Statues which no Emperour before him had ever seen done in his own time and being now over-charged with this redoubling of Grief he resolved to put an end to his Life He was in a perpetual Uneasiness and could neither eat nor sleep He was heard to sigh and groan continually and was seen oft to weep and to be tumbling sometimes on his Bed and sometimes on the Ground Thus he that had reigned over the Roman Empire for twenty years was now so cast down and mortified that he dyed partly of Hunger and partly thro Anguish of Spirit XLIII There was only one of the Enemies of God now left alive namely Maximin whose Fall and Death comes to be related in the next place He bare a great Envy to Licinius ever since he had been preferred by Maximian to himself and tho he had lately entred into an Alliance with him yet when he heard that Licinius was engaging himself into a straiter Alliance with Constantine and was going to marry his Sister he concluded that this Union of those two Emperours must certainly be fatal to himself So he sent secretly to Rome and writ very kindly to Maxentius desiring his Alliance and Friendship which Maxentius embraced very readily as if it had been somewhat sent him from Heaven for he had declared War against Constantine upon the pretence of Revenging his Fathers Blood. From this some have imagined that the Father had only pretended to fall out with his Son that he might have the more Credit with the other Emperours and by that means find an occasion of Destroying them all that so He and his Son might have the whole Empire between them but this is a Mistake for it is certain that Maximian the Elder had a mind to destroy his Son with the rest and that when this was done he intended that Diocletian he should again re-assume the Empire XLIV Now the War was begun between Maxentius and Constantine which Maxentius managed by his Generals but would not stir out of Rome himself having had a Response that whensoever he went out of the Gates of Rome he should perish He had much the better Army for he had not only those Troops that had abandoned Severus but likewise others that he had brought together out of Manritania and Italy The two Armies fought and Maxentius's had the better yet Constantine did not for that lose Heart but having resolved to put all to hazard he marched on to the Gates of Rome and posted his Army at the other side of the Milvian Bridge the 27 th of October was now near which was the Anniversary of Maxentius's coming to the Empire and now his fifth year was almost out Constantine was warned in a Dream to put the Divine Mark the Sign of the Cross upon the Shields of his Souldiers and so to give Battel he took care to execute this and ordered the Letter X with the Letters of the Name of Christ mixed in a Monogramme to be drawn on all their Shields and having made this his Distinction he drew out his Army The Enemy's Forces came likewise out and crossed the Bridge but Maxentius himself came not with them they drew up both in the same manner and both sides fought with great Courage neither of them giving Ground to the other in the mean while there was a Sedition raised in Rome and an Out-cry was made against Maxentius as if he had taken more care of himself than of the Publick and while he was entertaining the People with the Spectacles of the Hippodrome there was a Universal Cry raised that Constantine could not be withstood this put him into a great Disorder so he made the Sybilline Books to be searcht in which it was found that the Enemy of the Romans was to perish that Day This gave him such assured hopes of Victory that he marched out in Person to his Army as soon as he had passed the Bridge it was broke behind him Upon this the Battel was renewed and the Hand of God appeared over the Armies Maxentius was beat and when he thought to repass the Bridge he found it broke and was carried by the crowd of his men that were flying into the Tiber and so was drowned there An end being thus put to the War Constantine was declared Emperour with great Expression of Joy both by the Senate and People of Rome Among Maxentius's Papers he found Maximins Letters by which he discovered his treacherous Designs against himself He also saw the Imperial Statues that he had sent to Maxentius The Senate did Constantine the Honour to order his Name to be put first in order before the other Emperours tho that was claimed by Maximin who was as much struck with the news that was brought to him of Romes being thus freed from Tyranny as if it had been a Defeat given himself and as soon as he heard of the Senates Decree giving Constantine the Precedence he treated Constantine in a most reproachful and insolent manner XLV Constantine having setled matters at Rome went during the Winter to Millan and thither did Licinius come to marry his Sister Maximin hearing that they were now amused with the Solemnities of this Wedding marcht with his Army out of Syria during the bitter Cold of the Winter and having harassed his Army with great Marches he got to Bithinia for the Season was very severe and both by Snow and Rains the Wayes were very deep and what with Cold and what with hard Labour he lost all his Horse so that all along where he had marched he might have been traced by them which was but an ill Omen to his Men Nor did he stop within his own Limits but having crost the Straits of Thrace he came with his Army to the Gates of Bysance There was a Garrison put within that Place by Licinius for all Events so he shudied first to corrupt the Souldiers by Presents and Promises and then to terrify them by threatning them with a Siege but both the one and the other proved equally ineffectual they had eleven days assigned them for advertising the Emperour and having no return from him they being disheartned by the smallness of their Numbers rendred themselves From thence he advanced to Heraclea and being stopt there in the same manner as at Bysance he lost some days there likewise But by this time Licinius having marcht as quick as was possible had got to Adrianople with a few men about him in the meanwhile Maximin having likewise taken Perinthus which gave him a new stop he advanced 18 Miles beyond it where he posted himself he could go no further for Licinius had possessed himself of the Post that lay next to that which was likewise eighteen mile distant from it and having drawn together as great a Body as he could on the sudden he marched on towards Maximin on design rather to hinder his Progress than to enter into action for as he did not intend to fight so he had no
Prospect of Victory for he had not above 30000. men whereas Maximin was at the Head of an Army of 70000 for Licinius's Army was scattered over a great many Provinces and he could not bring all his Troops together in so short a time XLVI While the two Armies were thus so near one another that it was expected that the matter should come to a speedy Decision Maximin made a Vow to Iupiter That if he got the Victory he would utterly extinguish the very Name of a Christian. The next night an Angel appeared to Licinius in his sleep and ordered him to rise immediately and joyn with his whole Army in calling on the Great God and promised him an assured Victory in case he should do this Licinius dreamt that after this he rose and that the Angel dictated to him the very Words in which he should osser up his Prayers And as soon as he was awake he called for one of his Secretaries and ordered him to write down the Words which were these We pray to thee O Great God we pray to thee O Holy God we commit the Iustice of our Cause to thee we commit our Lives to thee we commit this our Empire to thee It is by thee that we do live our Conquests and our Happiness come from thee O thou great and good God hear our Prayers we stretch out our hands to thee hear us therefore thou Holy and Great God Many Copies were quickly made of this Prayer which were sent about to all the Ossicers and all were required to make their Souldiers get it by heart This raised the Courage of the whole Army who now lookt on the Victory as assured since it was so Divinely fore told Maximin resolved to give Battel on the first of May which was the Anniversary of his coming to the Empire this being now the eighth year compleat since he was raised to that Dignity and thus it happened that as Maxentius was defeated at Rome on his Anniversary so Maximin run the same Fortune on his only Maximin would needs anticipate his own Ruin for he would needs sight the Day before it that so he might celebrate his Anniversary with the more Pomp when he had defeated his Enemy When Licinius heard that Maximin's Army was advancing he likewise drew out his so that they were in view one of another There lay between them a great and barren Plain called Serenum Licinius's men laid down their Shields and took off their Head pieces and with hands lifted up to Heaven they said their Prayer the Emperour himself beginning and the Officers and Souldiers following him in it which was pronounced so loud that the other Army that was to fall before them heard the noise of it The Prayer was three times repeated and that being done the Souldiers being now wonderfully animated put on their Head-pieces and took up their Shields The Emperours themselves parlyed a little Maximin would hearken to no Propositions of Peace for he despised Licinius and fancied that all his Souldiers would have deserted him because he was more sparing in his Bounty to them whereas Maximin was extreamly prosuse and as he had begun with Licinius not doubting but that his Army would without giving any stroke come over to him so when he had thus doubled his Forces he resolved to go against Constantine XLVII The two Armies drew at last so near one another that the Signals were given and the Ensigns on both sides advanced Licinius's men gave the Charge with great Vigour but the others were so disordered and terrified that they could neither draw their Swords nor throw their Darts Maximin run about on all hands perswading Licinius's Men to turn over to him what with Presents what by Intereaties but all was to no effect and being charged in person he was forced to retire His Army fell before the Enemy without being able to make any Resistance and that vast body of men was mowed down by a handful They seemed to have forgot their Rank their Courage and their former Exploits and the hand of God was visible in delivering them over to have their Throats cut by their Enemies as if they had come into the Field for an Execution and not for a Battle When Maximin saw that the matter went far otherwise than he had lookt for and that great numbers of his men were killed he threw away his Purple and put on the Habit of a Slave and so crossed the Straits for now the one half of his Army was destroyed and the other half either fled or rendered it self And since the Emperour had deserted his Army the Souldiers were not at all ashamed of deserting his Interests he made great hast for in a Night and a Day he sled to Nicomedia and got thither the first of May in the Night which was an hundred and theerscore Miles distance from the place where the Battel was fought he staied not long there but having taken along with him his Sons and his Wife and some few of his Domesticks he went to the East yet he stopt in Cappadosia and there he took the Purple again having gathered together some Souldiers partly of his own Straglers and partly of some Troops that came to him from the East XLVIII Licinius after he had distributed a part of his Army into Quarters crossed the Straits and went over to Bithinia with the rest When he entred into Nicomedia he offered up his Thanksgivings to God by whose Aid he had obtained the Victory and on the thirteenth of Iune Constantine and he being now in their third Consulate the following Edist was sent to the President Whereas both I Constantine the Emperour and I Licinius the Emperour had a very succesful congress at Millan in which we treated of all things that related to the profit and safety of the Publick among other matters we thought that nothing could be of greater Advantage to our People or concern our selves more than the setling of those matters in which the Worship of the Deity consisted and therefore we judged it meet to allow to all Christians and others free Liberty to follow that Religion which they should like best that by this means that Supream Deity which dwells on high might be gracious and favourable to us and to all our Subjects therefore upon due Deliberation and weighty Reasons we have thought sit that no man may be denied the Liberty of Professing either the Christian Religion or any other as he shall judge it best that so the Great God whom we worship with free minds may in all things bless us with his gracious Favour and Protection Therefore we will have you to know that we have thought fit to annull all those Restrictions that might seem to be in our former Edict addressed to you relating to the Christians and we do now ordain that every one that is disposed to adhere to that Religion shall be suffered to continue in it with all Freedom and without any Disquiet or Molestation
and we have explained this the more copiously to you that so you might understand that we have given a free and absolute Liberty to the said Christians to profess their Religion And since we have allowed this Liberty to them you will likewise understand that we allow the like free and full Liberty to all those who profess any other Religion that só according to the quiet to which we have brought the Empire every man may enjoy the free Exercise or that Religion of which he shall make choice for we will do nothing by which any man may suffer any prejudice either in his Honour or upon the account of his Religion With Relation to the Christians we have thought it sit likewise to add this particular that the Places in which they used to hold their Assemblies and concerning which there were some Rules set in a former Edict addrest to you that have been purchased either from our Exchequer or from some particular persons shall be restored to them without any Excuses or Delayes and without either Asking or taking of any Money from them upon that account We order likewise Restitution to be made by all that have obtained Grants of them and that all such as may have either purchased them or obtained Grants of them shall in order to their being repaired by us for their loss go to some Magistrate that so we according to our Clemency may relieve them In the mean while we order you to take care that without any further Delay Restitution be made to the Christians And whereas the Christians had besides those Places in which they used to hold their Assemblies others likewise that belonged to them as a Body corporate that is to say to their Churches in common and not to any particular persons among them we comprehend all these under the same Law and order them also to be restored to the Corporations or Assemblies of the Christians and that without any Fraud or Dispute upon the fore-mentioned Terms that those who restore them freely may hope to be recompensed by us according to our Bounty In all which matters you are required to give your most effectual Assistance to the Bodies Corporate of the Christians that so our Pleasure may be the more speedly executed and by which we shall the more effectually secure the publick Peace And we will be hereby assured that the Divine Favour of which we have had hitherto such Proofs shall always watch over us and that we our selves shall be always succesful as well as the publick happy And that the Tenor of this our Gracious Edict may be universally known we order you to affix attested Copies of it in all places that so no man may pretend Ignorance When the Edict was published Licinius did likewise by Word of Mouth entreat all persons to see the Meeting-Houses of the Christians restored again to them and thus from the first beginning of the Persecution and from the Destruction of the Church of Nicomedia to the Rebuilding of it there were ten years and about four Moneths XLIX But while Licinius was pursuing after Maximin he still sled before him and possessed himself of the narrow passages of Mount Taurus where he built Forts to stop them up that so it might not be possible for Licinius to pass them but he took a compass to the right hand and when Maximin saw that there was now nothing to stop him he fled to Tarsus but being like to be shut up there both by Sea and Land and seeing no possibility of escape the Anguish of his Spirit and his Fear made him fly to Death as the only way to escape from those Evils with which God was pursuing him He first eat and drunk to a great excess as is ordinary for those to do who reckon that it is their last meal that they eat and then he took Poyson but his Stomach being so over-charged made that the Poyson had not a present operation on him but instead of killing him out-right it threw him into a lingering Torment not unlike the Plague by which his Life was so far lengthned out to him that he felt his Misery long The Poyson began now to work violently on him it burned his Vitals so much that his insufferable Pains threw him into a Phrenesy so that for four Days time he eat Earth which he dug up with his Hands and swallowed it up very greedily The Rages of his Pain were so intolerable that he run his Head against a Wall with such force that his Eyes started out of the Eye-holes but as he lost the Sight of his Eyes a Vision represented himself to his Imagination as standing to be judged by God who seemed to have Hosts of Ministers about him all in White Garments at this sight he cried out as if he had been put to the Torture and said that it was others and not he that were to blame yet afterwards he confessed his own Guilt being as it were forced to it by the Torments that he suffered he called upon Iesus Christ and with many Tears he begged that he would have pity on him he roared and groaned as if he had been inwardly burnt up and thus did he breath out his defiled Soul in the most dreadful manner that can be imagined L. Thus did God destroy all the Persecutors of his great Name both Root and Branch for Licinius being now setled in the Empire gave order to put both Valeria and Caudidian to death Valeria had been still preserved by Maximin who notwithstanding all his Rage against her and tho he saw now his own End approaching yet had not the boldness to put her to death Caudidian was her adopted Son for his Mother was a Concubine of Maximians but Valeria being barren had adopted him She had no sooner got the news of Maximins Death then she came to his Court in disguise that she might see what would become of Caudidian but he appearing publickly in Nicomedia and fancying that Respect would be shewed him because of his Birth and apprehending nothing less than what befel him was put to Death upon which Valeria fled away immediately Licinius ordered likewise Severian to be put to death He was Severus's Son and was now grown up to a mans Age and had accompanied Maximin in his slight but it was pretended that he was aspiring to the Empire and for that he was condemned All these had great Apprehensions of Licinius looking on him as an ill man only Valeria who had refused to resign her pretensions to Maximin had resolved to do it in his savour Licinius ordered likewise Maximins eldest Son who was then eight years old and his Daughter that was only seven and had been contracted to Caudidian to be put to Death And before that was executed their Mother was drowned in the River Orontes where she had made many chast Women to be drowned formerly And thus thro the just and righteous Judgment of God all those wicked persons came to suffer the same things that they had done to others LI. Valeria her self wandred about in the Habit of a Peasant during the space of eighteen Moneths but was at last discovered at Thessalonica where both she and her Mother suffered The two Empresses were led to the place of Execution thro a vast multitude of Spectators who were struck with the Compassion that was raised by so lamentable a sight their Heads were cut off and their Bodies were cast into the Sea so fatal did their Dignity and Valeria's chastity prove to them LII I have given you this recital upon the credit of persons that were well informed of those matters and I have thought sit to write them just as they were transacted that so the true account of those great Revolutions might not be lost and that it might not be in the power of any who intended to write the History of that time to corrupt the Truth or to suppress either their Sins against God or Gods Judgments upon them It is to his Insinite Mercy that we owe our Thanksgivings who has at last visited the World and has gathered together and recovered his Flock that was partly scattered abroad and partly torn by ravenous Wolves and who has destroyed those Beasts of Prey that had wasted the Pastures of his Flock and had broken their Folds Where are now those once Glorious and renowned Names of Iovins and Herculins that were assumed with so much Insolence by Diocletian and Maximian and that were afterwards derived by them to their Successors God has blotted them out and rased them-out of the World. Let us then Celebrate Gods Triumph over his Enemies with all the Elevations of Joy Let us sing of his Victories and praise him for them and let us beg of him by our most earnest Prayers repeated Day and Night that he will forever establish that Peace which he has given to his People after ten years of War. And you in particular My most Dear Donatus who deserves that God should hear your Prayers Intercede earnestly with him that he may alwayes shew Mercy to his Servants that he may be gracious and favourable to them that he may protect his People from all the Snares and Assaults of the Devil and that the present Flourishing Estate of his Church may be always preserved safe and undisturbed FINIS ERRATA Pag. 8. lin 4 dele If. P. 12. l 11. read greater P. 17. l. 6. for as r. a. Pag. 49 l. 5. after be r. purchased by p. 61. l. 26. the r. she p. 62. l. 17. Mepsia r. Moesia p. 86. l. 3. after place r. you p. 90. l. 6. after sickness r. so p. 92. l. 12. composed r. compassed p. 104. l. 4 were r. was * Not that the Christians had any Images in their Temples as Lactantius himself testifies de Origine Erroris lib. 2. pag. 65 66 67 107 but the Heathens having Images in all their Temples were ready to conceive the like of them * Vide Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 8. cap. 1.