the government; but, when the son found it out, he drove away the father, who fled into Gaul and wished to overcome Constantine, his son-in-law, and to have the government to himself; but his daughter found it out, and told it to Constantine, and he then banished him to Marseilles, and he was there slain.

6. Galerius then gave Italy and Africa to Licinius, and he ordered all the best Christians, that were there, to be banished. Galerius was then brought into great weakness, and ordered many physicians, and none of them could do him any good, but one of them told him, that it was from the wrath of God. He, therefore, gave orders that the Christians should be brought into their own country again, each where he was before; yet he died of that sickness, and Licinius succeeded to the government.

7. There was afterwards war between Constantine and Maxentius; and soon after [A. D. 312] Constantine slew Maxentius at the Mulvian bridge in Rome. In those days Maximinus ordered Christians to be persecuted, and soon afterwards died in the city Tarsus. At that time, Licinius gave orders that no Christian should come into his household nor into his train; and soon afterwards there was war between him and Constantine, and frequent battles, until Constantine took Licinius, and ordered him to be beheaded, and then succeeded to all the government of the Romans.

8. In those days [A. D. 318-325], Arius, the mass-priest, fell into a mistake about the right belief. About this time [A. D. 325], three hundred and eighteen bishops were gathered together to refute and to excommunicate him.

9. In those days, Constantine put to death Crispus his son, and Licinius his sister's son; and no one knew what their guilt was, but him alone. He then brought under him many nations, which before were not under the Romans; and ordered a city to be built in Greece, and to be called after him Constantinople [A. D. 330]. He was the first man, that ordered churches to be built, and every idol-temple to be closed. He died about thirty-one years after he gained the empire, in a dwelling near the city Nicomedia.

BOOK VI: CHAPTER XXXI.

1. One thousand and ninety-one years after the building of

4 Oros. 1. VII: c. 29, Haver. p. 541--544. A tabular arrangement of the emperors, mentioned in this chapter, will make it more clear.

Rome [Orosius A. D. 339: Alfred 338: Clinton 337], Constantius, with his two brothers, Constantine and Constans, succeeded to the empire; and Constantius held it twenty-four years. All the brothers were in the Arian heresy. Constantine and Constans waged war upon each other, till Constantine was slain. Then Magnentius slew Constans, and seized upon the government, that is of Gaul and Italy. In those days, the Illyrians appointed Vetranio to their government, that they might then wage war against Magnentius; and they forced him to learning, though he was aged; but Constantius took from him both the government and the purple that he wore, and also the school in which he learned. He then fought against Magnentius and routed him, and drove him into the city Lyons, and he afterwards stabbed himself. Then Constantius appointed Julian to be Cæsar under him, who had before been ordained a deacon, and sent him into Gaul with an army; and he quickly overcame all those, who were waging war in Gaul; and, after that deed, he was so lifted. up, that he wished to take to himself all the government of the Romans, and marched with an army, [to the place] where Constantius was with another army against the Parthians. When Constantius heard of it, and was going against him, he died on the march.

2 Julian' succeeded to the government [A. D. 361], and held it one year and eight months. He soon wished secretly to overturn Christianity, and openly forbade that a man should learn any fast-book, and also said, that a Christian should not hold any of his offices, and thought thus to entrap them. "But they were all of that mind, as we have often heard it reported," said Orosius, "that they would rather follow Christianity, than hold his offices."

3 Then he gathered an army, and would go into Persia, and ordered, that, when he should come homeward again from the east, they should have an amphitheatre built at Jerusalem into which he might put God's servants, that wild beasts might there tear them to pieces. But, in that undertaking, God very justly

avenged the wicked thought of this wicked man, when a man met him, as he came from the city Ctesiphon, just as if he were a deserter, and told him he could lead him through the desert, that he might come upon the Persians unawares. But, when he had led him into the midst of the desert, he beguiled him, so that no man of the expedition knew where he was; but they went wandering about the desert, and knew not where he could get out, until many of the people perished both from thirst and from heat. Then an unknown man came towards them and stabbed Julian.

6

BOOK VI: CHAPTER XXXII.

1. One thousand one hundred and seventeen years after the building of Rome [Orosius and Alfred A. D. 364: Clinton 363], Jovian succeeded to the government of the Romans. He was chosen in the desert, on the same day that Julian was stabbed. He gave the Persians the city, Nisibis, and half the country of Mesopotamia, with the view that they might go out of the country without harm.

2. In the eighth month after he succeeded to the government, he would go into Illyricum. One night, when he was in a newly-plastered house, he ordered a large fire to be made in it, because it was cold weather. The plaster then began to fume excessively, and Jovian was smothered by the vapour.

BOOK VI: CHAPTER XXXIII.

1. One thousand one hundred and eighteen years after the building of Rome [Orosius and Alfred A. D. 365: Clinton 364], Valentinian succeeded to the government of the Romans, and he held it eleven years. He was before a chief officer of Julian's soldiers. Julian ordered him either to leave Christianity or his office, when he chose rather to leave his office, than Christianity. But God afterwards brought him to greater honour, since he had forsaken the less for the love of him, so that he had the government of the very empire, that his adversary before held.

2. Soon afterwards he gave half his empire to his brother Valens; and he ordered Procopius, who then wished to reign, to 6 Oros. 1. VII: c. 31. Haver. p. 547.

7 Oros. 1. VII: c. 32. Haver. p. 548-550.

8 The army unanimously elected Vale ntinian emperor Feb. 26th 264, and he declared

be put to death, and many others with him. Valens had been taught by an Arian bishop, named Eudoxius; but he hid it very closely from his brother, because he knew that he would avenge it, if he found out that he was in one belief, and himself in another; for he knew how steadfast he was before in his belief, when he had less power.

3. In the same year [A. D. 364], Athanaric, king of the Goths, made many martyrs of the Christians among his people. In those days Valentinian forced the Saxons back to their own country, when they would wage war against the Romans: they were settled near the ocean. He also with-held the Burgundians from waging war upon the Gauls. What mostly with-held them was, that baptism was promised them. In the eleventh year of his reign, the Sarmatians pillaged Pannonia: when he was going thither with an army, he died of a rushing of blood [apoplexy].

9

BOOK VI: CHAPTER XXXIV.

1. One thousand one hundred and twenty-nine years after the building of Rome [Orosius A. D. 375. Alfred 376: Clinton 364], Valens, brother of Valentinian, succeeded to the government of the Romans; and Gratian, son of Valentinian, succeeded to the government of Italy, and of Gaul and of Spain, under Valens. What he had before closely hidden, he shewed openly when he ordered that monks who ought to forsake worldly things, and weapons of war-should take arms and fight with them, and do evil with other men. He sent into Egypt, and ordered to put down all the monkish customs, which his brother had before settled; and some of the monks he ordered to be put to death, some driven into banishment.

2. In those days there was in Africa, a man, called Firmus, who wished for the government. Then Valens sent thither his officer,

his brother Valens Augustus, and gave him half the empire on the 28th of March following. Clinton, p. 127. The empire was thus divided into the

WESTERN EMPIRE,
years reigned

Valentinian I 11

THE EASTERN empire.
years reigned

14.

From A. D.

364 to 378

379-395

[Emperor of the West as well as the East]

395-423.

9 Oros. 1. VII: c. 33. Haver. p. 550-554.

395-408

Theodosius, with an army,-father of the good Theodosius, who was afterwards emperor. Firmus was taken in that expedition, and led forth to be put to death; then he himself begged that he might first be baptized. When he was baptized, he had, by the teaching of the mass-priest, who baptized him, such full belief of the kingdom of heaven, that he said to the people—“ Do now as you will"; and leaned forward to them, that they might cut off his head; and he became a martyr of Christ.

3. In those days, Gratian fought in Gaul against the Alamanni, and slew many thousands of them. In the third year of his reign, when he did the greatest wrong to the servants of God, the Goths drove him out of their country; and they afterwards went over the river Danube into the dominion of Valens, and asked that they might settle peaceably in his dominion. Then he scorned either to forbid or grant it; but let them settle where they would. But his procurators and officers pressed them for tribute, and they had great strife about it, until the Goths routed them in battle.

4. When Valens heard of it, in the city Antioch, he was very sorry and thought of his misdeeds, how they had prayed for a right belief and font of baptism; and, for teachers, he sent to them Arian bishops, and heretics, as he himself was; and what he had often done to the injury of God's servants. However, where he knew any one to be living, he gave orders to send for him, and then, though it was late, he commanded him to be honoured. In the fourth year of his reign he fought against the Goths, and was routed and driven into a village, and was burnt to death in a house. Thus it was ended by a very just judgment, when they burnt him in this world, who thought to burn them for everlasting.

BOOK VI: CHAPTER XXXV.

1. One1 thousand one hundred and thirty-three years after the building of Rome [Orosius A. D. 379: Alfred 380: Clinton 378], Gratian' succeeded to the government of the Romans, and held it six years. He chose Theodosius to help him, because he thought that the nations, that were their enemies, were become

1 Oros. 1. VII: c. 34. Haver. P. 554-556.

2 Gratian was raised to the rank of Augustus by his father Valentinian in A. D. 367 at the age of eight years. He succeeded to the Eastern Empire in 378 on the death of his uncle Valens; but, as the Goths were troublesome, he appointed Theodosius to be the Emperor of the east in 379. See chap. 33, § 2, note 8.