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THE Arians, as is customary with the prosperous, because more
insolent, persecuted unmercifully all Christians whose religious
sentiments were opposed to their own.
These Christians being exposed to bodily injuries, and betrayed to
magistrates and prisons, and finding themselves moreover gradually
impoverished by the frequent fines, were at length compelled to appeal
for redress to the emperor. Although exceedingly angry, the emperor
did not openly manifest any wrath, but secretly commanded the prefect
to seize and slay the whole deputation. But the prefect, being
apprehensive that a whole popular insurrection would be excited if he
were to put so many good and religious men to death without any of the
forms of justice, pretended that they were to be sent into exile, and
under this pretext compelled them to embark on board a ship, to which
they assented with the most perfect resignation. When they had sailed
to about the center of the bay, which was called Astacius, the
sailors, according to the orders they had received, set fire to the
vessel and leaped into the tender. A wind arising, the ship was blown
along to Dacibiza, a place on the sea coast of Bithynia; but no
sooner had it neared the shore, than it was utterly consumed with all
the men on board.
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