The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XL. Concerning what Zosimus hath written in relation to The Chrysargyrum, and about the Em∣perour Constantine.

ZOsimus (one of their number [who have followed] the execrable and abominable Superstition of the † 1.1 Heathens,) being highly incensed against Constantine [on this account,] because he was the first Emperour that embra∣ced the Christian Religion, and relinquished the abominable Superstition of the * 1.2 Graecians; re∣lates, that he was the first [Emperour,] who invented that termed The Chrysargyrum, and made a Law, that such a Tax as that should be brought in [to the Treasury] every fourth year. [The same Zosimus] has ‖ 1.3 loaded that Pious and Magnificent Emperour with infinite other [Calumnies.] For, he says, that he con∣trived severall other altogether intollerable [mischiefs] against [persons of] all qualities and conditions, and, that he cruelly murdered his Son Crispus, and likewise killed his own Wife Fausta, whom he shut up [and stifled] in a Bath which had been over-much heated. And, that when he had sought amongst his own Priests for an expiation of such horrid and ne∣farious Murders as these, and had found none: (for they openly declared, that such black crimes as these could not be purged by sacrifice) [he adds] that he accidentally met with an Egyptian who had come out of Iberia: and, that having received information from him, that the Faith of the Christians abolished all manner of sin, he embraced those things which the Egy∣ptian had imparted to him. And, that from that time he relinquished * 1.4 the Religion of his Ancestours, and made a Beginning of Impiety, † 1.5 as he terms it. Now, that these things are notoriously false, I will demonstrate immediate∣ly: But, in the first place I must give a Rela∣tion concerning The Chrysargyrum.

Notes

• † 1.1

  Or, Gen∣tiles, or, Graecians.
• * 1.2

  Or, Gentiles.
• ‖ 1.3

  Or, Blasphe∣med.
• * 1.4

  Or, His Paternall Religion.
• † 1.5

  Or, As he says.