Section 415
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384 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORYCHAPTER V. The false acts. HAWNG forged, therefore, certain acts of Pilate, respecting our Saviour, full of every kind of blasphemy against Christ, these, with the consent of the emperor, they sent through the whole of the em pire subject to him, commanding at the same time by ordinances in every place and city, and the adjacent districts, to publish these to all persons, and to give them to the schoolmasters to hand to their pupils to study and commit to memory, as exercises for declamation. Whilst these things were doing, another com mander, whom the Romans call Dux, in Damascus, a city of Phoenicia, caused certain infamous females to be seized from the forum, and threatening to inflict torture upon them, he forced them to make a formal declaration, taken down on record, thai they had once been Christians, and that they were privy to the criminal acts among them ; that in their very churches, they committed licentious deeds, and innumerable other slanders, which he wished them to utter against our religion. Which de clarations he inserted in the acts, and communicated to the em peror, who immediately commanded that these documents should be published in every city and place. CHAPTER VI. Those who suffered martyrdom at this time. THIS commander, however, ere long, laid violent hands upon himself,* and thus suffered punishment for his wickedness. But exiles and severe persecutions in the mean time were again re newed against us, and the rulers of the provinces were every where again stirred up against us, insomuch that some who were * Our author's Greek here is both elegant and nervous. He became his own exe cutioner ; ««rcx«'p «