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"assured that the valiant emperor threw himself C HA Pinto the river Hebrus, accompanied only by .XI_ v_', twelve horsemen, and that by the effort or terro'r i of his invincible arm, he broke, flaughtered, and put to flight a host of_ an hundred and fifty thou. sand men, The credulity of Zosimus prevailed so strongly over his passion, that among the 'events of the' memorable battle of Hadrianople, he seems to have selected and, embellished, not the most important, but the most marvellous. The valour and danger of Constantine are attested by a slight Wound which he received in the thigh, but it may be discovered even from an imperfect 'narration, and perhaps a corrupted text, that the victory was obtained no less by the conduct of the general than by the courage of the hero; that a body of five thousand archers marched round to occupy a thick wood' in the rear of the enemy, whose attention was diverted by the construction of a bridge, and that Licinitis, perpleXed by so many artful eVolutions, was reluctantly drawn from his advantageous post to combat on equal ground in Jthe plain. T he contest \ ' Was no longer equal. His cenfusectd multitude of new levies was easily vanquished by the experienced veterans, of the YVest- Thirty-fourv thousand men are reported to have been flain. The fortified camp of Licinius was taken by assault the evening os the battle; the greater part of the fugitives, who had retired to the moun. tains, surrendered themselves 'the next day to, the discretion of- the conqueror; and his rival,

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who could no 'longer keep the field, confined himself within the walls of Byzantium '07.

The siege of Byzantium, Which 'was immediately undertaken Constantine, was attended with great lab'our and uncertainty. In'the late

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Battle of Chrysopolis.

_ Snbmi s sion and death of Licinius.

'09 Aurelius Victor. Zosimus, l. ii. p. 98. According to the latter, Martinianus was Magifler Officiorum (he uses the Latin an' pellation in Greek). Some medals seem to intimate, that during his short reign he received the title of Augustus. _

"0 Eusebius (in Vit-i Constantin. l. ii. c. 16, 17.) ascribe' this decisive victory to the pious prayers of the emperor. The Valefilll fragment (p 714.) mentions a body of Gothic apxiliaries, mld" their chief Aliquaca, who adheredto the party of Licinius

promise'

promise, confirmed by an oath, that after the C HA P.

sacrifice of Martinianus, and the refignation of ' V'

"the purple, Licinius himself should be permitted .

to pass the remainder of his life in peace and

affiuence. The behaviour of Constantia, and

her relation to the contending parties, naturally

recals the remembrance of that virtuous matron

_who was the sister of Augustus, and the wife of

Antony. But the temper of mankind was al

tered, and it was no longer esteemed infamous

for a Roman to survive his 'honour and inde

pendence. Licinius solicited and accepted the

pardon of his offences, laid himself and his pur

ple at the feet of his lord and mezsher, was raised

from the ground with insulting pity, was ad

mitted the same day to the Imperial banquet,

and soon afterwards was sent away to Thessalo

nica, which had been chosen for the place of his

confinement'". His con'finement was soon ter

minated by death, and it-is doubtful whether a

tumult of the soldiers, or a decree of the senate,

'was suggested as a motive for his execution.

According to the rules of tyranny, he was accused

of forming a conspiracy, and of holding a trea

sonable correspondence with the barbarians; but

as he was never convicted, either by his own

conduct or by any legal evidence, we may per

haps be allowed, from his weakness, to presume

his innocencem. The memory of Licinius was branded

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