[Sidenote: U.C. 1057. A.D. 304.]
12. Upon the resignation of the two emperors, the two Caesars, whom they had before chosen, were universally acknowledged as their successors, namely, Constan"tius Chlo"rus, so called from the paleness of his complexion, a man virtuous, valiant, and merciful; and Gele"rius, who was brave, but brutal, incontinent and cruel. 13. As there was such a disparity in their tempers, they readily agreed, upon coming into full power, to divide the empire. Constan"tius was appointed to govern the western parts, and died at York, in Britain, A.D. 396, appointing Con"stantine, his son, as his successor.
Gale"rius was seized with a very extraordinary disorder, which baffled the skill of his physicians, and carried him off.
[Sidenote: U.C. 1064. A.D. 311.]
14. Con"stantine, afterwards surnamed the Great, had some compet.i.tors at first for the throne.--Among the rest was Maxen"tius, who was at that time in possession of Rome, and a stedfast a.s.sertor of Paganism.
15. It was in Constantine"s march against that usurper, we are told, that he was converted to Christianity, by a very extraordinary appearance. 16. One evening, the army being on its march towards Rome, Constantine was intent on various considerations upon the fate of sublunary things, and the dangers of his approaching expedition.
Sensible of his own incapacity to succeed without divine a.s.sistance, he employed his meditations upon the opinions that were then agitated among mankind, and sent up his e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns to heaven to inspire him with wisdom to choose the path he should pursue. As the sun was declining, there suddenly appeared a pillar of light in the heavens, in the fashion of a cross, with this inscription, EN TOTTO NIKA, IN THIS OVERCOME. 17. So extraordinary an appearance did not fail to create astonishment, both in the emperor and his whole army, who reflected on it as their various dispositions led them to believe.
Those who were attached to Paganism, prompted by their aruspices, p.r.o.nounced it to be a most inauspicious omen, portending the most unfortunate events; but it made a different impression on the emperor"s mind; who, as the account goes, was farther encouraged by visions the same night. 18. He, therefore, the day following, caused a royal standard to be made, like that which he had seen in the heavens, and commanded it to be carried before him in his wars, as an ensign of victory and celestial protection. After this he consulted with the princ.i.p.al teachers of Christianity, and made a public avowal of that holy religion.
19. Con"stantine having thus attached his soldiers to his interest, who were mostly of the Christian persuasion, lost no time in entering Italy, with ninety thousand foot and eight thousand horse, and soon advanced almost to the very gates of Rome. Maxen"tius advanced from the city with an army of a hundred and seventy thousand foot, and eighteen thousand horse. 20. The engagement was fierce and b.l.o.o.d.y, till the cavalry of the latter being routed, victory declared upon the side of his opponent, and he himself was drowned in his flight by the breaking down of a bridge, as he attempted to cross the Tiber.
21. In consequence of this victory, Con"stantine entered the city, but disclaimed all the praises which the senate and people were ready to offer; and ascribed his successes to a superior power. He even caused the cross, which he was said to have seen in the heavens, to be placed at the right hand of all his statues, with this inscription: "That under the influence of that Victorious Cross, Con"stantine had delivered the city from the yoke of tyrannical power, and had restored the senate, and people of Rome to their ancient authority." He afterwards ordained that no criminal should, for the future, suffer death upon the cross, which had formerly been the most usual way of punishing slaves convicted of capital offences. 22. Edicts were soon after issued, declaring that the Christians should be eased of all their grievances, and received into places of trust and authority.
23. Things continued in this state for some time. Con"tantine contributing every thing in his power to the interest of religion, and the revival of learning, which had long been upon the decline, and was almost wholly extinct in his dominions. 24. But, in the midst of these a.s.siduities, the peace of the empire was again disturbed by the preparations of Maxim"ian, who governed in the east; and who, desirous of a full partic.i.p.ation of power, marched against Licin"ius with a very numerous army. 25. In consequence of this step, after many conflicts, a general engagement ensued, in which Maxim"ian suffered a total defeat; many of his troops were cut to pieces, and those that survived submitted to the conqueror. Having, however, escaped the general carnage, he put himself at the head of another army, resolving to try the fortune of the field; but his death prevented the design.
26. As he died by a very extraordinary kind of madness, the Christians, of whom he was the declared enemy, did not fail to ascribe his end to a judgment from heaven. But this was the age in which false opinions and false miracles made up the bulk of every history.
_Questions for Examination_.
1. Who succeeded Probus?
2. Mention the actions of Carus, and the manner of his death.
3. How were his sons affected by this catastrophe?
4. What was the consequence?
5. How was this atrocious act discovered?
6. Did Aper reap the reward of his treachery?
7. Who was Dioclesian?
8. By whom was the empire now invaded?
9. Were they effectually repelled?
10. What remarkable event now occurred?
11. What was the end of Dioclesian?
12. Who succeeded Dioclesian and Maximian?
13. How did they conduct the administration?
14. Did Constantine succeed without any opposition?
15. Did not a remarkable occurrence happen about this time?
16. Repeat the particulars.
17. What effect had this appearance on the emperor and his men?
18. What orders did he issue in consequence?
19. What was the respective strength of the hostile armies?
20. What was the result of the engagement?
21. What use did Constantine make of his victory?
22. What edicts did he publish on the occasion?
23. How was Constantine employed after this?
24. Did the peace long continue?
25. What was the consequence?
26. To what was his death ascribed?
SECTION VI.
A crown? what is it?
It is to bear the miseries of a people!
To hear their murmurs, feel their discontents, And sink beneath a load of splendid care!
To have your best success ascribed to Fortune.
And Fortune"s failures all ascribed to you!
It is to sit upon a joyless height, To every blast of changing fate exposed!
Too high for hope! too great for happiness!--_H. More_.
1. Con"stantine and Licin"ius thus remaining undisputed possessors of, and partners in the empire, all things promised a peaceable continuance of friendship and power. 2. However, it was soon found that the same ambition that aimed after a part, would be content with nothing less than the whole. Pagan writers ascribe the rupture between these two potentates to Con"stantine; while the Christians, on the other hand, impute it wholly to Licin"ius. 3. Both sides exerted all their power to gain the ascendancy; and at the head of very formidable armies came to an engagement near Cy"balis, in Panno"nia. 4.
Con"stantine, previous to the battle, in the midst of his Christian bishops, begged the a.s.sistance of heaven; while Licin"ius, with equal zeal, called upon the Pagan priests to intercede with the G.o.ds in their favour. 5. The success was on the side of truth. Con"stantine, after experiencing an obstinate resistance, became victorious, took the enemy"s camp, and after some time compelled Licin"ius to sue for a truce, which was agreed upon. 6. But this was of no long continuance; for, soon after, the war breaking out afresh, the rivals came once more to a general engagement, and it proved decisive. Licin"ius was entirely defeated, and pursued by Con"stantine into Nicome"dia, where he surrendered himself up to the victor; having first obtained an oath that his life should be spared, and that he should be permitted to pa.s.s the remainder of his days in retirement. 7. This, however, Con"stantine shortly after broke; for either fearing his designs, or finding him actually engaged in fresh conspiracies, he commanded him to be put to death, together with Mar"tian, his general, who some time before had been created Caesar.
8. Con"stantine being thus become sole monarch, resolved to establish Christianity on so sure a basis that no new revolution should shake it. He commanded that, in all the provinces of the empire, the orders of the bishops should he implicitly obeyed. He called also a general council, in order to repress the heresies that had already crept into the church, particularly that of A"rius. 9. To this council, at which he presided in person, repaired about three hundred and eighteen bishops, besides a mult.i.tude of presbyters and deacons; who all, except about seventeen, concurred in condemning the tenets of A"rius, who, with his a.s.sociates, was banished into a remote part of the empire.
10. Thus he restored universal tranquillity to his dominions, but was not able to ward off calamities of a more domestic nature. As the wretched historians of this period are entirely at variance with each other, it is not easy to explain the motives which induced him to put his wife Faus"ta, and his son Cris"pus, to death.
11. But it is supposed, that all the good he did was not equal to the evil the empire sustained by his transferring the imperial seat from Rome to Byzan"tium, or Constantino"ple, as it was afterwards called.
12. Whatever might have been the reasons which induced him to this undertaking; whether it was because he was offended at some affronts he had received at Rome, or that he supposed Constantino"ple more in the centre of the empire, or that he thought the eastern parts more required his presence, experience has shown that they were all weak and groundless. 13. The empire had long before been in a most declining state: but this, in a great measure, gave precipitation to its downfall. After this, it never resumed its former splendour, but, like a flower transplanted into a foreign clime, languished by degrees, and at length sunk into nothing.
14. At first, his design was to build a city, which he might make the capital of the world: and for this purpose he made choice of a situation at Chal"cedon, in Asia Minor; but we are told that, in laying out the ground plan, an eagle caught up the line, and flew with it over to Byzan"tium, a city which lay on the opposite side of the Bosphorus. 15. Here, therefore, it was thought expedient to fix the seat of empire; and, indeed, nature seemed to have formed it with all the conveniences, and all the beauties which might induce power to make it the seat of residence.
16. It was situated on a plain, that rose gently from the water: it commanded that strait which unites the Mediterranean with the Euxine sea, and was furnished with all the advantages which the most indulgent climate could bestow.
[Sidenote: U.C. 1084. A.D. 330.]