The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · ¶46

Notwithstanding these scandalous vices, if Paul of Samosata had preserved the purity of the orthodox faith, his reign over the capital of Syria would have ended only with his life; and had a seasonable persecution intervened, an effort of courage might perhaps have placed him in the rank of saints and martyrs.

Edward Gibbon · Project Gutenberg #732 (Milman edition) — public domain
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