ON THE MIDDLE OR DARK AGES. 



333 



those Grecian blandishments which were despised under the common- 

 wealth. 



On the death of Constantius, which took place in our own city of York, 

 in the year of our Lord f^Ofi, for even Britain had at this time bowed down, 

 through a large extent of her territory, before the mistress of the world ; 

 Constantine, his favourite son, was, agreeably to his father's will, proclaimed 

 emperor in his stead. Galerius, however, who was co-emperor with Con- 

 stantius, opposed this regulation, and endeavoured to secure the whole of 

 the empire to himself ; while various other chieftains taking advantage of 

 the public confusion, not less than four competitors assumed the imperial 

 purple at the same time, it was the good fortune of Constantine to 

 triumph over all his rivals ; and having at length securely seated himself 

 on a throne whose dominion extended over almost the whole of Europe, 

 and a considerable part of Asia and Africa, he resolved upon building a 

 new imperial city, more immediately in the centre of his dominions ; 

 and for this purpose chose the spot of the ancient Byzantium, than which 

 the whole globe could not offer a more auspicious situation, whether in 

 regard to climate, commercial intercourse, or defence. The walls of By- 

 zantium rose on the Thracian coast of the Propontis, or modern Sea of 

 Marmora ; secured by the key of the Thracian Bosphorus on the left, 

 which gave an entrance to the Euxine, and the whole interior of the north ; 

 and by the key of the Hellespont, or Dardanelles, as it is now called, on the 

 right, directly opening into the Archipelago, and communicating with 

 every other part of the world ; the whole of civilized Europe lying im- 

 mediately behind, and Asia and Africa imniediately in front ; surrounded 

 by all those scenes which had been richest in harvests of Grecian glory, 

 and had chiefly contributed to immortalize the Grecian name. The lan- 

 guage was Greek, the country was Greek, and the customs and manners 

 still possessed that mildness and suavity which so peculiarly characterized 

 this polished people ; and which, in no inconsiderable degree, have de- 

 scended to the present hour. The city, thus erected, the Roman empe- 

 ror called after his own name, Constantinople ; he removed the court to 

 it from the old metropolis, and by the enormcjus sums he expended upon 

 it, and the encouragement and patronage he lavished upon settlers of every 

 kind, and especially upon men of letters and artists, he beheld it, in a fiew 

 years, rivalling the magnificence, and even the extent of Rome itself. 

 He endowed it with the same rights, immunities, and privileges ; and es- 

 tablished an equal senate, equal magistracies, and other authorities, and 

 declared it to be the metropolis of the East, as Rome was that of the 

 West. Constantinople is also worthy of attention on another account, 

 as being the first city in tlie world that was dedicated by the authority of 

 the government to the service of the Christian religion. 



The fact of Constantine's conversion is too important, and the means 

 by which it was accomplished too singular to be passed by on the present 

 occasion ; and that I may not be suspected of exaggeration or undue 

 embellishment, I shall give it you in the plain, unvarnished words ofHhe 

 very cautious and authentic writers of the Ancient Universal History. 



In describing the war in which Constantine was involved with Maxen- 

 tius, his most powerful competitor for the empire, they thus observe, at the 

 same time giving their authorities, as they proceed, with an indefatigable 

 research, and weighing them with a scrupulous circumspection which has 

 rarely been equalled in later times : " In this war Providence bad some- 

 thing in view, infinitely more important than the rescuing of Rome from 



