II. From thefe Characters it is evident, First, That Conftantius Chlorus died, and was fucceeded in the Empire by Conftantine the Great, in the year of the Julian Period 5019, O. 7. ). 3. on the 25th day of July. Secondly, that Maxentius was vanquished in the year of the Julian Period, 5025, towards the latter End of September. Thirdly, that the Council of Nice began in the year of the Julian Period 5038, on the 22d day of May, and lafted till the year of the year of the Julian Period 5039 in July; at which time Conftantine the Great celebrated the Vicennalia at Nicomedia, and in the next year at Rome, Fourthly, That Conftantine the Great died in the year of the Julian Period 5050 on the 22d day of May And III. If therefore from any certain year of the Julian Pe- S. I. fephus Scaliger in Eufeb. p. 226. fpeaking of The Hiftothe Times of Conft. the Great, breaks out ry of Coninto these words, Nothing is more uncertain than the stantine beginnings of theje Emperours,from Carus to Valentini the Great an. Baronius ad An.Chrifti 106. n. 16. is fo pofitive in is very unhis Affertion that Conft. the Great was not only first' proclaimed Cafar in Brittain, but alfo was a Native of that Ifland, and was elevated to the Imperial Dignity by his Country-men, that he looks upon thofe who pretend to contradict it as little better than Mad-men. Ne Nevertheless Fuftus Lipfius l. 4 c. 11. de magn. Rom. a Man of great Judgment, is of Opiniou that this Emperour was born at Tharfus a City of Bithynia: And there are not a few who affirm, purfuant to Conftantinus Porphyrogennetus l. 1. megi suara. and the Manufcript of Firmicus, that he was born at Naifum a City of Dacia. As for our part,we fhall only lay down the different Opinions and Objections of Chronolo. gers. The Author of the Chron. Alexan. fays that Conft. Chlorus died at York when Conftantius forthe 6th time and Maxim. Fovius were Roman Confuls; with whom agrees Onuphrius in Faft. when speaking of the year in which FL.VALERIUS CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS P.F.AUG. VI. ET GALERIUS VALERIUS MAXIMI ANUS, P. F. AUG. VI. were Roman Confuls, he fays further thus: EODEM ANNO A. D. VI. KAL. AUGUSTI. IMF. CASAR CONSTANTIUS AUG. MORTUUS EST. The Ancient Author of the Excerpta in Scaliger p. 69. erroneously refers his Death to the Confulfhip of Licinius and Crifpus. The year of the Confuls mentioned by us in the Rules, is coincident with the 1058 year fince the Building of Rome. But Orofius l. 7. c. 17. fays, that Conftantine began his reign in the year 1061,from the Building of Rome. However, we have proved before, that Conft. the Great was proclaimed Cafar in the year of Chrift 306; which Opinion is approv'd of by Petav. in Ration. Tempor. Part. 2. l. 4. c. 11. Nevertheless the fame Petavius in his Treatife de Doct. Temp. deduces the beginning of the Reign of Conft. the Great from the 305th year of Chrift, having read in the Hiftory of Socrates that Conft. the Great died in the year of the 271ft Olympiad, on the 25th day of Fuly. Scaliger affirms that Conft. the Great was not proclaimed Cafar till the year of Chrift 307. Eufebius fays exprefly, 1.4.c. 53. de Vit. Conft. that Conft. the Great reigned 31 years and fome Months; with whom agrees the Author of the Chron. Alexand. and Joh. Monachus, for they allot 31 years and 10 Months for the Reign of this Emperor. Philoftorgius 1. 2. n. xvii. af firms that he reigned beyond the 32d year. On the other other hand, St. Jerome, Eutropius, Onuphrius, and many more,who are of the fame Opinion with us, allow no more than 30 years and 10 Months for the Reign of Conft. the Great, and Scaliger but 29 years and 10 Months. There is no lefs Difpute about the Age of Conft. the Great Eufebius fays he was not quite 64 years old when he died, as wanting a few Months and Days. But Socrates, Sozomenus, Ruffinus, Caffiodorus, and a great many others, affirm that Conft. the Great died in the 66th year of his Age. Authors are equally divided in their Opinions concerning those that were Confuls at Rome when Conft. the Great died. Those who refer his Death to the Confulfhip of Felicianus and Tatianus, we have cited before. But in the Confular Records published by Antonius Contius, we find his Death coincident with the Confulfhip of Urfus Lupulus and Polemius, and confequently one year later;and by Magnus Aurelius Caffiodorus in Chron. with the Confulfhip of Conftantius for the 2d time, and of Conftans, and confequently two years later. In fine, 'tis a hard task to enumerate, and much more to adjust the different Opinions concerning the Reign of Conftantine the Great. Our before mentioned Characters are the fureft Guides to extricate us out of this Labyrinth. §. 2. Some of the Ancients were of Opinion, that Whether Conftantine was proclaimed Cafar before his Father's Conftan Death, which feems to be confirmed by the Authority tine was of Eufebius, when he allots 32 years for the Reign of proclaimed this Empereur. And the Author of the Chron. Alex- Cæfar be andr. fays exprefly, that the year of the Death of fore his Conftantins was the 2d year of Conftantine. And Father's Death, Caffiodorus in Chron. has the following Words: Conftantius not troubling himself with any Business, was Contented with the Title of Auguftus; which is the Reafox, that fome years of his Reign are included in the Reign of his Son Conftantine,who, as it is reported, was Whether born of Helen is Concubine, &c. Conftan declared §. 3. Tho' Eufebius l. 1. c. 16. de Vit. Conft. relates tine was that Conftantine was proclaimed Emperour and Anguftus at the time of Conftantius his father's Funeral: Emperour and Auguyet if we give credit to the ancient Monuments of tus immethefe Times, we must conclude that Conftantine either diately afimmediately after, or perhaps before his Father Con- ter bis Faftantius's thers deart Emperour. ftantius's Death, was declared Cafar, but did not take upon him the Titles of Imperator or Anguftus till after his Marriage with Fl. Maximiana Faufta, the Daughter of Maximianus Herculeus; as among other inftances appears out of the Oration of the Panegyrift, fpoken in the Prefence of Maximian and Conftantine Auguftus; where among others, he has these Words: TIBI CESARI ADDITUM NOMEN IMPERII: And further, ET TIBI, CONSTANTINE, PER SOCERUM NOMEN IMPERII ACCREVERIT, &c. Whether S. 4. There is a Difpute among Hiftorians, whether Conftan- Conft. the Great, or the Emperour Philip firnamed tine was Arabs, was the first Chriftian Emperour. Eufebius the firft affirms 1.5.c. 27. Hift. Eccl. that in his time it was reChristian ported that this Philip had embraced the Christian Religion; and Orofius fays exprefly 1.7. c. 18, that Philip was the first of all the Chriftian Emperours; and that Conftantine was the next. On the other hand, Eufebius feems to call in queftion the Chriftianity of Philip, when he fays, that among all the other Empetours, Conftantine was the only one who was initiated by the holy Baptifin; and pursuant to this Opinion, Lactantius fays in his Preface, that he was the first of all the Roman Princes that laid afide his erroneous O. pinions,and was come to the true Knowledge of God and adds of Philip Arabs, that he was an Idolater. Scaliger is of Opinion, that in Reality he was a Pagan, but pretended to be a Chriftian for fome Reafons of State So that the beft Chronologers agree in this Point, that the Epocha of the Chriftian Emperours begins with the Reign of Conftantine the Great. The Origin . §. 5. Auguftus having refufed to accept of the Emof the De-pire any other wife than for the fpace of ten years, cennalia was the first who inftituted the Decennalia; concernand Vicen- ing which Dio Caffius has thefe following Words L 53. Cæfar to remove from himself all fufpicion of being ambitious of the Royal Dignity, fo e ious to the Romans, but much coveted by him; accepted of the Government of the Provinces only for 10 years, adding, That if he could reduce them to a State of Tranquility in a lefs time, he would abdicate the • Government fooner. nalia. §. 6. There Council. §. 6. There is alfo a great Queftion among Hifto- Concernrians how long the Council of Nice lafted. Scaliger ing the is of Opinion that it was diffolved in the 3d year af- time of the ter it was called together; Bellarmine l. 1. c. 1. de Nicæan Concil. and Genebrardus ad An. Chr. 338. joyn'd iffue with Scaliger; but Baronius and Petavius take the oppofite fide and plead upon the Words of Alexander and Metrophanes in Phot-Cod. 256. The Coun cil being ended after three years and a half, for it began on the 15th day of April, and continued for three years after, not only till the fame Month of April, but till the September next following. Let that be as it will, I look upon it as unquestionable, that the end of the Council of Nice ought to be made coincident with the Vicennalia of Conftantine the Great. Of the Epocha and the Enconia of NEW ROME, or the City of Conftantinople, and the Divifion of the Roman Empire into the Eastern and Western Empire. RULES. I. In order to adjust the limits of this Epocha, we must call to mind the following Characters obferved by the Ancients. 1. The first year of this Epocha is coincident with the 25th year of the Reign of Conftantine the Great, according to St. Jerome and Cedrenus. 2. The folemn Confecration of Conftantinople was made in the Third Indiction. Cedren. 3. In that year the fecond Feria fell upon the 11th day of May, according to the fame Cedrenus, and the Anonymous Author of the Chron. Alexandrinum cited by Scaliger p. 284. 4. In the year of the World according to the Greek Computation, 5838, witness Zonaras, Cedrenus and Joh. Monachus. 5. In the 2d year of the 277th Olympiad. See Chron. Euf. Hieron. 6. In the 360th year fince the Reign of Auguftus, as cording to Suidas. 7. When Gallicanus and Symma chus |