A sacrifice and its consequences

The Christian writer Lactantius relates the following true incident from the beginning of Diocletian’s reign as an emperor.
The Emperor Diocletian was very interested in investigating the future, so he tried to find out what was to come by sacrificing cattle, and the subsequent "liver show." One day there were also Christians present who had painted the sign of the cross on their foreheads. Now that the demons had been driven away in this way, the sacrificial ceremonies were disturbed. As the sacrificial "Haruspices" or of¬fe¬ring priests trembled, they had to sacrifice repeatedly, but the usual marks did not appear in the entrails. Again and again sacrificial animals were slaughtered, but they showed nothing, until a pagan sacrificial priest suspected that the sacrifices showed nothing, because people were present who shrank back at such religious ceremonies and felt horror.
Then the angry emperor ordered all those in the palace court to sacrifice, especially the soldiers, to be forced to make these nefarious sacrifices. If they did not obey, they were to be punished with blows. For that was the extent of his fury and his anger. At that time, at least, he had done nothing fur¬ther against the law and the worship of true God. Later, however, the emperor was even tempted to persecute and exterminate Christians.
We know exactly what crimes were committed as a result of his anger.
The last great wave of persecution took place under Emperor Diocletian (284 to 305).