6:1 When Eleazar had in this manner answered the exhortations of the tyrant, the spearbearers came up, and rudely haled Eleazar to the instruments of torture.

6:2 And first, they stripped the old man, adorned as he was with the comeliness of piety.

6:3 Then tying back his arms and hands, they disdainfully used him with stripes;

6:4 a herald opposite crying out, Obey the commands of the king.

6:5 But Eleazar, the high-minded and truly noble, as one tortured in a dream, regarded it not at all.

6:6 But raising his eyes on high to heaven, the old man's flesh was stripped off by the scourges, and his blood streamed down, and his sides were pierced through.

6:7 And falling upon the ground, from his body having no power to support the pains, he yet kept his reasoning upright and unbending.

6:8 Then one of the harsh spearbearers leaped upon his belly as he was falling, to force him upright.

6:9 But he endured the pains, and despised the cruelty, and persevered through the indignities;

6:10 and like a noble athlete, the old man, when struck, vanquished his torturers.

6:11 His countenance sweating, and he panting for breath, he was admired by the very torturers for his courage.

6:12 Wherefore, partly in pity for his old age,

6:13 partly from the sympathy of acquaintance, and partly in admiration of his endurance, some of the attendants of the king said,

6:14 Why do you unreasonably destroy yourself, O Eleazar, with these miseries?

6:15 We will bring you some meat cooked by yourself, and do you save yourself by pretending that you have eaten swine's flesh.

6:16 And Eleazar, as though the advice more painfully tortured him, cried out,

6:17 Let not us who are children of Abraham be so evil advised as by giving way to make use of an unbecoming pretence;

6:18 for it were irrational, if having lived up to old age in all truth, and having scrupulously guarded our character for it, we should now turn back,

6:19 and ourselves should become a pattern of impiety to the young, as being an example of pollution eating.

6:20 It would be disgraceful if we should live on some short time, and that scorned by all men for cowardice,

6:21 and be condemned by the tyrant for unmanliness, by not contending to the death for our divine law.

6:22 Wherefore do you, O children of Abraham, die nobly for your religion.

6:23 Ye spearbearers of the tyrant, why do ye linger?

6:24 Beholding him so high-minded against misery, and not changing at their pity, they led him to the fire:

6:25 then with their wickedly-contrived instruments they burnt him on the fire, and poured stinking fluids down into his nostrils.

6:26 And he being at length burnt down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes God-ward, and said,

6:27 Thou knowest, O God, that when I might have been saved, I am slain for the sake of the law by tortures of fire.

6:28 Be merciful to thy people, and let my suffering for the sake of the law be accepted by thee.

6:29 Let my steadfastness be a witness for them, and take my life for thy sake.

6:30 Thus speaking, the holy man departed, noble in his torments, and even to the agonies of death resisted in his reasoning for the sake of the law.

6:31 Confessedly, therefore, religious reasoning is master of the passions.

6:32 For had the passions been superior to reasoning, I would have given them the witness of this mastery.

6:33 But now, since reasoning conquered the passions, we befittingly award it the authority of first place.

6:34 And it is but fair that we should allow, that the power belongs to reasoning, since it masters external miseries.

6:35 Ridiculous would it be were it not so; and I prove that reasoning has not only mastered pains, but that it is also superior to the pleasures, and withstands them.