XXX PREFACE.
discussing their future treatment of the Christians, and on the 24th February, the day after the demolition of the church of Nicomedia, the first edict against them was. passed. The edict had scarcely been exhibited in the public place when it was torn down by a Christian, who took the opportunity of abusing the governors at the same time. This young man was seized, and after having been tortured most cruelly, was slowly roasted to death. I do not think that this young man was Saint George as Eusebius believes (Hist. Eccles. viii, 5), but I think it more than probable that his manner of death suggested the romance of the martyr dom of Saint George. The Coptic text makes George to be tortured by Dadianus for seven years at Tyre, and as the torturing of the Christians did not begin until after the publication of Diocletian’s second edict that would make the year of George’s death to be 310 or 311 A, D. The youth, however, who tore down the edict was tortured” at Nicomedia in the year 303 and, according to the Greek churches, was called Johu. It is not easy to account for the sixty-nme governors who were gathered together to the presence of Dadianus, but we must not forget that, in the narrative, only four of them appear to take any active part in the martyrdom of Saint George, a fact which reminds us of Diocletian and his three associates, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius. When we read of St. George causing the goyernors to be burnt up by divine fire just before his death, it seems yery possible that an allusion to the two attempts made to destroy Diocletian and Galcrius and their palace by fire within fifteen days of the publica-
