for his department in the empire. But the performance of the promised favour was either. attended with so much delay, or accompanied with so many unequal conditions, that the fidelity of Baffianus was alienatedrather than secured by the honourable distinction which he had obtained. His nomination had bcen ratified by the consent of Licinius, and that artful prince, by the means of his emissaries, soon contrived to enter into a secret and dangerous correspondence with the new Casar, to irritate his discontents, and to urge him to the rash enterprise of extorting by violence what he might in vain solicit from the justice of Constantine. But the vigilant emperor discovered the conspiracy before it was ripe for execution; and, after solemnly renouncing the alliance of Basslanus, despoiled him of the purz ple, and inflicted the deserved punishment on his treason and ingratitude. The haughty refusal of Licinius, when he was required to deliver up the criminals, who had taken refuge in his dominions, confirmed the suspicions already entertained of his perfidy; and the indignities offered atlemona, on the frontiers of Italy, to the statues of Constantine, became the fignal of discord between the two princes ". , . The first battle was sought near Cibalis, a city of Pannonia, situated on the river Save, about - them. crecy and diligenceat the head of the greatest The plain of Mardia in Thrace was the theatre Licinius' 90 Zofimus, I. ii. p. 92, 93. Anonym.Valefian, p. 713. The Epitomes furnish somesi'circumstances; but they frequently confound the twowars between Licinius and Constantine. 91 Petrus Patricius in Excerpt. Legat. p. 27. If it should be . thought that rupflgo; signifies more properly a son-in-law, we might. cenjecture, that Constantine, assuming the name as well as the duties of a father, had adopted his younger brothers and sisters, the children os Theodora. But in the best authors yew-OF" sometime' signifies a husband, sometimes a father-in-law, and sometimes a kinsman in general. See Spanheim Obscrvat. ad Julian. Orat.i. p. 72. |