Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 45

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XLV.

Constantine having settled all things at Rome, went

‹ Chapter 44 Chapter 46 ›

to

Milan

about

the

beginning

of

winter

.

Thither

also

Licinius

came

to

receive

his

wife

Constantia

.

When

Daia

understood

that

they

were

busied

in

solemnizing

the

nuptials

,

he

moved

out

of

Syria

in

the

depth

of

a

severe

winter

,

and

by

forced

marches

he

came

into

Bithynia

with

an

army

much

impaired

;

for

he

lost

all

his

beasts

of

burden

,

of

whatever

kind

,

in

consequence

of

excessive

rains

and

snow

,

miry

ways

,

cold

and

fatigue

.

Their

carcases

,

scattered

about

the

roads

,

seemed

an

emblem

of

the

calamities

of

the

impending

war

,

and

the

presage

of

a

like

destruction

that

awaited

the

soldiers

.

Daia

did

not

halt

in

his

own

territories

;

but

immediately

crossed

the

Thracian

Bosphorus

,

and

in

a

hostile

manner

approached

the

gates

of

Byzantium

.

There

was

a

garrison

in

the

city

,

established

by

Licinius

to

check

any

invasion

that

Daia

might

make

.

At

first

Daia

attempted

to

entice

the

soldiers

by

the

promise

of

donatives

,

and

then

to

intimidate

them

by

assault

and

storm

.

Yet

neither

promises

nor

force

availed

aught

.

After

eleven

days

had

elapsed

,

within

which

time

Licinius

might

have

learned

the

state

of

the

garrison

,

the

soldiers

surrendered

,

not

through

treachery

,

but

because

they

were

too

weak

to

make

a

longer

resistance

.

Then

Daia

moved

on

to

Heraclea

(

otherwise

called

Perinthus

)

,

and

by

delays

of

the

like

nature

before

that

place

lost

some

days

.

And

now

Licinius

by

expeditious

marches

had

reached

Adrianople

,

but

with

forces

not

numerous

.

Then

Daia

,

having

taken

Perinthus

by

capitulation

,

and

remained

there

for

a

short

space

,

moved

forwards

eighteen

miles

to

the

first

station

.

Here

his

progress

was

stopped

;

for

Licinius

had

already

occupied

the

second

station

,

at

the

distance

also

of

eighteen

miles

.

Licinius

,

having

assembled

what

forces

he

could

from

the

neighbouring

quarters

,

advanced

towards

Daia

rather

indeed

to

retard

his

operations

than

with

any

purpose

of

fighting

,

or

hope

of

victory

:

for

Daia

had

an

army

of

seventy

thousand

men

,

while

he

himself

had

scarce

thirty

thousand

;

for

his

soldiers

being

dispersed

in

various

regions

,

there

was

not

time

,

on

that

sudden

emergency

,

to

collect

all

of

them

together

.