History of Armenia, by Father Michael Chamich; from B. C. 2247 to ...

262 HISTORY OF ARMENIA.
chief Magi, with some troops, entered into a village
called Anghel, and wished to demolish a
christian church standing there : St. Levond,
the priest of the village,
with his people, indignant
at the sacrilegious attempt, drove the
impious band out of the place. On the circulation
of the report of this affair, multitudes of Armenians
flocked to the village. Joseph the pontiff,
with many bishops, also arrived there;
all were ready to die in defence of their church
and religion.
Vardan, the general, also came from the camp,
and throwing himself at the feet of the bishops,
with tears implored forgiveness for his apostacy,
at the same time acquainting them with the real
The
nature of his and the other chiefs intentions.
Prefect, Vasak the Seunian, who had also arrived
there, and who had from his heart renounced
Christianity, approached the bishops, and in a
deceitful way persuaded them to retire each to
his own home, and remain quiet: "For," said
he, " let the Magi alone for some time, and they,
finding the fruitlessness of their endeavours, will
of their own accord leave the country."— By this
way of arguing, he induced many persons to
tolerate the Magi, in hopes of seeing them
quit their task in despair. The Magi, thus left
unmolested to prosecute their
machinations, at
length obtained entrance into the houses of the