GIBBON. 333 



the highest degree discreditable, both to his honesty and 

 his sound judgment. He purposely begins with Nero, 

 and so leaves out the persecutions recorded in Scripture. 

 His account of Cyprian's martyrdom is as unfair as it 

 could be without deceit and positive falsehood casting 

 a veil over all the most horrible atrocities practised on 

 that amiable and innocent personage, and magnifying 

 into acts of clemency exercised towards him every insig- 

 nificant attention that was paid him perverting, too, 

 the truth of history, in order to feign circumstances which 

 really do not appear vouched by any kind of authority. 

 But nothing can be more preposterous than the elaborate 

 description which he gives of the comforts derived by 

 the sufferers in these cruel scenes from the glory of mar- 

 tyrdom, and from the great preference which they must 

 have given it over the disgrace of apostasy. The twofold 

 object of this strange discourse is at once to lower the 

 sufferer's merit and extenuate his oppressor's guilt. Nor 

 is there any kind of persecution for conscience' sake to 

 which the same remarks are not equally applicable. It 

 is a much lesser offence, though the passage is not un- 

 deserving of notice, as exhibiting the force of his preju- 

 dices, and the errors into which they lead him while 

 descanting on his favourite topic, the " mild spirit of 

 polytheism," that when, in describing Diocletian's general 

 persecution, he has occasion to mention a Christian who 

 had torn down the imperial proclamation, accompanying 

 the act with expressions of "hatred and contempt 

 towards all such tyrannical governors," the historian 

 shows at once his prejudice against Christianity and his 

 ignorance of law, by declaring this offence to be punish- 

 able " as treason by the mildest laws." He adds, that 



