428 



ROMAN EMPIRE. 



Roman 

 Empire, 



Probus 

 murdered 

 by his sol- 

 diers. 

 A. I). 282 



Carus suc- 

 ceeds to 

 the empire. 



the Goths to sue for peace. He next marched into Asia, 

 and having subjugated Isauria, c. he defeated with 

 great slaughter a numerous army of the Blemmyes, a 

 ravage tribe, who had left the wilds of Ethiopia, and 

 retained possession of Arabia and Judea since the time 

 of Gallienus. 



The military renown of Probus being thus made 

 known to his enemies, the king of Persia sued for 

 peace, and endeavoured by the most splendid presents 

 to purchase the favour of the emperor. When the 

 ambassadors were introduced with their offers, Probus 

 was refreshing himself with the most common fare, 

 and without deigning to cast his eyes upon them, he 

 said, that if the Persian king did not make proper sa- 

 tisfaction to the Romans, he would leave their terri- 

 tories as naked as the crown of his head. Upon say- 

 ing this, he took off his hat, and exhibited the crown 

 of his head to the ambassadors. The Persian monarch 

 accepted of the proffered conditions, and Probus re- 

 turned to Rome, and was honoured with a triumph 

 which lasted several days. 



Having vanquished his foreign enemies, Probus 

 was next employed in pulling down various usurpers 

 of his power. Saturninus, whom the Egyptians had 

 forced to declare 'himself emperor, was defeated and 

 killed. Proculus, another pretender to the empire, who 

 was notorious for his debaucheries, and who had ac- 

 quired wealth by his piracies, was defeated ; and hav- 

 ing been delivered up by the Germans, was exposed 

 on a gibbet. Bonosius, celebrated as a drunkard, next 

 raised the standard of rebellion ; but having been beaten, 

 he hanged himself in despair. 



When the Goths and Vandals saw the extent of 

 these domestic commotions, they resumed their in- 

 roads into the empire ; but Probus succeeded in driv- 

 ing them among their native wilds, and returned in 

 triumph to Rome. Probus now devoted himself to 

 the arts of peace. He encouraged the inhabitants of 

 Gaul and Illyricum to plant vines in their territories, 

 and he repaired no fewer than seventy cities which 

 had fallen into decay in different parts of the empire. 

 Having passed through his native city of Sirmium, 

 on an expedition against the Persians, he employed se- 

 veral thousands of his soldiers in draining a fen in its 

 neighbourhood by means of artificial canals communi- 

 cating with the sea. The troops, however, disliking 

 the labour of this task, mutinied and attacked Probus 

 as he was passing into one of the towns of IHyricum. 

 The emperor escaped into an iron tower, which he had 

 built for the purpose of watching the operations in the 

 marshes ; but having none of his guards along with 

 him, he was overpowered and murdered in the 50th 

 year of his age, and the seventh of his reign. The 

 news of this event occasioned great consternation in 

 Rome. Both his friends and his enemies deplored his 

 loss; and the very army who had basely murdered him 

 erected a monument over his body, with the inscrip- 

 tion, Hie Probus imperator, verc Probus, situs cst, victor 

 omnium gentium barbarorum, victor eliam (yrannorum. 



Probus was succeeded by Aurelius Carus the Praeto- 

 rian prefect, who was proclaimed by the army, who ap- 

 pointed his two sons Carinus and Numerianus to assist 

 him in his duties. He was employed in bringing to 

 punishment the murderers of Probus, he was called 

 ^upon to repel an attack from the Sarmatians, and also 

 from the Persians. After defeating the former in a 

 decisive battle, he conducted his army into Persia, and 

 marching to the very walls of Ctesiphon, he overthrew 

 the Persian army with great loss. He did not live, 



however, to enjoy this success, for he and many of his 

 attendants were killed by a stroke of lightning in his 

 tent. The distress of his youngest son Numerianus, 

 is said to have been so great that he brought on a 

 severe disease in his eyes by excessive weeping, and 

 was obliged to accompany the army shut up in a close 

 litter. Aper, his father-in-law, conceived the design 

 of aiming at the sovereignty. H<fhired an assassin to 

 murder Numerianus in his litter ; and in order to con- 

 ceal the deed, he announced, that Numerianus was 

 unable to bear the light, and the deception was kept 

 up till the smell of the dead body discovered the 

 treachery of Aper. An uproar was immediately ex- 

 cited in the army. Dioclesian was chosen emperor, 

 and with his own hand slew Aper. Carinus, however, 

 the other brother, stili resisted the election of Diocle- 

 sian, and the rival armies having met in Dalmatia, 

 Dioclesian was victorious, and Carinus was slain by a 

 tribune of his own army, whose wife he had debauched.. 



When Dioclesian ascended the throne he assumed 

 his general Maximian as his partner in the empire, 

 and after a reign of twenty-one years, the events of 

 which we have already fully detailed in our life of 

 DIOCLESIAN, (Vol. VII. p. 746.) they resigned. 



Constantius Chlorus and Galerius, who had been 

 created Caesars by Dioclesian and Maximian, were now 

 proclaimed their successors. The former was distin- 

 guished by his bravery, his humanity, and his virtues; 

 while the latter debased his personal courage by his 

 cruelty and incontinence. Having agreed to divide 

 the empire, Constantius received Italy, Sicily, the 

 greater part of Africa, along with Spain, Great Bri- 

 tain, and Germany ; while Galerius obtained the do- 

 minion of Illyricum, Pannonia, Macedonia, the pro- 

 vinces of Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria, Judea, 

 and other eastern countries. 



In order to enable them to look after such extensive 

 territories, they assumed two partners, Severus and 

 Maximian, so that the Roman empire was now go- 

 verned by four individuals possessed of supreme power. 

 The conduct of Constantius did not disappoint the ex- 

 pectations of his friends. He treated the Christians 

 with peculiar humanity ; and when he had been per- 

 suaded to displace those officers of his household who 

 would not renounce the Christian faith, he sent away 

 in disgrace those who were disposed to renounce it, 

 and declared that they could never be faithful to their 

 prince who were not steady to their God. 



When Constantius went over into Britain, he took 

 up his residence at York ; but being there taken ill, he 

 sent for his son Constantine with the view of appoint- 

 ing him his successor. Constantine arrived when all 

 hopes of his father's recovery were at an end, but the 

 dying emperor was still able to give many useful in- 

 structions to his son, and to recommend the Christians 

 to his special protection. After bequeathing to him 

 the empire, he expired in the arms of his son. 



When Galerius was informed of the death of his 

 colleague, and of the advancement of Constantine, he 

 could scarcely restrain himself from some act of vio- 

 lence ; but he was at last induced to send the ensigns 

 of royalty to Constantine, though he at the same time 

 declared Severus to be the successor of Constantine. 

 In this emergency Maxentius, a favourite of the king, 

 but a person of low origin, usurped the imperial power. 

 Severus conducted a numerous army against the 

 usurper, but they abandoned him as soon as they 

 reached the gates of Rome, and mortified at their de- 

 fection, he put an end to his existence by bleeding hina- 



Roman 

 Empire. 

 ^- Y~ 

 Is killed 

 by light- 

 ning. 



Dioclesian 

 proclaimed 

 emperor. 

 A. D. 28*. 



A. D. 305. 

 Constantius 

 Chlorus 

 and Gale- 

 rius pro- 

 claimed em- 

 perors. 

 A. D. 305. 



Death of 

 Constantius 

 in Britain. 

 A. D. 306. 



