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. LXIV. Constantine's Constitution against the Here∣ticks.

VICTOR CONSTANTINUS MAXIMUS AUGUSTUS, To the Hereticks.

ACknowledge now by the benefit of this Law, (O ye Novatianists, Valentinians, Mar∣cionists, Pauliani; and you who are termed Ca∣taphrygae; in a word, all of you, who by your private Meetings, breed and * 1.1 compleat Heresies!) in how many Lyes the † 1.2 vanity of your Opinions is wrapt up, and in what manner your Doctrine is ‖ 1.3 compounded of certain pernicious poysons: in so much that, by you the healthy are reduced to weak∣ness, and the living to a perpetual death: Ye Enemies of Truth, ye Adversaries of Life, and ye Councellours of destruction! All things amongst you are contrary to Truth; agreeable to filthy im∣pieties; a 1.4 stuft with absurdi∣ties and fictions: whereby you compose Lyes, afflict the Innocent, and deny Belie∣vers the light. And, sinning continually under a Mask of Divinity, you defile all things! Ye wound the in∣nocent and pure consciences [of men] with blows that are mortal and deadly; and ye ravish even the day it self (I had almost said,) from the eyes of men. But what necessity is there of recounting every par∣ticular? Especially, since neither the shortness of the time, nor the urgency of Our Affairs will suffer Us to speak concerning your * 1.5 Crimes according as they deserve. For, your im∣pieties are so large and immense, so filthy and full of all manner of outragiousness, that a whole day would not be sufficient for a description of them. And besides, 'tis fit we should remove our ears and turn away our eyes from things of this nature, least by a particular declaration of them, the pure and sincere † 1.6 alacrity of Our Faith s••ould be defiled. What reason is there then that We should any longer tolerate such Mischiefs? Especially since Our long b 1.7 for∣bearance is the cause, that even those who are sound, become infected with this pestilential distem∣per as 'twere. Why therefore do we not immedi∣ately cut off the roots (as we may so term them) of such a mischief by a publick animad∣version?

Notes

• * 1.1

  Or, Perfect.
• † 1.2

  Or, Va∣nity a∣mongst you is, &c.
• ‖ 1.3

  Contained in, or, be∣set with.
• a 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In the Fuketian Savil▪ and Turneb. Copies, I found it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rejoycing in; according as Scaliger, Christophorson and o∣thers found it in their Copies. Vales. Valesius renders it re••erta, stust; on what account I know not.
• * 1.5

  Or, Mis∣chiefs.
• † 1.6

  Or, Activity.
• b 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Perhaps it should be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, neg∣ligence and forgetful∣ness. In the Fuk. Savil. and Turneb. Copies, the reading is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, delay. A little after, from the Fuketian Copy I write 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by a publick animadversion. Vales. In Robert Stephens 'tis 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ Vales.