Exercises upon the Different Parts of Italian Speech, with References to Veneroni's Grammar / to which is added an abridgement of the Roman history, intended at once to make the learner acquainted with history, and the idiom of the Italian language

CHAP. X.

(Of Rome, 1044—Of Christ, 304.)

Constantius Chlorus having [1]enjoyed his [2]dignity one year, or as most [3]will have it, two years, [4]died at York. He was [5]mild and [6]civil in his [7]disposition; he would [8]suffer no [9]enquiry to be made after the [10]Christians, and [11]preferred such of his [12]servants as he [13]knew to be of that [14]profession before the [15]rest.

Constantine, his son, [16]began his [17]reign in the year of Christ 306, being 32 or 33 years of age, [18]born of [19]Helen of Bithynia, whom, most [20]authors say, was not, but some, that she was, the [21]lawful [22]wife of Constantius, though of [23]mean [24]birth.

At Rome, [25]Maxentius, the son of [26]Herculius, was [27]proclaimed emperor, by the [28]prætorian [29]bands: he, at first, to [30]gain the [31]people, [32]seemed to [33]favour the [34]Christians; but [35]presently after [36]wallowed in all [37]manner of [38]wickedness and [39]cruelty. Galerius Maximianus [40]sent Severus against him, who, being [41]forsaken by his men, [42]fled to Ravenna; Galerius, upon this, [43]marching for Rome, with his [44]army, was [45]likewise forsaken by his men, and went into [46]Illyricum, where he [47]made Licinius Cæsar. Upon which Herculius [48]being now in hopes of [49]recovering the empire which he had [50]quitted against his [51]will, [52]returned from Lucania to Rome, and [53]advised [54]Dioclesian, [55]living at Carnus in Pannonia, by his [56]letters to him, to [57]do the like, which he [58]refused. He [59]trepanned Severus by [60]perjury, and [61]slew him. Then [62]laying a plot for his son, he was [63]forced to [64]fly from Rome to Constantine in Gaul, to whom he [65]gave his daughter Faustina in [66]marriage. But some time after, having [67]entered into a [68]wicked [69]design against his [70]son-in-law, Constantine, (which was [71]discovered by his daughter), he [72]fled to [73]Marseilles, and there [74]suffered the [75]punishment of his [76]treachery. About this time, Galerius Maximianus [77]died and was by his son-in-law Maxentius [78]enrolled amongst the [79]gods.

In the year 312, [80]Constantine [81]marched against [82]Maxentius, and was [83]encouraged to it by the [84]prodigy of a [85]cross he [86]saw in the [87]heavens. Having [88]passed the [89]Alps, and [90]defeated his generals near Verona, he [91]routed Maxentius himself not far from Rome, who [92]flying over a [93]bridge he had [94]laid upon the [95]Tyber, it [96]broke under him, and he was [97]drowned.

[98]Affairs being [99]settled in the city, Constantine in his [100]way to Germany, at Milan [101]married his sister [102]Constantia to Licinius, who had now been [103]made emperor. The same year Galericus Maximinus, a cruel [104]enemy of the [105]Christians, [106]undertaking a war against both the emperors, was [107]beaten by Licinius in [108]Illyricum, and [109]fled into Asia, where he [110]died a [111]horrible death at Tarsus in Cilicia. Nor did the [112]agreement betwixt the two [113]princes [114]last long; their first [115]rencounter was at Cibalis, a town in Pannonia; after which they had another [116]battle in the [117]plains of Mardia; in both which the [118]Licinians were [119]entirely defeated. At last a [120]peace was [121]made, and the empire again [122]divided.

In the year 324, Licinius [123]taking up arms against Constantine, [124]upon a pretence that he [125]went beyond his [126]bounds, and had [127]broken into his [128]dominions, received a great [129]overthrow near Hadrianople. [130]From thence flying into [131]Byzantium, he was again [132]defeated by [133]sea; and being [134]routed in another [135]battle near [136]Chalcedon, he was [137]taken prisoner by Constantine, from whom he [138]procured his life by the [139]interposition of his sister, and was [140]banished to [141]Thessalonica, where, [142]endeavouring to make a new [143]insurrection, he was [144]put to death.

After this, [145]Crispus Cæsar, his son, by a former [146]wife Minervina, a [147]youth of an [148]extraordinary [149]genius, was put to death upon [150]suspicion of [151]attempting to [152]seduce his [153]step-mother; and the year [154]following, Fausta, being [155]found [156]guilty of [157]falsely [158]accusing him, was [159]suffocated in a hot [160]bath, by [161]order of her [162]husband Constantine.

In this emperor’s time, Byzantium was [163]rebuilt, and [164]enriched with the [165]spoils of almost the whole [166]world; so that it [167]equalled Rome, and [168]took its [169]name from its [170]restorer, being [171]called [172]Constantinople.

After this, having [173]subdued the [174]Sarmatians, and [175]disposed of them in several [176]places of the Roman [177]empire; Constantine died in the [178]suburbs of Nicomedia, where most [179]authors say he was [180]baptised a little before his [181]death.

He [182]left by Fausta, the daughter of Maximianus, three children, [183]heirs of the empire, who [184]divided it amongst them. Constantine the [185]eldest had [186]Gaul, and all [187]beyond the [188]Alps. [189]Constans the [190]youngest had Rome, Italy, Africa, Sicily, and the [191]rest of the [192]islands, Illyricum, [193]Thracia, Macedonia, and [194]Greece. Constantius, the [195]second son, Asia, and the [196]East, with [197]Egypt.

But the brothers did not long [198]agree; four years after his father’s [199]death, Constantine making war upon his brother Constans, and [200]invading his [201]territories, was [202]slain near Aquileia. Constans himself was slain ten years after by [203]Magnentius’s general, Gaison, near the [204]Pyrænean mountains. Constantius was [205]engaged in a [206]dangerous war with this Magnentius. In the [207]battle [208]fought at Morsa in Pannonia, Constantius’s army was [209]worsted in the first [210]attack, but at last [211]came off [212]victorious. Two years after this, Magnentius slew himself at Lyons in [213]despair.

Gallus was [214]declared Cæsar, and [215]governor of the East; but [216]abusing his [217]authority, he was [218]sent for by Constantius, and [219]put to death in Illyricum. [220]Julian, his brother, was [221]saved by the [222]interposition of Eusebia, Constantius’s [223]wife, and sent to Athens to [224]study. He was afterwards [225]advanced to the [226]dignity of Cæsar, [227]married to the emperor’s sister [228]Helen, and was [229]made governor of [230]Gaul, where he was very [231]successful against the [232]Germans, [233]Franks, and [234]Alemans; he [235]sent the [236]king of the Alemans a [237]prisoner to Constantius at Rome, who [238]envying his [239]success, [240]endeavoured to [241]draw his soldiers from him, and [242]send them into the [243]East against the Persians. But they [244]proclaimed Julian emperor at [245]Paris, [246]whilst Constantius was [247]preparing for a war against the Persians. [248]As soon as he [249]understood this, he [250]marched against Julian, but died on the [251]road near Tarsus.

Julian, after the death of Constantius, was sole [252]master of the empire. He [253]killed, or [254]banished all the [255]friends of Constantius; [256]opened the [257]temples of the [258]idols, and [259]abjuring the [260]Christian [261]faith, was [262]consecrated [263]high-priest, [264]according to the [265]rites of the [266]pagan [267]religion. He made war against the Persians, and was [268]slain in it. They say that, when he [269]perceived his [270]wound to be [271]mortal, he [272]received the [273]blood in his [274]hand, and [275]threw it up [276]towards [277]heaven, with these [278]words: “Thou hast [279]conquered me, O [280]Galilæan!” [281]meaning [282]Christ, whose religion he had [283]abjured, and hence was called Julian the Apostate.

After the death of Julian, [284]Jovian, a [285]native of Pannonia, was [286]proclaimed emperor by the [287]soldiers. He [288]ordered the temples of the idols to be [289]shut up, and their [290]sacrifices to be [291]abolished. He made an [292]inglorious peace with Sapor, king of the Persians, for thirty years, by which he [293]yielded up Nisibis, and the greatest [294]part of Mesopotamia. He died in his [295]return to Constantinople, in the [296]confines of Galatea and Bithynia.