A breviary of Roman history from the building of Rome, to the year 1119 ... / writ in Latin by Eutropius ; translated into English by several young gentlemen privately educated in Hatton-Garden.

The Tenth Book OF EƲTROPIƲS: (Book 10)

Constantius, Galerius, Licinius, Con∣stantinus, with his three Sons, and Successors; also Julianus, Jovianus, with other Roman Synchronisms.

From A. C. 1056. to 1119.

By Mr. John Shadwell.

THerefore Dioclesian and Herculius retiring, Constan∣tius and Galerius were created Emperours to go∣vern the Commonwealth, and the Roman Empire was divided between them: Constantius had Gaul, Italy and Africa, Galerius possessed himself of

Illyricum, Asia, and the Eastern parts having chosen two Caesars. But Con∣stantius satisfied with the honour of being Emperour refused the trouble of governing Italy and Africa, he was an excellent Man, and of most extra∣ordinary civility, extreamly gracious to his Allies and private Persons, he cared not for the fulness of his Ex∣chequer, and was better pleased to have the publick wealth in the hands of private Men, than shut up in one fund. He affected Pomp so little▪ that on festival Days, if he were to feast with many of his Friends, he borrowed furniture and Plate from private persons to entertain them. The Gauls not onely loved this Man, but even reverenced him, chiesly be∣cause under his power they had esca∣ped the suspected policy of Diocle∣sian and the bloody rashness of Maxi∣mianus, he died in Britanny at York in the thirteenth year of his Reign, and was consecrated amongst the God.

Galerius was a Man well bred and famous in warlike matters, when he found that the government of Italy fell under his Command by the con∣sent of Constantius, he ordained two Caesars. But Constantius being dead, Constantine his Son by a Wife of mean quality was made Emperour in Brit∣tany, and as one most desireable suc∣ceeded his Father. In the mean while the Praetorian Band at Rome having raised a mutiny, proclaimed Maxen∣tius the Son of Herculius Emperour, who lived publickly not far from Rome, at which news Maximianus Herculius hoping to reassume the power, he had unwillingly forsaken, came soon to Rome from Lucania, where as a private man he had chosen to dwell, growing old in that most pleasant Country. He persuaded Dio∣clesian also by Letters (but in vain) to re-take the Power he had laid down. But Severus Caesar being sent to Rome by Galerius against the insur∣rection of the Praetorian Soldiers, ar∣rived there with his Army, but be∣sieging

the City his Soldiers basely deserted him: thus Maxentius his power was encreased, and the Empire confirm'd to him. Severus in his flight was slain at Ravenna: but Her∣culius Maximianus after these things endeavouring to depose his Son Ma∣xentius in an Assembly of the Army, made the Soldiers mutiny and revile him. Upon this he went to Gaul with a treacherous Design, to asso∣ciate himself with his Son-in-law Con∣stantine, as if his own Son had ex∣pelled him, but endeavouring when∣ever he had an opportunity to kill Constantine, who reigned in Gaul much beloved both by his Soldiers and the Natives, having beaten the Franci and the Alamanni, he exposed their Captive Kings to wild Beasts at his publick and noble Show. Wherefore his treachery being detected by his Daughter Fausta, who discovered the Villany to her Husband, Herculius fled to Massilia, and there slain (intend∣ing to sail from thence to his Son) was punish'd with a just Death. He was

a Man prone to all kind of roughness and cruelty, unfaithful, injurious, and very barbarous.

Now Galerius made Licinius Em∣perour being a Dacian, having been formerly acquainted with him, and acceptable to him for his great en∣deavours and services in the War he made against Narseus: Galerius soon after died: then the Commonwealth was governed by these four Empe∣rours, Constantine and Maxentius Sons of Emperours, Licinius and Maximi∣nus being Upstarts. But Constantine in the fifth year of his Reign rais∣ed a Civil War against Maxentius, and routed his Forces in a great ma∣ny Battels, at last at the Milvian Bridg he conquer'd him (who had raged with all kind of cruelty against the Nobility at Rome) and so gained Italy. Not long after Maximinus at∣tempting an insurrection in the East against Licinius, his own accidental death at Tarsus, prevented his intend∣ed destruction. But Constantine was a great Man, and endeavouring to per∣form

all that he had designed in his mind; also affecting the Government of all the World; he brought War upon Licinius, although he was fa∣miliarly acquainted with him and nearly related to him, his Sister Con∣stantia being married to Licinius: on a sudden he set upon him first in Pannonia, and then as he was gather∣ing together great Forces at the City Cibalae, and having gained all Darda∣nia, Moesia and Macedonia, he posses∣sed himself of a great many Provinces. Afterwards there arose several Wars between them, and the Peace which was made, broken in the end, Li∣cinius conquer'd in a Sea-fight, and at Land at Nicomedia, yielded up him∣self, and was killed a private Man at the City Thessalonica contrary to the sincerity of a solemn Oath. Then the Roman Empire was under one Em∣perour and three Caesars (never so be∣fore) Constantine's Sons governing Gaul, the Eastern parts and Italy: but this wonderful success somewhat alter'd Constantine from his tractable and gen∣tle

temper. So that first persecuting his nearest Friends, he killed his Sisters Son an excellent young Man, and of a very good disposition; and after the slaughter of very many of his Friends he put his Wife to death: He was a Man in the beginning of his Reign to be compared with the best of Princes, but at last to be ranked with the in∣different, adorned with a great many Virtues both of Mind and Body, very ambitious of Military honour, Fortune was successful to him in War, but his industry was as great as his Fortune. For after the Civil War he often beat the Goths: and at last having granted them peace, he left even amongst those Barbarians a great remembrance of his favour. He was addicted to civil Arts and generous Exercises, an affector of true Friendship, which he altogether sought to procure by his liberality and easiness; as he was severe to some of his Friends, so he was extra∣ordinary kind to the rest, letting no opportunity slip to make them rich

and eminent. He made a great ma∣ny Laws, some good and just, very many superfluous, and some severe. He first attempted to advance the City Constantinople called after his own name to so great a pitch as to make it equal with Rome: in his Design to make War against the Parthians, who had harassed Mesopotamia, he died in a publick Vill of the City Nicomedia, in the one and thirtieth year of his Reign, and the sixty sixth of his age. His Death was foretold by a blazing Star, (called by the Greeks 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) which of an unusual bigness appeared for some time; and he was deserved∣ly made a God.

He left three of his own Sons and one of his Brothers to succeed him: but Dalmatius Caesar a most hopeful Man not unlike his Uncle was slain a while after by a Military Faction with the consent rather than by the command of his Cousin Constantius. Moreover Constans his Captains slew Constantine making War against his

Brother and unadvisedly fighting at the City Aquileia. Thus the Com∣monwealth was reduced to two Em∣perours. Constans his Reign for some time was great and just, afterwards through sickness and the persuasions of some of his worst Friends, being grown vicious and intolerable to the Subjects of the Provinces, and unac∣ceptable to his Soldiers, he was slain by the Faction of Maxentius, not far from Spain in a Castle called Helena in the eighteenth year of his Reign, and the thirteenth of his age. He performed a great many valiant actions in War, and was terrible to his Army all his life-time without much cruelty. Constantius his for∣tune was various, for he suffer'd ve∣ry many injuries from the Persians, who had oftentimes sacked his Towns, besieged his Cities, and beaten his Armies: never had he any success in Battel against King Sapores unless at Singara, where the eagerness of his Soldiers, lost in probability a certain

Victory, who tumultuously and fool∣ishly against the reason of War de∣manded to fight, the day being far spent. After the death of Constans Magnentius having got Italy, Afri∣ca and Gaul, there arose an insurre∣ction in Illyricum. Veteranio being made Emperour by the consent of the Soldiers, and now a very old Man and beloved by all by reason of his long continuance and success in War, was chosen Prince and Gover∣nour of Illyricum. He was a virtu∣ous Man observing the ancient Ro∣man manners and of obliging civili∣ty, but ignorant of all liberal Sci∣ences; so that he did not learn even the rudiments of Learning, till he was old and made Emperour; but Constantius, who to revenge his Bro∣thers Death had raised a Civil War, put an end to the Reign of Vetera∣nio, who after a new and unusual manner by the agreement of the Sol∣diers was forced to lay down the Im∣perial Power. There arose also a mu∣tiny

at Rome by the means of Nepotia∣nus Constantine's Sisters Son, who sei∣zing upon the Empire with a party of Gladiators, met with a Death wor∣thy of his cruel beginnings, being slain on the eight and twentieth day by Magnentius his Captains, and his head carried all about the City upon a Ja∣velin. There were great Proscriptions and much slaughter of the Nobility at that time.

Not long after Magnentius was put to flight, and very near taken in the Battel at Mursa: the great strength of the Romans in that fight was much weaken'd, even Soldiers that were fit to manage any forein Wars, and might have procured security and many Tri∣umphs to the Commonwealth. Soon after Constantius sent Gallus his Uncles Son as Caesar to the East: and Mag∣nentius beaten in several Battels in the third year and the seventh month of his Reign, killed himself at Lugdunum: as his Brother Decentius, whom he had sent with an Imperial Authority to govern Gaul, did also among the Se∣nones.

At this time Constantius also having committed a great many out-rages, killed Gallus Caesar, a man fierce by nature, and prone to tyranny if he had been absolute. Sylvanus also attempt∣ing an Insurrection in Gaul, died be∣fore the thirtieth day: (then Constan∣tius was the only Prince and Augustus of the Roman Empire.) Soon after he sent Julian Caesar to Gaul, who was his Cousin, and the Brother of Gallus, having given him his Sister in marri∣age. At that time the Barbarians sacked a great many Towns, besieged others, and had horribly wasted all places. The Roman Empire by these misfortunes was in a tottering conditi∣on, by whom with indifferent Forces the great Army of the Alamanni was suppressed at Argentoratum, a City of Gaul, their most considerable King was taken, and Gaul was regained to the Empire. This Julian afterwards per∣formed a great many valiant actions against the Barbarians, and drove the Germans beyond the River Rhine, and restored the Roman Empire to its for∣mer

Confines. Not long after when the German Army was removed from their Garrison in Gaul, Julian was cho∣sen Emperor by the Soldiers, and af∣ter a years space he marched to gain Illyricum, whilst Constantius was busie in managing the Parthian Wars, who died in his march between Cilicia and Cappadocia, in the eight and thirtieth year of his Reign, and the five and fortieth of his age, and deserved to be numbred amongst the Gods: he was a man of an exceeding calm temper, easie, and giving too much credit to his friends and familiars: he was also too uxorious, but in the first years of his Reign he behaved himself with great modesty: he also enriched his friends, nor did let any of them want honor, whose industrious services he had made use of: yet inclinable to se∣severity, if he grew jealous of any de∣sign upon his Empire, but otherwise mild, whose success was greater in the Civil, than in Forein Wars.

After this Julian gained the Empire, and with great preparation made War

with the Parthiuns, in which Expedi∣tion I my self was present: he made some Towns and Castles of the Persi∣ans to surrender, or else took them by force; and having depopulated Assy∣ria, he encamp'd for some time at the Town Ctesiphon, and returning Con∣queror was slain by the Enemy, whilst he too rashly pressed on in the Battel, on the sixth of the Kalends of July, in the seventh year of his Reign, and the one and thirtieth of his age, and was translated amongst the Gods; an ex∣traordinary man, designing admira∣rably to govern the Commonwealth, if he had lived: he was very skilful in Liberal Sciences, and much more learned in Greek than in Latin: he was very eloquent, and had a me∣mory most ready and tenacious, and in some things more resembling a Phi∣losopher: he was liberal towards his friends, but not so careful as it be∣came so great a Prince; for there were some who would wound his honor: he was very just to the Natives of the Provinces, and eased them from Taxes

as much as could be: he was courte∣ous to all men, but took little care of his Exchequer, very ambitious of glo∣ry, which oftentimes transported his mind: he was too great a Persecutor of the Christians; yet so as he abstain∣ed from putting any to death: he was not unlike M. Antoninus, whom he endeavoured to imitate. After Julian, Jovian, who at that time was one of the Guard, was elected Emperor by the Soldiers, more eminent by his Fa∣thers commendation than by his own; who through the disorder of his af∣fairs, and the want of provision in the Army, when he was overcome in seve∣ral Battels by the Persians, made a ne∣cessary, tho an ignoble peace with King Sapores, being forced to diminish the Confines, and to part with some of the Roman Empire, which in eleven hundred and eighteen years from the building of Rome, never hapned till his time. I confess our Legions were made slaves at the Town Caudium by Pontius Telesinus, in Spain also at Nu∣mantia and in Numidia; yet no part

of the Empire was surrendred. This condition of Peace ought not altoge∣ther to have been blamed, if Jovian would have broke the necessity of his League, when it was fresh and in force, as the Romans have done in all these Wars, that I have given an account of; for War was forthwith brought upon the Samnites, the Numantians, and the Numidians; neither was there any Peace ratified. But he staying in the East, and fearing one that would rival him in his Empire, little consulted his own honor: wherefore in his march to Illyricum he suddenly died in the Con∣fines of Galatia: he was a man nei∣ther unactive nor imprudent. Many snppose he died of a Surfeit, for he lo∣ved to indulge Feasting at Supper, others of the small of his Bed-chamber, which coming from the fresh plaister∣ing of the Wall, was dangerous to such that lie there: some think he died by the fume of too many coals, which he commanded to be burnt, it being very cold. He died in the seventh month of his Reign, on the fourteenth

of the Kalends of March; and as they who speak most probably in the three and thirtieth year of his age, and by the kindness of his Successors was dei∣fied; for he was inclined to civility, and very liberal in his nature. This was the state of the Roman Empire, when this Jovian and Varronianus were Consuls in the eleven hundred and 19th. year, after the building of Rome. But since I am come to famous and ve∣nerable Princes, I will put an end to my work; for I must speak of what remains in a more lofty stile, which I do not at this time so much omit, as reserve to be written more accu∣rately.