gods under pain
of flagellation and dismissal, which many of them underwent. Several
oracles which he consulted gave answers unfavorable to the Christians.
The church of Nicomedia was the first pulled down by order of the
emperor. The rashness of a Christian who publicly tore down the
imperial edict exasperated Diocletian still more: the culprit was put
to a cruel death. Then came a second edict, ordering all magistrates
to arrest the Christian bishops and presbyters, and compel them to
sacrifice to the gods. This was giving to their enemies power over
their lives, and it proved, in fact, the beginning of a cruel
persecution, whose ravages were the more extensive in proportion to
the great diffusion of Christianity during a long period of
toleration. This was the last persecution under the Roman Empire, and
it has been called by the name of Diocletian. But that emperor issued
the two edicts reluctantly and after long hesitation, according to
Lactantius's acknowledgment: he fell ill a few months after, and on
recovering from his long illness he abdicated. Galerius, who had
instigated the persecution, was the most zealous minister of it; the
persecution raged with most fury in the provinces subject to his rule,
and he continued it for several years after Diocletian's abdication,
so that it might with more propriety be called the Galerian
persecution. Legend says that he died of a horrible disease, filled
with remorse and imagining himself haunted by the martyred spirits.
The countries under the government of Constantius suffered the least
from it.

In November of that year (303) Diocletian repaired to Rome, where he
and Maximianus enjoyed the honor of a triumph, followed by festive
games. This was the last triumph that Rome saw. The populace of that
city complained of the economy of Diocletian on the occasion, who
replied that moderation and temperance were most required when the
censor was present. They vented their displeasure in jibes and
sarcasms, which so hurt Diocletian that he left Rome abruptly in the
month of December for Ravenna, in very cold weather. In this journey
he was seized by an illness which affected him the whole of the
following year, which he spent at Nicomedia. At one time he was
reported to be dead. He rallied, however, in the spring of 305, and
showed himself in public, but greatly altered in appearance. Galerius
soon after came to Nicomedia, and it is said that he persuaded
Diocletian to abdic