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The example and reputation of Constantine seemed to countenance the delay of baptism. Future tyrants were encouraged to believe that the innocent blood which they might shed in a long reign would instantly be washed away in the waters of regeneration; and the abuse of religion dangerously undermined the foundations of moral virtue.

— Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

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Wikiquote does not flag this quote as disputed or misattributed.

Source: Chapter 20.
Work: The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, 1776
Source quality: Source identified Names the work or year, but without an exact location.

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There exists in human nature a strong propensity to depreciate the advantages, and to magnify the evils, of the present times.

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In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussyn will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Edward Gibbon (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.