CHAP. X.

[686]fúlmine

[687]regnáto

[688]afflítto

[689]contrarre

[690]debolezza

[691]ócchio

[692]piangere

[693]ucciso

[694]arte

[695]suócero

[696]rassomigliáre

[697]colpévole

[698]sorta

[699]scelleratezza

[700]perciò

[701]odióso

[702]stato

[703]gente

[704]tradíto

[705]Margo

[706]ammazzáto

[707]morto

[708]accettáre

[709]pórpora

[710]offérto

[711]bassi parenti

[712]Dalmázia

[713]si dice che

[714]schiávo

[715]Anulino

[716]bravo

[717]pigliáre

[718]giuraménto

[719]Assembléa

[720]éssere cómplíce

[721]uccídere

[722]mano

[723]adempíre

[724]profezía

[725]cignále

[726]ogni volta che

[727]incontráre

[728]solére

[729]trováto

[730]sopprímere

[731]Villano

[732]rivólta

[733]chiamársi

[734]Massimiáno Erculío

[735]mandáre

[736]a questo effétto

[737]seguénte

[738]impadroníto

[739]Brettágna

[740]Egítto

[741]preténdere

[742]Levánte

[743]pronto

[744]attaccáre

[745]desoláto

[746]Quinquegenziáni

[747]spingere

[748]creáre

[749]nato

[750]cognomináto

[751]Armentário

[752]pastóre

[753]dare

[754]accordáre

[755]andáre

[756]preso

[757]assédio

[758]ammazzáto

[759]Alétto

[760]rivólta

[761]ridótto

[762]sconfitto

[763]alteraménte

[764]ricevúto

[765]emendáre

[766]disgrázia

[767]sconfiggere

[768]fare

[769]moglie

[770]sorélla

[771]figliuólo

[772]onorataménte

[773]spléndido

[774]triónfo

[775]rinunziáre

[776]autorità

[777]spontaneaménte

[778]ritirársi

[779]dispósto

[780]autorità

[781]collega

[782]inclinazióne

[783]succédere

[784]Costánzo Cloro

[785]Galério Massimiáno Armentário

[786]proclamáto

[787]nipóte

[788]dichiaráto

[789]spartíre

[790]tenérsi

[791]último

[792]lasciáre

[793]Illírico

[794]Levánte

[795]governatóre

[796]collocáre

(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]diedand 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, wherehe 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.

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