I. GOD has at last heard you (My dearest Donatus) in those Prayers which you offer up daily to Him, as well as our other Brethren, who by the Vertue of their Faith, and of the glo­rious Consession that they have made, have acquired to themselves an eternal Crown of Glory. To these Prayers God has hearkned; and has delivered us from our Enemies: and a blessed Peace being now again re-established upon Earth, the Church of God, that was [Page 56] lately laid so low, begins to flourish a­gain: and thro the Mercy of God, his House, that was laid in Ruins by his Enemies, is now rebuilt with a new Magnificence. God has raised up to us Princes, who have repealed all the wicked and bloody Edicts of the late Tyrants; and have so setled the Peace of Mankind, that instead of the Clouds and Storms of the late times, there is now an Universal Calm every where: and after all those Hurricans of Fury and Violence are now blown over, we enjoy a serene Air, and the happy quiet which we had so much long'd for. Now Gods Anger is turned away, and he hearkning to the Prayers of his Ser­vants, has by the Interposition of his Divine Aid, raised up their afflicted and broken Spirits: Now he has wiped away all their Tears, and has put an end to the Conspiracies of their Ene­mies. Those who had set themselves in opposition to God, are now laid in the dust: Those who had rased the Temples of God, are now become spe­ctacles to the World; and they who had exercised so much Cruelty on the [Page 57] Servants of God, have received at his hands a severe Return of their Rage, and have breathed out their defiled Souls after they had undergone a great many dismal strokes, that were laid on them by the Hand of God. Their pu­nishment was for some time delay'd, but at last it was signal: and in them all suc­ceeding Ages ought to observe the Justice of God in punishing such proud and impious Persecutors suteably to their Crimes. In the manner of their Death, God calls likewise on all at what distance soever, either of time or place, to observe the Greatness and Majesty of his Providence in destroying the Enemies of his Truth. And this will appear yet more evident to us, if we call to mind who have been the Por­secutors of the Church from its first be­ginning, and if we observe the Seve­rity of the Divine Justice, that has ap­peared in their punishment.

II. Towards the end of Tiberius's reign, in the Consulate of the two Ge­mini, our Lord Iesus Christ was cruci­fied by the Iews on the 23. of March. He rose again on the third day, and [Page 58] brought together his Disciples, whom the fear of his Sufferings was beginning to disperse, and he continued with them for the space of 40 dayes on earth, opening their hearts, and expounding the Scriptures to them, which till then had appeared dark and involved. He ordained and instructed them to go and preach this new Doctrine over the World; and he left them a scheme for their conduct, and for the Govern­ment of this new Dispensation. When he had finished his Ministry, a Cloud received him, and carried him up into Heaven: and then his eleven Disciples having assumed into their number Mat­thias and Paul, dispersed themselves over the World for the preaching of the Gospel, as their Master had com­manded them: And during the space of 25. years▪ till the beginnings of Nero's reign, they continued founding many Churches in a great many different Ci­ties and Provinces. During Nero's reign, S. Peter came to Rome, and made a great many Converts there, having thro the power of God, that rested on him, wrought several Miracles, and▪ [Page 59] so he formed a Church in this place of Empire. This was brought to Nero's ears, who finding that great multitudes, not only in Rome, but in all other places, were daily falling oft from Idolatry, and were turning to this new Religion, and being carried by his brutal Tyran­ny to all sorts of Cruelty, he set him­self first of all to destroy this Religion, and to persecute the Servants of God: So he both ordered S. Peter to be cruci­sied, and S. Paul to be beheaded. But he did not escape unpunished: for God had regard to the Sufferings of his People. The Tyrant, as he was dispos­sessed of the Empire, so he disappeared all of the sudden, nor is there so much as the least remembrance left of the Burial Place of that Brutal Prince. But some have from hence taken up a very foolish Imagination, of his being trans­lated, and of his being preserved alive in some other Region; which they found on some words of the Sybil, that mentions a Murderer of his Mother that had fled away, but that should re­turn again: and they fancy, that as he was the first who persecuted the Chri­stians, [Page 60] so he shall be likewise the last of their Persecutors; and that he is to appear again immediately before the coming of Antichrist: and they judge, (tho very unreasonably) that as there were two of the Antient Prophets who were translated, and who before the last Revolution of time are to ap­pear as the Fore-runners of Christ, when he is to be come again, accompanied with his Saints, to begin his holv and endless Reign; so likewise that Nero shall appear as the Fore-runner of the Devil, who must make way to him, who is to bring a strange Desolation upon Earth, and a Destruction upon all Mankind.

III. After Nero, and the Interval of some few more years, there arose an­other Tyrant, Domitian, not much In­ferior to him: who tho he acted in a most Tyrannical and Arbitrary Manner, being heavy to his People, and no less hated by them, yet he reigned in Peace and Safety for several years, till be be­gan to set himself against God. But as soon as he was set on by the Instiga­tion of the Devil to persecute the Holy [Page 61] Seed, then was he delivered up to the hands of his Enemies. Nor was his being Stabbed thought Punishment e­nough for his Crimes, but care was taken that no Memory should be left of him to Posterity; for tho he had rai­sed many Magnificent Buildings, & that there were many Monuments of his Empire, both in the Capitol and in other Places, yet the Senate did express such a detestation of him, that they ordered that there should remain no Statue for him, nor so much as the Traces of any Inscription that made mention of his Name: And by a most severe Decree, which they past for this effect, they branded his Memory with eternal In­famy. Thus all the Acts and Edicts of this Tyrant being repealed, the Church did not only recover its former quie [...], but became much more Flourishing under a Succession of many worthy Princes, who as they governed the Ro­man Empire very happily, so the Church suffered no Hardships under them: and she being thus freed from the Rage of her Enemies, dilated herself both in the Eastern and Western parts, [Page 62] so that there was no corner of the World so remote, nor any Nation of it so wild, that was not visited by this Divine Light, and that was not tamed by its Discipline. But this long peace came at last to an end.

IV. For after many years the exe­crable Decius persecuted the Church, and who but so vile a man would have set himself against so holy a Doctrine. It seems he was raised up to the Impe­rial Dignity for this very end, that as soon as he began to rage against God, he might be immediately thrown down: for having marched against the Carpi, who had possessed themselves of Dacia and M [...]sia, he was surrounded by the Barbarians, and both he and a great part of his Army was cut off: nor had he so much as the Honours of a Funeral, but as well became one that had set himself against God, his Carcass was exposed as a prey to the Beasts of the Earth, and to the Fowls of the Air.

V. Not long after Decius the Em­perour, Valerian was inflamed with the like Rage, and stretched forth his [Page 63] hands against God. In a very little while he shed a great deal of the Blood of the Saints; but God plagued him with a new and unusual sort of Judg­ment; and in his person there was a new remembrance lest to Posterity of Gods Severity in punishing his Ene­mies according to their Merit. He was taken Prisoner by the Persians, and so he not only lost the Empire, which he had governed so insolently, but as he had robbed many others of their Liberty, so he likewise lost his own at last, and fell under a most Infa­mous Slavery. For as oft as Sapores the King of Persia, who took him, had occasion either to mount on Horseback, or to go into his Chariot, he made the Roman Emperour stoop down, that he might make his Back his Step to get up; and whereas the Romans had made some Representations of the Persians being deseated by them, Sapores used to rally Valerian, and to tell him, that the posture in which he lay, was a more real proof to shew on whose side the Victory went, than all the Pi­ctures that the Romans could make▪ [Page 64] Valerian being thus led about in Triumph, lived for some time, so that the Barbarians had in him occasion given for a great while, to treat the very name of a Roman with all possible Indignity and Scorn. And this was the heightning of his Misery, that tho he had a Son, upon whom the Empire had devolved by his Misfortune, yet no Care was taken by the Son either to re­scue the Father, or to Revenge his ill Usage. After he had ended his Infa­mous Life, his Skin was flead off his. Body, and both it and his Guts being tinctured with a red colouring, they were hung up in one of the Temples of the Persian Gods, to be a perpetual remembrance of so remarkable a: Triumph, by which they might al­ways put such Roman Ambassadours as should be sent among them in mind of it, and from so unusual a sight, warn them not to presume too much upon their own strength, but to remember Valerian's fall. But how strange a thing was it to find, that notwithstand­ing such remarkable Judgments of God upon former Persecutors, there should: [Page 65] arise any that should dare so much as to project, much more to re-act, such crimes against the Majesty of that God that supports and governs all things.

VI. Aurelian, that was naturally Violent and furious, seemed to forget what had befallen Valerian, or if he remembred his Captivity, he did not seem to reflect on his Crimes, or to consider that as the Punishment of them, and so he likewise drew down the Divine Displeasure on himself by his Cruelty: but he lived not long enough to execute what he had designed, and he ended his days in the beginnings of his Rage. For before his Edict against the Christians was sent over all the Provinces of the Empire, he himself was killed at Caenophrurium, a Town in Thrace, by some of his own Do­mesticks, upon some ill-grounded su­spitions that they had conceived of him. It might have been expected, that the succeeding Emperours should have been restrained by so many and such signal Examples: But they were so far from being terrisied by them, [Page 66] that they acted yet with a more daring Boldness against God.

VII. Diocletian, that was the Con­triver of all our late Miseries, as he ruined the Empire by his ill Admini­stration, so he could not be kept in from acting likewise in Opposition to God. His Avarice and his Cowar­dise joined together, had produced great Mischiefs. He assumed to him­self three partners in the Empire, having divided it into four parts; and he did so encrease the number of his Troops, that every one of the four had a greater Army than the former Emperours had, who alone governed the whole Em­pire; and the number of those who re­ceived his pay, growing greater than that of those who payed him Taxes, there was such an increase of new Im­positions, that those who laboured the ground being exhausted by them, they deserted the Empire, and by this means the best cultivated Soils were turned to Deserts and Woods; and so severe was his Government, that he erected a great many new Charges and Imployments; The Provinces were di­vided [Page 67] into many separated Jurisdictions: many new Presidents and Courts, Au­ditors, and other Magistrates were set up both in Towns and Countrys, who took little care of the Administration of Justice, their time being all im­ployed in Condemnations and Attain­ders; and they laid so many Taxes up­on all sorts of things, that as the Bur­dens under which the People groaned were encreased every day, so in the levying of them great Violences were likewise committed. All this had been more tolerable, if the mony so raised had circulated among the Souldiers: but the Emperours Avarice was such, that he could not endure to see his Treasure any way diminished; and therefore he was always contriving new ways of raising Money, that so his Exchequer might be always full: and that tho his Expence was great, yet his income might so answer it, that he should never lessen that stock of Mony which by his Exactions he had brought together. After that the many Oppres­sions which he put in practice had brought a general Dearth upon the [Page 68] Empire, then he set himself to regulate the Prices of all vendible things. There was also much Blood shed upon very slight and trifling accounts; and the People brought Provisions no more to Markets, since they could not get a reasonable price for them: and this en­creased the Dearth so much, that at last, after many had died by it, the Law it self was laid aside. To all these Diocletian added an Inclination to build great Fabricks, and this brought a new Charge on several Provinces both for furnishing of Labourers, and Artisi­cers, and of Wagons for Carriage. He built Palaces for himself, for his Wife, and for his Daughters: and to these he added a Hippodrome, an Arsenal, and a Mint house: so that in a little while a great part of Nicomedia being filled with those Buildings, many of the Inhabitants were forced to leave the Town with their Wives and Children, as if it had been taken by an Enemy: And when he had finished a piece of Building at the cost of ruining some of the Provinces by it, he found some fault or other in it, and then he pulled [Page 69] all down, and gave orders to rebuild it in another manner: nor was this se­cond Building secured from a new ca­price, upon which it might be like­wise perhaps levelled with the ground. So madly expenceful was he in the de­sign that he took into his head of making Nicomedia equal to Rome it self. I pass over the Ruin of many, who were brought under severe Judg­ments, that so a colour in Law might be found for seising on their Estates: for this was become such a common practice, that the frequency of commit­ting it had almost authorised it. And this was certain, that wherever a man was the Master of a rich piece of Soil, or of a Noble Building, that seemed to be Crime enough; and a Pretence was quickly sound out for condemning the Owner, as if it had not been enough to seise his Estate, without taking a­way his Life likewise.

VIII. His Colleague in the Empire, Maximian, surnamed the Herculian, was not unlike him. Nor could they have been cemented into so entire a Friendship, if they had not been both [Page 70] of the same mind, the same Thoughts, the same Inclinations, and the same Designs. In this they differed, that Maximian had more Courage as well as more Avarice than Diocletian; who as he was fearful, so perhaps from that Principle he was less Ravenous. Yet Maximian's Courage consisted rather in a daring to commit Crimes, than in a generous Nobleness of mind. And tho his share comprehended not only Italy it self, the Seat of Empire, but likewise those rich Provinces of Africk and Spain, yet he was not so careful in the management of his Treasure as was necessary: But as oft as he wanted Mony, the richest of the Senators were accused by some Wit­nesses, that were suborned to swear against them of some practices for the Empire, and thus every day there were new Arts set on foot to get rid of the Eminentest men of the Senate, so that the ravenous Exchequer was often full of this ill-acquired Wealth. That ac­cursed man did also let loose his Appe­tites not only in those unnatural and hateful Disorders with Boyes, but like­wise [Page 71] in the debauching the Daughters of some that were of the first rank. For whensoever he was in any Journey, as he past he had Instruments at hand, to bring Virgins to him by force in the very sight of their Parents. It was on these things that he built his happiness; and he reckoned the chief Felicity of Empire to consist in this, that he denied himself in nothing to which either his vitious Appetite or his Lusts carried him.

I say nothing of Constantius, because he was so very unlike the rest; and did indeed deserve that the whole Empire should fall into his hands.

IX. But the other Maximian who married Diocletians Daughter, was not only worse than the two formerly mentioned, but did exceed the wicked­ness of the worst Princes that ever were: There was a Barbarous Brutality in his Temper, together with a Cruelty not known to those that were of a Ro­man Extraction: And no wonder; for his Mother was born beyond the Da­nube: and when some of those Nations crossed that River, she came along [Page 72] with them, and had setled her self in that part of Dacia which was formed into a Province by Aurelian. His body was suteable to his mind: he was very tall, and most excessively corpulent: and there was a sierceness in his Looks, his Words, and in his whole Behaviour, that gave a very formidable Idea of him. His Father in Law, Diocletian, dreaded him extreamly upon this fol­lowing account: Narses King of Per­sia, being encouraged by the success that his Grandfather Sapores had against Valerian, resolved to extend his Em­pire, and to drive the Romans out of the East: upon which Diocletian, who was naturally very fearful, quite de­sponded, and searing a fate like Vale­rians, he durst not undertake that War, but sent Maximian into Arme­nia, and stayed behind himself, that so he might see what was like to be the issue of this War: Maximian took his measures so well, that finding the Per­sian Army exceeding numerous, and that they were much encumbred with a vast Equipage, that they drew along with them, their Wives having fol­lowed [Page 73] them in this Expedition ac­cording to the Ancient Persian Cu­stom: he, I say, got such Advantages against them, that without any consi­derable loss, he defeated their whole Army. Narses himself escaped, but Maximian took all their Baggage, and so returned with great Glory, which encreased his Insolence, as much as it did his Father-in-Law's Apprehensions of him. For upon so great a Victory▪ he thought it below him to carry only the second rank of Honour, and to be only called Cesar; and when at any time he received Letters addressed to him, with the Inscription Cesar, he used to cry out in his brutal way, Must▪ I be still Cesar? he grew at last to that pitch of Insolence, as to give it out, that Mars was his Father; so that he ought to be lookt on as another Romu­lus, not considering the prejudice he did to his Mothers honour, of which he made small account, desiring only to be lookt on as begotten by a God. But I will not now enter into the par­ticulars of his Life, that so I may not confound the order of things: for it [Page 74] was after his assuming the Imperial Dignity, of which he forced his Father­in-Law to strip himself, that he broke loose into all the excesses of Insolence and Fury; in the mean time, tho Diocle­tian by his own ill conduct, and that of the two Maximians, whom he had ta­ken Co-partners into the Government, (the first as Emperor, and the second as Cesar) had brought great disorder up­on the whole State of the Empire, and tho his private crimes were very crying, yet matters prospered in his hands in a very unusual manner, till he came to defile them with the Blood of the Saints; and this carries me to give you an ac­count of the occasion that led him to persecute them.

X. While he was in the East, he being excessively desirous to know what was to be the event of things, of­fered many Sacrifices, and in their Li­vers the Diviners searcht for those In­dications, upon which they pretended to foretell things to come: But some of his Courtiers, that were Christians, being near him, made the sign of the Cross on their Fore-heads, at which the Devils being frighted away, they were [Page 75] all put in a great Confusion. The Di­viners being likewise in disorder, could not find the ordinary Marks that they lookt for in the intrails of the Sacrifices; tho they offered up many, one after an­other, pretending that the Divinity was not yet appeased; but all the number of their Sacrifices was to no purpose, for no signs appeared: upon which Tages that was set over the Di­viners said, either upon some conjecture or upon knowledge, that their Rites did not succeed, because there were some prophane persons that had thrust themselves into their Assembly. Upon which Diocletian being enraged, com­manded, that not only all those who were present, but that all the rest of his Courtiers should come and sacrifice to their Gods, and ordered those to be whipped who should refuse to do it. He likewise sent orders to his Military Officers, to require all the Souldiers to sacrifice, and to dismiss such as would not. But this was all that he thought sit to do at first, nor did he suffer his Rage to carry him to farther Extremities against God or his true Re­ligion, [Page 76] till after some time had past, that he came to Winter in Bithinia: and there Galerius Maximian, who was likewise inflamed against the Christians, met him, & engaged the vain Old Man to go on with the Persecution, which he had already begun, concerning whom I have received this account of the grounds of his Fury against our Religion.

XI. His Mother was a superstitious Woman, and was particularly addicted to the devotion of the Gods of the Mountains, so that she offered Sacri­fices to them daily, and feasted her Officers with the meat of those Obla­tions. The Christians would not as­sist at those entertainments, but gave themselves to Fasting and Prayer, while she and her Company were at those Feasts. Upon this she conceived a ha­tred of them, and she set on her Son, who was no less superstitious than she her self, by her spiteful Complaints to contrive their Destruction. Diocletian and his Son-in-Law had many secret Consultations during a whole Winter, to which as no body was admitted, so it was generally thought that they were [Page 77] treating about matters of the greatest consequences. The Old Man with­stood Maximian's Fury long, and shewed him how pernicious the Coun­cil would prove, and how great a Disturbance it would bring upon the Empire: much blood would be shed; for the Christians were observed to be very willing to dye. Therefore he proposed this expedient, that none of that Religion should be suffered to con­tinue in the Court, or in the Army: But all this could not divert the Rage of that Furious Man. Therefore he proposed the asking the Opinions of those in whom they consided; for he had this piece of ill nature, that when he was about to do any thing that was acceptable, he did it of himself, with­out taking the Advice of others, that so the Praise of it might belong whol­ly to himself: But when he undertook any thing that was lyable to Censure, he called for many persons to deliver their Opinion upon it, that so others might be charged with the Blame of that in which he was chiefly in fault. Some few Iudges, and some few Mi­litary [Page 78] Men were called upon, and ac­cording to the Order of their Dignity they were repuired to tell their minds; some that had a particular spleen to the Christian Religion, opined that all the Christians were Enemies to God and to the established Worship, and that therefore they ought to be de­stroyed. Those that were of another mind, perceiving what was Maximian's design, and being either affraid of him, or desirous to make their Court with him, agreed to the rest in Opinion; yet all this did not prevail on Diocle­tian; so he resolved to consult the Gods themselves, and sent a Diviner to consult with Apollo, who answered as might have been expected from an Enemy of the Christian Religion. Upon this Diocletian yielded; and as he would not oppose himself to that which not only his Friends and Maximian, but even Apollo had advised, yet he en­deavoured to maintain this modera­tion, that the design might be com­posed without the shedding of Blood: whereas Maximian moved, that all those who refused to partake in the [Page 79] Sacrifices, should be burnt alive.

XII. A proper and an auspicious day for beginning this work was next sought for; and choice was made of the Festivity of the God Terminus, which was within five days of the end of February, that was the Conclusion of their year: implying by this, that an end was to be put to this Religion. This was the first day of their Executions, and the beginning of those Miseries that not only fell on them, but on the whole Empire. In the morning of that fatal day, in the seventh and eighth Consulate of the two Ancient Empe­rours, the Prefect accompanied with some Officers, and some of the Re­ceivers, went to the Church, and ha­ving forced open the Door, they searched for the Image of God: Not that the Christians had any Images in their Temples, as Lactantius himself testi­fies, de Origine Erroris, lib. 2. pag. 65, 66, 67, 107, but the Heathens ha­ving Images in all their Tem­ples, were rea­dy to con­ceive the like of them. all the Books of the Scriptures that were there found were burnt, and the Spoil that was made was divided among all that were present: this struck a Terror into many, and many withdrew them. [Page 80] selves from the Storm. The two Princes, who from convenient places viewed all that was done (for that Church stood upon a heighth, so that it was within the prospect of the Palace) were long in debate, whether they should order fire to be set to it: But in this Diocletians Opinion prevailed; for he was affraid lest if the Church had been set on fire, that might have spread it self into the other parts of the City: for it was en­vironed on all hands by a great many Noble Buildings; so that instead of setting fire to, it there was a conside­rable Body of the Guards, sent with Axes and Mattocks, who in a few hours time levelled that lofty Building with the ground.

XIII. The day after this an Edict was published, by which the Christians were declared incapable of all Ho­nours and Imployments; and that they should be liable to Torture what­soever might be their Rank and Digni­ty; all Actions were to be received [Page 81] against them, and they were put out of the protection of the Law, and might not sue neither upon Injuries done them, or Adulteries committed against them, nor for Thefts or Rob­beries; and they were to loose both their Liberties and their Right of Voting. When this was affixed, one that shewed more of Courage than Discretion in it, took it down and tore it, and rallied the Emperours, who had put among their Titles, that they had triumphed over the Goths and the Sarmatians, that they acted like those whom they pretended that they had subdued; he was presently seised on, and after he had endured several sorts of Torture; he was burnt at last, but suffered all with admirable Patience.

XIV. But Maximian was not satis­fied with the Severity of this Edict, so he resolved to draw on Diocletian to consent to further Rigour by this Artifice; he set on some of his Crea­tures to raise a fire in the Palace, that so he might engage him to an unre­lenting Persecution: some parts were burnt down, and the Christians were [Page 82] presently accused as the Common E­nemies; and this Fire, that consumed the Palace, raised a most Implacable Rage against them. For it was given out, that they had entred into Con­sultation with some of the Eunuchs for the Destruction of their Princes, and that two Emperours were well nigh burnt alive in their own House. Dio­cletian who affected the Reputation of being a Wise and Crafty Man, could not be brought to give any credit to this: but being excessively enraged up­on it, he ordered many of his Dome­sticks to be put to Death in a most terrible manner. So many innocent Persons were brought before him, and were burnt. All the Judges and all the Officers of his Household being autho­rised thereunto, put all People to Torture, and seemed to vie with one another who should be the first that should discover the bottom of this matter. But nothing could be found out; for none of Maximians Family was put to the Torture. He came and stood by Diocletian, and continued still to inflame him more and more, that [Page 83] so his anger might no way be abated. And a fortnight after the first burn­ing, fire was a second time set to the Palace: But this was observed in time, yet neither could the Author of it be found out. And then Maximian, tho it was in the midst of Winter, left Nicomedia on the same day in which this second Fire was raised, pro­testing that he went away fearing lest he should be burnt alive.

XV. The Emperour was now set all on fire, and upon this he forced not only all that were of his Household, but all Persons whatsoever, to defile themselves with their Sacrifices; be­ginning with his Daughter Valeria, and his Wise Prisca. Some of the Eu­nuchs that were in the greatest Credit, and by whose Directions the whole Affairs of the Palace had been condu­cted before this Edict, were now put to Death; some Presbyters and Deacons were seised on, and without any proof against them, they were condemned and executed. Persons of all Ages, and of both Sexes were burnt, not singly one by one, but by reason of [Page 84] their numbers, whole Companies of them were burnt all in the same Fire: and their Servants were cast into the Sea, Millstones being tied about their Necks. Nor was this Persecution less violent in all other places: for the Judges were sent to all Temples, and they forced all people to joyn in the Sa­crifices. The Prisons were every where full. Unheard of kinds of Torture were invented; and that no man might have the Benefit of the Law that was not a Heathen: they placed Altars in the very Courts of Iustice, and in the publick Offices, that so all who came to sue before them might be put to it first to offer Sacrifice, before they could be admitted to plead: so that men came before their Judges as before their Gods. Nor was this all, Letters were also sent to the other Emperour and to Constance, inviting them to concur in this matter, tho their Opi­nions had not been before asked, not­withstanding the great Importance of it. The Old Maximian did comply very willingly in Italy; for he was na­turally cruel▪ But Constance, that he [Page 85] might not seem to dissent from those that were in rank above him, did in­deed give order for the pulling down the Walls of the Houses where the Christians held their Assemblies; for these could be easily rebuilt: but he took care to preserve those true Tem­ples of God, I mean the Christians them­selves.

XVI. The whole World was now brought under great vexation, the Gaules only excepted; those three wild Beasts exercised their Cruelty upon all the Provinces from the East to the West. If I had a hundred Tongues, and the strongest Voice, I could not set out all the Forms of Crimes, and all the Names of the Tortures that the Judges in the several Provinces put in practice against so many Holy and Innocent Persons: But what need I engage in this recital, especially to you, My Dear Donatus, who had so extraordinary a share in them. For whereas you first fell into the hands of the Prefect Flaccinus, who was not a small Murderer, you fell next into the Hands of Hierocles, who from being [Page 86] a Deputy was made a President, and had been an Adviser and a Promoter of the Persecution: and in the last place, was brought before Priscillian his Succes­sor, where, as well as before the other two, you gave an Evidence of your unconquered Courage: you were nine several times put to a great many Tor­tures, and at every one of them you overcame the Rage of your Enemies, by a glorious Confession. In those nine encounters with the Devil you defeated him with his whole Troop of Assistants▪ and by so many Victories you triumphed over the World with all its Terrors. How pleasant was that Triumph in the sight of God, in which instead of White Horses or Elephants about your Chariot, you triumphed over the Emperours themselves, and seem'd to drag them after your Chariot. This is true Victory, when those that have conquered the World, are sub­dued: for they were overcome and subdued by you, who despising their Impious Edicts, made no account of all the Pomp and Terrors of their Tyrannical Authority. Their Whip­pings [Page 87] and their Pincers, their Fires and Swords, and all the several shapes of Torture had no effect upon you: No sort of Violence could make you fall from the Faith, and from the true Worship of God▪ This is to be a true Disciple and a true Souldier of Christ; whom no Enemy can overcome, no Wolf can carry out of Gods Fold, no Snare can intangle, no Sorrow can sub­due, and no Torture can break. After all those nine Engagements, that pro­ved so glorious to you, the Devil finding himself always overcome by you, durst not assault you any more: for expe­rience had shewed him, that you were not to be vanquished: and since he saw that the Crown of Victory was ready to be bestowed on you, he would not, by provoking you any further, give you the occasion of receiving it so soon. Tho it was not given to you then, it is safely kept for you in the King­dom of God, as the Recompense of your Vertue and Worth. But now I return to the series of the History.

XVII. Diocletian being now en­gaged into this wicked design, and [Page 88] having succeeded so well in the Exe­cution of it, went streight to Rome, that so he might celebrate there his en­tring upon the twentieth year of his Empire, that he was to open upon the Anniversary of his coming to it, which was the twentieth of November. But as soon as that was over, he shewed how little he could bear that Freedom that the Romans had still retained; at which he was so uneasy, that tho the first of Ianuary was very Near, in which he was to enter upon his ninth Consulate, yet he could not be prevailed on to stay to that day, and so he could not bear the staying thirteen days longer at Rome, but he began his Consulate at Ravenna. The Winter was both extream Cold and Rainy, so that the Journey did so affect his health, that it threw him in­to a lingring sickness, that never went off quite: and being ill all the way, he was forced to be carried for most part in a Litter. His illness lay upon him all the Summer long: about the end of it he continued his Journey, and having come round the Coast of Phrygia, he got at last to Nicomedia, [Page 89] his Sickness being now come to a great height. But tho he was brought very low by it, yet he would needs appear in publick, and assist at the Dedication of the Hippodrome that he had built, which was done at the end of his twen­tieth year of Empire. His sickness grew at last to such a degree, that Supplica­tions were made to all the Gods for his Life: but on the 13^th of December a report was spread all about the Palace, that he was dead: the sad Looks and the Terrour that appeared in all his Courtiers, and the solemn silence that was over all the Court, made that the Report was generally believed: The City of Nicomedia believed him not on­ly dead, but buried; but the next day it was given out that he was yet alive; upon which the countenances of many that were concerned, were much chan­ged: but others believed still that he was dead, and that it was concealed for fear of the Souldiery, lest they should have fallen into some dangerous Consultations, and that therefore his Death was to be kept up till Maximian should come to Nicomedia. This grew [Page 90] to be so Universally believed, that is he had not shewed himself on the first of March, it had not been possible to have perswaded the people that he was still alive. He was strangly altered by a whole years sickness▪ that they to whom he was very well known, could hardly believe him to be the same: He had indeed on the thirteenth of Decem­ber fallen into so deep a Swoon, that it was thought he was dead, and he never recovered this so entirely, as to be wholly what he had been formerly: for he had ever after this, some fits of Madness, which returned at some▪ times upon him, tho in the Intervals of those fits he had his Understanding very perfect.

XVIII. Not many days after this, Galerius Maximian came to him, not to congratulate upon his recovery, but to force him to resign the Empire: He had made the same attempt upon the elder Maximian, and threatned him with a Civil War if he would not re­sign; so now he set on Diocletian: He began at first more softly and gently with him; telling him, that he was [Page 91] now become ancient and infirm, and less able to undergo the fatigue of Government, and that therefore he ought to give himself some repose af­ter so much Application and Toil. He set before him Nerva's Example, who resigned the Empire to Trajan: Dio­cletian answered, that as it was not honourable for him, after he had born so sublime a Character so long, to shut himself up in an obscure Corner, so it could not be safe for him to do it, since during so long a Reign, he must needs have made himself many Ene­mies. The case was quite different in Nerva, who had past his whole life in retirement; so that his great Age and his unacquaintendness with affairs made him less capable of bearing so great a Burden, which therefore he threw off, and returned to that privacy in which he had spent the former parts of his life. But he offered to Maximian to receive him to an equal Dignity with himself; so that they should be all called Emperours, if that would have contented him. The other, who had now formed a project of making [Page 90] [...] [Page 91] [...] [Page 92] himse sole Emperour, seeing that from this Title that was offered him, little real Advantage would accrue to him, pretended that the Order which Dio­cletian had begun, of having two Em­perours with the Supream Power, and two Assistants to them in a lower de­gree of Dignity, ought to be forever maintained: It was an easy thing to preserve a good Correspondence be­tween two Persons, but that could not be composed if there came to be four of equal Dignity: He concluded, that if the Emperour would not retire, and make way for him, he would see to himself; for he would be no longer contented with the low degree in which he had been so long held: He had been now for fifteen years as it were banished to Illiricum, along the River of the Danube, and engaged in con­stant Wars with the Barbarous Nations; while others were reigning quietly, and in delicious Seats. The Old Man, that was now much broken, having heard all this, and having likewise re­ceived Letters from the elder Maxi­mian, that gave him an account of [Page 93] what had been said to himself upon that subject, and had also heard that Gale­rius Maximian was encreasing his Ar­my; upon this, not without Tears; he consented to that which had been pro­posed to him; so that which remained was, that the Cesars should be named by the concurring Advices of all the Four. But the other rejected this, and said, that the other two must consent to whatsoever they should resolve on: and indeed, it seemed that there was no room for choice, but that the Sons of the other two must have been na­med for Cesars. Maxentius was Son to the Elder Maximian, and had married the younger Maximians Daughter. He was a Man of a wicked and vicious Disposition, and was so proud and so willful, that he would not pay the wonted respect of Adoration, neither to his Father, nor to his Father-in-Law; so that he was equally hated of both. Constantine Son to Constance was a most vertuous Youth, and had all the Qualities that could recommend him to the highest Dignity: his Air and Person were graceful; his capa­city [Page 94] for Military Affairs, his Probity, and his obliging Deportment, made that he was beloved of the Souldiers, and wished for by all Persons: He was then in Diocletian's Court, and was put by him in the chief Command of the Army. But Maximian had his Obje­ctions to both these: as for Maxentius he thought he was not worthy of that Dignity, and he reckoned, that he who had behaved himself so Insolently to­wards him, while he was a private per­son, would become intolerable if he were raised so high. Constantine was indeed so amiable a person, that it was thought he would be a better and a gentler Prince than his Father had been: and so he would be able to check him as he pleased: wherefore Maximian resolved to have such persons promoted, who should be always in his power, who should be affraid of him, and should do nothing but by his order, so he proposed Severus: Diocletian ex­cepted to him, as a Mad Extravagant, and Drunken Person, who changed the Day into Night, and the Night in­to Day: but the other answered, that [Page 95] he had deserved that Dignity well, for he had taken great care of the Army, and had prayed them faithfully; and added, that he had sent him to Maxi­mian the elder, that he might receive the Nomination from him; so this was aggreed to: and when Diocletian asked him, who should be the other, he presented one Daia to him, a young Man, that was half a Barbarian by his Extraction, and whom he had lately ordered to be called Maximin from his own name. For Diocletian had changed his own Name to that, to di­stinguish him from the other Maxi­mian, who had alwayes maintained his Fidelity to him most religiously. Dio­cletian asked him, who that young Man was; the other said, he was his Ally: but he sighed, and replied, that he did not propose to him persons that were capable of conducting the Common-wealth; the other said, that he had already tried them. Diocletian insisted and said, that he who was to enter upon the Empire, ought to see to it: and that for his part, he had ta­ken his share of Toil, and had studied to preserve the Common-wealth in a [Page 96] good State during his Empire, but if after his time it should fall into Disor­der, it should not be by his fault. All things being thus concerted in secret, on the first of May this great Affair came to be declared. The eyes of all People were on Constantine, not doubting but the Nomination must fall on him: all the Military Men, as well the Souldiers as the Officers, lookt at him, wisht for him, and shewed much Joy in the hopes that they expressed of his Advancement: There was a rising ground at almost three Miles distance from the City, and it was there where Maximian himself had first received the Imperial Purple, in remembrance of which there was a Pillar erected with a Statue of Iupiters upon it. That place was markt out for this Solemni­ty, and the Army was drawn out about it: and there the Old Man with Tears in his Eyes, told the Souldiers, that he was now become Infirm, and therefore he was resolved to give himself some rest after so much Toil, and to deliver up the Empire to those who were able to undergo the fatigue of it: and that in [Page 97] order to that, he would now name new Cesars. Upon this all mens expe­ctations being raised, he named Se­verus and Maximin; all people were amased; and since Constantine was stan­ding by, some began to ask whether he had changed his name into Maxi­min: but to the admiration of all the Spectators, Maximian put by Constan­tine, and drew out Daia, and shewed him to the people, having stript him of the habit that he wore as a private person: and while all men were sur­prised, and knew neither who he was, nor of whom he was descended, (tho this unlookt for promotion, had so disordered them, that they testified no aversion to it) Diocletian threw his Purple Robe about him, and so he himself retired to a private State a­gain, and returned to his private name of Diocles, which upon his coming to the Empire he had changed to Diocle­tian, and thus the Solemnity ended: and the old Emperour, like a Souldier that had obtained his dismission, re­tired, and drive thro Nicomedia, and so went into his own Countrey. And [Page 98] Daia, that was raised up from following of Cattle thro Woods, and was first a common Souldier, then an Officer, after that a Brigadier, and now at last got to be Cesar, had the East assigned to him, tobe oppressed and ruined by him. And tho he neither understood Military Affairs, nor Matters of State, yet he was now set to conduct Armies instead of feeding Cattle.

XX. Maximian having now effected that which he had projected, in driving out the Old Men, behaved himself as if he had been the sole Emperour of the whole Roman Empire. For tho Constance had the Precedence, and so was to be always named before him, yet he was despised by him, both be­cause he was naturally of a mild tem­per, and was now much disabled thro the indisposition of his body. He be­lieved that either he would soon die, or that it would be no hard thing to force him to resign his share of the Empire. There was about Maximian one Licinius, who was his ancient Friend; for they had been Comerades from their first Imployments in the [Page 99] Army: and he had now the chief stroke in all Affairs. Maximian had not put him in the nomination of the Cesars, because he would not put him in a rank so far Inferiour to himself as to call him Son, but he reckoned that Constance would soon die, and then he was resolved to receive him to be his Brother and Collegue in the Empire: and thus he projected to establish himself in his Authority, and to be able to carry all things according to his mind; and after he should come to his twen­tieth year, and celebrate the Festivals of it, as his Predecessors had done, he intended to resign the Empire, and to put his Son in his stead, who was now only nine years old: so that he intended that Licinius and Severus should be the Emperours, and that Maximin and Candidianus should be the Cesars: and thus he being established and se­cured as much as was possible, should pass the rest of his days in quiet, and great safety. These were his Designs: But he having made God his Enemy, all his Projects came to nothing.

XXI. He having attained the Su­pream [Page 100] Dignity, set himself to disquiet the World, that was now become subject to him. In his Expedition a­gainst the Persians he had observed that Custom which was established among them, by which all those Na­tions esteemed themselves the Slaves of their Kings: so that they reigned over them with as absolute an Authori­ty, as a Master of a Family does over those of his Houshold. This vile Man intended to establish the same Method of Government in the Roman Empire: and he was so impudent, that ever af­ter that Victory, he used to magnify it: and tho he durst not openly at­tempt the reducing the Romans to the same State, yet he behaved himself so as if he had considered all others as his Slaves: he began with the degrading those that were in honourable Im­ployments; for he subjected the Ma­gistrates and the Chief Citizens of the greatest Cities, that were in the emi­nentest Rank, to the Law of Torture: and upon the slightest accounts, and in Matters that were meerly civil, he would put them to death as the Fancy [Page 101] took him, and for lesser transgressions he put them in Irons; he took such Women of Quality as pleased him out of their own Houses, and brought them by Violence to his Seraglio: and when any were to be whipped, he had posts struck into the ground in his Stables, to which they were tied, and so stretcht out, which was done more Infamously than was wont to be done to the Slaves themselves. What shall I say of his Diversions, and his Pleasure? He had some Bears that he had chosen out in a great many years among all others, that were the big­gest and the fiercest that could be found, and that were by Consequence so much the liker to himself: and when he intended to divert himself, he ordered one of these to be brought out, and a Man to be thrown to him, not to be killed by him out-right, but to be eat up in morsels: and as the Limbs of those Wretches were torn asunder, he used to burst out most in­decently into Laughter; so that he seldom went to supper before he had shed some mans Blood. As for those [Page 102] that had no Dignity, he condemned them to be burnt: and tho at first he gave the Christians leave to be gone, yet afterwards he not only condemned them to Torture, but to be burnt in flow Fires: the manner of which was this, they were first chained to a post, then there was a gentle Fire set to the Soles of their Feet, by which all the Callus of the Foot was contracted, till at last it fell all off from the Bones; then Flambeaux were lighted and put out, and while they were hot, they clapt them to all the parts of their bo­dy, that so they might be tortured all over: and care was taken to keep them alive as long as was possible, by throwing cold Water in their Faces, and by giving them wherewith to wash their Mouths, lest otherwise the Violence of the Misery that they suffered should have quite dried up their Throats, and so choaked them. Thus their Sufferings were lengthned out whole days, till at last their Skin being quite consumed by the Fire, it at last reacht to their Vitals, and then a great Fire was kindled, into which [Page 103] they were thrown, and so their Bo­dies were burnt to Ashes: and their Bones that were not quite burnt, were gathered, and ground to powder, and thrown into some River, or into the Sea.

XXII. These practices of Cruelty, that were begun upon the Christians, grew in him to such a Habit, that he began to exercise them upon others: he never punished any gently: he sel­dom banished any, nor did he con­demn many to Imprisonment, or to work in Mines: but his daily Iudg­ments, which past the most easily from him, were the condemning men to be burnt, to be crucified, or to be thrown to Wild Beasts. His Domesticks, and those whom he imploied in his Affairs, were also severely disciplined by him. And as to all Capital Matters, Be­heading was thought an extraordinary Grace, which was granted to very few; so that it was lookt on as a Reward for past Services, to have the favour of a gentle Death; yet all these were small Matters. Eloquence was exstinguished by him; the Advocates [Page 104] were destroyed, and all that were learned in the Law, were either ba­nished, or put to death; all sort of Literature were reckoned among the ill Arts, and all learned men were lookt on as ill-affected to the Empe­rour, and were both hated and ruined by him. The Iudges having superceded all the Lawes, had a Licence given them to do whatsoever they pleased; and Military men, who had no sort of Learning, were made Iudges in the se­veral Provinces, without having so much as Assess [...]rs assigned them.

XXIII. He also took care to involve the whole Empire into a general Ca­lamity, and under a common Grie­vance, by the new Tax that he laid both on the Cities and Provinces: which was so severely levied by the Taxmen that he sent every where, that the state of Affairs lookt as dismall as if the Empire had been over-run by some Enemy, or as if it had been brought under some heavy Bondage. All mens Fields were measured, an ac­count was taken of all their Trees and Vines, and of all Cattle; all men were [Page 105] likewise polled, and where those lists were made, no difference was put between those that lived in Town or Countrey. And as ▪the Taxing was managed in the Towns, without any Distinction of the antient Citizens, and those that were newly come out of the Countrey, so in the Villages all people came with their Children and Slaves to be listed: and upon the slightest suspitions men were whipt or tortured; Children were hanged up in the sight of their Parents; Slaves were dealt with to accuse their Masters, and Wives to accuse their Husbands. When no sort of Evidence could be found, men were forced by Torture to accuse themselves; and when any thing was thus extorted from them, then they were proceeded against as if they had been clearly convicted of those Crimes. No regard was had either to Mens Age or Infirmity: for the Sick and Feeble were taxed as well as the whole: and in the e­stimate that was made of mens Age, they added years to those that were not yet of Age, as they de­tracted [Page 106] some from those that were past it. All Places were full of Grief and Sorrow. And he adven­tured to put in execution against the Romans, and those Provinces that were subjected to them, all that any Con­querours had done to those who being subdued by them, were by the Law of War at their Mercy: as if he would have revenged the Tax that Trajan put on his Ancestors, the Da­cians, which he laid on them as a Punishment for their frequent Rebel­lions. After that all men were thus listed, then so much money was laid upon every mans head, as if he had been to pay so much for his life. Yet this matter was not trusted to the first Taxmen, but new sets of them one after another, were sent about; that new men might always find new matter to work upon; and tho they could really discover no­thing, yet they encreased the numbers in the lists that they made, that so it might not be said, that they had been sent to no purpose. By the means of those Oppressions, the Stock of the [Page 107] Cattle was much diminished, and ma­ny men died: and yet the Taxes con­tinued still to be levied, even for those that were dead: to such Misery were men reduced, that even Death did not put an end to it. The Beggars were the only persons that were ex­empted from these Oppressions; for to have nothing to pay, was the on­ly way to be covered from those Ex­actions: But this Cursed Man took care to put an end to their want; for he gave Orders to gather them all together, and to put them in Vessels, and when they were at Sea, he or­dered them to be all drowned. So Compassionate was he, that he was resolved that no body should be ex­treamly miserable during his reign: thus he found out an effectual Ex­pedient to keep all men from pre­tending Poverty, as an Excuse from paying the Taxes; but he at the same time, against all the Rules of Huma­nity, put a multitude of miserable Persons to Death.

XXIV. At last the Judgments of God came to seise on him: and now [Page 108] all that Success which he had hither­to enjoyed came to be changed. While he was appyling himself to those things of which I have given you an account, he had taken no care to destroy or to de­throne Constance; for he was waiting for his Death; yet he did not appre­hend that it would come so suddenly as it did. But Constance being now very sick, writ to him that he might send his Son Constantine to him, having made the same desire often before, but to no purpose: for Maximian had no mind to let him go to his Father: on the contrary, he had exposed him to many Dangers, hoping that he would have fallen under some of them; he durst not make an open Attempt upon him, fearing a Civil War, or rather a Mutiny among the Souldiers: but under a pre­tence of exercising him, he had en­gaged him to encounter with Wild Beasts, yet all was in vain; for as the Hand of God was visible in protecting him all along, so it appeared most signally now in the last and critical mo­ment; for the Emperour not knowing how he could deny it any longer, [Page 109] granted him at last a pass, which had the Seal put to it, while it was late; but he ordered him to come to him next morning to receive his Commands; and he had resolved either to find some Colour for hindring his Journey, or to send Orders to Severus, to stop him on the Way. Constantine had some ap­prehension of that which might happen, and therefore as soon as the Emperour went to sleep, after Supper he took Journey, and in the several Stages thro which he past, he carried with him all the Post Horses. The Emperour on purpose to delay him, did not open his door next day till it was noon, and then he called for him: but he heard that he had gone last Night, immediatly after Supper; upon which the Empe­rour fell into a most violent fit of rage; and ordered some to be sent after him for fetching him back; but when he understood that he carried all the Post Horses with him, so that this could not be done, the Emperour could hardly forbear weeping. Constantine made all the hast that was possible, and found his. Father just breathing out his [Page 110] last. Constance recommended his Son to the Souldiers, and delivered over the Empire to him, and so he ended his Life in all points as he wished to do. Constantine was no sooner possessed of the Empire, then he gave the Christians the free Liberty of their Religion, so that his first Edict was the Restoring the Exercise of this holy Religion.

XXV. Within a few days after this, his Image with the Characters of the Imperial Dignity upon it, was sent to Maximian: he was long in suspence, not knowing what he should do, he once intended to throw both the Image it self, and likewise Him that brought it into the Fire: but his Friends diverted him from this; for they were sensible of the Inconveniences of irritating the Army, who were already displeased, because that no notice was taken of them in the Nomination of the Cesars: and they might probably enough have declared for Constantine, if they should have seen him coming against Maxi­mian at the head of an Army. These Advices prevailed so far upon him, that tho it was much against his Heart, yet [Page 111] he received the Statue, and sent Con­stantine the Purple, that so it might appear that he had of his own accord received him into the Partnership of the Empire. But this broke all his mea­sures; nor could he now make an­other Emperour Supernumerary: yet he fell upon this Contrivance, of decla­ring Severus, who was the Antien­ter person, Emperour, and Constantine not Emperour (as had been already done) but Cesar only, in Partnership with Maximin, that so instead of being next to himself, he might be the last of the Four.

XXVI. But while he thought that this matter was quite setled, he received a new Alarm, which was, that Maxen­tius, who was his own Son-in-Law, was declared Emperour at Rome. The occasion of which was this: Maximian having resolved to exhaust the Wealth of the whole Empire by his Impositions, proceeded to that pitch of Madness, that he would not so much as grant the City of Rome an Exemption from [...] Tax: so he named the Taxmen, who should go to Rome to take a [...] of all [Page 112] that were in the City; he had also at the same time made an attempt upon some of the Priviledges of the Pretorian Bands; so a few of those Guards that were left at Rome, having found a fit Opportunity for it, they first killed some of the Iudges, and perceiving that the People, who were now much irritated, were not ill pleased at this, they declared Maxentius Emperour: When the newes of this was brought to Ma­ximian, he was a little disordered with the first surprise of it, yet he was not much terrified at it. He both hated the Man, and could not resolve to make three Cesars all at a time. He thought it was enough to have been for once con­strained to do a thing to which he had not a mind, so he sent for Severus, and persuaded him to assume the Empire, and he sent him against Maxentius with the Army that had been under his Fa­thers command, and ordered him to march streight to Rome, knowing well that those Souldiers, who had tasted so often of the Pleasures of that place, would not only endeavour to preserve the City, but would desire to make it [Page 113] their chief quarter. Maxentius begin­ning to reflect on the Boldness of his un­dertaking; as on the one hand he had some reason to hope, that the Army which had so long been commanded by his Father, might be easily practised upon to declare for himself; so on the other hand he apprehended, that his Father-in-law, searing the same thing, might leave Severus in Illyricum, and might come in person with his own Army to destroy him: upon this he began to contrive the means of securing himself from this danger, which was han­ging over his head; so he sent the Purple to his Father, who had lived in Campania ever since his Resignation of the Empire: and he declared him now for the second time Emperour. His Father, who had resigned against his will, and was lon­ging for a Change in the State of Affairs, accepted of it very willingly. In the mean while Severus marched with his Army, and came at last to the very Walls of Rome. But the Souldiers seeing against whom they were come, did immediately abandon him, and went over to him against whom they were [Page 114] sent. Severus being thus forsaken, was forced to fly. But he was met on his way by Maximian the elder, who had now assumed the Empire, so that to avoid him he went to Ravenna, and with a small handful of men he shut himself up in that place: and seeing that he must needs be delivered up, he resolved to prevent that, and both rendred himself, and gave back the Imperial Purple to him, from whom he had received it: but all that he could obtain by this Submission, was a Gentle Death; for order was given to cut his Veins, so that he died ea­sily. Thus did Maximian persecute those that were raised up by him­self.

XXVII. But Maximian the elder knew well the Madness of Maximian the younger: and did not doubt but that as soon as the news of Severus his Death should be brought him, he would upon the heat of Anger, into which that might throw him, march immediately with his Army, and would perhaps bring along with him Maximins Forces; and he knew well [Page 115] that he was not strong enough to re­sist so great an Army, therefore he fortified Rome, and having setled mat­ters in the best method that he could, he marched into Gaule, that so he might engage Constantine into his In­terests, by offering him his younger Daughter in Marriage. But the other Maximian having gathered together his Troops, marched into Italy, and came to Rome, resolving to extirpate the Inhabitants, and in particular to destroy all the Senators: but he found all shut against him, and well forti­sied: There was no hope of carrying it by a Surprise, and it was a very hard thing to besiege it, nor had he Men enough for the Siege: for he had never before seen Rome, nor knew how great it was; but had fancied that it was no greater than those other Ci­ties which he had seen. Some of the Legions began to have a Horror at the unnatural War, in which the Fa­ther in-Law was fighting against his Son-in-Law, and the Roman Souldiers were fighting against the City of Rome; upon which they carried their [Page 116] Colours with them, and deserted, and many others were staggering, so that fearing Severus's Fate, he was so sunk with the Fright into which this threw him, that casting himself at the Souldiers feet, he begged that they would not deliver him up to his En­nemy: and what with his Submissions, and what with the great Promises that he made them, he prevailed over them to continue true to him; but he would not venture more with such Troops: so he marched away in all haste, and in such great Consternation, that if he had been pursued by ever so small a Body, it had been an easy thing to have defeated him quite, whereof being apprehensive, he sent out his Army in Parties on all hands, with Orders to Plunder and Destroy the whole Countrey, that it might not be possible for an Army that might pursue him to find whereupon to subsist; so that all that Part of Italy, thro which this destroying Army had marcht, was quite ruined; all was spoiled, Women were Forced, Vir­gins were Ravished, and all men were [Page 117] tortured, that they might discover where their Wives, their Daughters or their Treasures were concealed; and the Flocks of Sheep and Herds of Cattle were driven before them, as they used to do the Spoils that they took from the Barbarians; and thus he, who instead of being the Roman Em­perour, was now become the Plunderer of Italy, retired back into his own Division, after he had in this Hostile manner destroyed the whole Countrey. He had indeed long before this, at the time of his receiving the Empire, de­clared himself such an Enemy to the very name of a Roman, that he once intended to have changed the very Designation of the Empire, so that in­stead of the Roman, it should have been called the Dacian Empire.

XXVIII. After that he had left Italy in this manner, the other Maximian returned out of Gaule, and he & his Son were Masters of that part of the Empire, but the Son was much more considered than the Father, both because he had given the first rise to this Revolution, and that he had invited his Father to [Page 118] his share in it. The Old Man grew uneasy when he saw that he was not in all points the Master, and by an Emulation unworthy of a Man, he envied his Son that respect which he saw was payed him. This went so far with him, that he resolved to drive away his Son, that so he might reign alone; this he thought would be easily effected, and that the Souldiers, who had abandoned Severus, would stick firmly to him. Upon which he called together an Assembly of the People, and the Souldiery, as if he had some mat­ter of great Consequence to be com­municated to them. He harangued to them long upon the Miseries that lay on the Commonwealth, and at last he pointed out to his Son, and said, he was the Cause of all those Miseries, and the Chief Occasion of all the Ca­lamities that lay upon the Common­wealth: and thereupon he tore the Imperial Purple from him. He being thus stript of that badge of Dignity, leapt down from the bench on which the Emperour sat, and was well re­ceived by the Souldiers, who expressed [Page 119] upon this Occasion so much Anger and Fury, that the Old Man being asfrigh­ted at it, fell into great Disorder, and was driven out of Rome almost as igno­miniously as Tarquin the proud had been.

XXIX. He retired first to Gaule, and after that he had staid there for some time, he went to the other Ma­ximian, knowing him to be his Sons Inveterate Enemy: he pretended that he went to concert with him some things relating to the State of the Commonwealth; but his true Design was, that he might under this pretence of Reconciliation, seek an Occasion to Murder him, and so possess him­self of his share of the Empire, since he was now thrust out of his own. Diocles was then with the other Maxi­mian, for he had been sent for by him, that so his presence might give some more Authority to his installing of Licinius in Severus's stead. So that both the Old Emperours happned to be present on that occasion: and now there were all at once six Emperours. But Maximian the elder finding that there was a Distraction in the Councils, [Page 120] and that he could not compass his De­signs, fled again for the third time; and withdrew into Gaule, with new Projects no less wicked than the former had been: for tho both Constantine and his Father Constance had married two of his Daughters, yet he laid a design against his Life, and in order to his effecting it, he laid aside his Im­perial Habit. The Franks were then in Armes, so that Constantine was obliged to march against them. But his Father-in-Law perswaded him, who as yet was in no distrust of him, that it was not necessary to carry his whole Army with him: and that a small Body would be sufficient for de­feating those Barbarians; that as he might have the Army that was left be­hind in his own Power, so Constantine having so few Troops with him, might be Infallibly over-whelmed by the Franks. He was easily wrought on by his Father-in-Law, whose long Ex­perience gave great Authority to his Advices. So after that some dayes were past, and that Maximian believed his Son-in-Law was now engaged among [Page 121] the Barbarians, he again assumed the Purple, brake in upon the publick Trea­sure, and as he was wont to do, he distributed a large Donative among the Souldiers; and gave out false Re­ports concerning Constantine: but all this was quickly turned upon him: for Constantine was soon advertised of all that had past, and came back with almost Incredible Diligence, so that Maximian had not time enough to settle himself in his new Usurpation, but was surprised, and was also abandoned by the Souldiery; upon which he fled to Marseilles, and shut himself up within it. Constantine did quickly In­vest that place; and having demanded a personal Conference with him from the Walls, he neither reproached nor threatned him, but only asked him, what he himself had done, and what was in Maximians mind, that had pu­shed him on to act so Indecently as he had done? The other answered him very scurrilously: but those about him set open the gates to Constantines Souldiers: so this rebellious Emperour and treacherous Father-in-Law, was [Page 122] now in Constantines power; who satis­fied himself with laying his Crimes before him, and so chiding him for them, he stript him of his Imperial Purple; but carried his resentments no further; and left him both his Life and Liberty.

XXX. But Maximian having lost both the Dignity of an Emperour, and the Regard that was payed to him as a Father-in-Law, and not being able to bear this Lowness of Fortune, fell to contrive new Plots: and such ill use made he of Constantine's forgiving him, that he set on his Daughter Fau­sta, soliciting her, what with Caresses, and what with Entreaties, to contrive her Husbands Ruine, and promised her a better Husband when that should be once done; so he besought her to leave their Bed-chamber Door some­times open, she undertook to do all that he begged of her, but revealed all to her Husband: Thus a train was laid for discovering his Treasons, in an un­deniable manner; there was an Eunuch put in Constantines place, to suffer what was projected against him. Maxi­mian [Page 123] rose in the dead silence of the Night; and all things seemed favou­rable to him: he saw some few Guards, that were at some distance from the Bed-chamber; he told them, that he was going to give his Son-in-Law an account of a strange Dream that he had dreamt. So he went in Armed, and having killed the Eunuch, and fancying that he had executed his pro­ject, he came out boasting of what he had done. But he was not a little confounded when he saw Constantine coming towards him with some Soul­diers about him. The dead body of the Eunuch was drawn out, so that he was manifestly convicted of the Mur­der: and he was so confounded with this Discovery of his Treachery, that he was, as it were struck dead with it, nor had he any sort of Excuse or Defence ready. The choise of the manner of his Death was left to him, and he made choice of Hanging. Thus this great Emperour, that in the long course of 20 Years Reign, had gover­ned the Roman Empire with so much Glory, was now forced to this most [Page 124] Ignominious End of his Execrable Life.

XXXI. The Judgments of that God, who is the Avenger of his Truth and of his People, were in the next place no less visible upon the other Maximian, that had been indeed the chief Contriver of this Persecution. He was now thinking to celebrate the Festivals of the Twentieth Year of his Reign, and tho he had promised that upon that occasion he would restore some of those severe Exactions by which he had ruined so many of the Provinces; yet now instead of perfor­ming it, he made use of this Solemni­ty to lay new Taxes upon them. It is not easy to set forth the Severity of these Impositions that he raised upon this occasion, chiefly of those which were laid on the Corn. There were Souldiers, or rather Hangmen, that waited on all the Taxmasters: and men did not know whither to turn them. The Officers came with their unreasonable Demands, and those who had not wherewith to satisfy them, were subjected to great Variety of [Page 125] Tortures from which they had no way to save themselves, but by doing that which was impossible for them: Men were beset with such numbers of Souldiers, that they could hardly breath for them: there was little or no cessation in the Trouble to which they were put all the year round; the very Iudges and the Souldiers that attended upon them, fell into many Quarrels amongst themselves: there was not a Barn nor a Vineyard that was not se­verely visited; nor indeed was there enough left to preserve men alive. But tho this may seem a very Intolerable thing thus to snatch out of mens Mouths that Bread which they had earned by their Labour, yet all this was softned by the hopes that were given of what the Emperour was to do in his twentieth year. It was expected that men should appear in rich Clothes, and bring much Gold and Silver along with them, but it was not possible to provide this, except by the sale of the product of the Ground; and when this mad Tyrant destroyed all that, so that all men were ruined in order to [Page 126] the raising of that Treasure, which was designed to be laid out when the twentieth year should come; yet the Emperour lived not long enough for that.

XXXII. When Licinius was de­clared Emperour, Maximin resented it extreamly, and would neither be contented any longer with the Title of Cesar, nor allow Licinius the Pre­cedence: Upon this Maximian sent many Messengers to him, to induce him to submit to the Order that he had setled; and to pay the Respect that was due to Licinius's Age, and to his Gray Hairs. But Maximin stood upon his terms, and very boldly said, that he to whom the Purple had been first given, ought alwayes to be considered as the Ancienter Emperour: and so he would neither yield to Maximians In­treaties, nor to his Commands. The Tyrant was extreamly troubled at this, and in his brutal way he complained of Maximins Ingratitude, whom he had raised from so mean a state to so great a Dignity; of which the other was now so unmindful as to reject all [Page 127] his Orders, and his most earnest De­sires. But when he saw that nothing could prevail on him, he resolved to put an end to this second rank of Dig­nity, and so to extinguish the Title of Cesar; therefore as he declared himself and Licinius the Emperours, so he declared Maxentius and Constan­tine the Sons of the Emperours, (by which Maximin was quite shut out.) But he not daunted with this, writ to him that upon the last occasion of a great Assembly that met in the Field of Mars, he had been saluted Empe­rour by the Army. Maximian received this with great Regret, but yet upon it he declared all the four Empe­rours.

XXXIII. In the eighteenth year of his Reign, he was visited by God with an Incurable Stroke: An Ulcer bred in his Secret Parts, which daily grew and spread. The Phisitians used both Incisians, and other Medecines; but tho they brought it to a Cicatrice, and seem'd to have healed it, yet it festred, and broke out again, and the Humour did so corrode [Page 128] the Vessels, that a Vein burst, upon which he lost so much Blood, that it had almost cost him his Life; for it was very hard to stop it. A new Cure was carried on with that success, that the Wound was again brought to a Cicatrice. But upon a little shaking of his Body, the Vein broke again, and he lost at this second time more Blood than he had done at first. He became pale, sunk, and wasted to nothing. So that the Low estate of his Body made that he lost no more Blood. But now his Wound became more dange­rous, outward Applications had no ef­fect any more upon it: The Cancer spread it self still further, and the more it was cut, it seemed to grow so much the faster; all the most fa­mous Phisitians that were every where searcht for, began to lose hopes. And while all humane means became inef­fectual, recourse was bad to their False Gods, and Prayers were made for his Recovery to Apollo and Esculapius. And some relief was pretended to have come from Apollo. But he grew still worse and worse. His Death seemed [Page 129] very near, for the Cancer had consumed all the bottom of his Belly; his Guts were laid open, and were likewise rot­ting, and his whole Breech was over­run with the Putrifaction; some bold, but unhappy Phisitians would not for all this give over, and tho they had no hope of success, yet they were still trying new Remedies. Those drove the Evil inwards, even thro his Bones to the very Marrow, and now Worms began to breed within him. The Smell that came from him was so noysome, that it was felt not only over all the Palace, but in the very City likewise; and the Passages of his Urin and Ex­crements were now mixed, all the Membranes being corroded that sepa­rated them. He was eat up by Vermine, and the whole Mass of his Body turned into an universal Rottenness. With all this, he had most intolerable Pains, so that he often bellowed out, as if it had been a Bull wounded. Some living Animals, and others that were boild, were applied to the putrified parts, to try if the heat would draw out the Ver­mine: and this indeed opened as it were [Page 130] a vast Hive of them: yet a second Im­posthumation discovered yet a much greater Swarm, so that his Gutts seemed to dissolve all into Worms. A Hydropsy joyned to all his other ills, did strangely disfigure his Body: all his upper parts were exhausted quite, and dried like a meer Skeleton, covered with a Dead-like Skin: but at the same time all his Lower Parts were swelled up like Bladders, so that the Shape of his Feet was scarce to be seen any more. In all this Misery did he lan­guish a full year. His Conscience was at last awakned, and he was forced to give praise to God: so that in the Intervals of his pains, he cried often out, that he would rebuild the Church of Nicomedia, and that he would re­pair the Mischiefs that he had done: and being in his last Agonies, he published this following Edict.

XXXIV. ‘Vide Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 8. cap. 1. Among our other Cares, for the Profit and Advantage of the Common-wealth, one was to reduce all people to observe the Ancient Lawes, and the Puplick Discipline of [Page 131] the Romans; and in particular to oblige the Christians, who had forsaken the Religion of their Fathers, to return to a better Mind: Having observed, that they, by what Reasons so ever moved to it, had been guilty of the Wilfulness, and even Madness of forsaking the Ancient Institutions of the first Christians: and that accord­ing to their different humours and Fancies, they were framing new Lawes, by which they might go­vern themselves, and were falling into Divisions, and forming many se­parated Assemblies: upon this, we gave out our Edicts, obliging them to re­turn back to their first Institutions; which had great Effects on many; but while great numbers continued still firm to their Rules, and as on the one hand they did not offer that Wor­ship, and that Devotion to the Gods that is due, so on the other hand they did not adore the God of the Chri­stians. We therefore having regard to all these things, and being moved by our Princely Compassion and our constant Custom of Gentleness to­wards [Page 132] all men, have thought fit to extend this our Grace and Pity even towards the Christians: and therefore we do not only suffer them to con­tinue in their Religion, but suffer them to hold Assemblies for their Worship; provided always that they do nothing contrary to the Established Discipline. By another Ordinance we will signify our pleasure to our Iud­ges, for their Direction. In the mean while we expect that the Christians, in return to this our Clemency, shall pray to God for our Health, and for the continuance of the Prosperity of the Common-wealth; and so they may still hope to enjoy our Protection in their respective Dwellings.’

XXXV. This Edict was published at Nicomedia, the last of April in Ma­ximian's Eighth Consulate, and Maxi­min's Third. Then when the Prison Doors were set open, were you, My Dear Donatus, with the other Prisoners set at Liberty, after you had been for the space of six years shut up. Yet all this did not turn away the Judgments of God from Maximian: His Putre­faction [Page 133] went on still, till it had quite wasted his whole Substance; so that not many days after the Publication of this Edict, he breathed out his last, ha­ving recommended his Wife and his Son to Licinius, and having put them into his Hands. This came to be known in Nicomedia before the end of May, so that he did not attain to his twentieth year of Empire, which was not to be­gin before the first of March fol­lowing.

XXXVI. As soon as ever Maximin had heard the News of his Death, he being then in the East, made all the hast that was possible to take into his possession all those Provinces: and as Licinius lingered, he possessed himself of all to the Straits of Thrace: and when he came into Bithinia, he took care to recommend himself to the Favour of the People, by discharging them of the Tax that was laid on them. By this means the two Empe­rours were now in ill Terms, and al­most engaged in a War: For they lay with their Armies on the opposite shores. But expedients were found out [Page 134] for the making up of all their Diffe­rences; and they had an Enterview up­on the Sea, in which they were not only reconciled, but they entred into an Alliance: Maximin went back, reckoning that he was now secure, and so he governed Syria and Egypt just as he had done formerly: and tho the Chri­stians were now received under the Pro­tection of the Government, yet he broke all this, and he set on underhand the Procuring Addresses from the several Cities to be made to him, for hindring the Christians to build Meeting Houses within their Bounds; that he might seem to be in some sort forced to do that which he had resolved on of his own Accord. So having granted the Demand of those Addresses, he made the Chief of the Priests in the several Cities out of those who were of the Government of the City, which had not been practised in any former time, and he ordered them to offer every day Sacrifices to all the Gods, and to call in the Assistance of all the Ancient Priests, for looking after the Christians, that they might neither have Publick [Page 135] Meeting-Houses, nor assemble them­selves in Secret for their Worship: and required them that they should seise on them where-ever they could find them, and either force them to offer Sacrifice, or deliver them to the Magistrates. And not contented with this Subordination that he had setled among the Priests, he ordered one in every Province to be over all the Priests of the Province; and as he raised them up to this high de­gree of Authority, so for adding some Splendor to it, he ordered them to wear that sort of white Habits edged about with Gold, which might only be worn by the Chief Officers of the Court. He was resolved to put the same things in execution against the Chri­stians in the other Provinces, which he had already done in the East. For that he might seem merciful towards them, he would not suffer them to be put to Death, but he ordered many other Punishments against them, such as the Picking out their Eyes, the Cutting off their Hands or Feet, and the Cutting off their Noses or their Ears.

XXXVII. While he was designing [Page 136] all these things, he received Letters from Constantine, which put him in such a fright, that he resolved to dis­semble for some time. Yet whensoever any Christian was found out, he was drowned secretly and in the Night; nor did he discontinue his Custom of of­fering Sacrifices every day in the Pa­lace. He also began another Custom, of ordering all the Meat that was to be served up to his Table, to be offered up first by the Priests at some Altar, and not to be killed by his own Cooks; so that nothing was presented to his Table, but that which had passed thro some Rites or other of their Idolatry; by which means it was that none could eat with him, without being in some manner or other polluted with those Abominations. In all other things he followed the pattern that his Master had set him: For if there was any thing left by Diocletians or Maximians Op­pressions, he took care to raise all that so exactly, as to be sure to leave nothing to any that should come after him: so that without any sort of shame, he robbed the People of all they had: He [Page 137] shut up all mens Granaries and Store­houses, and forced them to pay by an Advance the Taxes of the year to come. So that there not being seed to sow the Ground, this brought on a most into­lerable Famine. Whole Droves of Cattle and Sheep were brought for his daily Sacrifices, with which he fed his Domesticks and his Souldiers so co­piously, that they came to despise the Corn, that was brought them for their Provision, so that without any Care they threw it often out of Doors. And as he had a vast Army, so he clothed his Guards very richly, and furnished them with much Gold, and the com­monest and rawest of his Souldiers had Silver in abundance given them. He was also extream liberal to the Bar­barians. All the Praise that is due to him is, that he was like those merciful Robbers, who are contented to strip men without killing them; for if he did not put People to Death, that so he might seise on their Estates, yet upon every occasion he either took away all they had, or gave it to such as begged it of him.

[Page 138]XXXVIII. But there was one Mon­strous Wickedness, that exceeded all the rest, which he carried to such a blind and brutal degree, that one can­not find Words equal to it, for the In­dignation which this must give, carries ones Thoughts further than his Tongue will serve him, to set it forth as it ought to be.

His Eunuchs, and the other Instru­ments of his Appetites, searcht in all Places, and wheresoever they found a beautiful Woman, she was dragged away without any regard had of her Hus­band or her Parents: Those whom he Imployed in this Service, stript both married Women and Maids, and so viewed them naked, and if any refused to submit to this, she was drowned as guilty of High Treason. Several mar­ried Men, whose Wives were thus vio­lently taken from them, not being able to bear the Grief which this gave them, murdered themselves: and un­der this Monster, there was no other Se­curity for Modesty, but Ugliness. At last he carried this Licentiousness to such a pitch, that no Body was suf­fered [Page 139] to marry without his leave, and without his taking all Liberties with the Bride, before the Bridegroom was admitted. He took the Daughters of the Men of Quality, and after he him­self had corrupted them, he gave them to his Slaves to marry them. His Courtiers were easily induced to follow his wicked Example, and to defile the Beds of such as depended on them: for they saw that no Body durst pu­nish it. Those who were of ordina­ry rank, were ravished by every body at his Pleasure; and such as were of the Chief rank, and so could not be ravished, were begged of the Emperour as Boons, and when he signed any such grant, the Father durst not refuse it, but saw that he must either die, or ac­cept of some Barbarian for his Son-in-Law. For he had scarce any other Do­mesticks or Guards, but such as had been driven out of their Countrys by the Goths in the twentieth year of Dio­cletians Reign, during that Festivity. All these came and delivered them­selves up to Maximian, and so he made use of those who had fled from being [Page 140] enslaved by the Goths, as his Instru­ments for enslaving the Romans. Ma­ximin being environed with such Guards, and depending so entirely upon them as he did, treated all the rest of the East with the utmost degree of Contempt.

XXXIX He made this the measure of his Appetites, to esteem every thing lawful to which his Desires carried him; And according to this Rule, tho he had acknowledged the Empress Vale­ria, that was Maximians Widdow, his adopted Mother, yet that did not secure her; she had come to live in his Court, reckoning that she would be sa­fer there than in any other place, since he had a Wife of his own. But nothing was Sacred to him, when he was pushed on by his impure Appetites; she was yet in deep mourning, the year not being out, when he proposed Mar­riage to her, offering to divorce his Wife, if she would accept of him. Her answer was such as could have been expected from her; that she could not treat of her Marriage, while she was yet in her Mournings, and while [Page 141] the Ashes of her Husband, his adopted Father, were not yet quite cold. She added, that it was a strange piece of Impiety in him, to offer to put away his Wife, who had been always faith­ful to him: which let her see what she herself might look for from him; and in the last place, it seemed to her no small Crime, as it was a thing without an Example, for a Woman of her rank to think of a second Husband. All this was reported to Maximin in her name: But he was so enraged at it, that his brutal Desires were now changed into Wrath and Fury. He presently put her under a Proscription, he seised on her goods, he took her Servants from her, and tortured some of her Eunuchs to Death; and sent her and her Mother into Banishment; but not to any certain place: but ordered her to be hurried about from place to place: and he charged such Women as were dearest to her, with Adultery, and upon that forged pretence he con­demned them.

XL. There was an Ancient Wo­man of Quality, whom Valeria had [Page 142] always considered as a Mother, and Maximin believed that the refusal that was made of him, was advised by her; so he ordered Eratineus the President to put her to an Infamous Death; with her he ordered two other Women of the same Quality to be likewise exe­cuted. The one was Mother to one of the Vestal Virgins of Rome, the other was the Widdow of a Senator and was the Empresses Kinswoman: but both their Crime was, that as they were Beautiful, so they were no less modest. They were violently seised on, not as if they had been to be carried before a Court of Justice, but as if they had fallen into the hands of Rob­bers, yet there was no Accuser to lay any thing to their Charge. But a Iew was found out, who being condemned for some other Crimes, hoped to ob­tain his pardon by becoming a false Witness against them. The Judge who condemned them upon this Evi­dence, carried them out of Town to their Execution with a Guard; for he was affraid that he should have been stoned by the people, This Tra­gedy [Page 143] was acted at Nice. The few being put to the Torture, was forced to accuse the Women as he had been instructed: and when they offered to say any thing for themselves, they were beaten by the Tormenters; so that notwithstanding their Innocence, they were condemned. There was a great Lamentation raised upon this, not only by the Husband of one of them, to whom his Wife was extream dear, but by all the Multitude, that so unusual a Spectacle had brought toge­ther: and so apprehensive were the Judges of the Peoples using force for rescuing those Persons out of their Hands, that there was drawn about them a Body of Archers, and others of the lightly armed Souldiers: and with this Guard were they led out to Execution. Nor was there any care taken of their Burial, for their Servants were forced to abandon them; yet some of their Friends, moved with Compassion, came secretly and buried them. The Adulterous Iew had not the Pardon that was promised him, so seeing that he was to be hanged, he [Page 144] discovered all this Mystery, and with his last breath he declared to all that were looking on, that the Women had suffered Unjustly.

XLI. The Empress being now ba­nished to the Deserts of Syria, found a secret Way of acquainting her Father Diocletian with her Condition. He upon that sent to Maximin, and desired that his Daughter might be sent to him; but tho he repeated this over and over again, all was without ef­fect: So after all, he sent a Kinsman of his own, that was an Officer of the Army, in a high Post, and in great Cre­dit, to whom he gave in charge, to put Maximin in Mind of the Obliga­tions that he had received from him: but this Intercession was as ineffectual as the others had formerly been.

XLII. At this time Constantine gave Order that the Statues of Maximian the Elder, should be every where pulled down; and that such Pictures or Fi­gures of him, as had been any where set up, should be removed. Now Dio­cletians Statues and His being alwayes coupled together, the Disgrace of the [Page 145] one drew the others likewise after it. Diocletian seeing this Affront put on his Statues, which no Emperour before him had ever seen done in his own time, and being now over-charged with this redoubling of Grief, he resolved to put an end to his Life. He was in a perpetual Uneasiness, and could nei­ther eat nor sleep. He was heard to sigh and groan continually, and was seen oft to weep; and to be tumbling some­times on his Bed, and sometimes on the Ground. Thus he that had reigned over the Roman Empire for twenty years, was now so cast down and mor­tified, that he dyed partly of Hunger, and partly thro Anguish of Spirit.

XLIII. There was only one of the Enemies of God now left alive, name­ly Maximin, whose Fall and Death comes to be related in the next place. He bare a great Envy to Licinius ever since he had been preferred by Maximian to himself; and tho he had lately entred into an Alliance with him, yet when he heard that Licinius was en­gaging himself into a straiter Alliance with Constantine, and was going to marry his Sister, he concluded that this [Page 146] Union of those two Emperours, must certainly be fatal to himself; So he sent secretly to Rome, and writ very kind­ly to Maxentius, desiring his Alliance and Friendship, which Maxentius em­braced very readily, as if it had been somewhat sent him from Heaven; for he had declared War against Constan­tine, upon the pretence of Revenging his Fathers Blood. From this some have imagined, that the Father had only pretended to fall out with his Son, that he might have the more Credit with the other Emperours; and by that means find an occasion of Destroying them all; that so He and his Son might have the whole Empire between them: but this is a Mistake; for it is certain, that Ma­ximian the Elder had a mind to destroy his Son with the rest, and that when this was done, he intended that Diocletian & he should again re-assume the Empire.

XLIV. Now the War was begun between Maxentius and Constantine, which Maxentius managed by his Ge­nerals, but would not stir out of Rome himself; having had a Response, that whensoever he went out of the Gates of Rome, he should perish. He [Page 147] had much the better Army: for he had not only those Troops that had aban­doned Severus, but likewise others that he had brought together out of Man­ritania and Italy. The two Armies fought, and Maxentius's had the bet­ter; yet Constantine did not for that lose Heart, but having resolved to put all to hazard, he marched on to the Gates of Rome, and posted his Army at the other side of the Milvian Bridge: the 27^th of October was now near, which was the Anniversary of Maxentius's coming to the Empire: and now his fifth year was almost out. Constantine was warned in a Dream to put the Di­vine Mark, the Sign of the Cross, upon the Shields of his Souldiers, and so to give Battel; he took care to execute this, and ordered the Letter X with the Letters of the Name of Christ mixed in a Monogramme, to be drawn on all their Shields; and having made this his Distinction, he drew out his Army. The Enemy's Forces came like­wise out, and crossed the Bridge, but Maxentius himself came not with them; they drew up both in the same manner, [Page 148] and both sides fought with great Cou­rage, neither of them giving Ground to the other; in the mean while there was a Sedition raised in Rome, and an Out-cry was made against Maxentius, as if he had taken more care of him­self than of the Publick; and while he was entertaining the People with the Spectacles of the Hippodrome, there was a Universal Cry raised, that Con­stantine could not be withstood; this put him into a great Disorder, so he made the Sybilline Books to be searcht, in which it was found, that the Ene­my of the Romans was to perish that Day. This gave him such assured hopes of Victory, that he marched out in Person to his Army: as soon as he had passed the Bridge, it was broke behind him. Upon this the Battel was renewed, and the Hand of God appeared over the Armies. Maxentius was beat, and when he thought to repass the Bridge, he found it broke, and was carried by the crowd of his men, that were flying, into the Tiber, and so was drowned there. An end being thus put to the War, Constantine was declared Empe­rour, [Page 149] with great Expression of Joy, both by the Senate and People of Rome. Among Maxentius's Papers he found Maximins Letters, by which he dis­covered his treacherous Designs against himself: He also saw the Imperial Statues that he had sent to Maxentius. The Senate did Constantine the Honour to order his Name to be put first in order, before the other Emperours▪ tho that was claimed by Maximin, who was as much struck with the news that was brought to him of Romes being thus freed from Tyranny, as if it had been a Defeat given himself; and as soon as he heard of the Senates De­cree, giving Constantine the Prece­dence, he treated Constantine in a most reproachful and insolent manner.

XLV. Constantine having setled matters at Rome, went during the Winter to Millan: and thither did Li­cinius come to marry his Sister. Maxi­min hearing that they were now a­mused with the Solemnities of this Wedding, marcht with his Army out of Syria during the bitter Cold of the Winter; and having harassed his Army [Page 150] with great Marches, he got to Bithi­nia: for the Season was very severe, and both by Snow and Rains the Wayes were very deep; and what with Cold and what with hard Labour, he lost all his Horse, so that all along where he had marched, he might have been traced by them; which was but an ill Omen to his Men: Nor did he stop within his own Limits, but having crost the Straits of Thrace, he came with his Army to the Gates of Bysance. There was a Garrison put within that Place by Licinius for all Events; so he shudied first to corrupt the Souldiers by Presents and Promises, and then to terrify them by threatning them with a Siege; but both the one and the other proved equally ineffectual: they had eleven days assigned them, for adver­tising the Emperour, and having no re­turn from him, they being disheart­ned by the smallness of their Numbers, rendred themselves. From thence he advanced to Heraclea; and being stopt there in the same manner as at Bysance, he lost some days there likewise. But by this time Licinius having marcht as [Page 151] quick as was possible, had got to A­drianople with a few men about him; in the meanwhile Maximin having like­wise taken Perinthus, which gave him a new stop, he advanced 18 Miles beyond it, where he posted himself: he could go no further; for Licinius had possessed himself of the Post that lay next to that, which was likewise eighteen mile distant from it; and having drawn to­gether as great a Body as he could on the sudden, he marched on towards Maximin, on design rather to hinder his Progress, than to enter into action; for as he did not intend to fight, so he had no Prospect of Victory; for he had not above 30000. men: whereas Maximin was at the Head of an Army of 70000: for Licinius's Army was scattered over a great many Provinces, and he could not bring all his Troops together in so short a time.

XLVI. While the two Armies were thus so near one another, that it was expected that the matter should come to a speedy Decision, Maximin made a Vow to Iupiter, That if he got the Victory, he would utterly extin­guish the very Name of a Christian. [Page 152] The next night an Angel appeared to Licinius in his sleep, and ordered him to rise immediately, and joyn with his whole Army in calling on the Great God, and promised him an assured Victory in case he should do this. Licinius dreamt, that after this he rose, and that the Angel dictated to him the very Words in which he should osser up his Prayers. And as soon as he was a­wake, he called for one of his Secre­taries, and ordered him to write down the Words, which were these, We pray to thee, O Great God; we pray to thee, O Holy God; we commit the Iustice of our Cause to thee; we commit our Lives to thee; we commit this our Em­pire to thee. It is by thee that we do live; our Conquests and our Happiness come from thee: O thou great and good God, hear our Prayers; we stretch out our hands to thee: hear us therefore thou Holy and Great God▪ Many Copies were quickly made of this Prayer, which were sent about to all the Ossicers, and all were required to make their Soul­diers get it by heart. This raised the Courage of the whole Army, who [Page 153] now lookt on the Victory as assured, since it was so Divinely fore▪ told. Maximin resolved to give Battel on the first of May, which was the An­niversary of his coming to the Em­pire, this being now the eighth year compleat since he was raised to that Dignity: and thus it happened, that as Maxentius was defeated at Rome on his Anniversary, so Maximin run the same Fortune on his; only Maximin would needs anticipate his own Ruin; for he would needs sight the Day before it, that so he might celebrate his Anni­versary with the more Pomp, when he had defeated his Enemy. When Li­cinius heard that Maximin's Army was advancing, he likewise drew out his, so that they were in view one of an­other. There lay between them a great and barren Plain, called Serenum. Licinius's men laid down their Shields, and took off their Head pieces, and with hands lifted up to Heaven, they said their Prayer, the Emperour himself beginning, and the Officers and Soul­diers following him in it; which was pronounced so loud, that the other [Page 154] Army that was to fall before them, heard the noise of it. The Prayer was three times repeated, and that being done, the Souldiers being now won­derfully animated, put on their Head­pieces, and took up their Shields. The Emperours themselves parlyed a little; Maximin would hearken to no Propo­sitions of Peace; for he despised Li­cinius, and fancied that all his Souldiers would have deserted him, because he was more sparing in his Bounty to them; whereas Maximin was extream­ly prosuse; and as he had begun with Licinius, not doubting but that his Army would without giving any stroke come over to him, so when he had thus doubled his Forces, he resolved to go against Constantine.

XLVII. The two Armies drew at last so near one another, that the Signals were given, and the Ensigns on both sides advanced; Licinius's men gave the Charge with great Vi­gour; but the others were so disor­dered and terrified, that they could neither draw their Swords nor throw their Darts: Maximin run about on [Page 155] all hands, perswading Licinius's Men to turn over to him, what with Pre­sents, what by Intereaties; but all was to no effect; and being charged in person, he was forced to retire. His Army fell before the Enemy without being able to make any Resistance; and that vast body of men was mowed down by a handful. They seemed to have forgot their Rank, their Cou­rage, and their former Exploits; and the hand of God was visible in delive­ring them over to have their Throats cut by their Enemies, as if they had come into the Field for an Execution, and not for a Battle. When Maximin saw that the matter went far other­wise than he had lookt for, and that great numbers of his men were killed, he threw away his Purple, and put on the Habit of a Slave, and so crossed the Straits; for now the one half of his Ar­my was destroyed, and the other half either fled or rendered it self. And since the Emperour had deserted his Army, the Souldiers were not at all ashamed of deserting his Interests: he made great hast; for in a Night and [Page 156] a Day he sled to Nicomedia; and got thither the first of May in the Night, which was an hundred and theerscore Miles distance from the place where the Battel was fought: he staied not long there, but having taken along with him his Sons and his Wife, and some few of his Domesticks, he went to the East; yet he stopt in Cappado­sia, and there he took the Purple again, having gathered together some Soul­diers partly of his own Straglers, and partly of some Troops that came to him from the East.

XLVIII. Licinius, after he had di­stributed a part of his Army into Quarters, crossed the Straits, and went over to Bithinia with the rest. When he entred into Nicomedia, he offered up his Thanksgivings to God, by whose Aid he had obtained the Victory: and on the thirteenth of Iune, Constantine and he being now in their third Consu­late, the following Edist was sent to the President.

[Page 161]When the Edict was published, Li­cinius did likewise by Word of Mouth entreat all persons, to see the Meeting-Houses of the Christians restored again to them: and thus from the first be­ginning of the Persecution, and from the Destruction of the Church of Ni­comedia, to the Rebuilding of it, there were ten years and about four Moneths.

XLIX. But while Licinius was pur­suing after Maximin, he still sled be­fore him, and possessed himself of the narrow passages of Mount Taurus, where he built Forts to stop them up, that so it might not be possible for Li­cinius to pass them; but he took a compass to the right hand: and when Maximin saw that there was now no­thing to stop him, he fled to Tarsus; but being like to be shut up there, both by Sea and Land, and seeing no possibility of escape, the Anguish of his Spirit and his Fear, made him fly to Death, as the only way to escape from those Evils with which God was pursuing him. He first eat and drunk to a great excess, as is ordinary for those to do who reckon that it is their last meal that [Page 162] they eat, and then he took Poyson; but his Stomach being so over-charged, made that the Poyson had not a present operation on him; but instead of killing him out-right, it threw him into a lin­gering Torment, not unlike the Plague; by which his Life was so far lengthned out to him, that he felt his Misery long: The Poyson began now to work violently on him, it burned his Vitals so much, that his insufferable Pains threw him into a Phrenesy; so that for four Days time he eat Earth, which he dug up with his Hands, and swallowed it up very greedily. The Rages of his Pain were so intolerable, that he run his Head against a Wall with such force, that his Eyes started out of the Eye­holes; but as he lost the Sight of his Eyes, a Vision represented himself to his Imagination, as standing to be judged by God, who seemed to have Hosts of Ministers about him all in White Gar­ments; at this sight he cried out as if he had been put to the Torture, and said, that it was others, and not he, that were to blame; yet afterwards he con­fessed his own Guilt, being as it were [Page 163] forced to it by the Torments that he suffered: he called upon Iesus Christ, and with many Tears he begged that he would have pity on him; he roared and groaned as if he had been inwardly burnt up: and thus did he breath out his defiled Soul, in the most dreadful manner that can be imagined.

L. Thus did God destroy all the Per­secutors of his great Name, both Root and Branch: for Licinius being now setled in the Empire, gave order to put both Valeria and Caudidian to death. Valeria had been still preserved by Maximin, who notwithstanding all his Rage against her, and tho he saw now his own End approaching, yet had not the boldness to put her to death. Caudidian was her adopted Son, for his Mother was a Concubine of Maximians; but Valeria being barren, had adopted him. She had no sooner got the news of Maximins Death, then she came to his Court in disguise, that she might see what would become of Caudidian; but he appearing publickly in Nicomedia, and fancying that Respect would be shewed him because of his Birth, and [Page 164] apprehending nothing less than what befel him, was put to Death: upon which Valeria fled away immediately. Licinius ordered likewise Severian to be put to death. He was Severus's Son, and was now grown up to a mans Age, and had accompanied Maximin in his slight; but it was pretended, that he was aspiring to the Empire, and for that he was condemned. All these had great Apprehensions of Licinius, look­ing on him as an ill man; only Valeria, who had refused to resign her preten­sions to Maximin, had resolved to do it in his savour. Licinius ordered like­wise Maximins eldest Son, who was then eight years old, and his Daughter that was only seven, and had been con­tracted to Caudidian, to be put to Death. And before that was executed, their Mother was drowned in the Ri­ver Orontes, where she had made ma­ny chast Women to be drowned for­merly. And thus thro the just and righ­teous Judgment of God, all those wicked persons came to suffer the same things that they had done to others.

LI. Valeria her self wandred about [Page 165] in the Habit of a Peasant, during the space of eighteen Moneths; but was at last discovered at Thessalonica, where both she and her Mother suffered. The two Empresses were led to the place of Execution thro a vast multitude of Spectators, who were struck with the Compassion that was raised by so lamentable a sight: their Heads were cut off, and their Bodies were cast in­to the Sea, so fatal did their Dignity and Valeria's chastity prove to them.

LII. I have given you this recital upon the credit of persons that were well informed of those matters: and I have thought sit to write them just as they were transacted, that so the true account of those great Revolutions might not be lost; and that it might not be in the power of any, who inten­ded to write the History of that time, to corrupt the Truth, or to suppress either their Sins against God, or Gods Judgments upon them.

It is to his Insinite Mercy that we owe our Thanksgivings; who has at last visited the World, and has gathered together and recovered his Flock, that [Page 166] was partly scattered abroad, and part­ly torn by ravenous Wolves; and who has destroyed those Beasts of Prey, that had wasted the Pastures of his Flock, and had broken their Folds. Where are now those once Glorious and renowned Names of Iovins and Herculins, that were assumed with so much Insolence by Diocletian and Maximian, and that were afterwards derived by them to their Successors! God has blotted them out, and rased them-out of the World.

Let us then Celebrate Gods Triumph over his Enemies with all the Eleva­tions of Joy: Let us sing of his Victo­ries, and praise him for them; and let us beg of him by our most earnest Pray­ers, repeated Day and Night, that he will forever establish that Peace which he has given to his People after ten years of War.

And you in particular, My most Dear Donatus, who deserves that God should hear your Prayers, Intercede earnest­ly with him, that he may alwayes shew Mercy to his Servants; that he may be gracious and favourable to [Page 167] them; that he may protect his Peo­ple from all the Snares and Assaults of the Devil; and that the present Flourishing Estate of his Church may be always preserved safe and undi­sturbed.