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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 40

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XL.

There was a certain matron of high rank who

‹ Chapter 39 Chapter 41 ›

already

had

grandchildren

by

more

than

one

son

.

Her

Valeria

loved

like

a

second

mother

,

and

Daia

suspected

that

her

advice

had

produced

that

refusal

which

Valeria

gave

to

his

matrimonial

offers

;

and

therefore

he

charged

the

president

Eratineus

to

have

her

put

to

death

in

a

way

that

might

injure

her

fame

.

To

her

two

others

,

equally

noble

,

were

added

.

One

of

them

,

who

had

a

daughter

a

Vestal

virgin

at

Rome

,

maintained

an

intercourse

by

stealth

with

the

banished

Valeria

.

The

other

,

married

to

a

senator

,

was

intimately

connected

with

the

empress

.

Excellent

beauty

and

virtue

proved

the

cause

of

their

death

.

They

were

dragged

to

the

tribunal

,

not

of

an

upright

judge

,

but

of

a

robber

.

Neither

indeed

was

there

any

accuser

,

until

a

certain

Jew

,

one

charged

with

other

offences

,

was

induced

,

through

hope

of

pardon

,

to

give

false

evidence

against

the

innocent

.

The

equitable

and

vigilant

magistrate

conducted

him

out

of

the

city

under

a

guard

,

lest

the

populace

should

have

stoned

him

.

This

tragedy

was

acted

at

Nicæa

.

The

Jew

was

ordered

to

the

torture

till

he

should

speak

as

he

had

been

instructed

,

while

the

torturers

by

blows

prevented

the

women

from

speaking

in

their

own

defence

.

The

innocent

were

condemned

to

die

.

Then

there

arose

wailing

and

lamentation

,

not

only

of

the

senator

,

who

attended

on

his

well

-

deserving

consort

,

but

amongst

the

spectators

also

,

whom

this

proceeding

,

scandalous

and

unheard

of

,

had

brought

together

;

and

,

to

prevent

the

multitude

from

violently

rescuing

the

condemned

persons

out

of

the

hands

of

the

executioners

,

military

commanders

followed

with

light

infantry

and

archers

.

And

thus

,

under

a

guard

of

armed

soldiers

,

they

were

led

to

punishment

.

Their

domestics

having

been

forced

to

flee

,

they

would

have

remained

without

burial

,

had

not

the

compassion

of

friends

interred

them

by

stealth

.

Nor

was

the

promise

of

pardon

made

good

to

the

feigned

adulterer

,

for

he

was

fixed

to

a

gibbet

,

and

then

he

disclosed

the

whole

secret

contrivance

;

and

with

his

last

breath

he

protested

to

all

the

beholders

that

the

women

died

innocent

.