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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 49

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XLIX.

While Licinius pursued with his army, the fugitive

‹ Chapter 48 Chapter 50 ›

tyrant

retreated

,

and

again

occupied

the

passes

of

mount

Taurus

;

and

there

,

by

erecting

parapets

and

towers

,

attempted

to

stop

the

march

of

Licinius

.

But

the

victorious

troops

,

by

an

attack

made

on

the

right

,

broke

through

all

obstacles

,

and

Daia

at

length

fled

to

Tarsus

.

There

,

being

hard

pressed

both

by

sea

and

land

,

he

despaired

of

finding

any

place

for

refuge

;

and

in

the

anguish

and

dismay

of

his

mind

,

he

sought

death

as

the

only

remedy

of

those

calamities

that

God

had

heaped

on

him

.

But

first

he

gorged

himself

with

food

,

and

large

draughts

of

wine

,

as

those

are

wont

who

believe

that

they

eat

and

drink

for

the

last

time

;

and

so

he

swallowed

poison

.

However

,

the

force

of

the

poison

,

repelled

by

his

full

stomach

,

could

not

immediately

operate

,

but

it

produced

a

grievous

disease

,

resembling

the

pestilence

;

and

his

life

was

prolonged

only

that

his

sufferings

might

be

more

severe

.

And

now

the

poison

began

to

rage

,

and

to

burn

up

everything

within

him

,

so

that

he

was

driven

to

distraction

with

the

intolerable

pain

;

and

during

a

fit

of

frenzy

,

which

lasted

four

days

,

he

gathered

handfuls

of

earth

,

and

greedily

devoured

it

.

Having

undergone

various

and

excruciating

torments

,

he

dashed

his

forehead

against

the

wall

,

and

his

eyes

started

out

of

their

sockets

.

And

now

,

become

blind

,

he

imagined

that

he

saw

God

,

with

His

servants

arrayed

in

white

robes

,

sitting

in

judgment

on

him

.

He

roared

out

as

men

on

the

rack

are

wont

,

and

exclaimed

that

not

he

,

but

others

,

were

guilty

.

In

the

end

,

as

if

he

had

been

racked

into

confession

,

he

acknowledged

his

own

guilt

,

and

lamentably

implored

Christ

to

have

mercy

upon

him

.

Then

,

amidst

groans

,

like

those

of

one

burnt

alive

,

did

he

breathe

out

his

guilty

soul

in

the

most

horrible

kind

of

death

.