had prayed. There seemed a great
distance between him and me, so that it was impossible for us to come to
each other. Near him stood a vessel full of water, whose brim was higher
than the statue of an infant: he at tempted to drink, but though he had
water he could not reach it. This mightily grieved me, and I awoke. By
this I knew my brother was in pain, but I trusted I could by prayer
relieve him: so I began to pray fer him, beseeching God with tears, day
and night, that he would grant me my request; as I continued to do till
we were removed to the damp prison: being destined for a public show on
the festival of Caesar Geta. The day we were in the stocks[2] I had this
vision: I saw the place, which I had beheld dark before, now luminous;
and Dinocrates, with his body very clean and well clad, refreshing
himself, and instead of his wound a scar only. I awoke, and I knew he
was relieved from his pain.[3]

"Some days after, Pudens, the officer who commanded the guards of the
prison, seeing that God favored us with many gifts, had a great esteem
of us, and admitted many people to visit us for our mutual comfort. On
the day of the public shows my father came to find me out, overwhelmed
with sorrow. He tore his beard, he threw himself prostrate on the
ground, cursed his years, and said enough to move any creature; and I
was ready to die with sorrow to see my father in so deplorable a
condition. On the eve of the shows I was favored with the following
vision. The deacon Pomponius methought, knocked very hard at the
prison-door, which I opened to him. He was clothed with a white robe,
embroidered with innumerable pomegranates of gold. He said to me:
'Perpetua, we wait for you, come along.' He then took me by the hand
and, led me through very rough places into the middle of the
amphitheatre, and said: 'Fear not.' And, leaving me, said again: 'I will
be with you in a moment, and bear a part with you in your pains.' I was
wondering the beasts were not let out against us, when there appeared a
very ill-favored Egyptian, who came to encounter me with others. But
another beautiful troop of young men declared for me, and anointed me
with oil for the combat. Then appeared a man of prodigious stature, in
rich apparel, having a wand in his hand like the masters of the
gladiators, and a green bough on which hung golden apples. Having
ordered silence, he said that the bough should be my prize, if I
vanquished {537} the Egyptian--but that