AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



c. 300. 



The same in English. 



FLavius Constantine, surnamed the great, king of the 

 Britaines after his father, and Emperor of the 

 Romanes, borne in Britanie of Helena his mother, and 

 there created Emperour, made his native countrey par- 

 taker of his singular glory and renoume. 



Having conquered and put to flight the Almanes, 

 Spaniards, Frenchmen, and their Kings for a spectacle 

 throwen out to wild beasts, he held France it selfe as 

 subject unto him : and having happily delivered the 

 Italians from the tyrannic of Maxentius, he preferred 

 three of his mothers uncles, all Britaines, namely, Leoline, 

 Trahere, and Marius, whom in all his actions he had 

 found more faithfull unto him then any others, to be of 

 the order of the Romane Senators. 



Eutropius reporteth, that he infinitely excelled in the 

 vertues both of the mind and body also, and that having 

 a pleasure in the practise of warre, and in the just com- 

 mendation of Martiall prowesse, he never pitched his 

 field but his successe in the battel was alwayes victorious. 

 His mother Helena having instructed him in the faith of 

 Christ, although hee made much of all men that were 

 learned in the Greeke and Latine tongues, yet he yeelded 

 speciall honor to those that spent their time in the studie 

 of Divinitie, which he called Christian Philosophic : so 

 that beginning at the furthest part of the Ocean sea, 

 which then was taken to be his owne native soyle of 

 Britaine, and trusting in the assistance of God, when the 

 darkenes of superstition was most thicke, then hee 

 undertooke a care of Religion, stirring up innumerable 

 nations from the West as farre as India it selfe, to the 

 hope of eternall life. 



Hee passed many nightes without sleepe, having his 

 minde occupied in divine studies : and whensoever his 

 laisure from greater affaires did permit him, his vacant 

 times should be spent in the use of writing and other 

 good exercises, assuring himselfe that his kingdomes and 



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