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. XLV. Concerning the Laws forbidding Sacrifices, and ordering the Churches to be built.

SOon after, a 1.1 two Laws were issued out at one and the same time. The one whereof forbad the detestable Sacrifices to Idols, here∣tofore

usually performed in every City and Country; so that, no person in future should dare, either to * 1.2 erect the Statues of the Gods, or to attempt divinations and other such vain † 1.3 Arts; b 1.4 nor, in any wise to Sacrifice. The other Law ordered the structures of the Orato∣ries to be raised to a vast height, and the Churches of God to be enlarged both in length and breadth; as if all mankind (I had almost said) were about to unite themselves to God, and as if the madness of Polytheïsm had been wholly de∣stroyed. The Emperour's own Piety towards God moved him to entertain such Sentiments as these, and thus to write to the Presidents of each Province. The Law contained this also, that they should not be sparing in the expence of money; but, that the charges [of building the Churches] should be defrayed out of the Im∣perial Treasures. Moreover, he wrote Letters of this sort to the Prelates of Churches in all places: and such a one he vouchsafed to write to me also, which was the first Letter he sent to me by name.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Christo∣phorson renders it, duae Leges in eandem sententiam promulgabantur, two Laws were promulged to the same effect, or meaning: wherein he seems to have followed Portesius, who had rendred it thus; Duae postea Leges emissae non ita dissimili argumento, Two Laws were afterwards issued out of a Subject not unlike. But I thought 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to be the same with simul, uno eodemque tempore, together, at one and the same time. For so Eusebius does usually express himself. Vales.
• * 1.2

  Or, Make erections of Statues.
• † 1.3

  Or, Cu∣riosities.
• b 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. These words of Eusebius are to be understood concerning private Sa∣crifices. For Con∣stantine the Great pro∣hibited by a Law, that no one of the Heathens should Sa∣crifice pri∣vately at home, as the First Law in the Theodosian Code de Paganis informs us. There∣fore, he had prohibited, that the Aruspices should be called out to any private house on account of Sacrificing. For these persons inspected the Entrails of Victims. But Constantine forbad not the going to the publick Temples to Sacrifice, and there to make use of the as∣sistance of the Aruspices, as the first Law in the Theodosian Code de Maleficis, attests. See Libanius in his Oration pro Templis, pag. 10, and what Gotofred has noted there. Vales.