A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

834 CONSTANTINUS. CONSTANTINUS.
nach on the Rhine in Germany as some pretend, of the Roman empire. His fame as a great monConstantine had a vision, seeing in his sleep a arch, distinguished both by civil and military abicross with the inscription ev eTOT& V'a. Thus, it lities, increased every year, and the consciousness
is said, he adopted the cross, and in that sign was of his talents and power induced him to make a
victorious.f final struggle for the undivided government of the
Constantine crossed the Cottian Alps (Mount empire. In 323, he declared war against Licinius,
C&nis), defeated the vanguard of Maxentius at who was then advanced in years and was detested
Turin, entered Milan, and laid seige to Verona, for his cruelties, but whose land forces were equal
under the walls of which Maxentius suffered a to those of Constantine, while his navy was more
severe defeat. Another battle fought near Rome numerous and manned with more experienced
on the 28th of October, 312, decided the fate of sailors. The first battle took place near Adrianople
Maxentius: his army was completely routed, and on the 3rd of July, 323. Each of the emperors
while he tried to escape over the Milvian bridge had above a hundred thousand men under his cominto Rome, he was driven by the throng of the mand; but, after a hard struggle, in which Confugitives into the Tiber and perished in the river. stantine gave fresh proofs of his skill and personal
[MAXENTIUS.] Constantine entered Rome, and courage, Licinius was routed with great slaughter,
displayed great activity in restoring peace to that his fortified camp was stormed, and he fled to Bycity, and in removing the causes of the frequent zantium. Constantine followed him thither, and
disturbances by which Rome had been shaken while he laid siege to the town, his eldest son
during the reign of Maxentius; he disbanded the Crispus forced the entrance of the Hellespont, and
body of the Praetorians, and in order that the in a three days' battle defeated Amandus, the adempire might derive some advantage from the ex- miral of Licinius, who lost one-third of his fleet.
istence of the senators, he subjected them and their Unable to defend Byzantium with success, Licinius
families to a heavy poll-tax. He also accepted went to Bithynia, assembled his troops, and offered
the title of Pontifex Maximus, which shews that a second battle, which was fought at Chrysopolis,
at that time he had not the slightest intention of now Skutari, opposite Byzantium. Constantine
elevating Christianity at the expense of Paganism. obtained a complete victory, and Licinius fled to
The fruit of Constantine's victories was the un- Nicomedeia. He surrendered himself on condition
disputed mastership of the whole western part of of having his life spared, a promise which Conthe empire, with its ancient capital, Rome, which, stantine made on the intercession of his sister Conhowever, had then ceased to be the ordinary resi- stantina, the wife of Licinius; but, after spending
dence of the emperors. At the same time, impor- a short time in false security at Thessalonica, the
tanut events took place in the East. The emperor place of his exile, he was put to death by order of
Galerius died in A. D. 311, and Licinius, having his fortunate rival. We cannot believe that he
united his dominions with his own, was involved was killed for forming a conspiracy; the cause of
in a war with Maximin, who, after having taken his death was undoubtedly the dangerous importByzantium by surprise, was defeated in several ance of his person. [LIcINIUS; CONSTANTINA.]
battles, and died, on his flight to Egypt, at Tarsus Constantine acted towards his memory as, during
in Cilicia, in 313. [MAXiMINus.] Thus Licinius the restoration in France, the memory of Napoleon
became sole master of the whole East, and the em- was treated by the Bourbons: his reign was conpire had now only two heads. In, the following sidered as an usurpation, his laws were declared
year, 314, a war broke out between Licinius and void, and infamy was cast upon his name.
Constantine. At Cibalis, a town on the junction Constantine was now sole master of the empire,
of the Sau with the Danube, in the southernmost and the measures which he adopted to maintain
part of Pannonia, Constantine defeated his rival himself in his lofty station were as vigorous, though
with an inferior force; a second battle, at Mardia less bloody, as those by which he succeeded in atin Thrace, was indecisive, but the loss which Lici- taining the great object of his ambition. The
nius sustained was immense, and he sought for West and the East of the empire had gradually
peace. This was readily granted him by Constan- become more distinct from each other, and as each
tine, who perhaps felt himself not strong enough of those great divisions had already been governed
to drive his rival to extremities; but, satisfied during a considerable period by different rulers,
with the acquisition of Illyricum, Pannonia, and that distinction became dangerous for the integrity
Greece, which Licinius ceded to him, he establish- of the whole, in proportion as the people were
ed a kind of mock friendship between them by accustomed to look upon each other as belonggiving to Licinius the hand of his sister Constan- ing to either of those divisions, rather than to
tina. During nine years the peace remained un- the whole empire. Rome was only a nomidisturbed, a time which Constantine employed in nal capital, and Italy, corrupted by luxury and
reforming the administration of the empire by vices, had ceased to be the source of Roman granthose laws of which we shall speak below, and in deur. Constantine felt the necessity of creating a
defending the northern frontiers against the in- new centre of the empire, and, after some hesitaroads of the barbarians. Illyricum and Pannonia tion, chose that city which down to the present
were the principal theatres of these devastations, day is a gate both to the East and the West. He
and among the various barbarians that dwelt north made Byzantium the capital of the empire and the
of the Danube and the Black Sea, the Goths, who residence of the emperors, and called it after his
had occupied Dacia, were the most dangerous. own name, Constantinople, or the city of ConstanConstantine chastised them several times in Illyri- tine. The solemn inauguration of Constantinople
cum, and finally crossed the Danube, entered took place in A. D. 330, according to Idatius and
Dacia, and compelled them to respect the dignity the Chronicon Alexandrinum. The possibility of
Rome ceasing to be the capital of the Roman em* Compare " Dissertation sur la Vision de Con- pire, had been already observed by Tacitus, who
stantin le Grand," by Du Voisin, bishop of Nantes. says (Hist. i. 4), " Evulgato imperii arcane, posse