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. I. A comparison of Constantine's Piety with the Im∣probity of the Persecutors.

IN this manner the Devill, that hater of Good, envying the Felicity of the Church, raised up storms and intestine disturbances in it, during a time of Peace and Joy. a 1.1 In the interim, the Emperour dear-to-God neglected not the perfor∣mance of what became him: b 1.2 but doing all things con∣trary to what had been au∣daciously perpetrated a lit∣tle before by Tyrannick Cruelty, [by that means] he was made Superiour to every of his Enemies and op∣posers. In the first place therefore, They, alienated from [his worship] who truly is God, by various methods of force compelled all men to adore those who were not Gods: but He, evincing them as well by words as in reality in no wise to be Gods, exhorted all per∣sons to an acknowledgment of Him who is the only God. Besides, they derided God's Christ with blasphemous expressions: But he c 1.3 assumed to himself as his preservative, that very thing, a∣gainst which those impious Wretches with the greatest Virulency * 1.4 belch't forth their Blasphe∣mies; and gloried in the Trophy of the [Salu∣tary] passion. They persecuted the Wor∣shippers of Christ, and drove them from their houses and habitations. He recalled them all [from Exile,] and restored them to their own dwellings. They surrounded them with ignomi∣nies; he made them honourable and happy in the opinion of all men. They seized upon the Goods of God's Worshippers, and with the greatest injustice made sale of them: He not only restored their Goods to them, but likewise enricht them abun∣dantly with very many Gifts and Benefactions. They by written Constitu∣tions d 1.5 publisht Calumnies against the Prelates [of Churches:] on the con∣trary, he raised and advan∣ced those men to Honour [bestowed] by Himself, and by Edicts and Laws made them more renowned than they had been before. They demolished the Oratories to the very Foundations, and from their vast height pulled them down to the ground: He by a Law ordained, that those Oratories which were standing should be raised higher, and that new ones should be magnificently erected, [the

charges whereof were defrayed] out of the Imperial Exchequer it self. They ordered the divinely-inspired Scriptures to be destroyed and consumed by fire: He made a Sanction, that at the charge of the Imperiall Treasury the [Copies of the sacred Volumes] should be increased, e 1.6 and * 1.7 adorned with a magnifick furni∣ture. They com∣manded, that Synods of Bi∣shops should in no wise be attempted to be any where convened: He called toge∣ther into his own presence the Prelates out of all the Provinces; and vouchsafed them admission not only in∣to his Pallace, and inmost Bed-Chamber; but likewise gave them a reception within his own House, and made them Companions of his Imperial Table. They honoured Daemons with consecrated Gifts: but he laid open their frauds, continually distri∣buting the * 1.8 unserviceable matter of those con∣secrated Gifts to such as could make use of it. They gave order, that the Temples [of the Gods] should be adorned with all imaginable splendour: He utterly demolished those very Temples, especially them that were highliest e∣steemed of by superstitious men. They sub∣jected the servants of God to the most ignomi∣nious punishments▪ He took vengeance on those who had done these things, chastizing them with a f 1.9 condign punishment from God; but he never desisted from honouring the memo∣ries of Gods holy Martyrs. They drove men that were worshippers of God from the Imperial Pallaces: He put his chiefest confidence in such persons, knowing them to be of all men the best affected and faithfullest to him. They were overcome with [the love of] money, ha∣ving enslaved their minds to a * 1.10 Tantalick † 1.11 pas∣sion: but he with an Imperial magnificence o∣pened all his Treasures, and made distributions of them with a ‖ 1.12 Liberality that was bountifull, noble and generous. Lastly, they perpetrated infinite Murders, to the end they might make a seizure of, and expose to sale the Estates of those that were slain: but during the whole Reign of Con∣stantine, every sword hung up as useless to the Judges; in regard the people and g 1.13 Decuriones were h 1.14 ruled by a paternall power, rather than governed by force and necessity. All which things whoever shall attentively consider, he will have good cause to say, that a certain new i 1.15 Age seemed just then to have appeared; an unusuall light * 1.16 after a long darkness having shined upon mankind. And he will confess, that all this was the work of God, who opposed this Religious Emperour, as an Adversary against that multi∣tude of the Impious.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In S^r Henry Savil's Copy the rea∣ding is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In the Old Sheets both readings are retained, in this manner, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. Vales.
• b 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In Moraeus's Copy 'tis mended in the margin, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, But doing, &c. as 'tis also in the Fuk. and Savil. Copies. A little before, instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, of what belonged to him; both Copies and the Kings Sheets have it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, of what became him. Vales.
• c 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he inscribed as his preservative. It seems to be used instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he assumed. But if you had rather take the verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in its common signification, that may also be born with. For Constantine ordered it to be engraven on the Base of his Statue, which he erected at Rome after the Victory gotten over Maxentius, that by the Virtue of this Standard Rome had been set at Liberty by him. Vales.
• * 1.4

  Or, Ap∣plied.
• d 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. The Rule of Syntax requires that we should read 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. A little after it must be written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to honour [bestowed] by himself; as the reading is in the Fuketian and Savil. Copies. Vales.
• e 1.6

  In Moraeus's Copy these words (which we likewise sound in the Fuketian and Savil. Manuscripts,) are added in the margin, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, adorned, or augmen∣ted, with a magnisick furniture; which reading Christophorson has followed in his version. Indeed, Constantine adorned those books which served for Ecclesiastick uses with Gemms and Stones; as Cedrenus tells us in his Chronicon, where he speaks concerning Me∣trodorus the Philosopher. Vales.
• * 1.7

  Or, Augmented with.
• * 1.8

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; which words Va∣lesius ren∣ders thus, materiam ipsam dona∣riorum nul∣lis usibus dicatam, the matter it self of the consecra∣ted Gifts dedicated to no uses.
• f 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, with a condigne punishment of God. I had rather make it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from God; as Euse∣bius does usually express himself Vales.
• * 1.10

  See book 1. chap. 55.
• † 1.11

  Or, Distemper.
• ‖ 1.12

  Or, Rich and noble bounty.
• g 1.13

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Chri∣stophorson understood not the im∣port of this word; He hath ren∣dred it Cives, Citizens. But 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are the Decuriones, as I have long since remarked at the 22^d book of Amm. Marcellinus, pag. 225 of my notes. Vales.
• h 1.14

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, were ruled by a paternal power. He says therefore, that Constantine's Government▪ by reason of his mild∣ness and clemency, was wholly like the Government of a Father over his Sons: So that, all the people and Decuriones, were not kept within the bounds of duty by force and fear like Subjects, but obeyed on their own accord, like Sons. In the Fuketian Copy, instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the reading is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by force and necessity. Vales.
• i 1.15

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In mine own judgment, I have rendred this passage very happily, thus, novum saeculum, a new Age. So in the Coyns of Philippus, 'tis termed novum saeculum. The old Etrusci affir∣med, that every Age was limited by the Gods, by a certain number of years: which number of years being ended, then prodigies were by the Gods shown from heaven, or out of the earth; whereby it might be signified, that a new Age was begun. And, that men were born, who would make use of new fashions and customes, and would be more or less dear to the immortal Gods. These signes the Etrusci had exactly noted in their Libri Rituales, as Plutarch has told us in Sulla; and Censorinus chap. 17. de Die Natali. Vales.
• * 1.16

  Or, Out of darkness.