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.