The chronicles of England from Brute vnto this present yeare of Christ. 1580. Collected by Iohn Stow citizen of London.

COnstantine surnamed the great, sonne of Constantius by* 1.1 Helena, first consecrated, hys Father being nowe deade, and with so great sorrowe and sheading of teares, solempni∣zed his burial, that the souldiours hoping he would resemble hys Father, saluted him Emperour at Yorke against his wil: but when the Romaine Senate had confirmed hys election with theyr consent he willingly accepted it. And the yere fo∣lowing setting the affayres of Brytaine in order, he passed hence wyth manye Brytaines, firste agaynste the Frankes whome he vanquished, then agaynste Maxentius an U∣surper, whome he slewe: and afterwarde agaynste Lici∣nus who named hymselfe Emperour, whome also he sub∣dued. Many barbarous nations also were by hym discom∣fited. He establyshed the Gospell in hys Empyre, and after hym all Emperoures were Christians. In the firste beginnyng of hys raygne, hée was worthye to haue bene compared wyth the beste and chiefest Princes of

the Romaines that euer were: and at the ende thereof, to be resembled to such as were of the meaner sort. He was much giuen to purchase prayse and fame by feates of cheualrie: hée had good fortune in battaile, and yet not so good, but that his industrye excelled it farre.

After he had repressed the ciuill warres, he vanquished the Gothes in diuerse places: and wanne greate memorie of prayse among the Barbarians: He applyed himselfe wholly to the studye of the Liberal artes: he endeauored to gayne the loue of the people, through his well deseruings, séeking the same by his great liberalitie. The Cittie whiche he builte, he made it able to compare (in manner) with Rome it selfe.* 1.2 And as he made prepation for battaile against the Parthians, he died at Nicomedia.

Eusebius writeth that Constantine was baptised firste in* 1.3 the last dayes of his life in Gracia, in the Cittie of Nicomedia, of the Bishoppe there.

Also Sozomenus & Theodoritus write, that he was bapti∣zed* 1.4 in his latter dayes a little before his death, when he wist he should dye, in the xxxj. yere of hys Empire.

He left behinde him thrée sonnes, to witte Constantinus Constans, and Constantius, to succéede him in the Empire.* 1.5

Helen y^e mother of Constantine the great at Ierusalem foūd the Crosse on the which Christ suffered his passion, she repai∣red the Citie of Ierusalem, and adorned it with manye fayre Churches. She builded walles aboute London and Colche∣ster.

About this time Octauius whom Constantine had left go∣uernour▪* 1.6 in this Ilande, rebelled, against whom Constantine sent Traherne wyth a legion of Romaines, who (after diuerse conflictes) was slaine. Gratianus surnamed Funarius, was at this time gouernour of the Romaine legions here.

Notes

• * 1.1

  306
• * 1.2

  Constantinople
• * 1.3

  Eusebius.
• * 1.4

  Sozomenus.
• * 1.5

  Theodoritus.
• * 1.6

  Octauius. Simon Dunelmen∣sis.