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VICTOR VITENSIS.
VIctor Bishop of Vita, a City of Baza••eum, rather than of Utica, a 1.1 a City of the Procon∣sular * 1.2 Province, hath Written an History of the Persecution of the Orthodox of Africk under Gensericus and Hunnericus, Kings of the Vandals. This Persecution began in the Year 427, when Gensericus went into Africk with Twenty four thousand Persons, as well Men, as Women and Children. He made strange Devastations in that Country, and laid it all wast by Murthers, Plunders, and Flames. He chiefly fell upon the Churches and Mo∣nastries, which he destroyed with Fire and Sword. He slew a great number of Bishops and Clergy-men; after he had put them to a thousand Tortures, that he might force them to disco∣ver the Treasure of the Church. Having made himself Master of all the Provinces of Africa in a short time; He besieged Carthage, and having taken it, he Banished the Bishops and Clergy, possessed himself of their Churches. He banished also the greatest part of the Bishops of other Churches. He passed from thence into Italy; took and Sack'd the City of Rome in 455. Being returned into Africk grown Proud and Insolent, with the thoughts of his Victory, he continued to afflict the Churches of that Country; and to Persecute the Orthodox with greater Cruelty than ever: This Persecution continued 37 Years. After his Death his Son Hunnericus did at first use them with more lenity, having granted at the request of the Emperor Zeno, and the Empress Placidia, that they should ordain an Orthodox Bishop at Carthage, upon condition that the Arian Bishops should have liberty of using their Worship in the City of the Empire. This Condition was never performed, but yet they ordain'd Eugenius Bishop of Carthage. But the Arians soon raised a cruel Persecution against the Catholicks, and sent them an Edict, in which it was commanded, That Eugenius, and the Orthodox Bishops should come to Carthage to confer with the Bishops of the Vandals, about their Doctrine. This order being shewed Eugenius, he made Answer, That the Bishops of other Provinces ought to be cited to this Conference, because it being the common concern of all the Orthodox Church, it was reasonable that the Bishops of the whole World should be present at it; and especially the Bishop of the Church of Rome, who was the Head of other Churches. Nevertheless, being constrain'd to appear, he did so, and after some contests, he read the Confession of Faith, which he had already prepared. But this conference was but a Pre∣tence, which they made use of to Persecute the Orthodox. King Hunnericus published an Edict against them, which contained the same punishments against the Orthodox, which the Orthodox Emperors had decreed by their Edicts against the Arians. He shut up the Churches of the Or∣thodox, which he gave to the Arians; and banished the Orthodox Bishops to the Isleof Corsica. They were in Number 466, of which 88 dyed at Carthage, and the rest were conveyed to the Isle Corsica. This was followed by an horrible Persecution against the Orthodox, upon whom they laid infi∣nite Torments. Such was the deplorable estate of the African Churches at that time, which had been heretofore most flourishing and glorious. Victor of Vita, who was a sharer in this Persecu∣tion hath described it in five Books, in a very plain and affecting Style. This Work hath been Printed in several Collections, and Published at Dijon in 1664. by F. Chiffletius, with the Works of Vigilius Tapsensis, [at Colen, in 1535, at Paris in 1541, by the care of B. Rhenanus, at Paris, in 1569, 8vo. at the end of Optatus Milevitanus, with Baldwin's Notes, as also in the Bibliothecâ Patrum. Tom. 8. p. 675.]