Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 47

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. XLVII.

So the two armies drew nigh; the trumpets

‹ Chapter 46 Chapter 48 ›

gave

the

signal

;

the

military

ensigns

advanced

;

the

troops

of

Licinius

charged

.

But

the

enemies

,

panic

-

struck

,

could

neither

draw

their

swords

nor

yet

throw

their

javelins

.

Daia

went

about

,

and

,

alternately

by

entreaties

and

promises

,

attempted

to

seduce

the

soldiers

of

Licinius

.

But

he

was

not

hearkened

to

in

any

quarter

,

and

they

drove

him

back

.

Then

were

the

troops

of

Daia

slaughtered

,

none

making

resistance

;

and

such

numerous

legions

,

and

forces

so

mighty

,

were

mowed

down

by

an

inferior

enemy

.

No

one

called

to

mind

his

reputation

,

or

former

valour

,

or

the

honourable

rewards

which

had

been

conferred

on

him

.

The

Supreme

God

did

so

place

their

necks

under

the

sword

of

their

foes

,

that

they

seemed

to

have

entered

the

field

,

not

as

combatants

,

but

as

men

devoted

to

death

.

After

great

numbers

had

fallen

,

Daia

perceived

that

everything

went

contrary

to

his

hopes

;

and

therefore

he

threw

aside

the

purple

,

and

having

put

on

the

habit

of

a

slave

,

hasted

across

the

Thracian

Bosphorus

.

One

half

of

his

army

perished

in

battle

,

and

the

rest

either

surrendered

to

the

victor

or

fled

;

for

now

that

the

emperor

himself

had

deserted

,

there

seemed

to

be

no

shame

in

desertion

.

Before

the

expiration

of

the

kalends

of

May

,

Daia

arrived

at

Nicomedia

,

although

distant

one

hundred

and

sixty

miles

from

the

field

of

battle

.

So

in

the

space

of

one

day

and

two

nights

he

performed

that

journey

.

Having

hurried

away

with

his

children

and

wife

,

and

a

few

officers

of

his

court

,

he

went

towards

Syria

;

but

having

been

joined

by

some

troops

from

those

quarters

,

and

having

collected

together

a

part

of

his

fugitive

forces

,

he

halted

in

Cappadocia

,

and

then

he

resumed

the

imperial

garb

.