But it CHA P. thought, that the remembrance of a conjugal XVIII. union of twenty years, and the honour of their common offspring, the deftined heirs of the throne, might have foftened the obdurate heart of Conftantine; and perfuaded him to fuffer his wife, however guilty fhe might appear, to expiate her offences in a folitary prison. feems a fuperfluous labour to weigh the propriety, unless we could afcertain the truth, of this fingular event; which is attended with fome circumstances of doubt and perplexity. Those who have attacked, and those who have defended, the character of Conftantine, have alike difregarded two very remarkable paffages of two orations pronounced under the fucceeding reign. The former celebrates the virtues, the beauty, and the fortune of the emprefs Faufta, the daughter, wife, fifter, and mother of fo many princes 25. The latter afferts, in explicit terms, that the mother of the younger Conftantine, who was flain three years after his father's death, furvived to weep over the fate of her fon 26. Notwithstanding the pofitive teftimony of feveral writers of the Pagan The orator Chryfoftom indulges his fancy by expofing the naked emprefs on a defert mountain, to be devoured by wild beasts. 25 Julian. Orat. i. He feems to call her the mother of Crifpus. She might affume that title by adoption. At least, she was not conAdered as his mortal enemy. Julian compares the fortune of Faufta with that of Paryfatis, the Perfian queen. A Roman would have more naturally recollected the fecond Agrippina: Et moi, qui fur le trone ai fuivi mes ancêtres : Moi, fille, femme, fœur, et mere de vos maitres. 26 Monod. in Conftantin. Jun. c.4. ad Calcem Eutrop. edit. Havercamp. The orator ftyles her the most divine and pious of queens. as as well as of the Chriftian religion, there may CHA P. ftill remain fome reafon to believe, or at least to XVII. fufpect, that Faufta escaped the blind and fufpicious cruelty of her husband. The deaths of a fon, and of a nephew, with the execution of a great number of respectable, and perhaps innocent friends 27, who were involved in their fall, may be fufficient, however, to juftify the discontent of the Roman people, and to explain the fatirical verfes affixed to the palace-gate, comparing the fplendid and bloody reigns of Conftantine and Nero 28. and ne tine. By the death of Crifpus, the inheritance of the The fons empire feemed to devolve on the three fons of phews of Faufta, who have been already mentioned under Conftanthe names of Constantine, of Constantius, and of Conftans. These young princes were fucceffively invested with the title of Cæfar; and the dates of their promotion may be referred to the tenth, the twentieth, and the thirtieth years of the reign of their father 29. This conduct, though it tended to multiply the future mafters of the Roman world, might be excufed by the partiality of paternal affection; but it is not easy to understand It is fomewhat fingular, that thefe fatirical lines fhould be attribut- CHA P. the motives of the emperor, when he endangered XVIII. the fafety both of his family and of his people, Their edu cation. by the unneceffary elevation of his two nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibalianus. The former was raised, by the title of Cæfar, to an equality with his coufins. In favour of the latter, Conftantine invented the new and fingular appellation of Nobiliffimus; to which he annexed the flattering diftinction of a robe of purple and gold. But of the whole series of Roman princes in any age of the empire, Hannibalianus alone was diftinguished by the title of KING; a name which the fubjects of Tiberius would have detefted, as the profane and cruel infult of capricious tyranny. The ufe of fuch a title, even as it appears under the reign of Conftantine, is a strange and unconnected fact, which can fcarcely be admitted on the joint authority of Imperial medals and contemporary writers "1. 31 The whole empire was deeply interested in the education of thefe five youths, the acknowledged fucceffors of Conftantine. The exercifes of the body prepared them for the fatigues of war, and the duties of active life. Those who occafionally mention the education or talents of Conftantius, allow that he excelled in the gymnaftic arts of 30 Zofim. l.ii. p. 117. Under the predeceffors of Conftantine, Nobiliffimus was a vague epithet, rather than a legal and determined title. 31 Adftruunt nummi veteres ac fingulares. Spanheim de Ufu Numifmat. Differtat. xii. vol. ii. p. 357. Ammianus fpeaks of this Ronian king (1. xiv. c. 1. and Valelius ad loc.) The Valefian fragment ftyles him King of kings; and the Pafchal Chronicle (p. 286.), by employing the word Prya, acquires the weight of Latin evidence. leaping leaping and running; that he was a dexterous chap. archer, a fkilful horfeman, and a mafter of all XVIII. the different weapons used in the fervice either of 32 the cavalry or of the infantry ". The fame affiduous cultivation was beftowed, though not perhaps with equal fuccefs, to improve the minds of the fons and nephews of Constantine 33. The most celebrated profeffors of the Chriftian faith, of the Grecian philofophy, and of the Roman jurif prudence, were invited by the liberality of the emperor, who referved for himself the important task of inftructing the royal youths in the science of government, and the knowledge of mankind. But the genius of Conftantine himself had been formed by adverfity and experience. In the free intercourse of private life, and amidst the dangers of the court of Galerius, he had learned to command his own paffions, to encounter thofe of his equals, and to depend for his prefent fafety and future greatnefs on the prudence and firmnefs of his perfonal conduct. His deftined fucceffors had the misfortune of being born and educated in the Imperial purple. Inceffantly furrounded with a train of flatterers, they paffed their youth in the enjoyment of luxury and the expectation of a throne; nor would the dignity of their rank per 32 His dexterity in martial exercife is clebrated by Julian (Orat. i. p. 11. Orat. ii. p. 53.), and allowed by Ammianus (1. xxi. c. 16.). 33 Eufeb. in Vit Conftantin. 1. iv. c. 51 Julian. Orat. i. p. 11-16. with Spanheim's elaborate Commentary. Libanius, Orat. iii. p. 109. Conftantius ftudied with laudable diligence; but the duinefs of his fancy prevented him from fucceeding in the art of poetry, or even of thetoric, CHAP. mit them to defcend from that elevated station XVIII. from whence the various characters of human nature appear to wear a fmooth and uniform afpect. The indulgence of Conftantine admitted them, at a very tender age, to fhare the adminiftration of the empire; and they studied the art of reigning at the expence of the people entrusted to their care. The younger Conftantine was appointed to hold his court in Gaul; and his brother Conftantius exchanged that department, the ancient patrimony of their father, for the more opulent, but lefs martial, countries of the East. Italy, the Western Illyricum, and Africa, were accustomed to revere Conftans, the third of his fons, as the reprefentative of the great Conftantine. He fixed Dalmatius on the Gothic frontier to which he annexed the government of Thrace, Macedonia, and Greece. The city of Cæfarea was chofen for the refidence of Hannibalianus ; and the provinces of Pontus, Cappadocia, and the Leffer Armenia, were deftined to form the extent of his new kingdom. For each of these princes a fuitable establishment was provided. A just proportion of guards, of legions, and of auxiliaries, was allotted for their refpective dig nity and defence. The minifters and generals, who were placed about their perfons, were fuch as Conftantine could trust to affift, and even to con trol, thefe youthful fovereigns in the exercife of their delegated power. As they advanced in years and experience, the limits of their authority were infenfibly enlarged: but the emperor always referved for himself the title of Auguftus; ་ and |