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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XVII.

The wicked plan having been carried into execution,

‹ Chapter 16 Chapter 18 ›

Diocletian

,

whom

prosperity

had

now

abandoned

,

set

out

instantly

for

Rome

,

there

to

celebrate

the

commencement

of

the

twentieth

year

of

his

reign

.

That

solemnity

was

performed

on

the

twelfth

of

the

kalends

of

December

;

and

suddenly

the

emperor

,

unable

to

bear

the

Roman

freedom

of

speech

,

peevishly

and

impatiently

burst

away

from

the

city

.

The

kalends

of

January

approached

,

at

which

day

the

consulship

,

for

the

ninth

time

,

was

to

be

offered

to

him

;

yet

,

rather

than

continue

thirteen

days

longer

in

Rome

,

he

chose

that

his

first

appearance

as

consul

should

be

at

Ravenna

.

Having

,

however

,

begun

his

journey

in

winter

,

amidst

intense

cold

and

incessant

rains

,

he

contracted

a

slight

but

lingering

disease

:

it

harassed

him

without

intermission

,

so

that

he

was

obliged

for

the

most

part

to

be

carried

in

a

litter

.

Then

,

at

the

close

of

summer

,

he

made

a

circuit

along

the

banks

of

the

Danube

,

and

so

came

to

Nicomedia

.

His

disease

had

now

become

more

grievous

and

oppressing

;

yet

he

caused

himself

to

be

brought

out

,

in

order

to

dedicate

that

circus

which

,

at

the

conclusion

of

the

twentieth

year

of

his

reign

,

he

had

erected

.

Immediately

he

grew

so

languid

and

feeble

,

that

prayers

for

his

life

were

put

up

to

all

the

gods

.

Then

suddenly

,

on

the

ides

of

December

,

there

was

heard

in

the

palace

sorrow

,

and

weeping

,

and

lamentation

,

and

the

courtiers

ran

to

and

fro

;

there

was

silence

throughout

the

city

,

and

a

report

went

of

the

death

,

and

even

of

the

burial

,

of

Diocletian

:

but

early

on

the

morrow

it

was

suddenly

rumoured

that

he

still

lived

.

At

this

the

countenance

of

his

domestics

and

courtiers

changed

from

melancholy

to

gay

.

Nevertheless

there

were

who

suspected

his

death

to

be

kept

secret

until

the

arrival

of

Galerius

Cæsar

,

lest

in

the

meanwhile

the

soldiery

should

attempt

some

change

in

the

government

;

and

this

suspicion

grew

so

universal

,

that

no

one

would

believe

the

emperor

alive

,

until

,

on

the

kalends

of

March

,

he

appeared

in

public

,

but

so

wan

,

his

illness

having

lasted

almost

a

year

,

as

hardly

to

be

known

again

.

The

fit

of

stupor

,

resembling

death

,

happened

on

the

ides

of

December

;

and

although

he

in

some

measure

recovered

,

yet

he

never

attained

to

perfect

health

again

,

for

he

became

disordered

in

his

judgment

,

being

at

certain

times

insane

and

at

others

of

sound

mind

.

Notes

1
20th of November.
2
1st of January.
3
13th of December.
4
1st of March.