СНАР. and Con{ ftantius. March 1. by the barbarians, required on every fide the prefence of a great army, and of an emperor. With this view he refolved once more to divide A. D. 292. his unwieldy power, and with the inferior title of Cafars, to confer on two generals of approved merit an equal share of the fovereign authority Galerius, furnamed Armentarius, from his original profeffion of a herdfman, and Conftantius, who from his pale complexion had acquired the denomination of Chlorus were the two perfons invested with the second honours of the Imperial purple. In defcribing the country, extraction, and manners of Herculius, we have already delineated thofe of Galerius, who was often, and not improperly, styled. the younger Maximian, though, in many inftances both of virtue and ability, hẹ appears to have poffeffed a manifest superiority over the elder. The birth of Conftantius was lefs obfcure than that of his colleagues. Eutropius, his father, was one of the moft confiderable nobles of Dardania, and his mother was the niece of the emperor Claudius". Although the youth of Conftantius had been spent in arms, he was endowed with a mild and amiable difpofition, and the popular voice had long fince acknowledged him worthy of the rank which he at last attained. To ftrengthen the bonds of political, by thofe of domeftic union, each of the emperors affumed the character of a father to one of the Cæfars, Diocletian to Galerius, and Maximian to Conftantius; and each obliging them to repudiate their former wives, beftowed his daughter in marriage 1 CHAP. ments and harmony of the four princes. on his adopted fon ". These four princes diftributed among themselves the wide extent of the Roman empire. The defence of Gaul, Spain and Depart Britain, was intrufted to Conftantius: Galerius was stationed on the banks of the Danube, as the fafeguard of the Illyrian provinces. Italy and Africa were confidered as the department of Maximian; and for his peculiar portion, Diocletian referved Thrace, Egypt, and the rich countries of Afia. Every one was fovereign within his own jurifdiction; but their united authority extended over the whole monarchy; and each of them was prepared to affift his colleagues with his counfels or presence. The Cæfars, in their exalted rank, revered the majesty of the emperors, and the three younger princes invariably acknowledged, by their gratitude and obedience, the common parent of their fortunes. The fufpicious jealoufy of power found not any place among them; and the fingular happiness of their union has been compared to a chorus of mufic, whofe harmony was regulated and maintained by the skilful hand of the first artist ". This important measure was not carried into Series of execution till about fix years after the affociation events. of Maximian, and that interval of time had not been deftitute of memorable incidents. But we have preferred, for the fake of perfpicuity, first to describe the more perfect form of Diocletian's government, and afterwards to relate the actions of his reign, following rather the natural order of the events, than the dates of a very doubtful chronology. G. 2 15902 CHAP. A. D. 287. Gaul. 16 The first exploit of Maximian, though it is mentioned in a few words by our imperfect wriState of the ters, deferves, from its fingularity, to be recordpealants of ed in a hiftory of human manners. He fuppreffed the peasants of Gaul, who, under the appellation of Bagaudæ had risen in a general infurrection; very fimilar to thofe, which in the fourteenth century fucceffively afflicted both France and England ". It should feem, that very many of those institutions, referred by an easy solution to the feudal fyftem, are derived from the Celtic barbarians. When Cæfar fubdued the Gauls, that great nation was already divided into three orders of men; the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. The first governed by fuperftition, the fecond by arms, but the third and last was not of any weight or account in their public councils. It was very natural for the Plebeians, oppressed by debt, or apprehensive of injuries, to implore the protection of some powerful chief, who acquired over their persons and property, the fame abfolute rights as, among the Greeks and Romans, a mafter exercised over his slaves ". The greatest part of the nation was gradually reduced into a state of fervitude; compelled to perpetual labour I on the eftates of the Gallic nobles, and confined to the foil, either by the real weight of fetters, or by the no lefs cruel and forcible reftraints of the laws. During the long feries of troubles which agitated Gaul, from the reign of Gallienus to that of Diocletian, the condition of thefe servile peafants was peculiarly miferable; and they experienced at once the complicated tyranny of their masters, of the barbarians, of the foldiers, and of the CHAT: officers of the revenue ". 20 21 XIII. Their patience was at last provoked into defpair. Their reOn every fide they rofe in multitudes, armed with bellion, rustic weapons, and with irrefiftible fury. The ploughman became a foot foldier, the shepherd mounted on horseback, the deferted villages and open towns were abandoned to the flames, and the ravages of the peasants equalled thofe of the fierceft barbarians They afferted the natural rights of men, but they afferted those rights with the most favage cruelty. The Gallic nobles juftly dreading their revenge, either took refuge in the fortified cities, or fled from the wild fcene of anarchy. The peasants reigned without controul ; and two of their most daring leaders had the folly and rashness to affume the Imperial ornarents Their power foon expired at the approach of the. legions. The ftrength of union and difcipline obtained an eafy victory over a licentious and divided multitude 22. A fevere retaliation was and chaf inflicted on the peasants who were found in arms the affrighted remnant returned to their respective habitations, and their unfuccefsful effort for freedom. ferved only to confirm their slavery. So ftrong and uniform is the current of popular paffions, that we might almost venture, from very scanty materials, to relate the particulars of this war; but we are no t disposed to believe that the principal leaders Ælianus and Amandus were Chriftians "5 or to infinuate, that the rebellion, as it happened in the time of Luther, was occafioned by the abufe of those 23 tiferents CHAP. benevolent principles of Chriftianity, which inculcate the natural freedom of mankind. XIII. A. D. 287. Revolt of 24 Maximian had no fooner recovered Gaul from the hands of the pealants, than he loft Britain by in Britain. the ufurpation of Caraufius. Ever fince the rash but fuccessful enterprise of the Franks under the reign of Probus, their daring countrymen had conftructed fquadrons of light brigantines, in which they inceffantly ravaged the provinces adjacent to the ocean. To repel their defultory incurfions it was found neceffary to create a naval power; and the judicious measure was profecuted with prudence and vigour. Gefforiacum, or Boulogne, in the ftraights of the British channel, was chofen by the emperor for the ftation of the Roman fleet; and the command of it was intrufted to Caraufius, a Menapian of the meaneft origin 25 but who had long signalized his skill as a pilot, and his valour as a foldier. The integrity of the new admiral correfponded not with his abilities When the German pirates failed from their own harbours, he connived at their paffage, but he diligently intercepted their return and appropriated to his own use an ample share of the fpoil which they had acquired. The wealth of Caraufius was, on this occafion, very juftly confidered as an evidence of his guilt; and Maximian had already given orders for his death. But the crafty Menapian forefaw and prevented the feverity of the emperor. By his liberality he had attached to his fortunes the fleet which he commanded, and fecured the barba rians in his intereft. From the port of Boulogne he |