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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. IX.

But the other Maximian (Galerius), chosen by

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

Diocletian

for

his

son

-

in

-

law

,

was

worse

,

not

only

than

those

two

princes

whom

our

own

times

have

experienced

,

but

worse

than

all

the

bad

princes

of

former

days

.

In

this

wild

beast

there

dwelt

a

native

barbarity

and

a

savageness

foreign

to

Roman

blood

;

and

no

wonder

,

for

his

mother

was

born

beyond

the

Danube

,

and

it

was

an

inroad

of

the

Carpi

that

obliged

her

to

cross

over

and

take

refuge

in

New

Dacia

.

The

form

of

Galerius

corresponded

with

his

manners

.

Of

stature

tall

,

full

of

flesh

,

and

swollen

to

a

horrible

bulk

of

corpulency

;

by

his

speech

,

gestures

,

and

looks

,

he

made

himself

a

terror

to

all

that

came

near

him

.

His

father

-

in

-

law

,

too

,

dreaded

him

excessively

.

The

cause

was

this

.

Narseus

,

king

of

the

Persians

,

emulating

the

example

set

him

by

his

grandfather

Sapores

,

assembled

a

great

army

,

and

aimed

at

becoming

master

of

the

eastern

provinces

of

the

Roman

empire

.

Diocletian

,

apt

to

be

low

-

spirited

and

timorous

in

every

commotion

,

and

fearing

a

fate

like

that

of

Valerian

,

would

not

in

person

encounter

Narseus

;

but

he

sent

Galerius

by

the

way

of

Armenia

,

while

he

himself

halted

in

the

eastern

provinces

,

and

anxiously

watched

the

event

.

It

is

a

custom

amongst

the

barbarians

to

take

everything

that

belongs

to

them

into

the

field

.

Galerius

laid

an

ambush

for

them

,

and

easily

overthrew

men

embarrassed

with

the

multitude

of

their

followers

and

with

their

baggage

.

Having

put

Narseus

to

flight

,

and

returned

with

much

spoil

,

his

own

pride

and

Diocletian’s

fears

were

greatly

increased

.

For

after

this

victory

he

rose

to

such

a

pitch

of

haughtiness

as

to

reject

the

appellation

of

Cæsar

;

and

when

he

heard

that

appellation

in

letters

addressed

to

him

,

he

cried

out

,

with

a

stern

look

and

terrible

voice

,

“

How

long

am

I

to

be

Cæsar

?

“

Then

he

began

to

act

extravagantly

,

insomuch

that

,

as

if

he

had

been

a

second

Romulus

,

he

wished

to

pass

for

and

to

be

called

the

offspring

of

Mars

;

and

that

he

might

appear

the

issue

of

a

divinity

,

he

was

willing

that

his

mother

Romula

should

be

dishonoured

with

the

name

of

adulteress

.

But

,

not

to

confound

the

chronological

order

of

events

,

I

delay

the

recital

of

his

actions

;

for

indeed

afterwards

,

when

Galerius

got

the

title

of

emperor

,

his

father

-

in

-

law

having

been

divested

of

the

imperial

purple

,

he

became

altogether

outrageous

,

and

of

unbounded

arrogance

.

While by such a conduct, and with such associates, Diocles—for that was the name of Diocletian before he attained sovereignty—occupied himself in subverting the commonweal, there was no evil which his crimes did not deserve: nevertheless he reigned most prosperously, as long as he forbore to defile his hands with the blood of the just; and what cause he had for persecuting them, I come now to explain.

Notes

1
[On which see cap. 20, infra, and preceding chapters.]