anon fell down at the feet of the virgin and were converted by her. And
then the provost commanded them to make a great fire within the entrance
of the bordel, so that the lion should be brent with Daria. And the
lion considering this thing, felt dread, and roaring took leave of the
virgin, and went whither he would without hurting of any body. And when
the provost had done to Crysant and Daria many diverse torments, and
might not grieve them, at the last they without compassion were put in a
deep pit, and earth and stones thrown on them. And so were consecrated
martyrs of Christ".

With regard to the exact year in which the martyrdom of SS. Chrysanthus
and Daria took place, it may be mentioned that in the valuable "Vies des
Saints", Paris, 1701 (republished in 1739), where the whole legend
undergoes a very critical examination, the generally received date, A.D.
284, is considered erroneous. The reign of the emperor Numerianus (A.D.
283-284), in which it is alleged to have occurred, lasted but eight
months, during which period no persecution of the Christians is
recorded. The writer in the work just quoted (Adrien Baillet)
conjectures that the martyrdom of these saints took place in the reign
of Valerian, and not later than the month of August, 257, "s' il est
vray que le pape Saint Etienne qui mourut alois avoit donne ordre qu' on
recueillit les actes de leur martyre"--Les Vies des Saints, Paris, 1739,
t. vii. p. 385.



1. Los dos amantes del cielo: Crisanto y Daria. Comedias de Don Pedro
Calderon de la Barca. Por Don Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch. Madrid, 1865,
tomo 3, p. 234.