Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/425

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 407 concurrence of his colleague Licinius; the union of CHAP. their names and authority disarmed the fury of Maxi- '__ min ; and, after the death of the tyrant of the east, the edict of Milan was received as a general and funda- mental law of the Roman world ''. The wisdom of the emperors provided for the restitution of all the civil and relioious rigjits of which the christians had been so unjustly deprived. It was enacted, that the places of worship, and public lands, which had been confis- cated, should be restored to the church, without dis- pute, without delay, and without expense : and this severe injunction was accompanied with a gracious pro- mise, that if any of the purchasers had paid a fair and adequate price, they should be indemnified from the imperial treasury. The salutary regulations which guard the future tranquillity of the faithful, are framed on the principles of enlarged and equal toleration ; and such an equality must have been interpreted by a re- cent sect as an advantageous and honourable distinc- tion. The two emperors proclaim to the v/orld, that they have granted a free and absolute power to the christians, and to all others, of following the religion which each individual thinks proper to prefer, to which he has addicted his mind, and which he may deem the best adapted to his own use. They carefully explain every ambiguous word, remove every exception, and exact from the governors of the provinces a strict obe- dience to the true and simple meaning of an edict, which was designed to establish and secure, without any limitation, the claims of religious liberty. They condescend to assign two weighty reasons which have induced them to allow this universal toleration : the humane intention of consulting the peace and happi- ness of their people ; and the pious hope, that, by such a conduct, they shall ai)pease and propitiate t/ie Deitt/ whose seat is in heaven. They gratefully acknowledge P Caecilius (de MorU Persecut. c. 48.) has preserved the Latin original ; and Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. 1. x. c. 5-) has given a Greek translation ol this jjerpetual edict, «hich refers to some provisional regulations.