Section 378
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 347 [In some copies, this is appended to the eighth Book.*] BUT the author of this edict after this acknowledgment, soon after was liberated from his pains, and terminated his life. It is agreed he was the original cause of the miseries of the persecu tion, as he had long before the movements of the other emperors, attempted to seduce the Christian soldiers of his own house from their faith, degrading some from their military rank, and insulting others in the most abusive manner, even punishing some with death, and at last exciting his associate emperors to a general persecution against all. Nor have I thought proper, that the death of these emperors should be passed over in silence. As there were four, therefore, that held the sovereignty divided among them, those that were advanced in years and honours, after nearly two years from the persecution, abdicated the government, as we have already shown ; and thus passing their days in common and re tired life, ended their life in the following manner. — The one, indeed, who preceded the others in honour and age, was at length overpowered by a long and distressing disease, but the next to him in dignity destroyed himself by strangling, suffer ing thus according to certain dsemoniacal prognostics, on ac count of the innumerable crimes that he had committed. But of the two after these, the last, whom we have mentioned as the leader of the whole persecution, suffered such things as we have already stated. But he that surpassed them all in kindness and condescension, the emperor Constantius, who had conducted his government the whole time consistently with the imperial dig nity, and who exhibited himself a most gracious and benevolent prince in other respects, also, had no hand in raising the perse cution against us, but even protected and patronised those pious persons that were under him. He neither demolished the build ings of the churches, nor devised any thing in opposition to us ; * The two sections that here follow, are regarded as supplementary to the work. The first being an Appendix to the eighth Book, and the following one a preliminary to the Book of Martyrs. The statements at the head of each are from some of the copyists, as they are found in the most approved manuscripts.