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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 28

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XXVIII.

After the flight of Galerius, Maximian, having returned

‹ Chapter 27 Chapter 29 ›

from

Gaul

,

held

authority

in

common

with

his

son

;

but

more

obedience

was

yielded

to

the

young

man

than

to

the

old

:

for

Maxentius

had

most

power

,

and

had

been

longest

in

possession

of

it

;

and

it

was

to

him

that

Maximian

owed

on

this

occasion

the

imperial

dignity

.

The

old

man

was

impatient

at

being

denied

the

exercise

of

uncontrolled

sovereignty

,

and

envied

his

son

with

a

childish

spirit

of

rivalry

;

and

therefore

he

began

to

consider

how

he

might

expel

Maxentius

and

resume

his

ancient

dominion

.

This

appeared

easy

,

because

the

soldiers

who

deserted

Severus

had

originally

served

in

his

own

army

.

He

called

an

assembly

of

the

people

of

Rome

,

and

of

the

soldiers

,

as

if

he

had

been

to

make

an

harangue

on

the

calamitous

situation

of

public

affairs

.

After

having

spoken

much

on

that

subject

,

he

stretched

his

hands

towards

his

son

,

charged

him

as

author

of

all

ills

and

prime

cause

of

the

calamities

of

the

state

,

and

then

tore

the

purple

from

his

shoulders

.

Maxentius

,

thus

stripped

,

leaped

headlong

from

the

tribunal

,

and

was

received

into

the

arms

of

the

soldiers

.

Their

rage

and

clamour

confounded

the

unnatural

old

man

,

and

,

like

another

Tarquin

the

Proud

,

he

was

driven

from

Rome

.