Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 19

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XIX.

Matters having been thus concerted, Diocletian and Galerius

‹ Chapter 18 Chapter 20 ›

went

in

procession

to

publish

the

nomination

of

Cæsars

.

Every

one

looked

at

Constantine

;

for

there

was

no

doubt

that

the

choice

would

fall

on

him

.

The

troops

present

,

as

well

as

the

chief

soldiers

of

the

other

legions

,

who

had

been

summoned

to

the

solemnity

,

fixed

their

eyes

on

Constantine

,

exulted

in

the

hope

of

his

approaching

election

,

and

occupied

themselves

in

prayers

for

his

prosperity

.

Near

three

miles

from

Nicomedia

there

is

an

eminence

,

on

the

summit

of

which

Galerius

formerly

received

the

purple

;

and

there

a

pillar

,

with

the

statue

of

Jupiter

,

was

placed

.

Thither

the

procession

went

.

An

assembly

of

the

soldiers

was

called

.

Diocletian

,

with

tears

,

harangued

them

,

and

said

that

he

was

become

infirm

,

that

he

needed

repose

after

his

fatigues

,

and

that

he

would

resign

the

empire

into

hands

more

vigorous

and

able

,

and

at

the

same

time

appoint

new

Cæsars

.

The

spectators

,

with

the

utmost

earnestness

,

waited

for

the

nomination

.

Suddenly

he

declared

that

the

Cæsars

were

Severus

and

Maximin

.

The

amazement

was

universal

.

Constantine

stood

near

in

public

view

,

and

men

began

to

question

amongst

themselves

whether

his

name

too

had

not

been

changed

into

Maximin

;

when

,

in

the

sight

of

all

,

Galerius

,

stretching

back

his

hand

,

put

Constantine

aside

,

and

drew

Daia

forward

,

and

,

having

divested

him

of

the

garb

of

a

private

person

,

set

him

in

the

most

conspicuous

place

.

All

men

wondered

who

he

could

be

,

and

from

whence

he

came

;

but

none

ventured

to

interpose

or

move

objections

,

so

confounded

were

their

minds

at

the

strange

and

unlooked

-

for

event

.

Diocletian

took

off

his

purple

robe

,

put

it

on

Daia

,

and

resumed

his

own

original

name

of

Diocles

.

He

descended

from

the

tribunal

,

and

passed

through

Nicomedia

in

a

chariot

;

and

then

this

old

emperor

,

like

a

veteran

soldier

freed

from

military

service

,

was

dismissed

into

his

own

country

;

while

Daia

,

lately

taken

from

the

tending

of

cattle

in

forests

to

serve

as

a

common

soldier

,

immediately

made

one

of

the

life

-

guard

,

presently

a

tribune

,

and

next

day

Cæsar

,

obtained

authority

to

trample

under

foot

and

oppress

the

empire

of

the

East

;

a

person

ignorant

alike

of

war

and

of

civil

affairs

,

and

from

a

herdsman

become

a

leader

of

armies

.