For as this church was on the highest spot in the city it stood out like a citadel. And the new city was laid out in a certain number of stades (someone may remember how many) both in length and breadth; and all round in a circle were a number of houses, dwellings for the poor and which shews even more his humane nature-residences for mutilated men. Here you could see them coming along singly, either blind, or lame, or with some other defect. You would have called it Solomon’s porch on seeing it full of men maimed either in their limbs or in their whole bodies.
This ring of houses is two-storied and semi-detached, for some of these maimed men and women live up above twixt earth and sky, while others creep along below on the ground-floor. As for its size, anyone who wants to visit them would begin in the morning and only complete the round in the evening. Such is this city and such are its inhabitants. They have no plots of ground or vineyards or any of those things over which we imagine men spend their time, but each man and woman, just like job, dwells in the house built for him and automatically receives everything for his food and shelter from the imperial hand.
Emperor’s friends working diligently
The strangest point is that these indigent persons, just as if they were lords with large estates and rich reserves, have as stewards and organisers of their life the Emperor himself and the Emperor’s friends working diligently on their behalf. For wherever there was a farm in a good situation, granted it was easily accessible, he gave it to these brethren, so that wine flows down for them in rivers, and bread and all the things men eat with bread.
And those who eat are beyond counting. And I say, audaciously perhaps, that the Emperor’s work can be compared with my Saviour’s miracle, I mean the feeding of the seven, and five, thousand. But on that occasion five thousand were filled with five loaves as it was God who worked the miracle, whilst on this the work of humanity results from the divine command; again in the former case there was a miracle and here an Emperor’s bounty provides his brethren with sustenance.
I myself have seen an old woman tended by a young one and a blind man led by the hand by one who saw, and a man without feet have feet, though not his own but another’s, and a man without hands using other men’s hands, and babies Dursed by other mothers, and paralytics waited upon by strong men. Thus the number of those who were nourished was double, for half were those who were ministered unto, and the other half were the ministers. The Emperor was unable to say to the paralytic, “Rise up and walk!” or to bid the blind to see, and him who had no feet to walk.
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