Section 370
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. he was the first of these emperors whose statues and public monuments were demolished as commemorative of an impious and execrable man. CHAPTER XIV. The morals of the persecutors. MAXEJVTIUS, the son of Maximian, who had established his government at Rome, in the commencement, pretended indeed, by a species of accommodation and flattery towards the Ro mans, that he was of our faith. He, therefore, commanded his subjects to desist from persecuting the Christians, pretending to piety with a view to appear much more mild and merciful than the former rulers. But he by no means proved to be in his ac tions such as he was expected. He sunk into every kind of wick edness, leaving no impurity or licentiousness untouched ; com mitting every species of adultery an-d fornication, separating wives from their lawful husbands, and after abusing these, send ing them thus most shamefully violated back again to their hus bands. And these things he perpetrated not upon mean and obscure individuals, but insulting more particularly the most pro minent of those that were most distinguished in the senate. Whilst he was thus dreaded by all, both people and magistrates, high and low were galled with a most grievous oppression ; and though they bore this severe tyranny quietly, and without rebel lion, it produced no relief from his murderous cruelty. On a cer tain very slight occasion, therefore, he gave up the people to be slaughtered by the praetorian guards, and thus multitudes of the Roman people were slain in the very heart of the city, not with the arrows and spears of Scythians or barbarians, but of their own fellow-citizens. It would be impossible to tell what slaugh ter was made of the senators merely for the sake of their wealth, thousands being destroyed on a variety of pretexts and fictitious crimes. But when these evils had reached their greatest height, the tvrant was induced to resort to the mummery of magic. At 31*