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De la mort des persécuteurs de l'église

XXXIX.

Enfin, ne connaissant plus d'autre loi que sa volonté, il n'épargna pas même la femme de son prédécesseur et bienfaiteur, qu'il venait d'appeler sa mère. Après la mort de Galérius, Valéria, sa veuve, se retira auprès de Maximin, comme en un lieu de sûreté pour elle, puisque ce prince était marié. Il ne laissa pourtant pas de l'aimer, et quoique la princesse n'eût pas encore quitté le deuil, il lui fit faire des propositions de mariage, résolu de chasser sa femme si Valéria les écoutait favorablement. Elle répondit avec la liberté que sa qualité lui permettait: qu'il n'y avait guère d'apparence de songer au mariage avec ses lugubres habillements, les cendres de son mari, père de Maximin par adoption, n'étant pas encore éteintes. D'ailleurs, ajoutait-elle, il ne pouvait répudier une femme dont la conduite était sans reproche, et dont l'exemple lui donnait lieu d'appréhender un traitement tout pareil. On avertit l'empereur de cette audace. Aussitôt son amour se tourne en furie. Il proscrit cette dame, lui ôte son bien, ses officiers, fait mourir ses esclaves dans les tourments, l'envoie en exil avec sa mère sans lui assigner de lieu certain ; mais il les promène deçà et delà à sa fantaisie. Il suppose de feints adultères à leurs amies, et les condamne à la mort sous ce prétexte.

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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Chap. XXXIX.

Now Daia, in gratifying his libidinous desires, made his own will the standard of right; and therefore he would not refrain from soliciting the widow of Galerius, the Empress Valeria, to whom he had lately given the appellation of mother. After the death of her husband, she had repaired to Daia, because she imagined that she might live with more security in his dominions than elsewhere, especially as he was a married man; but the flagitious creature became instantly inflamed with a passion for her. Valeria was still in weeds, the time of her mourning not being yet expired. He sent a message to her proposing marriage, and offering, on her compliance, to put away his wife. She frankly returned an answer such as she alone could dare to do: first, that she would not treat of marriage while she was in weeds, and while the ashes of Galerius, her husband, and, by adoption, the father of Daia, were yet warm; next, that he acted impiously, in proposing to divorce a faithful wife to make room for another, whom in her turn he would also cast off; and, lastly, that it was indecent, unexampled, and unlawful for a woman of her title and dignity to engage a second time in wedlock. ¹ This bold answer having been reported to Daia, presently his desires changed into rage and furious resentment. He pronounced sentence of forfeiture against the princess, seized her goods, removed her attendants, tortured her eunuchs to death, and banished her and her mother Prisca: but he appointed no particular place for her residence while in banishment; and hence he insultingly expelled her from every abode that she took in the course of her wanderings; and, to complete all, he condemned the ladies who enjoyed most of her friendship and confidence to die on a false accusation of adultery.