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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 22

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XXII.

And now that cruelty, which he had learned

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

in

torturing

the

Christians

,

became

habitual

,

and

he

exercised

it

against

all

men

indiscriminately

.

He

was

not

wont

to

inflict

the

slighter

sorts

of

punishment

,

as

to

banish

,

to

imprison

,

or

to

send

criminals

to

work

in

the

mines

;

but

to

burn

,

to

crucify

,

to

expose

to

wild

beasts

,

were

things

done

daily

,

and

without

hesitation

.

For

smaller

offences

,

those

of

his

own

household

and

his

stewards

were

chastised

with

lances

,

instead

of

rods

;

and

,

in

great

offences

,

to

be

beheaded

was

an

indulgence

shown

to

very

few

;

and

it

seemed

as

a

favour

,

on

account

of

old

services

,

when

one

was

permitted

to

die

in

the

easiest

manner

.

But

these

were

slight

evils

in

the

government

of

Galerius

,

when

compared

with

what

follows

.

For

eloquence

was

extinguished

,

pleaders

cut

off

,

and

the

learned

in

the

laws

either

exiled

or

slain

.

Useful

letters

came

to

be

viewed

in

the

same

light

as

magical

and

forbidden

arts

;

and

all

who

possessed

them

were

trampled

upon

and

execrated

,

as

if

they

had

been

hostile

to

government

,

and

public

enemies

.

Law

was

dissolved

,

and

unbounded

licence

permitted

to

judges

,

—

to

judges

chosen

from

amongst

the

soldiery

,

rude

and

illiterate

men

,

and

let

loose

upon

the

provinces

,

without

assessors

to

guide

or

control

them

.

Notes

1
[A course of conduct which, providentially, tended to stop the chronic severity against believers.]