactory, and
his letter appended to it was still less so, for in that he affirmed
the Holy Scriptures to be the only infallible rule of faith and
practice, and declared his willingness to receive whatever
punishment was prepared for him. He was naturally timid, but now he
was filled with the spirit of martyrdom. He was brought to the
church on the Sabbath, and the bishop, after reading his confession,
immediately pronounced him excommunicated and accursed. Two priests
then violently tore his clerical robes from his shoulders, and with
boisterous shouts, cried, "Drive the accursed one from the church."
The excited rabble now fell upon him, and with kicks and blows
thrust him into the street. All this he received with the greatest
meekness, and returned to his house exceeding glad that he was
counted worthy "to suffer for the name of Jesus."

The bishop then sent him a paper of recantation to sign. Refusing to
do this, he was by an easy artifice, thrown into prison. Finding
that he owed small sums to different individuals, the debts were all
bought up by a magnate of the place, and immediate payment was
required. Being unable to meet the demand, as it was well known he
would be, he was cast into prison. It was under sanction of the law.
After thirteen days, he was conducted by a soldier to the bishop's
palace, where the Patriarch's creed was offered for his signature.
When they could not persuade him to sign it, he was threatened with
the loss of his beard, which was conside