The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. XIX.

Howe the. 4. emperours Diocletian, Maximinian, Maximinus & Constantius ended their liues.

THe author of this former edict not long after his foresayd cōfession being rid of that his la∣mentable* 1.1 plight, departed this life. He is reported to haue bene the chiefe autor of the cala mity which befell vnto the christians during the time of persecution: & a good while agoe, before y^• whurly burly raised by the rest of the emperours, to haue gone about to peruert the chri∣stians which liued in warefare, but aboue all, such as were of his owne familye: to haue depriued some of their martiall dignity & renowne: to haue encreated some others reprochefully without al shame. Moreouer to haue persecuted some of them to the death, and last of all to haue prouoked y^• other his fellowe emperours to persecute all christendome, the ends of which emperours, if that I passed ouer with silence, I shoulde greatly offende. The empire being deuided into foure parts, foure seuerall princes bearing rule: they two which were first proclaimed emperours, and prefer red in honor before the rest, hauing not raigned fully two yeares after the persecution, deposed thē selues (* 1.2 as we haue sayd before) & led thence forth the rest of their liues, priuatly after y^• vulgare sorte of men, hauing such an end as followeth: the first hauing gotten y^• chief honor due to y^• impe∣riall scepter & primate by creation, after long, great & greuous disseases consumed & wasted away by a litle & a litle & so died. The seconde, secondarily ruling the empire, being priuey in consci••ce to many his lewd & mischiuous practises committed in his life time, hanged himselfe by the pro∣curemēt of a wicked spirite which ledd him thereunto. The later of them two which immediatly succeeded these, whome we haue termed y^• author & ringleader of y^• whole persecution, suffred such tormēts as we haue mētioned before. Cōstantius who wēt before him by vertue of his prerogatiue in y^• imperiall dignity, being a most mild & curteous emperour (as I sayd before) led a worthy life, during his whole raigne, not onely because y^t in other things he behaued himself most curteously & most liberally towards al mē: but also in y^• be was no partener w^t y^• enemy in the persecutiō raysed against vs, nay rather he maintained & preserued such as were of y^• godly vnder

his dominiō. he neither rifled neither destroied the holy churches, neither practised any other mis∣chief preiudiciall to the christian affairs, he obtained an end both blessed & thrise happy, he alone in his kingdome to y^• comfort of his naturall sonne & successor in the empire, a prince in all things both most sage & religious, enioyed a noble & a glorious death. His sonne forthwith entring into* 1.3 his raygne, was by the soldiers proclaimed chief emperour & Augustus, who imitated & that dili∣gently his fathers stepps as a paterne of piety to the embracing of christian religion. such an end at seuerall times had the aforesayd foure emperours. of y^• which, he alone mentioned a litle before together with others his emperiall associats published vnto the whole world by his writtē edict. the aforesayd confession.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Maximinus his practises
• * 1.2

  Cap. 14. Diocletian the Empe∣rour pined & wasted away with diseases vnto his end. Maximinian ••he empe∣rour hanged himselfe. Maximinus ••ormented ••o death. read ••ap. 17. Constantius ••yed godly.
• * 1.3

  Constātinus.