¶How Constantyne that was kynge Constance sone / and the sone of Saynt Eleyne gouerned and ruled the londe / & was Emperour of Rome.
AFter kynge Constance deth reg¦ned Constantyne his sone & the sone of saynt Eleyne y• founde the holy crosse in the holy londe. And how Con∣stantyne became Emperour of Rome. ¶It befell soo in y• tyme there was an Emperour at Rome yt was a Sarrasyn & a tyraunt / that was called Ma••ence / that put to deth all yt byleued in god / & destroyed holy chirche by all his power & slewe all Crysten men that he myght fynde And among all other he lete mar∣tyr Saynt Katheryne. And many other crysten people that hadde drede of deth fledde & came in to this londe to kynge Constantyne. & tolde hym of the sorowe that Maxence dyde to the Crystyanytee Wherfore Constantyne had pyte / & ma∣de grete sorowe / and assembled a grete hoste & a grete power / and wente ouer vnto Rome / and there toke the cyte and slewe all that there was in that were of mysbyleue that he myght there fynde / And tho was he made Emperour and was a good man and gouerned hym so well that all londes to hym were atten¦daunt for to be vnder his gouernaunce ¶And this deuyll and tyraun Marence that tyme was in the londe of Grece & herde these tydynges and sodeynly beca¦me wood / and sodeynly he deyed and so he ended his lyf. ¶Whan Constantyne wente from this londe vnto Rome / he tooke with hym his moder Eleyne / for the moche wysedome that she coude / & thre other grete lordes that be moost lo∣ued / that one was called Hoell an an o∣ther was called Taberne / & the thyrde Morhin. And toke all his londe to kepe vnto the Erle of Comewayle that was called Octauian. And so anone as this Octauian wyste that his lorde dwelled at Rome. Incontynent he seased all the londe in to his honde / and therwith dy∣de all his wyll amonge hyghe & lowe / & they helde hym for kyng. ¶Whan these tydynges came to Constantyne the Em¦perour