everie way, and canying before him, as it were, the reverend ornament of ho∣nourable old age, but one that under hope of being unseene, never ollersliptany fit occasions or opportunities to gaine: Who being in high favour with the Prince, and having readie accesse unto him, procured thus much, That Orfitus, late Prefect of the citie, should be delivered out of exile, and with the restoring of his livelode which he had lost, be sent home againe. And albeit Valentinian, a man in the be∣ginning of his raigne openly knowne to be cruell, for to mitigate the opinion of ri∣gour that went of him, endevoured sometimes to hold in and master his fierce and cruell passions, yet this vice of his creeping close, and delayed for a pretie while, brake out more licentiously to the mischiefe of many, and the same encreased by bitter and boiling anger. For, the learned wise men define ire to be an ulcer or sore of the mind, long lasting, and otherwhile perpetuall and incurable, and the same springing usually from a soft nature and tender spirit, which they averre upon this probable argument for that sicke persons be more teastie & angry than the sound, women than men, old folke than young, and those in miserie more than they that are in prosperitie. But among other executions done at that time upon meaner per∣sons, the death of Diocles late Treasurer for the Emperour in Illyricum, was nota∣ble, whom for certaine small trespasses he commanded to be burnt: Likewise of Di∣odorus, who had beene a Pursuivant or Intelligencer; and of three officers belong∣ing to the deputie Prefect in Italie, for this cause put to cruel & dolorous torments, for that the said Treasurer complained unto him, that Diodorus for his part had after a civile manner craved the benefit of law & justice against him; and the officers or ministers abovesaid, durst at the judges commandement give him summons, as he was taking his journey, to answer according to the law: whose memorial the Chri∣stians at Millain solemnly keeping to this verie day, call the place where they were buried, Ad Innocentes. After this, when as in the matter and businesse of one Ma∣xentius a Pannonian, upon an execution which lawfully by warrant from the judge was hastened, he had given commandement that the States of three townes should be massacred, Eupraxius then Questor interrupted him, and said, O deale more favourably, most mercifull Prince: for these whom thou commaundest to bee put to death as malefactors those of the Christian Religion honour as Martyres, that is to say, men be∣loved and accepted of God. Whose boldnesse tending to do good, Florentius the Pre∣fect following, when he heard how for a veniall fault he in a fit of anger had com∣manded that out of the Senators degree in many cities there shold three be execu∣ted: And what shal be done (quoth he) if some towne of these have not so many such Burgesses? And among the rest this also ought to be paused upon That if they have them, they should be slaine. This like wise (an horrible thing to be said and done) aggrava∣ted his unmercifull rigour, namely, That if any man came unto him with this re∣quest, for the avoyding the judgement of some mightie enemie, to have another Iudge assigned him, he might not obtaine this suit, but was referred over unto the same partie whom he feared, notwithstanding he alledged many just and sufficient reasons. Likewise, there went speech abroad of another cruell and horrible part of his, to wit, That when any debtor was said to be in such povertie that he was not a∣ble to satisfie and make paiment, he would pronounce sentence then, That he must dye for it. Now, these and such like prankes play some Princes at their pleasure in the height of their pride, for that they deny their friends libertie and meanes to re∣forme any naughtie designes or deeds of theirs, and with the greatnesse of their power they terrifie their enemies for speaking. Neither is there any question or