Section 466
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 435 This too, he did, violently urged on by the innate propensity oi his malice, that overclouded and darkened his understanding. He D did not, therefore, bear in mind those that had persecuted the Christians before him, nor those whose destroyer and punisher he himself had been appointed, for their wickedness. But depart ing from sound reason, and as one might say, seized with insanity, he had determined to wage war against God himself, the protector and aid of Constantine, in place of the one whom he assisted. And first, indeed, he drove away all the Christians from his house, the wretch thus divesting himself of those prayers to God for his safety, which they are taught to offer up for all men. After this he ordered the soldiers in the cities to be cashiered and to be stripped of military honours, unless they chose to sacrifice to daemons. But these were small matters compared with the subsequent, greater ones that were superadded. Why should we here relate particularly and minutely the deeds perpetrated by this enemy of God ?* how, as a violator of all law, he also devised illegal laws.| For he enacted that no one should exercise humanity towards the unhappy individuals in prison, by imparting food, and no one compassionate those perishing with hunger, in bonds, so thai there should be no good man tolerated, or any good thing done, and that too, even when nature herself powerfully attracts our sympathy towards our fellow-men. Indeed, this was a most shame less and inhuman law, calculated to expel every sense of hu manity implanted by nature. Beside this, the punishment was attached to those who exercised commiseration, that they should be made to suffer the same things with those they commiserated ; and that those who had performed the offices of humanity should be thrust into prisons and bonds, to sustain the same punishment with the worst malefactors. Such were the ordinances of Liciriius. Why should we, moreover, recount his innovations in mar* This is the proper meaning of Sso^*