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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 42

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XLII.

At this time, by command of Constantine, the

‹ Chapter 41 Chapter 43 ›

statues

of

Maximian

Herculius

were

thrown

down

,

and

his

portraits

removed

;

and

,

as

the

two

old

emperors

were

generally

delineated

in

one

piece

,

the

portraits

of

both

were

removed

at

the

same

time

.

Thus

Diocletian

lived

to

see

a

disgrace

which

no

former

emperor

had

ever

seen

,

and

,

under

the

double

load

of

vexation

of

spirit

and

bodily

maladies

,

he

resolved

to

die

.

Tossing

to

and

fro

,

with

his

soul

agitated

by

grief

,

he

could

neither

eat

nor

take

rest

.

He

sighed

,

groaned

,

and

wept

often

,

and

incessantly

threw

himself

into

various

postures

,

now

on

his

couch

,

and

now

on

the

ground

.

So

he

,

who

for

twenty

years

was

the

most

prosperous

of

emperors

,

having

been

cast

down

into

the

obscurity

of

a

private

station

,

treated

in

the

most

contumelious

manner

,

and

compelled

to

abhor

life

,

became

incapable

of

receiving

nourishment

,

and

,

worn

out

with

anguish

of

mind

,

expired

.