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'HE WHO SAW THE APOCALYPSE? 451
sequences are beyond us, nor can we escape their punishment.
Tigellinus, by his spies, had put himself in communication
with Philetus ;
he knew enough to palliate in
the eyes of the people the arrest of a community which
they regarded with detestation. His nets were spread in
every direction. Unless the Christians abandoned all attempt
at meeting together, it was impossible that they
could escape the agents of the tyranny which had determined
to destroy them as the scapegoat of its own crimes
To warn them would in any case have been in vain, and
Aliturus was unable to warn them, for Tigelliuus did not
make him a confidant of his intentions.
Unaccompanied by Philetus, the actor went to the meeting
which Linus had announced, and found the Christians gathered
in undiminished numbers, anxious to hear once more the
words of him who at the Last Supper had leaned his head or?
the bosom of their Lord.
Again lest in the presence of traitors and enemies he
should use language which might be turned into an engine of
condemnation against the brethren the Apostle addressed
them in allegoric terms. The Christians understood hia
words, and the rich comfort which lay beneath their poetic
imagery. But he had not been speaking long, when from
the narrow entrance which led into the sandpit for the
Christians had barricaded every approach but one there
arose first a cry of surprise, then a sound of struggling, and a
clash of arms, and a tramp of feet. The youths
was entrusted the guardianship of the approach were borne
back by numbers, and flying into the assembly raised a shout
of ' Fly, brethren, fly
! the Praetorians are upon us.' The
to whom
lamps flashed on the gilded armour of a centurion, who leapt,
sword in hand, into the midst of the worshippers. In a
moment every lamp was extinguished, and by the straggling
starlight might be caught glimpses of a scene of wild confusion,
as men and shrieking women sprang in vain to the
egress, and, driven back on each other by the swords of the
soldiers, struggled in mad panic towards the various subterranean
hiding-places and passages, which branched out of the
sandpit, and were the beginning of the catacombs. Many
made their escape in the tumult, for they were more familiar
than the soldiers with the exits and winding ways. Except