Section 368
The text on this page is estimated to be only 28.56% accurate
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 337 churches in those places and regions. To give a minute descrip tion of the conflict which they endured in the cause of piety, throughout the whole world, and to give a full account of the cir cumstances respecting each, could not be expected in the pre sent woik. This would rather belong to those who were eye witnesses of the facts. Those, indeed, at which I myself was present, I shall publish for the benefit of posterity in another work. ./ [jn the present work, however, I shall, to the abovementioned facts, add the revocation issued by our persecutors, as also those events that occurred at the beginning of the persecution, believing that they will be read not without profit/] To tell the state of the Roman empire before the war was waged against us, how long the emperors continued friendly and peaceable towards us, and how great was the abundance and prosperity of the em pire, what description would suffice ? Then, indeed, those who held the supreme command, who had been at the head of go vernment ten and twenty years, passed their time in festivities and shows, and joyous feasts and entertainments in peace and tranquillity. And in this state of uninterrupted and increasing prosperity and power, they suddenly changed our peaceful condi tion, and excited against us a most unjust and nefarious war. For scarcely had the second year of this war been passed, when a revolution taking place in the whole government, it was com pletely overturned. A disease of a most obstinate nature at tacked the chief of the abovementioned emperors, by which he was reduced to a state of insanity, together with him that was honoured with the second rank, and thus betook himself to a pri vate life. But these things had been scarcely thus done when the whole empire was divided, a circumstance which, in the an nals of history, never happened before, any where. But, it was not long before the emperor Constantiusj who was all his life most kindly and favourably disposed towards his subjects, and also most favourably disposed toward the divine word, departed this life, leaving his son Constantine a true copy of himself, as empe ror and Augustus, his successor. He was the first of these em2U