men, and without examination made them to be tormented with overgreat torments.  Then was Paul among others bound and brought tofore Nero, to whom Nero said:  O thou man, servant of the great King, bound tofore me, why withdrawest thou my knights and drawest them to thee?  To whom Paul said:  Not only from thy corner I have gathered knights, but also I gather from the universal world to my Lord, to whom our king giveth such gifts that never shall fail, and granteth that they shall be excluded from all indigence and need; and if thou wilt be to him subject, thou shalt be safe, for he is of so great power that he shall come and judge all the world, and destroy the figure thereof by fire.  And when Nero heard that he should destroy the figure of the world by fire, he commanded that all the Christian men should be burned by fire, and Paul to be beheaded, as he that is guilty against his majesty.  And so great a multitude of Christian people were slain then, that the people of Rome brake up his palace and cried and moved sedition against him, saying:  Caesar, amend thy manners and attemper thy commandments, for these be our people that thou destroyest, and defend the empire of Rome.  The emperor then dreading the noise of the people, changed his decree and edict that no man should touch ne hurt no Christian man till the emperor had otherwise ordained, wherefore Paul was brought again tofore Nero, whom as soon as Nero saw, he cried and said:  Take away this wicked man and behead him, and suffer him no longer to live upon the earth.  To whom Paul said:  Nero, I shall suffer a little while, but I shall live eternally with my Lord Jesu Christ.  Nero said:  Smite off his head, that he may understand me stronger than his king, that when he is overcome we may see whether he may live after.  To whom Paul said:  To the end that thou know me to live everlastingly, when my head shall be smitten off, I shall appear to thee living, and then thou mayst know that Christ is God of life and of death.  And when he had said this he was led to the place of his martyrdom, and as he was led, the three knights that led him said to him:  Tell to us, Paul, who is he your king that ye love so much that for his love ye had liefer die than live, and what reward shall ye have therefor?  Then Paul preached to them of the kingdom of heaven and of the pain of hell, in such wise that he converted them to the faith, and they prayed him to go freely whither he would.  God forbid, brethren, said he, that I should flee, I am not fugitive, but the lawful knight of Christ.  I know well that from this transitory life I shall go to everlasting life.  As soon as I shall be beheaded, true men shall take away my body; mark ye well the place, and come thither to-morrow, and ye shall find by my sepulchre two men, Luke and Titus, praying.  To whom when ye shall tell for what cause I have sent you to them, they shall baptize you and make you heirs of the kingdom of heaven.