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De la mort des persécuteurs de l'église

XXXVIII.

Quant à son impudicité, elle a surpassé sans doute celle des princes les plus infâmes. Quand je dirai qu'elle était monstrueuse et au-delà de toutes bornes, ces expressions sont trop faibles pour marquer l'énormité de ce vice; notre langue manque de termes pour expliquer une débauche si effrénée. Les eunuques, les ministres de ses voluptés cherchaient partout. Dès qu'une femme était douée de quelque beauté, les pères ni les maris n'en étaient plus les maîtres. On arrachait les vêtements aux femmes et aux filles de condition ; on les examinait pour voir si en toute leur personne il n'y avait point quelque partie qui fut indigne de l'amour du prince. Celles qui ne pouvaient souffrir ces insolences, on les noyait comme des criminelles d'État. Quelques maris ne pouvant endurer que l'on traitât si indignement leurs femmes, se tuèrent de désespoir. Sous ce monstre, la difformité était le seul asile de la pudeur. Enfin, il passa jusqu'à cet excès, qu'on n'osait plus se marier sans sa permission, et on lui réservait les premières fleurs de l'hyménée. Les grands seigneurs se formèrent sur l'exemple de leur prince, et traitaient les femmes et les filles de leurs sujets avec la même insolence. Car qui aurait réprimé leurs emportements? Pour ce qui est des filles de basse condition, les prenait qui voulait. Celles que leur naissance mettait en quelque sorte à couvert de cette insulte, on les demandait pour récompense à l'empereur; de sorte qu'il fallait se résoudre à la mort, ou à accepter un barbare pour gendre ; car tous ses gardes étaient descendus de ces Goths qui, au temps des Vicennales, furent chassés de leur pays, et qui se donnèrent à Maximin. Et certes, au grand détriment de l'empire, ces barbares évitèrent alors la servitude, pour assujettir un jour les Romains. C'est avec le secours de tels satellites que ce cruel empereur insultait à tout l'Orient.

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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Chap. XXXVIII.

But that which distinguished his character, and in which he transcended all former emperors, was his desire of debauching women. What else can I call it but a blind and headstrong passion? Yet such epithets feebly express my indignation in reciting his enormities. The magnitude of the guilt overpowers my tongue, and makes it unequal to its office. Eunuchs and panders made search everywhere, and no sooner was any comely face discovered, than husbands and parents were obliged to withdraw. Matrons of quality and virgins were stripped of their robes, and all their limbs were inspected, lest any part should be unworthy of the bed of the emperor. Whenever a woman resisted, death by drowning was inflicted on her; as if, under the reign of this adulterer, chastity had been treason. Some men there were, who, beholding the violation of wives whom for virtue and fidelity they affectionately loved, could not endure their anguish of mind, and so killed themselves. While this monster ruled, it was singular deformity alone which could shield the honour of any female from his savage desires. At length he introduced a custom prohibiting marriage unless with the imperial permission; and he made this an instrument to serve the purposes of his lewdness. After having debauched freeborn maidens, he gave them for wives to his slaves. His conflicts also imitated the example of the emperor, and violated with impunity the beds of their dependants. For who was there to punish such offences? As for the daughters of men of middle rank, any who were inclined took them by force. Ladies of quality, who could not be taken by force, were petitioned for, and obtained from the emperor by way of free gift. Nor could a father oppose this; for the imperial warrant having been once signed, he had no alternative but to die, or to receive some barbarian as his son-in-law. For hardly was there any person in the lifeguard except of those people, who, having been driven from their habitations by the Goths in the twentieth year of Diocletian, yielded themselves to Galerius and entered into his service. It was ill for humankind, that men who had fled from the bondage of barbarians should thus come to lord it over the Romans. Environed by such guards, Daia oppressed and insulted the Eastern empire.