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Justinian seised upon the riches of all these Temples, and possest himself thereof, to the utter ruine of many of them. He had likewise his Agents abroad, who went from one place to another, and obliged all they found to change their Religion; at which, the Countrey people being offended, as at an act of impiety, opposed themselves against those Agents, but they had their revenge, and caused many of them to be slain. Some there were of them, who out of a deplorable superstition made away themselves, while the rest, in great throngs, fled out of the Countrey. The Montanists in Phygia, betook themselves to their Churches, and putting fire to them, burnt themselves, their families, and all that they had; so that from that time, nothing was to be seen in the Roman Empire, but massacres and desolations, and people quitting their Houses. The Edicts of the Emperor put the Samaritans of Palestin into no less disorder; whereupon those where I was in Cesaria, and in other Towns, thinking it weakness and indiscretion, to expose themselves for so dangerous an opinion, quitted their Profession, and were called Christians; by which means they avoided their destruction, which otherwise would have been infallible; whilest others, whose Conscience was better informed, continued stedfast in their Faith: But a good party of the Samaritans (dissatisfied that they had been forced from the Religion of their Forefathers) a while after became Manicheans and Politheists. In the mean time, the Peasants took
