Section 429
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398 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. shall not be saved. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those that fear him, those that trust in his mercy, to rescue their soul from death." Thus the tyrant, loaded with disgrace, returned to his own parts, and first in the rage of his mind, he slew many priests and prophets of those gods whom he admired, and by whose oracles he had been induced to undertake the war ; these I say he slew, as jugglers and impostors, and above all as the betrayers of his own safety. Then, at length giving glory to the God of the Christians, he immediately enacted a full and final decree for their liberty. However, being seized with a violent disease, he died very soon after it was issued. The law enacted was as follows. Copy of the tyrant's ordinance, in regard to the Christians, trans lated from the Latin into the Greek. " THE Emperor Caesar, Caius, Valerius, Maximinus, Germanicus, Sarmaticus, Pius, Felix, Invictus, Augustus, — That it be hoves us by all means, and with constant endeavours to promote the good of our provincial subjects, and to wish to bestow upon them such things as are best calculated to establish the advan tage of all, and whatever may contribute to their common benefit and utility ; also, whatever is adapted to the public advantage, and is agreeable to the views and wishes of all ; of this no one can be ignorant ; and, moreover, we believe every one can refer to past events, and know and convince himself of it. When, therefore, before this it was obvious to our mind, that by reason of the law which was enacted under our most sacred parents Diocletian and Maximian, that the assemblies of the Christians should be abolished, many oppressions and spoliations were made by those in office, and that this evil advanced daily to a great height, to the injury of those of our provincials, for whom we are particularly anxious to make the necessary provision; as their property and possessions were thus destroyed on this pre text, letters were given to the respective rulers of the provinces the past year, in which it was enacted, that if any one wished