---
title: "Seven Books of History against the Pagans"
author: "Paulus Orosius"
translator: "S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)"
title_ru: "История против язычников"
title_fr: "Histoires contre les païens"
title_de: "Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 170 of 177
url: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/170/
cite: "Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026), Seven Books of History against the Pagans, section 170. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/170/"
---

# Seven Books of History against the Pagans

*Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)*

Russian: История против язычников · French: Histoires contre les païens · German: Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden

Augustine's pupil tells the whole of world history to prove that the Christian times are not the worst.

## 170. Book 7 · Chapter 36

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/170/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/170/#p-N

[¶0] In the year 1149 from the founding of the City, Arcadius Augustus, whose son Theodosius now rules the east, and his brother Honorius Augustus, on whom the commonwealth now rests, in the forty-second place began to hold a common empire, with only their seats divided. Arcadius lived for twelve years after his father’s death, and at his death handed over the supreme power to his son Theodosius, then still quite a small child.

> Latin: 1 Anno ab urbe condita MCXLVIIII Arcadius Augustus, cuius nunc filius Theodosius orientem regit, et Honorius Augustus frater eius, cui nunc respublica innititur, quadragensimo secundo loco commune imperium diuisis tantum sedibus tenere coeperunt; uixitque Arcadius post patris excessum annis duodecim imperiique summam Theodosio filio paruo admodum moriens tradidit.

[¶1] Meanwhile Count Gildo, who was in command in Africa at the beginning of their reign, as soon as he learned that Theodosius had died, either — as some report — moved by a kind of envy, attempted to join Africa to the territories of the eastern empire,

> Latin: 2 interea Gildo comes, qui in initio regni eorum Africae praeerat, simul ut defunctum Theodosium comperit, siue (ut quidam ferunt) quadam permotus inuidia Africam orientalis imperii partibus iungere molitus est,

[¶2] or — as another opinion has it — judging that there would be very little hope in the little boys (especially since, apart from these, hardly anyone left before as a small child in the empire had easily come through to the maturity of manhood, and these are almost the only ones to be found whom the protection of Christ has brought forward, though divided and left without support, because of their father’s outstanding faith and their own), dared to cut Africa off from its fellowship with the commonwealth and usurp it for himself, content rather with a tribal chieftain’s licence than puffed up by the ambition of aspiring to kingship.

> Latin: 3 siue (ut alia tradit opinio) minimam in paruulis spem fore arbitratus - praesertim cum absque his non facile antea quisquam pusillus in imperio relictus ad maturitatem uirilis aetatis euaserit istique propemodum soli inueniantur, quos ob egregiam patris ac suam fidem et diuisos et destitutos Christi tutela prouexerit - Africam excerptam a societate reipublicae sibi usurpare ausus est, gentili magis licentia contentus quam ambitu regiae affectationis inflatus.

[¶3] He had a brother, Mascezel, who, shuddering at his brother’s revolutionary schemes, returned to Italy, leaving his two young sons with the army in Africa. Gildo, regarding both his brother’s absence and his nephews’ presence with suspicion, trapped the young men by guile and killed them.

> Latin: 4 huic Mascezel frater fuit, qui nouarum rerum molitiones in fratre perhorrescens, relictis apud Africanam militiam duobus filiis adulescentibus in Italiam rediit. Gildo, et absentiam fratris et praesentiam filiorum eius suspectam habens, adulescentes dolo circumuentos interfecit.

[¶4] Against him, now to be pursued in war as a public enemy, his brother Mascezel was sent, whom the fresh grief of his own bereavement promised would be a fit man to take care of the commonwealth. So Mascezel, knowing already from the time of Theodosius how much, in the most desperate circumstances, a man’s prayer through faith in Christ could obtain from the mercy of God, went to the island of Capraria, and from there took with him certain holy servants of God, moved by his entreaties. With them, continuing day and night in prayers, fasts and psalms, he earned victory without war and vengeance without slaughter.

> Latin: 5 ad hunc iam ut hostem bello insequendum Mascezel frater missus est, quem idoneum procurandae reipublicae fore propriae orbitatis recens dolor pollicebatur. igitur Mascezel, iam inde a Theodosio sciens, quantum in rebus desperatissimis oratio hominis per fidem Christi a clementia Dei impetraret, Caprariam insulam adiit, unde secum sanctos seruos Dei aliquot permotos precibus suis sumpsit: cum his orationibus ieiuniis psalmis dies noctesque continuans sine bello uictoriam meruit ac sine caede uindictam.

*Note: Capraria is Capraia, a small island off the Tuscan coast, then home to a community of monks.*

[¶5] Ardalio is the name of a river which flows between the cities of Theveste and Ammaedara. There he had pitched his camp with a small band — that is, with five thousand soldiers, as they say — against seventy thousand of the enemy; and when, after some delay, he wished to leave the spot and pass through the narrows of the valley lying before him,

> Latin: 6 Ardalio fluminis nomen est, quod fluit inter Theuesten et Ammederam ciuitates; ubi cum parua manu, hoc est cum quinque milibus (ut aiunt) militum, contra septuaginta milia hostium castra metatus, cum interiecta mora excedere loco oppositasque praeiacentis uallis angustias transgredi uellet,

[¶6] as night came on, he seemed to see in a dream the blessed Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who had died shortly before, making a sign with his hand and, striking his staff three times on the ground, saying: “Here, here, here.” By shrewd conjecture he understood that by the merit of its herald it promised victory, by the word it signified the place, and by the number the day.

> Latin: 7 incurrente nocte beatum Ambrosium episcopum Mediolani paulo ante defunctum per somnium sibi uidere uisus est significantem manu et inpacto ad humum ter baculo dicentem: hic, hic, hic. quod ille prudenti coniectura intellexit merito adnuntiantis fidem uictoriae, uerbo locum, numero diem significare.

[¶7] He held his ground, and at last on the third day, after a night spent in watching with prayers and hymns, he went forth from the very mysteries of the heavenly sacraments against the enemy who surrounded him;

> Latin: 8 substitit ac tertio demum die post noctem orationibus hymnisque peruigilem ab ipsis caelestium sacramentorum mysteriis in hostem circumfusum processit;

[¶8] and while he was addressing pious words of peace to those who had met him first, he struck with his sword on the arm a certain standard-bearer who was insolently resisting and on the point of starting the battle, and forced him, his hand disabled by the wound itself, to lower his banner forward.

> Latin: 9 et cum ad eos, qui primi occurrerant, pia pacis uerba iactaret, signiferum quendam insolenter obsistentem et iamiamque pugnam excitantem gladio percussit in bracchio eumque manu debilem ipso uulnere coegit pronum inclinare uexillum.

[¶9] At this sight the remaining cohorts, thinking that the foremost were already surrendering, vied with one another to give themselves up to Mascezel, turning their standards about. The barbarians, a great multitude of whom Gildo had brought to the war, left without support by the defection of the soldiers, fled in all directions.

> Latin: 10 quo uiso reliquae cohortes deditionem iam fieri priorum existimantes certatim sese ad Mascezelem signis tradidere conuersis. barbari, quorum magnam multitudinem Gildo ad bellum deduxerat, defectu militum destituti in diuersa fugerunt.

[¶10] Gildo himself attempted flight and seized a ship; but when he had put out to sea, he was brought back to Africa, and a few days later died by strangling.

> Latin: 11 Gildo et ipse fugam molitus arrepta naui ut in altum prouectus ac deinde reuocatus in Africam est, post aliquot dies strangulatus interiit.

[¶11] In relating such great miracles we should run the risk of seeming to lie with presumptuous shamelessness, were it not that the knowledge of those who were present still outruns our voice. No snares were laid, no bribery used; seventy thousand of the enemy were conquered almost without a battle; the defeated man fled for a time, lest the angry victor should dare too much; he was carried off to another place, so that the brother should not know of the killing of the man by whose death he was avenged.

> Latin: 12 periclitaremur sub tantorum miraculorum relatu quasi praesumpta mentiendi inpudentia, nisi adhuc uocem nostram conscientia eorum, qui interfuere, praecurreret. nullae aguntur insidiae, nulla corruptio; septuaginta milia hostium uincuntur paene sine pugna; fugit uictus ad tempus, ne plus audeat uictor iratus; transportatur in diuersum locum, ut nesciat frater occidi, quo uindicatur occiso.

[¶12] Yet this same Mascezel, elated by the insolence of success, setting aside the fellowship of the saints with whom he had formerly conquered while fighting for God, even dared to violate a church, and did not hesitate to drag certain persons out of it. Punishment followed the sacrilegious man. For, while the very men whom he had dragged from the church to punishment survived and exulted over him, after some time he alone was punished; and he proved in himself alone that the divine judgement is always watchful in both directions, since he was helped when he hoped and slain when he scorned.

> Latin: 13 sane idem Mascezel elatus rerum secundarum insolentia, posthabito sanctorum consortio, cum quibus antea Deo militans uicerat, etiam ecclesiam temerare ausus est atque ex ea quosdam non dubitauit extrahere. secuta est poena sacrilegum. nam isdem superstitibus atque insultantibus, quos ab ecclesia ad poenam protraxerat, post aliquantum tempus solus ipse punitus est probauitque in se uno, ad utrumque semper diuinum uigilare iudicium, quando et, cum sperauit, adiutus et, cum contempsit, occisus est.