8. So also these boys surrounded and destroyed their fear of torture when they danced in a circle of seven.
9. Now we tremble when we hear about the trials of these young men. They not only saw what was going on but heard the threats directed against them and had to bear the suffering, and this included the pain of being burned by fire.
10. What could possibly be more painful than this? The power of fire is strong and fast. It destroys bodies quickly.
11. Don’t think it’s surprising that clear thinking had full control over these men during their torture, since even a woman’s mind held contempt for even more varied suffering.
12. The mother of these seven young men endured the torture of each one of her children.
13. You see how a mother’s love for her children is a very complex feeling. Everything is focused on a sympathy that she feels for them deep down inside.
14. Even animals without understanding have sympathy and love for their young, just as human beings do.