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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 30

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XXX.

Maximian, having thus forfeited the respect due to

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an

emperor

and

a

father

-

in

-

law

,

grew

impatient

at

his

abased

condition

,

and

,

emboldened

by

impunity

,

formed

new

plots

against

Constantine

.

He

addressed

himself

to

his

daughter

Fausta

,

and

,

as

well

by

entreaties

as

by

the

soothing

of

flattery

,

solicited

her

to

betray

her

husband

.

He

promised

to

obtain

for

her

a

more

honourable

alliance

than

that

with

Constantine

;

and

he

requested

her

to

allow

the

bed

-

chamber

of

the

emperor

to

be

left

open

,

and

to

be

slightly

guarded

.

Fausta

undertook

to

do

whatever

he

asked

,

and

instantly

revealed

the

whole

to

her

husband

.

A

plan

was

laid

for

detecting

Maximian

in

the

very

execution

of

his

crime

.

They

placed

a

base

eunuch

to

be

murdered

instead

of

the

emperor

.

At

the

dead

of

night

Maximian

arose

,

and

perceived

all

things

to

be

favourable

for

his

insidious

purpose

.

There

were

few

soldiers

on

guard

,

and

these

too

at

some

distance

from

the

bed

-

chamber

.

However

,

to

prevent

suspicion

,

he

accosted

them

,

and

said

that

he

had

a

dream

which

he

wished

to

communicate

to

his

son

-

in

-

law

.

He

went

in

armed

,

slew

the

eunuch

,

sprung

forth

exultingly

,

and

avowed

the

murder

.

At

that

moment

Constantine

showed

himself

on

the

opposite

side

with

a

band

of

soldiers

;

the

dead

body

was

brought

out

of

the

bed

-

chamber

;

the

murderer

,

taken

in

the

fact

,

all

aghast

,

“Stood like a stone, silent and motionless;”

while Constantine upbraided him for his impiety and enormous guilt. At last Maximian obtained leave that the manner of his death should be at his own choice, and he strangled himself.

Thus that mightiest sovereign of Rome—who ruled so long with exceeding glory, and who celebrated his twentieth anniversary—thus that most haughty man had his neck broken, and ended his detestable life by a death base and ignominious.