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the emperor, and we suffered long his persecution, and now last night I saw with mine eyes that the same Decius went into Ephesus, and I and my companions were resident in the city of Ephesus : but on account of his great persecution we all fled thence to the hill yonder, and all lay in the cave this night hidden from Decius. But to-day it has befallen me so wonderfully that I cannot by any means recognise whether this be the city of the Ephesians or else any other." "When Malchus had spoken all thus, then the bishop Marinus thought, wondering in his mind, and said to all the people, " This is of a surety a wonderful vision which God Almighty hath revealed to this young man ; but let us now all very quickly arise, and go with him thither yonder." And the bishop Marinus straightway arose, and with him the town-reeve and the chief townsmen, and [went] forth with a great multitude of all the population; and all went thitlier with great solemnity, and approached the cave. And then Malchus went on before to his holy companions, and the bishop Marinus went in after him, and next after him some of the chiefest honourable men went into the cave. And when they entered in, they found on the right hand a casket, which was sealed with two silver seals, and which the two faithful men had laid therein when Decius the emperor bade the cave to be built up, as we related earlier before this ; that the seals might be afterward as evidence of what they should find therein, when the time should come even as God willed that it was to come. And they then bare out the casket, and bade summon all the citizens, and showed it to all the people, and no man unsealed it before they were all come thither. After they were all gathered there before the bishop, then the town-reeve took hold of the casket, and unsealed it in the witness of all the people, and quickly uncovered it, and found therein a leaden tablet all written upon ; and then he openly read it. Then he came to the row of letters where he found the word written, and he also read it, that they fled from Decius the emperor and suffered his persecution : " Maximianus, who was the son of the city-reeve, Malchus, Martinianus, Dionysius, Johannes, Seraphion, Con-