Martyrdom and Miracles Mercurius

The Martyrdom of the Holy Mercurius, the General, and His Completion of His Contest, Which Occurred on the Twenty-Fifth Day of the Month of Athor, in the Peace of God. May His Holy Blessings Be with Us. Amen. It came to pass in the twelfth year of the reign of Decius, Valerian, and Maximian, when he was Caesar and Autocrator, that he stirred up a persecution against all the Christians and against anyone who confessed Christ. He issued an edict throughout the cities, the countryside, and the provinces, that every race of men and women should sacrifice to the gods. ... Then they came to be throughout the whole inhabited world at that time. These are those who are written in this edict: Decius Valerian, Maxentius the Great King Autocrator, who took hold of the whole inhabited world. They wrote throughout the inhabited world, the countryside, and the provinces, that they should take hold of ... but he was taken up ... compelled ... victory ... the honored gods are revealed to us, as they care for us through their good providence, especially the great victory of this triumph, which is given to us in the war, to deliver us from the hands of our enemies.

passage in which it rises to attack according to the appointed time, so that the Romans might seize glory. In every place, the barbarians submit to us. [Eighteen pages wanting] ...they will teach you. Immediately he came, saying that he would throw himself out, onto the beast, saying that he would attack the man. The commander of the poor, and immediately the holy Mercurius moved himself inward to the judgment. The mule, which was laden at its mouth, went backward. His one foot went down into the mud. The mule barely stopped running, following him as he ran after... [four or five lines wanting] ...the mule took on a human voice, crying out, saying, "O man, who is confused and a Greek, these whose God has hidden their hour. Come out, so that you may see the holy martyr Mercurius with Demetrius, your son, so that you may believe in Jesus Christ, the God of heaven and earth." And again the mule ran with him [and did not]... [five or six lines wanting] O how great, O the wonder and the vision that happened on that day. Not one man of the whole city, whether small or great, came to the feet of the holy martyr, as if they were a flock, by an authority. But the man himself, with his wife and his children, were fleeing after the mule.

They were disturbed. [Eight or nine lines wanting] with him. She took the single garment of gold which she was serving him, while he was bound, coming out in the middle of the city, while everyone was watching her idol, and her daughter was leading the way for her, like those who are dragged out to be shamed, saying, "The holy Mercurius, look at my shame and my great disgrace and the disgrace of my garment. Help me now!" When she came out, her daughter told her, "Holy..." [five or six lines wanting] of the judgment. She cried out.

...the martyr who received the crown from the King Christ. Release me, that I may believe in you and your God, this one whose name is not worthy to be uttered from a polluted mouth. At that moment, the water became white, flowing down from her eyes as if she were weeping. She saw the release. At that moment, her vision was restored as before. Afterwards, she took hold of the multitude, the multitude of the worshippers, and cast him upon one another. She cried out, "Apollo has been shamed! Christ has been honored, along with his martyr!" Her parents, however, when they saw the healing that had taken place, cried out, "We are Christians! Jesus is the God of heaven, and his holy martyr, Saint Mercurius, glory to him forever and ever, amen!" It happened, after these things, that the people of the Christians spoke among themselves, saying, "Let us take the body of the martyr into the city." Others answered, "Perhaps the heart of the righteous one is not at ease." After these things, they began to fight among themselves. And at that moment, the righteous one moved by himself and went into the city. And the mother cried out, "Sing praises to the martyr!" And the father of the young child, who had gone to the mother, cried out, saying, "I beseech you, my Lord the martyr, as you gave light to my daughter, may your grace also reach my other son, if he has suffered, as he goes up...

And at that moment, the martyr set him down upon the ground, and he arose and stood up.

His feet. And there was no damage in his body, nor a wound, nor did he feel anything at all. The clerics, however, and the athletes were singing before him with canticles, filled with chosen incense and branches of palm, until they brought him into the city. The man wished to bring him into his house, but the righteous one did not consent, because his body was stiff, like a stone, and could not be moved at all. The multitude cried out, "He does not consent, but let us bring him to the church." And they agreed with them, and they brought him to the church, and they placed him there until they built a martyrium for him, as was fitting for him. His glory is forever and ever, amen. The Fourth Miracle of the Holy Mercurius. It happened after seven days, all the multitudes of the city were eating and drinking, making great rejoicing because of the revelation of the body of the saint. The father of the little girl to whom the saint had given light gave his consent to the bishop, and he asked for holy baptism. And he proclaimed to him days of fasting. Afterward, he baptized him, together with his entire household, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And they received the seal of his race, having received with him the light of their baptism. They stood to perform the honor of the three souls, and they received baptism.

After all these things, the holy Mercurius appeared to the poor man as before. He said to him,

Why are you sleeping? You are idle. Why do you not rise and go to my place?" The man said to him, "My lord, I am a poor man, with this wife and this child, and I have no means." The holy one said to him, "I will give you all that you need. Only be a poor man, and come into my house. You are not two, and you will see my powers. And if you rise early, come to the east, at the first gate of the city, you will find my young son, whom the muleteer has hidden from me, because he wished to strike you, on account of my body. Say to him, 'What you have in your hand, give it to me, for I need it.' And he will give you three gold coins, which he wishes to give as alms. Only I will not let you be in need of anything. And they will bring to you, and you will not know what you will do with it. And if he asks you, 'Where did you learn that there is anything in my hand?' say to him, 'It is Mercurius who told you; it is he who said to me, "Say to you."' And again he said to his father, 'Do you know the time when you accused me? I have already heard you. I gave light to your daughter, and again I granted you your son who is well. If there is anything, and it is not with you, do a favor for your friend, the martyr, for the honor of a friend is upon a friend. If he does more, until morning, the more than this is a shame, and with everyone. If he gives you work, do it.'

...he will not listen to you. Eat for yourself from these three holokottinoi. They will be for you according to the will of God, and I will come to you. Do not let me be troubled. Now when he had said this to him, he went out from him in peace. But first, when he had come, the man rose up and walked on the first path. He came upon the small child and took the three holokottinoi. And whatever words the holy Mercurius had spoken...

...to him in the horoma. He sent him away. The little child went. He sent him to his father in fear. His father, when he heard these things, gave glory to God and his holy martyr, Saint Mercurius. He himself, however, did not neglect anything at all, but he loaded his camels with a multitude of goods and a great cargo. He gathered together a single load of material and gave it into the hand of the poor man, so that he might plaster the wall, and he gave him the adze so that he might scrape the ground, and all his needs. Now it happened on a day of the cattle scraping, that one struck a thorn into one of the bulls. It fell on its face among its companions. The poor man, when he saw what had happened, grieved greatly. He said, "Woe is me for this matter! The archon man has killed his animal. Would that I had not spoken to this little child of this horoma, so that he might tell his father, 'He has incited me to this deed,' so that this great calamity might befall me!" While he was saying these things, behold, Saint Mercurius took the form of an archon of the city. He came to his side. He saw the man. He approached him. He made the sign of the wonder. He said to him, "O man, why have you let the cattle attack each other until one wound one? For his master will take him from you." And the workman grieved greatly, and again he gave glory to God and Saint Mercurius.

The men who were the beasts heard, and they came to the place where he was, and they were greatly humbled, saying, "We have seen him in his strength and his might, and the holy Mercurius did not allow him to be seen, for he was sitting with no one seeing him, except this poor man." And they gathered a multitude of men to the beast, and they brought it into the city to a place by itself, and they gave it food to eat, but it did not accept the food.

...entirely. And his master was greatly grieved, saying, "What a beautiful strong body!" But when all the men went to their houses, the poor man remained alone with the beast, grieving greatly, and his thoughts were scattered because of his poverty. Then the holy Mercurius came in, smiling with a holy smile, and he stood beside the beast of the poor man, and he revealed himself to him face to face. He said to him, smiling, "Have you not waited for me, O brother?" The man said to him, "Come and see what has happened." After these things, the holy Mercurius moved the jaw of his foot, and said to him, "In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, arise and do the work without sickness." And he lifted him up with great strength, as if he had no pain at all, and he ate of this grass. Immediately, the holy Mercurius rebuked the beast that was opposing him, saying to him, "Your jaws will be loosened from your head, and you will not be able to speak again, nor will any man or beast ever be able to do so, but you will be gentle forever." And immediately his jaws fell out, they were scattered from his head, and he became gentle. The poor man prostrated himself before the holy Mercurius, saying to him, "Your grace is small, my Lord.

The martyr of Christ, behold, the martyr of the Lord, upon his holy name. And immediately the holy Mercurius hid himself in his mouth. The man, however, came out, rejoicing and crying out, saying, "The holy Mercurius has appeared to me. He healed the bull, he tamed the bull that was opposing, he made it gentle." And a multitude came to see what had happened, and they all cried out, "One is God, the God of the holy Mercurius. Glory to him forever and ever, amen." The Tenth Miracle of the Holy Mercurius It happened that after these things, they began to work on the roof of the church of the holy Mercurius. A Greek archon came also himself with the workmen to the roof of the church of the holy Mercurius. He himself also arranged his place for the roof near them quickly, for he himself wished to build a courtyard in his house. He came one day and sat near the workmen who were working. He arose and examined the stones until he came upon the stones of the holy one, and he set apart the stones of the holy one, more than all the others. He said, "Truly, I will take a hundred measures of stones from among these stones of the Christians, and I will say to the workmen that they have prepared them." And if they should say, "We will not leave you to do this," he would beat them. "I will throw them out, take them to another place, and see what this one, Mercurius, will do to me." And he went to his house on that day.

After a few days, he went and saw the holy one's tomb. He grieved greatly, outwardly because of the small and great of the city sending a craftsman, each in turn, to work, so that they might build the roof of a martyrium. Then the man of the heathen, with great anger from the devil, at the holy one's tomb. After these things, he called the poor man, to whom the holy Mercurius had revealed himself. He said to him, "Come, show me the boundary of my tombs and my property, for I wish to build my house." The man said to him, "Your men

Know the number of your bricks. He said, "I will not take any man with me except the old man. But according to my heart's thought, these are few until the place." The man, however, became angry. He said to him, "O man, do not weary your soul. Do not touch the bricks of this holy one, lest a calamity befall you. However, if you take them, I will know your strength and your might." And the Greek gave a hundred pieces of silver to the poor man. He said to him, "Did you not say before that that one would trouble you? I will take more than these, for I have known your strength and that one, what he will do for me." The man said to him, "As you wish, do it. By God of the holy Mercurius, see your face. Not only will you not prevail against his face." The man then sent immediately with great arrogance, his servant. He went and brought some camels. He walked before them with great arrogance. He loaded the bricks of the holy one onto the camels. And he stood before a large male camel, his own. He commanded his servants with great arrogance to load the bricks onto the camel. He said, "Let me see now the strength of this Mercurius." And immediately, before the word left his mouth, the camel that was standing before him opened its mouth, seized the Greek archon, threw him in before itself, and turned him over onto his back.

And immediately the holy Mercurius came, mounted on his horse in the spirit. He stood beside the camel that was holding the man, and he placed his kontarion against his left foot and his [right foot?]. Now he threatens me, saying, "You are the one who will give the wound to my martyrdom, seeking your single foot." And the crowd followed him in fear.

with a start. Until he entered into the midst of the place, he was running after him. And the man cried out, saying, "My lord, the holy Mercurius, forgive me because of my ignorance and all my sins. I will give them to you for the building of your place, and fine linen I will give to you with all the material that I have gathered for my house. And I will become a Christian with my whole house. You have freed my slaves who were in bondage. I will become a servant of God in your place until this day of my death." Now when he said these things, the camel set him down on the ground. And the holy Mercurius touched his wounds, healed him, and released him without any injury in his body at all. And a great fear seized everyone who was standing there, seeing how the camel had wounded him. And the man confessed to them, "I saw the holy Mercurius spearing me." Then he examined the body of the man and found no injury in it at all. They asked him, "Where is the wound that is in your body, especially since you cried out, 'Behold, the righteous one is spearing me in my foot with his kontarion'?" The man said to them, "From the moment the camel set me down, when it touched my whole body, I was healed." And immediately the man went to the feet of the bishop.

He baptized him and his entire household, and all his servants. He set them free, releasing them. And he gave all the material he had gathered for the building of his house, along with the wood, the stones, and all his bricks. And he brought them into the monastery, with chosen gold and a great sum of money, and his hands and all his men, and all his cattle, all working with their hands. And he would say to the workers,

Walk, and you shall build the house of this dynados. And he died according to the decree of many men, before the martyrion was completed outside. The glory of God and his holy martyr, the saint Mercurius. The Twentieth Miracle of Saint Mercurius It happened when they began to build the martyrion of the saint Mercurius with great magnificence, that there was a great quantity of materials and men working at the site of the holy one. After this, a man from the city passed by and saw the materials of the site of the martyrion. He marveled and desired a piece of wood that was lying outside. He said, "I have need of this piece of wood, and I will take it." He turned his face to the wood, lifted it onto his shoulder, and walked with it until he entered the city a little way. Then he became confused, not knowing where he was going, because the holy one had confused his mind, until he came and stood at the door of the poor man, the epitropos of the saint Mercurius, the one whose door is open. He did not know where he was going, nor what the holy one was. He spoke with the epitropos, saying to him, "You sit doing nothing. Behold, they have taken the wood of my site. But rise and go to the door of your house; you will find the man who has this wood carried at his door, confused, not knowing where he is going, for I am the one who confused him. Do not let him know.

He went where? Until he came to this place. You will see its door. The one who took it, the thieves, hung it at its door. When he saw the house, it opened for him. He recognized him, that

The steward of the martyrion said, "His mind came to his door. Immediately he cried out, 'One is God, the holy Mercurius. Have mercy on me, do not be angry with me. Do not come to do evil to me, for I have sinned against you, I have stolen your wood. Behold, the holy one also said to his deputy, "Say to the man in this manner: 'Why do you not come and do good deeds in my place? The other wood that he gave to be brought into my place for the salvation of their souls, you took it and stole it. But because of the mercy of God, behold, I have let you go. Take the wood and put it in its proper place, and go to your house. If he wakes up in the morning, let him proclaim the miracle, so that the people may fear and not steal the gate of my place again. I will bring evil upon them.'" When he said this, he hid himself at his door. The poor man arose and came out. He found the man with the wood hanging at his door, standing at the door of his house, not knowing where he would go. And he said, "The holy Mercurius, have pity on me, have mercy on me, for I have sinned, O my Lord." The poor man spoke with him, "O my beloved brother, where are you coming from with the wood hanging at your door? I say to you, 'This wood belongs to the holy Mercurius.' Therefore, take what has happened to you entirely to my door.

The man informed him about how he had taken the measure of her and how the holy Mercurius had confused his mind until he came to the door of the poor man's house, being without knowledge. The man to whom the holy Mercurius had given the measure commanded the man who had taken the measure to say who the holy Mercurius had sent to him. And when the man heard these things, he marveled and said, "Not only is it one and the same day, but if

God of the holy Mercurius, grant me salvation. I will not cease working for his shrine until it is completed. And I will proclaim his power everywhere I go to his door. And immediately his heart became with him, and he went to his house, glorifying God and his holy martyr. He slept until morning, and when the light came out, he proclaimed throughout the whole city what had happened. And he went to the place from which the water was flowing, and he lifted it onto his shoulder, while everyone watched him. He carried it to the shrine of the saint, and he placed it in the place from which he had taken it. And great fear fell upon everyone who saw his face, and they did not touch any other part of the shrine again until it was completed. And the man did not cease working, but he labored with stone and brick on the shrine of the saint until it was completed, while glorifying God and the holy Mercurius. The Twenty-Third Miracle of the Holy Mercurius Listen also to another great miracle, O my beloved. The glory of God of the holy Mercurius. It happened when they were building the shrine beautifully, with many craftsmen. They built its door with a hundred and seventy-two cubits, because three great cubits of the woman to whom the holy Mercurius gave light, to whom her blessed husband gave the measure.

entered the city. He had not yet died when they prepared a great coffin. Then he

God took his form, according to the custom of some men. He died, leaving a multitude of creatures for her. Then they prepared a very beautiful coffin of seventy cubits, and all the multitudes gathered together, raising it up. But some of the small craftsmen said to each other, as if mocking, "Would that the heart of the holy Mercurius were inclined toward us, to build for him a martyrion, so that the seventy-cubit coffin might produce fruit that is sweet, if it is planted, that we might eat from it." But while the word was still coming out of their mouths, the tree produced branches that were sweet, good and full of fruit. And when the multitudes saw what had happened, they cried out with a great voice, glorifying God and his holy martyr, who does these mighty deeds and these wonderful miracles. And they brought out from the fruits some of the faithful, who placed them in their houses as phylacteries. Oh, how many healings occurred from those fruits! The multitudes ate, were satisfied, and gave thanks to God and his holy martyr, the holy Mercurius. And all who were in the city and its surroundings, both small and great, came all together to see the great miracle, men and women, coming to behold what had happened, which the righteous one had done. There were some...

Also in the city, they call him Gaios Agriopos. He was hostile toward many people, but especially toward the Christians. He himself heard of the great miracle that had taken place in the shrine of the saint. He said, "I will go and see whether these words that the Christians speak are true, or whether they are deceiving themselves." He gave orders to one of his servants to bring him a female mule of Lycon.

He mounted the horse. He said to his servant, "Come, let us see the mockery that these Christians are making." Then they went together until they arrived at the shrine of the holy Mercurius. The Jewish man entered, leading his animal. One of the young Christian children said to him, "Why are you bringing this animal into the church of God?" But the Jewish man did not look at him at all; rather, he went in, stood still, and looked up at the tomb, which was adorned with garlands and leaves, as if it were placed on the ground. And the Jewish man said, "Who is it that has placed these leaves, which are foreign to your crowns, as a deception upon the holy one? Who has done this?" The young child, the incorruptible one, answered him, speaking from the beginning about the animal that he was leading. He said to him, "The one who will strike you down at this very hour is the one who reveals all these wonders." At that moment, he was filled with great anger and fury. He set the animal upon the young child, so that it might trample him. And at that moment, the hoof of the mule sank into the ground like a stone. It fell upon his face and struck him against the stones and bricks that were lying outside in the building area. And at that moment, behold, the holy Mercurius came out through the door, with an angel walking with him.

His servant took him by the hand and said to him, "What are you doing in this place, O man who is outside? This place is not a place for mockery. You have brought your horse inside. The leaves and fruits are foreign things. And you have come to this place to attack those who work in my shrine. You have not worked, nor have you let those who work. And immediately he struck his servant in the midst of his heart. His hands...

He went out from him. If no one had seen the holy one, would this man be a Jew? The holy one struck him. But they would see the man cast out, being ignorant. They do not know what happened to him. Afterwards the man cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Saint Mercurius, help me in the hour of need. I will not cease forever, seeking after no one of the holy ones. And if you show mercy to me, release me from this sickness, I will become myself a Christian, and I will establish your stele... now in your glory, with your kontarion drawn against me, and I will establish my own limn, cast out under your feet, with great shame and weakness. I will gild your icon with pure gold and with fiery precious stones, which is the chrysolite, and the limn of your kontarion I will have it set with genuine adamantine stones. Help me, O my Lord Mercurius, for he has sent him, cast out, being broken in death. After these things, the angel of the Lord spoke with Saint Mercurius, "Lift the kontarion over him if he will believe in our true king, Christ. It is better for a sinner than a righteous man to sin. Joy will come among the angels.

upon a sin. If he repents of the sin, according to the way that the Savior taught his disciples, that he is not there, let the mercy reach him, for he is ignorant. And the holy one left him alone, when his heart became his own. He took all the things that had happened to him to the crowd that was gathered within. But they gave glory to God, who works the powers through the hand of his holy martyr. After these things, the man arose and went away.

to his house. He spoke with his wife and his servants about all the things that had happened to him, and said, “I have not given birth to a son there, for she is a barren woman,” his wife. As for his rest, he said to his wife, “What God wills, let him follow me.” And he took his wife and his servants, and he went to the feet of the bishop, and he baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And he called his name Zacharias, and his wife Elizabeth. And when he went to his house, he knew his wife, and she conceived two male children at once. And when the nine months were completed, she gave birth to two male children. She called the firstborn Mercurius, after the name of the saint, because they had obtained salvation through him. The second they called John, after the name of the Baptist. After all these things, he called a craftsman, and he gave him ten litra of pure gold, along with precious stones. He prepared the shrine of the holy Mercurius, with his cuntarium in his hand. He had it carved in stone of adamant, and he had his shrine made also of gold and precious stones, beneath the holy Mercurius, striking himself with his spear upon his heart, and carrying his icon into the church after the consecration.

of the place, he left her at the foot of the sanctuary, until this very day. And they are now a testimony to the power of the pure martyr, the holy Mercurius, in the peace of God. Amen.

The eighth miracle of the holy Mercurius. And it happened after they consecrated the holy place, and the fame of the powers spread to every place, and a great multitude came to his holy relic to worship it, and the sick who were seized by illness went to their homes, the demon casting them out. And they offered many prayers and offerings in his place. Now there was an archon in a region near that place, a place called by the name of that archon, Kuris Hermapollon. He had a young daughter, an only child, he had no other children except her. He left her as a small orphan, looking after her as if he saw God. He heard about the powers of the holy Mercurius. He arose, took a small offering of eight holokottinos, and went to the holy place. He prayed, gave the eight holokottinos to the steward of the place, and the clergy made a great feast for him, for they were hospitable people, those clergy. Then they drank much wine and ate much food, giving place to the archon. Then they had a synaxis, coming to the middle. The archon said, “You need to tell me how this place was established.” The clergy and the steward said to him,

...they sought a beautiful place to build, and to place the body of the martyr upon it. The archon answered, saying, "If God of the holy Mercurius grants that this place be completed, I will establish...

...a place of rest for the martyr, to establish it. The archon answered, saying, "If God of the holy Mercurius grants that this place be completed, I will establish it." And he slept that night. And the holy Mercurius appeared to him in the form of a soldier. He said to him, "When you arise, mount your beast and go to your house, and do not delay in completing this place as you have said. For I know that a small negligence will happen to you concerning the building of the place of rest, which your clergy will inform you about. But I will not bear the burden with you. I know that after some time you will come to my shrine, and I will do for you." The archon then awoke from the dream, greatly amazed. First, when it was morning, he went to the church, venerated the body of the martyr, went out, mounted his beasts, and went to his house. When a day had passed, the archon of the city heard about his virgin daughter, that she was very ill. He sent men of the city to him, saying, "I wish to take your daughter as a wife for my son, and I will give a dowry of gold and silver, and male and female slaves, and camels, and ships on the sea, according to the honor of your greatness, all together.

Then the mother of the little girl, the wife of the archon, called out to him and told him the matter. The archon said, "If I find the little boy, I will bring him into my house and I will marry him to my daughter, and my entire inheritance will be his, and I will never be separated from him." And the little boy said, "I have no concern for these things, for I am looking to her and I am looking to God." Then the wife of the archon spoke of many things to the women who had come, and they departed.

They were grieved. They spoke about the matter to the little boy and his parents, and they were downhearted, and they did not speak. When evening came, they called their son and spoke with him about many little children in the city, and they did not mention the little boy. But his heart was troubled, for he knew the little girl, that she was very beautiful, and that he was young, being in his adolescence near his teacher. The teacher would send the little boy regularly to announce to the little girl what the teacher would write for him for his reading. So he spent the whole night sleepless, thinking about what he should do until he met the little girl, whether in lawful marriage or in fornication, because of his great desire for her. Simply, he remained grieving, and he did not tell anyone about his grief. And within a month from when these things happened, the mother of the little boy died. And because of the grief of his mother, his father did not seek any other woman for himself. The little boy, however, did not cease to be troubled about the little girl. He persisted daily until he drew near to death. And he went to many magicians, wishing to corrupt the mind of her parents so that they would give the little girl to him. But he did not succeed in this. Instead, he encountered a great magician, who finally said, "I will make you see her.

You will speak with them many times, mouth to mouth. But the little child, by his great one, his heart turned inward to [One leaf, or more, wanting] ... and also their icons were prepared for the feast. They were cut off from the altar of the Epiphany. And the making of the place of the bed (sic) and they built inward to its door the image of the martyr in precious stones, shining like glass.

with three crosses of gold, and three seals of silver. Then they completed him beautifully, with great skill. He mounted his bed upon his beasts at night, with his wife and his sick daughter, and his servants, until they came to the place of the holy one. On the third day, to the feast of the holy Mercurius, which is the eleventh of Hathor. When the clerics saw his bed, they marveled greatly, they sang before him, they brought him into the church. And the archon, with his wife and his daughter, went into the martyrion, they worshipped upon the body of the holy one with great joy. And the oikonomos took them to a place by themselves. They rested from the suffering of the roads. And their daughter was under torment, because she hated the church, that sickness being a demonic possession. In the middle of the night, the holy Mercurius girded himself like a general, he went to the city of the archon, he entered the house of the bridegroom, he brought the severe sickness upon the little daughter, he appeared to him with great fear, his sword drawn in his hand, he struck him with the sword three times in anger, and he threw him down under the bed. He saw the holy one standing before him face to face, he threw him down upon his bed, that he might rise and flee.

He immediately fell upon his face at the feet of the saint, and he remained scourging himself for a long time in repentance, and he was kissing the feet of the saint, saying, "Woe is me, for I am a sinner," and he was weeping, saying, "What is this sin that I have committed, O my Lord?" The saint said to him, "Do you not hear what is written: 'You will not curse the ruler of your people, nor will you lay your hand upon the Christ of the Lord'?" He said,

It is written, my lord, but tell me your name, and inform me of my sin, that I may repent for my sin. For I know that repentance exists." The holy one said to him, "I am Mercurius, who performs the mighty deeds in this city of Caesarea. I came to strike you and your magician, that one who gave this great bone to the daughter of Hermopolis in this city by force. But since I have found repentance in you, I will not strike you this time. But if you rise first, do not be negligent, but go to the feet of the magician, that one who commits the sin, and you shall come to my shrine, and the joy will be fulfilled in every matter." The man said to him, "I am coming to rejoice, but certainly that man there should not come." The holy Mercurius answered him, saying, "Complete your [...] that that one there may come to be excommunicated." Then the holy one hid himself from his mouth. But first, when it happened, he turned his face to his father, saying to him, "My father, help me, for I desire to go to the shrine of the holy Mercurius to pray." And his father comforted him greatly, saying, "I have not given him to anyone else." He said, "Go, my son, but do not delay; do not leave your entrails as a sword in you. O light of my eyes." And he gave a multitude of gifts and three male servants to walk with him.

Then he turned aside on the road in a great hurry to go out to the city where the magician was. He said to him, "Arise, let us go to the shrine of the holy Mercurius, and let us pray, and everything that happened to him he told the magician." And when the magician heard the man and his daughter at the martyrion of the holy one, he was afraid. The magician said, "If it happens that I am called now, I will not come to the shrine of the holy Mercurius, for

His father and the little girl were revealed. He killed me because of his daughter. Immediately the little boy became confused with great force until he came to the martyrion of the holy one, with great fear. He prostrated himself upon the body of the holy one. He saw the little girl prostrate as if upon the body of the holy one, with her father and her mother entreating him and imploring him to help her. And the holy one was placing her in a beautiful circle. The little boy called the steward and gave him ten gold coins. And the archon, who was the father of the little girl, looked. He saw the little boy and recognized him. He went in to him. He knew nothing of the matter. He greeted him and inquired about the welfare of his household from him. After their prayer, however, he urged the little boy and took him to the place where he dwelt in the sky. They ate and drank together. He saw the little girl and rejoiced greatly, and he grieved for her because she was being tortured and her parents were ashamed because of her illness. And again he feared because the martyr was revealed. In short, many cares were in the heart of the little boy. The holy Mercurius, however, revealed himself to the father of the little girl. He raised him up while he was sleeping. He took him from the place where he was sleeping. He asked him, "Is this your daughter, the wonder that is before you? If you wish, I will heal her for you.

And he sought after the evil one within his mouth, saying, "The other three traps will catch her more than this one." And he informed him that there were three more. Until his father rested himself, for his time had come to an end. And he did not neglect to take his daughter for himself. After the death of his father, he informed him of how to bewitch his daughter until she became ill because of his desire to go out into her mouth. And he informed him

Again, in the same way, he revealed himself outside to the young man, in the same way he applied his hand to his mouth. And concerning all the things that had happened to the young child, until he came to the martyrion, these things, when the holy Mercurius sent him, he placed his hand over his mouth. But the archon became troubled, and fell into a great disturbance, a great confusion, and he said, "Truly, the holy Mercurius is the one who came; he revealed himself to me, and he remained thinking about what the young man had done to his daughter, concerning his desire to enter into her." He remained perplexed, saying, "Is the desire of the holy one to reveal the mystery from the beginning? I will not leave it hidden." While he was thinking about these things, they sounded the trumpets, so that everyone who was sleeping would rise, and they would come to the church, and they would hymn with the hymnographers, saying, "The great feast of the holy one, which is the twenty-second of Hathor." The multitudes rose, wearing white garments in joy, and they came to the church, and they continued hymning until the light of day. The man also rose, and he called his wife and his daughter, and they came to the place, with their servants following them. And the young man also, with his servants, they went and prostrated themselves upon the body of the holy one, rejoicing. And the young man looked at the place of the tomb, marveling at its appearance, and he found the magician man bound within the shrine of the martyr, like a horse tied by its mouth.

And when he saw the young man, he cried out, saying, "Woe to me, O my Lord, my brother! Come, see my great humiliation!" The young man said to him, "Where are you going in this place?" The magician said to him, "O my brother, when you went out from my hand, the holy Mercurius came to me. He struck me with a blow to my face, he took me, he bound me, and brought me in to this place of sleeping. Woe to me!" Immediately he cried out, saying,

Help me, my beloved brother, for as long as I speak with you, the holy one has given a blow to my face within my mouth; I am greatly ashamed. He said to him, "It is a mystery that I have not revealed to you concerning it, for it is revealed outwardly. Why do you seek to have it revealed outwardly?" And immediately, a demon leaped upon the magician, and it [released him] and cast him down upon the ground, crying out, "Let me discipline him!" The holy Mercurius commanded me, saying, "Great are the blasphemies he has committed against God who created him." And also a woman, a demon, seized hold of the body of the holy one. And when the entire congregation had dismissed the synaxis, the whole multitude gathered to see how the holy one had humiliated the demons. And the archon also came himself and sat down. The woman who was possessed by a demon cried out, "O Hermapollon! ... leave the evil of this man ..." The magician said, "It is you who have done this to your daughter, and also I give your daughter to the son, according to the way you were told in the vision, that we should not delay; the cure has taken hold, and do not neglect to take care of your daughter and the young son, for three months the father of the young son has had her, and after this your heart will be at rest." But his wife's heart was troubled.

Concerning those who heard this, and immediately the woman was released from the torture as if she had never suffered at all. And the woman said to the magician, so that the holy Mercurius might speak through her: "From this hour, you shall not dwell with men, but you shall flee into the desert, and you shall be alone, dwelling in the desert until the day of your death." And he rebuked the spirit within him and cast it out. His vision was well fulfilled, and he went into the desert. He dwelt in solitude until the day of his death. When the day of the festival came, Hermopolis [he mounted] his beasts, with his wife, his daughter, and his servants. And the young man with his servants came to the city. And the archon commanded his wife concerning all the things that the holy one had sent to him in the vision. When his wife understood that just as the archon had said concerning the vision, so also was the way the holy one had spoken through the mouth of the woman who was a demon. When the people heard, a great joy arose among them. They sent and they ate and drank with him, and they informed him: "Take the care that we perform the prayer according to the way the holy Mercurius said to us." And when the young man heard these things, he rejoiced greatly. And when the dinner was finished, the young man went to his house. He told all things to his father. And his father rejoiced exceedingly.

First, when he became, the father of the young man gathered all the nobles of the city of Lucius, and they came to the house of the lord Hermapollon, and they spoke with him concerning his daughter, and they encouraged one another, and they gave her a multitude of gold and silver, and a great quantity of adornment, and male slaves and female slaves, and sailors in the sea, and they brought actors and dancers and musicians and mimes and jugglers and acrobats, and they performed the wedding with great splendor, and after another week, they gathered a multitude of the people of Lucius and a multitude of archons, and they performed the wedding with great magnificence, and they rejoiced greatly. And within three months after the wedding, the father of the young child died in a ripe old age, and when the days of his mourning were completed, the young man took

his gold, and his heart, and all his equipment, and his servants. He brought them to the house of his father-in-law, and they remained together until the day of their death. And they come year by year to the shrine of the holy Mercurius, on his holy feast, praying and giving thanks to God for these great powers. You have seen, and the beloved ones, these great gifts which God performs, together with his chosen ones, according to their kind. I wish, together with the God-loving people, to take a little for yourselves. But I know that it is impossible for anyone to attain the full power of the holy ones, especially the holy martyr Mercurius. And again, it is good to be silent in every matter. O you who read, may all who read be blessed.