Now, as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there came to him a voice from heaven, saying, “Be strong, and show thyself a man, O Polycarp!” No one saw who it was that spoke to him; but those of our brethren who were present heard the voice. And as he was brought forward, the tumult became great when they heard that Polycarp was taken. And when he came near, the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing that he was, [the proconsul] sought to persuade him to deny [Christ], saying, “Have respect to thy old age,” and other similar things, according to their custom, [such as], “Swear by the fortune of Cæsar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists.” But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, “Away with the Atheists.” Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, “Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ;” Polycarp declared, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”
—The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp, Chapter IX (reading it all recommended).
While in Northern Uganda last fall I heard a remarkable story from the recent Civil War. A few years earlier, the rebels had come to a nearby village looking for certain young men. One of them was named Polycarp (it is common in certain areas of Uganda to name children after saints). Polycarp was hiding in a hut with a grass roof. The rebels set fire to the roof, expecting him to run out. Polycarp had heard of this strategy, and knew they would shoot him as soon as he ran out. So he stayed inside and braved the flames. After several hours, the rebels left, and Polycarp emerged unscathed. The story was related to me by a Protestant missionary who had never heard of St. Polycarp or his story.