Another Anecdote

St. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred when he was an old man and had already been serving the Church for many years, first as a disciple of the Apostles, and later as Bishop of Antioch. After his arrest, he turned his mind to martyrdom. On the road from Antioch to Rome, where he was to be fed to the wild beasts, he wrote to the Christian Romans that they should by no means try to prevent his martyrdom. He reiterated his point, saying, "If the lions are lazy, poke them."

His letters are preserved in the collection, "The Apostolic Fathers."