CONSTANTINE. 



179 



Cmistan. CONSTANTINE I. surnamcd the Great, was born 

 tine I. at Naissus in Dacia, about the year 272. His father, 

 W "V"""" / Constantius Chlorus, who, after the resignation of Dio- 

 clesian and Maximian, shared the empire with Gale- 

 rius, was of an ancient and illustrious Roman family, 

 and nearly allied, by the mother's side, to the Emperor 

 Claudius. Distinguished by the humanity and mild- 

 ness of his character, as well as by his warlike atchieve- 

 raents, he proved a steady and seasonable friend to the 

 Christians ; and while the dreadful persecutions which 

 raged during the latter years of Dioclesian, were inun- 

 dating the eastern provinces of the empire with blood, 

 the Christians in the west, under the mild government 

 of Constantius, enjoyed comparative tranquillity and 

 protection. Helena, the mother of Constantine, was of 

 low extraction, and is even said to have been the daugh- 

 ter of an inn-keeper. She was divorced by the com- 

 mand of Dioclesian, upon her husband's exaltation to 

 the rank of Caesar, when Constantius married Theodo- 

 sia, the daughter of the Emperor Maximian. Constan- 

 tine was then about eighteen years of age. In his 

 youth he had shewn little inclination to store his mind 

 with useful knowledge ; but, possessing a comely figure 

 and a vigorous constitution, his attention was chiefly di- 

 rected to the acquisition of martial accomplishments. 

 He was dexterous in every manly exercise, and, by his 

 courage and affability of manners, he soon became a 

 very general favourite with the army and people. In- 

 stead of following his father Constantius to the west, he 

 had resided principally at Nicomedia in the suite of 

 Dioclesian, and for his signal services in Persia and E- 

 gypt, had been raised to the rank of tribune of the first 

 order. His popularity and accomplishments, however, 

 had exposed him to the jealousy of Galerius, who, 

 dreading the opposition that he might one day have to 

 encounter from his talents and his power, used every 

 mean of retarding his advancement, and of detaining 

 him at Nicomedia, that he might keep a strict watch 

 over his conduct. When Constantius, who found his 

 health daily declining, desired his colleague to send his 

 Son to him over to Britain, Galerius delayed as long as 

 possible, and at last allowed him to depart with the ut- 

 most reluctance. Constantine arrived at York just in 

 time to see his father expire, in 306. He was imme- 

 diately called to the tin-one by the voice of the army, 

 and Galerius found himself obliged to acknowledge 

 him as sovereign of all the provinces beyond the Alps, 

 but denied to him the title of Augustus. Constantine 

 at first appeared satisfied with this acknowledgment, 

 and employed himself for some years in consolidating 

 and securing the power which he had already acquired. 

 About a year after his accession, he married Fausta, the 

 daughter of Maximian, who had again resumed the pur- 

 ple. He was not allowed, however, to remain long in 

 peace. The ambition of his father-in-law, who attempt- 

 ed to wrest from him his dominions, soon gave him an 

 opportunity of engaging in active warfare; and Constan- 

 tine continued his career of conquest, until he found 

 himself without a competitor in the empire. But as the 

 reign of this prince forms such an important aera both 

 in the history of the world and of the church, it would 

 be anticipating here what will be more properly in- 

 troduced under other articles to enter into any particu- 

 lar detail of the transactions of that period. We may 

 only observe, that during the contentions which then 

 agitated the Roman empire, and in which Constantine 

 bore such a distinguished part, he all along displayed 

 not only the qualities of a consummate general, but al- 

 so the more rare virtues of a merciful conqueror. His 



government in the western provinces was particularly 

 marked by prudence and humanity ; and his victory 

 over Maxentius was unstained by those indiscriminate 

 massacres, of which Rome had been so often the theatre 

 upon receiving a new master. The family of Maxen- 

 tius, and his most distinguished adherents, were the 

 only sufferers ; and though a greater number of victims 

 were loudly demanded by the people, yet the emperor 

 firmly resisted their clamours, and informers were even 

 discouraged and punished. When Constantine, after 

 the defeat and death of Licinius, saw himself sole mas- 

 ter of the Roman world, his unabated exertions were 

 still directed to the safety and tranquillity of the em- 

 pire, which enjoyed fourteen years of almost uninter- 

 rupted peace : and the Christian cause, in particular, 

 experienced the happy effects of his auspicious admini- 

 stration. But though success invariably followed his 

 standard, and no ambitious rival attempted to dispute 

 his authority, yet his domestic peace was disturbed by 

 the most afflicting events; and by the murder of an inno- 

 cent son, and the execution of a guilty wife, a stain has 

 been left upon his character, which no apology can oblite- 

 rate. Crispus, the eldest son of Constantine by Miner- 

 vina, his first wife, was a youth of the fairest promise. 

 He had early displayed his military prowess against the 

 Germans ; and the naval victory over the fleet of Lici- 

 nius at the Hellespont, was owing entirely to his intre- 

 pidity and skill. His valour and engaging manners had 

 secured to him the esteem of his father's subjects, and 

 they beheld in him a worthy successor to the great Con- 

 stantine. The emperor, it is said, could not brook a 

 rival, either in the empire or in the hearts of his sub- 

 jects ; and the accomplishments of Crispus only tended 

 to draw upon him the displeasure and jealousy of his 

 father. While his younger brothers, the children of 

 Fausta, were promoted to important commands, he was 

 kept at home neglected and unemployed ; and when 

 Constantine was celebrating at Rome the 20th anniver- 

 sary of his reign, the unfortunate Crispus was appre- 

 hended, and without the form of a trial, secretly put to 

 death. A deed so repugnant to the feelings of a father, 

 and so contrary to Constantine's wonted clemency and 

 justice, has been the occasion of much controversy. To 

 seek for a cause for such atrocity, as has been done by 

 some in his jealousy of the fame of his son, would be 

 to rank him with the weakest and the most degenerate 

 of mankind. It has, therefore, been more justly impu- 

 ted to the artifices of Fausta, who wished to secure the 

 empire for her own children. She poisoned the ear of 

 the emperor with the most groundless accusations of 

 treachery and disloyalty against Crispus : or, accord- 

 ing to some authors, Crispus having refused to satisfy 

 her incestuous desires, she insinuated to Constantine, 

 that her honour had been endangered by the designs of 

 his son. Her perfidy, however, was at last discovered 

 and punished ; but the aged emperor was left to beAvail 

 his hasty condemnation of the noblest and most virtuous 

 of his children. The death of Crispus could not but ex- 

 cite the indignation of the people. Unable to decide 

 upon the nature of his crime, or the justice of his pu- 

 nishment, they yielded to the first impulse of their feel- 

 ings. He had been too much the idol of their attach- 

 ment and hopes to be immediately forgotten ; and the 

 mysterious secrecy in which his death was involved, 

 was a sufficient ground with them to suppose him inno- 

 cent, and to estrange their affections from the emperor, 

 whom they now regarded as the murderer of his son. 

 Constantine felt that his popularity was declining ; and, 

 having no personal attachment to the ancient capitah 



