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De la mort des persécuteurs de l'église

XXI.

Galérius ou le jeune Maximien (c’est le même), étant parvenu à la puissance souveraine, ne songea plus qu'à en abuser. Après la victoire qu'il remporta sur les Perses, il voulut introduire dans les provinces romaines la coutume de ces peuples qui renoncent à la liberté, et que leurs rois traitent comme des esclaves. Galérius avait l'impudence de louer cette coutume. Il ne pouvait toutefois rétablir par un édit; mais on voyait bien que son dessein était de réduire tous les Romains en servitude. Il dégradait les magistrats; il faisait appliquer à la question non seulement les décurions, mais les plus illustres citoyens des villes. Pour des affaires civiles et de peu d'importance, il y avait des croix préparées, ou des chaînes pour le moins. On traînait des femmes de qualité dans le gynécée.[^11] Il y avait quatre pieux fichés en terre pour ceux que l’on frappait de verges, quoiqu'on n'y attachât pas même les esclaves. Rapporterai-je ses divertissements et ses jeux? Il nourrissait des ours d'une grandeur et d'une férocité pareille à la sienne, et quand il voulait passer le temps, il ordonnait qu'on en apportât quelqu'un, lequel il désignait par le nom qu'il lui avait donné. Il leur donnait des hommes, non pas à dévorer, mais à engloutir; et quand il voyait déchirer ces misérables, il riait agréablement. Sa table était toujours abreuvée de sang humain. Le feu était le supplice des chrétiens qui n'étaient pas constitués en dignité; il avait même ordonné qu'on ne brûlerait les condamnés que lentement. Quand ils étaient attachés au poteau, on allumait un peu de feu, dont on leur brûlait la plante des pieds; on appliquait ensuite des flambeaux ardents à tous leurs membres, afin qu'il n'y eût pas une partie de leur corps qui n'eût son supplice. Durant ces tourments, on leur jetait de l'eau sur le visage, on leur en faisait même boire, de peur qu'une soif ardente ne hâtât leur mort, que l'on ne retardait toutefois par cet artifice que de bien peu de moments. Cependant, après que le feu avait consumé toute leur chair, il pénétrait jusqu'au fond des entrailles; alors on allumait un grand brasier où on les jetait ; ensuite on mettait leurs os en poudre, et on les jetait ou dans la mer ou dans la rivière.

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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Chap. XXI.

Having thus attained to the highest power, he bent his mind to afflict that empire into which he had opened his way. It is the manner and practice of the Persians for the people to yield themselves slaves to their kings, and for the kings to treat their people as slaves. This flagitious man, from the time of his victories over the Persians, was not ashamed incessantly to extol such an institution, and he resolved to establish it in the Roman dominions; and because he could not do this by an express law, he so acted, in imitation of the Persian kings, as to bereave men of their liberties. He first of all degraded those whom he meant to punish; and then not only were inferior magistrates put to the torture by him, but also the chief men in cities, and persons of the most eminent rank, and this too in matters of little moment, and in civil questions. Crucifixion was the punishment ready prepared in capital cases; and for lesser crimes, fetters. Matrons of honourable station were dragged into workhouses; and when any man was to be scourged, there were four posts fixed in the ground, and to them he was tied, after a manner unknown in the chastisement of slaves. What shall I say of his apartment for sport, and of his favourite diversions? He kept bears, most resembling himself in fierceness and bulk, whom he had collected together during the course of his reign. As often as he chose to indulge his humour, he ordered some particular bear to be brought in, and men were thrown to that savage animal, rather to be swallowed up than devoured; and when their limbs were torn asunder, he laughed with excessive complacency: nor did he ever sup without being spectator of the effusion of human blood. Men of private station were condemned to be burnt alive; and he began this mode of execution by edicts against the Christians, commanding that, after torture and condemnation, they should be burnt at a slow fire. They were fixed to a stake, and first a moderate flame was applied to the soles of their feet, until the muscles, contracted by burning, were torn from the bones; then torches, lighted and put out again, were directed to all the members of their bodies, so that no part had any exemption. Meanwhile cold water was continually poured on their faces, and their mouths moistened, lest, by reason of their jaws being parched, they should expire. At length they did expire, when, after many hours, the violent heat had consumed their skin and penetrated into their intestines. The dead carcases were laid on a funeral pile, and wholly burnt; their bones were gathered, ground to powder, and thrown into the river, or into the sea.