At last, from sheer exhaustion, they ceased, and there was a momentary silence. Then the recorder of the city arrested the attention of the crowd, and by virtue of his office obtained a hearing. He met the people on their own ground and showed that there was no cause for the present tumult. He appealed to their reason. "Ye men of Ephesus," he said, "what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are 295 neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye inquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly."

Endelig holdt de op af ren og skær udmattelse og der blev stille et øjeblik. Så lykkedes det byskriveren at fange mængdens opmærksomhed og i kraft af sit embede fik han dem til at lytte. Han talte til dem som en af deres egne og forklarede dem, at der ikke var nogen grund til dette oprør. Han appellerede til deres fornuft. "Mænd i Efesus," sagde han, "hvor er det menneske, som ikke ved, at efesernes by er tempelværge for den store Artemis og hendes himmelfaldne billede? Når altså dette er uimodsigeligt, bør I forholde jer rolige og ikke foretage jer noget overilet. I har jo ført disse mænd hid, som hverken er tempelranere eller spotter vor gudinde. Dersom nu Demetrius og hans håndværkere har grund til klage mod nogen, så holdes der tingdage og der er statholdere; lad dem da stævne hverandre! Og har I yderligere noget at kræve, så kan det blive afgjort i den lovlige forsamling. Vi står jo endog i fare for at blive anklaget for oprør i anledning af det, der er sket i dag, da der ikke er nogen virkelig grund dertil; for dette opløb vil vi ikke kunne gøre regnskab! "Ved at sige dette fik han forsamlingen til at gå sin vej."