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238 238 ST. DOMNA reasoned in vain with Domitilla, baniBhod her to the island of Pontia, a hondred miles from Bome, not far from the island of Pandataria, whither her annt was banished. She was accompanied in her exile by Anspicins, Nereus> Achilles, and several of her servants. She had a cell bailt, in which she spent her time in prayer. Anrelian, finding that she did not change her mind, and thinking that Achilles and Nerens influenced her, obtained the Emperor's permission to do as he chose with them. He offered them large bribes to persuade Domitilla to marry him, and on their refusal he had them tortured and beheaded at Terracina, thirty miles from the island. At Domi- tilla's request their bodies were taken to Bome, and buried near that of St. Petronilla. Three other Christians, Maro, Victor, and Eutirio, hearing of Domitilla's loss^ went to console her and share her exile, but Aurelian put these also to death. He then took Domitilla to his brother's house in Terracina, and induced his two friends, Servilian and Supplicins, to send Theodora and Euphrostne, who were betrothed to them, and were friends of Domitilla, to try and persuade her to bo married on the same day with them. But Domitilla by her prayers restored sight to Herod, the brother of Theodora, and cured a child of dumbness at the request of Euphrosyne, which so im- pressed these young women that they became Christians and took the veil. Their afi&anced husbands were also con- verted to Christianity. Aurelian remained unconverted, and insisted on the marriage, and invited many people to dance in honour of the occasion. When he began to dance, however, he could not stop, but danced for two whole days and nights, and was at last thrown down and torn by the devil, and so died. All the people who had followed him from Bome were con- verted, but his brother accused Domitilla of having killed Aurelian by magic, and obtained from Trajan, who had meantime succeeded to the imperial throne, an order to put to death all who would not adore the gods. He then had Supplicius and Servilian beheaded, and locking up Domitilla, Theodora, and Euphrosyne in the house at Terracina, he set fire to the building. St. Ctesar, coming to bury them, found them i kneeling, dead, but their bodies and clothes uninjured. Leggendario deUe Santi Vergini, Theodora and Euphrosyne are men- tioned in the Boman Martyrology as companions of the martyrdom of Domitilla. Tillemont says that among the martyrs in the persecution of Domitian none are more illustrious than his nearest relations — Clement his cousin-german and the two Domitillas, wife and niece of Clement. Some persons, much impressed with the multiplication of the saints and martyrs, have supposed that there was only one Saint Flavia Domitilla, and that tho discrepancies in the account of her relationship to the Emperor, and tho probable mistakes made in copying from the manuscripts the name of the island to which she was banished, which is given by some writers as Pontia and by others as Pandataria, led to the supposi- tion that there were two. There is little doubt that legends have been made concerning real person- ages whose histories were unknown, and it is probable enough that, on the discovery of reliable information con- cerning the hero or heroine of a story, the discrepancies between the two ac- counts would give rise to the assertion that the saint of history was one and tho saint of legend another person of the same name. It is, however, not tho least unlikely that there were two Domi- tillas, aunt and niece. The elder is well known to history, the younger is the subject of the legend. St. Paula, on her journey from Bome to Palestine about the year 885, visited the cell of St. Domitilla in Pontia (now Panza). St. Domna (l), or Danne, Doc. 2S. Galerius Maximinianus (305-311) at the beginning of his reign favoured tho Christians. Ho allowed them to keep up their churches and monasteries, and employed many of them in his house- hold. Among the gentlemen who held office in his palace at Nicomedia were Anthimius (afterwai^s bishop). Mar-