St. Melchiades, who suffered greatly during the last persecutions, and succeeded Eusebius in the see of Rome in 311, had the joy before dying of seeing peace restored to the Church by the edict of Milan in 313. Among the first laws which he enacted in favor of Christians, he passed one to exempt the clergy from the burden of civil offices. He held a synod to address the Donatist heresy. He died in 314.