Chapter I.—Argument.—When the Saints Were Apprehended, St. Perpetua Successfully Resisted Her Father’s Pleading, Was Baptized with the Others, Was Thrust into a Filthy Dungeon. Anxious About Her Infant, by a Vision Granted to Her, She Understood that Her Martyrdom Would Take Place Very Shortly.

1. The young catechumens, Revocatus and his fellow-servant Felicitas, Saturninus and Secundulus, were apprehended. And among them also was Vivia Perpetua, respectably born, liberally educated, a married matron, having a father and mother and two brothers, one of whom, like herself, was a catechumen, and a son an infant at the breast. She herself was about twenty-two years of age. From this point onward she shall herself narrate the whole course of her martyrdom, as she left it described by her own hand and with her own mind.

2. “While” says she, “we were still with the persecutors, and my father, for the sake of his affection for me, was persisting in seeking to turn me away, and to cast me down from the faith,—‘Father,’ said I, ‘do you see, let us say, this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else?’ And he said, ‘I see it to be so.’ And I replied to him, ‘Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’  And he said, ‘No.’ ‘Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.’ Then my father, provoked at this saying, threw himself upon me, as if he would tear my eyes out. But he only distressed me, and went away overcome by the devil’s arguments. Then, in a few days after I had been without my father, I gave thanks to the Lord; and his absence became a source of consolation5    “Refrigeravit,” Græce ἀνέπαυσεν, scil. “requiem dedit.” to me. In that same interval of a few days we were baptized, and to me the Spirit prescribed that in the water of baptism nothing else was to be sought for bodily endurance.6    i.e. the grace of martyrdom. After a few days we are taken into the dungeon, and I was very much afraid, because I had never felt such darkness. O terrible day! O the fierce heat of the shock of the soldiery, because of the crowds! I was very unusually distressed by my anxiety for my infant. There were present there Tertius and Pomponius, the blessed deacons who ministered to us, and had arranged by means of a gratuity that we might be refreshed by being sent out for a few hours into a pleasanter part of the prison. Then going out of the dungeon, all attended to their own wants.7    Sibi vacabant. I suckled my child, which was now enfeebled with hunger. In my anxiety for it, I addressed my mother and comforted my brother, and commended to their care my son. I was languishing because I had seen them languishing on my account.  Such solicitude I suffered for many days, and I obtained for my infant to remain in the dungeon with me; and forthwith I grew strong and was relieved from distress and anxiety about my infant; and the dungeon became to me as it were a palace, so that I preferred being there to being elsewhere.

3. “Then my brother said to me, ‘My dear sister, you are already in a position of great dignity, and are such that you may ask for a vision, and that it may be made known to you whether this is to result in a passion or an escape.’8    Commeatus. And I, who knew that I was privileged to converse with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, ‘To-morrow I will tell you.’ And I asked, and this was what was shown me. I saw a golden ladder of marvellous height, reaching up even to heaven, and very narrow, so that persons could only ascend it one by one; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were there swords, lances, hooks, daggers; so that if any one went up carelessly, or not looking upwards, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cleave to the iron weapons. And under the ladder itself was crouching a dragon of wonderful size, who lay in wait for those who ascended, and frightened them from the ascent. And Saturus went up first, who had subsequently delivered himself up freely on our account, not having been present at the time that we were taken prisoners. And he attained the top of the ladder, and turned towards me, and said to me, ‘Perpetua, I am waiting for9    “Sustineo,” Græce ὑπομένω, scil. “exspecto.” you; but be careful that the dragon do not bite you.’ And I said, ‘In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.’ And from under the ladder itself, as if in fear of me, he slowly lifted up his head; and as I trod upon the first step, I trod upon his head. And I went up, and I saw an immense extent of garden, and in the midst of the garden a white-haired man sitting in the dress of a shepherd,10    This was an ordinary mode of picturing our Lord in the oratories and on the sacred vessels of those days. [This passage will recall the allegory of Hermas, with which the martyr was doubtless familiar.] of a large stature, milking sheep; and standing around were many thousand white-robed ones. And he raised his head, and looked upon me, and said to me, ‘Thou art welcome, daughter.’ And he called me, and from the cheese as he was milking he gave me as it were a little cake, and I received it with folded hands; and I ate it, and all who stood around said Amen. And at the sound of their voices I was awakened, still tasting a sweetness which I cannot describe. And I immediately related this to my brother, and we understood that it was to be a passion, and we ceased henceforth to have any hope in this world.

INCIPIT PASSIO. CAPUT PRIMUM.

0016B ARGUMENTUM.---Apprehensis sanctis, S. Perpetua patrem vincit, cum aliis baptizatur, detruditur in tetrum carcerem; sollicita de infante, ex visione sibi facta, scalae in coelum erectae, et ascensus S. Saturi et sui, et buccellae oblatae, intelligit martyrium propediem futurum.

I. Apprehensi sunt adolescentes catechumini, Revocatus 0017A et Felicitas conserva ejus, Saturninus et Secundulus. Inter quos et Vivia Perpetua, honeste nata, liberaliter instituta, matronaliter nupta, habens patrem et matrem et fratres duos, alterum aeque catechuminum, et filium infantem ad ubera. Erat autem ipsa annorum circiter viginti duorum. Haec ordinem totum martyrii sui jam hinc ipsa narrabit, sicut conscriptum manu sua et suo sensu reliquit.

0018A II. «Cum adhuc, inquit, cum persecutoribus essemus , et me pater avertere et dejicere pro sua affectione perseveraret: Pater, inquio, vides, verbi gratia, vas hoc jacens, urceolum, sive aliud?» Et «dixit: Video.» Et ego dixi ei: «Numquid alio nomine vocari potest quam quod est?» Et ait: «Non.» «Sic et ego aliud me dicere non possum, nisi quod sum Christiana.» Tunc pater motus in hoc verbo, misit 0019A «se in me ut oculos mihi erueret: sed vexavit tantum, et profectus est victus cum argumentis diaboli, Tunc paucis diebus quod caruissem patre, Domino gratias egi, et refrigeravit absentia illius. 0020A In ipso spatio paucorum dierum baptizati sumus; mihi autem Spiritus dictavit nihil aliud petendum in aqua , nisi sufferentiam carnis. Post paucos dies recipimur in carcerem, et expavi, quia 0021A numquam experta eram tales tenebras. O diem asperum! aestus validos turbarum beneficio concussurae militum: novissime macerabar sollicitudine 0022A infantis. Ibi tunc Tertius et Pomponius, benedicti diacones, qui nobis ministrabant, constituerunt praemio ut, paucis horis emissi, in meliorem 0023A locum carceris refrigeraremus. Tunc exeuntes de carcere universi sibi vacabant. Ego infantem lactabam jam inedia defectum. Sollicita pro eo adloquebar matrem, et confortabam fratrem, commendabam filium . Tabescebam ideo quod illos tabescere videram mei beneficio. Tales sollicitudines multis diebus passa sum, et usurpavi ut mecum infans in carcere maneret; et statim 0024A convalui, et relevata sum a labore et sollicitudine infantis: et factus est mihi carcer subito quasi praetorium, ut ibi mallem esse quam alibi .

«III. Tunc dixit mihi frater meus: Domina soror, jam in magna dignitate es; et tanta ut postules visionem, et ostendatur tibi an passio sit, an commeatus. Et ego, quae me sciebam fabulari cum 0025A Domino, cujus beneficia tanta experta eram, fidenter repromisi ei dicens : «Crastina die tibi renuntiabo.» Et postulavi, et ostensum est mihi hoc: Video scalam auream mirae magnitudinis pertingentem usque ad coelum et angustam, per quam non nisi singuli ascendere possent: et in lateribus scalae omne genus ferramentorum infixum. Erant ibi gladii, lanceae, hami, machaerae; ut si quis negligenter, aut non sursum adtendens ascenderet, laniaretur et carnes ejus inhaererent 0026A ferramentis. Et erat sub ipsa scala draco cubans mirae magnitudinis, qui ascendentibus insidias parabat , et exterrebat ne ascenderent. Ascendit autem Saturus prior, qui postea se propter nos ultro tradiderat, et tunc cum adducti sumus, praesens non fuerat: et pervenit in caput scalae, et convertit se ad me , et dixit mihi: «Perpetua, sustineo te. Sed vide ne te mordeat draco ille.» Et dixi ego: «Non me 0027A nocebit in nomine Domini Jesu Christi.» Et de sub ipsa scala quasi timens me, lente elevavit caput: et cum primum gradum calcassem, calcavi illius caput. Et ascendi et vidi spatium horti immensum, et in medio horti sedentem hominem canum, 0028A in habitu pastoris, grandem, oves mulgentem; et circumstantes candidati millia multa. Et levavit caput et adspexit me, et dixit mihi: «Bene venisti, tecnon.» Et clamavit me, et de caseo quod mulgebat dedit mihi quasi buccellam, et ego accepi 0029A junctis manibus, et manducavi: et universi circumstantes dixerunt, Amen. Et ad sonum vocis experrecta sum, commanducans adhuc dulcis nescio quid. Et retuli statim fratri meo, et intelleximus passionem esse futuram: et coepimus nullam jam spem in saeculo habere.