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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 20

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XX.

Galerius having effected the expulsion of the two old

‹ Chapter 19 Chapter 21 ›

men

,

began

to

consider

himself

alone

as

the

sovereign

of

the

Roman

empire

.

Necessity

had

required

the

appointment

of

Constantius

to

the

first

rank

;

but

Galerius

made

small

account

of

one

who

was

of

an

easy

temper

,

and

of

health

declining

and

precarious

.

He

looked

for

the

speedy

death

of

Constantius

.

And

although

that

prince

should

recover

,

it

seemed

not

difficult

to

force

him

to

put

off

the

imperial

purple

;

for

what

else

could

he

do

,

if

pressed

by

his

three

colleagues

to

abdicate

?

Galerius

had

Licinius

ever

about

his

person

,

his

old

and

intimate

acquaintance

,

and

his

earliest

companion

in

arms

,

whose

counsels

he

used

in

the

management

of

all

affairs

;

yet

he

would

not

nominate

Licinius

to

the

dignity

of

Cæsar

,

with

the

title

of

son

,

for

he

purposed

to

nominate

him

,

in

the

room

of

Constantius

,

to

the

dignity

of

emperor

,

with

the

title

of

brother

,

while

he

himself

might

hold

sovereign

authority

,

and

rule

over

the

whole

globe

with

unbounded

licence

.

After

that

,

he

meant

to

have

solemnized

the

vicennial

festival

;

to

have

conferred

on

his

son

Candidianus

,

then

a

boy

of

nine

years

of

age

,

the

office

of

Cæsar

;

and

,

in

conclusion

,

to

have

resigned

,

as

Diocletian

had

done

.

And

thus

,

Licinius

and

Severus

being

emperors

,

and

Maximin

and

Candidianus

in

the

next

station

of

Cæsars

,

he

fancied

that

,

environed

as

it

were

by

an

impregnable

wall

,

he

should

lead

an

old

age

of

security

and

peace

.

Such

were

his

projects

;

but

God

,

whom

he

had

made

his

adversary

,

frustrated

all

those

imaginations

.