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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 50

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. L.

Thus did God subdue all those who persecuted His

‹ Chapter 49 Chapter 51 ›

name

,

so

that

neither

root

nor

branch

of

them

remained

;

for

Licinius

,

as

soon

as

he

was

established

in

sovereign

authority

,

commanded

that

Valeria

should

be

put

to

death

.

Daia

,

although

exasperated

against

her

,

never

ventured

to

do

this

,

not

even

after

his

discomfiture

and

flight

,

and

when

he

knew

that

his

end

approached

.

Licinius

commanded

that

Candidianus

also

should

be

put

to

death

.

He

was

the

son

of

Galerius

by

a

concubine

,

and

Valeria

,

having

no

children

,

had

adopted

him

.

On

the

news

of

the

death

of

Daia

,

she

came

in

disguise

to

the

court

of

Licinius

,

anxious

to

observe

what

might

befall

Candidianus

.

The

youth

,

presenting

himself

at

Nicomedia

,

had

an

outward

show

of

honour

paid

to

him

,

and

,

while

he

suspected

no

harm

,

was

killed

.

Hearing

of

this

catastrophe

,

Valeria

immediately

fled

.

The

Emperor

Severus

left

a

son

,

Severianus

,

arrived

at

man’s

estate

,

who

accompanied

Daia

in

his

flight

from

the

field

of

battle

.

Licinius

caused

him

to

be

condemned

and

executed

,

under

the

pretence

that

,

on

the

death

of

Daia

,

he

had

intentions

of

assuming

the

imperial

purple

.

Long

before

this

time

,

Candidianus

and

Severianus

,

apprehending

evil

from

Licinius

,

had

chosen

to

remain

with

Daia

;

while

Valeria

favoured

Licinius

,

and

was

willing

to

bestow

on

him

that

which

she

had

denied

to

Daia

,

all

rights

accruing

to

her

as

the

widow

of

Galerius

.

Licinius

also

put

to

death

Maximus

,

the

son

of

Daia

,

a

boy

eight

years

old

,

and

a

daughter

of

Daia

,

who

was

seven

years

old

,

and

had

been

betrothed

to

Candidianus

.

But

before

their

death

,

their

mother

had

been

thrown

into

the

Orontes

,

in

which

river

she

herself

had

frequently

commanded

chaste

women

to

be

drowned

.

So

,

by

the

unerring

and

just

judgment

of

God

,

all

the

impious

received

according

to

the

deeds

that

they

had

done

.