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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 38

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XXXVIII.

But that which distinguished his character, and in

‹ Chapter 37 Chapter 39 ›

which

he

transcended

all

former

emperors

,

was

his

desire

of

debauching

women

.

What

else

can

I

call

it

but

a

blind

and

headstrong

passion

?

Yet

such

epithets

feebly

express

my

indignation

in

reciting

his

enormities

.

The

magnitude

of

the

guilt

overpowers

my

tongue

,

and

makes

it

unequal

to

its

office

.

Eunuchs

and

panders

made

search

everywhere

,

and

no

sooner

was

any

comely

face

discovered

,

than

husbands

and

parents

were

obliged

to

withdraw

.

Matrons

of

quality

and

virgins

were

stripped

of

their

robes

,

and

all

their

limbs

were

inspected

,

lest

any

part

should

be

unworthy

of

the

bed

of

the

emperor

.

Whenever

a

woman

resisted

,

death

by

drowning

was

inflicted

on

her

;

as

if

,

under

the

reign

of

this

adulterer

,

chastity

had

been

treason

.

Some

men

there

were

,

who

,

beholding

the

violation

of

wives

whom

for

virtue

and

fidelity

they

affectionately

loved

,

could

not

endure

their

anguish

of

mind

,

and

so

killed

themselves

.

While

this

monster

ruled

,

it

was

singular

deformity

alone

which

could

shield

the

honour

of

any

female

from

his

savage

desires

.

At

length

he

introduced

a

custom

prohibiting

marriage

unless

with

the

imperial

permission

;

and

he

made

this

an

instrument

to

serve

the

purposes

of

his

lewdness

.

After

having

debauched

freeborn

maidens

,

he

gave

them

for

wives

to

his

slaves

.

His

conflicts

also

imitated

the

example

of

the

emperor

,

and

violated

with

impunity

the

beds

of

their

dependants

.

For

who

was

there

to

punish

such

offences

?

As

for

the

daughters

of

men

of

middle

rank

,

any

who

were

inclined

took

them

by

force

.

Ladies

of

quality

,

who

could

not

be

taken

by

force

,

were

petitioned

for

,

and

obtained

from

the

emperor

by

way

of

free

gift

.

Nor

could

a

father

oppose

this

;

for

the

imperial

warrant

having

been

once

signed

,

he

had

no

alternative

but

to

die

,

or

to

receive

some

barbarian

as

his

son

-

in

-

law

.

For

hardly

was

there

any

person

in

the

lifeguard

except

of

those

people

,

who

,

having

been

driven

from

their

habitations

by

the

Goths

in

the

twentieth

year

of

Diocletian

,

yielded

themselves

to

Galerius

and

entered

into

his

service

.

It

was

ill

for

humankind

,

that

men

who

had

fled

from

the

bondage

of

barbarians

should

thus

come

to

lord

it

over

the

Romans

.

Environed

by

such

guards

,

Daia

oppressed

and

insulted

the

Eastern

empire

.