XVIII. CHAP. petual exemption from all duties was ftipulated for their veffels which traded to the ports of the Black Sea. A regular fubfidy was promifed, of iron, corn, oil, and of every fupply which could be useful either in peace or war. But it was thought that the Sarmatians were fufficiently rewarded by their deliverance from impending ruin; and the emperor, perhaps with too ftrict an economy, deducted fome part of the expences of the war from the customary gratifications which were allowed to that turbulent nation. Expulfion matians, A. D. 334. Exafperated by this apparent neglect, the Sarof the Sar- matians foon forgot with the levity of Barbarians, the fervices which they had fo lately received, and the dangers which ftill threatened their fafety. Their inroads on the territory of the empire provoked the indignation of Conftantine to leave them to their fate; and he no longer oppofed the ambition of Geberic, a renowned warrior, who had recently afcended the Gothic throne. Wifumar, the Vandal king, whilft alone and unaffilt ed, he defended his dominions with undaunted courage, was vanquished and slain in a decifive battle which swept away the flower of the Sarmatian youth. The remain ler of the nation embraced the desperate expedient of arming their slaves, a hardy race of hunters and herdsmen, by whose tumultuary aid they revenged their defeat, and expelled the invader from their confines. But they foon difcovered that they had exchanged a foreign for a domeftic enemy, more dangerous and more implacable. Enraged by their former fervitude, vants. СНАР. XVIII fervitude, elated by their prefent glory, the slaves, under the name of Limigantes, claimed and ufurped the poffeffion of the country which they had faved. Their masters, unable to withstand the ungoverned fury of the populace, preferred the hardships of exile, to the tyranny of their ferSome of the fugitive Sarmatians folicited a lefs ignominious dependence, under the hoftile ftandard of the Goths. A more numerous band retired beyond the Carpathian mountains, among the Quadi, their German allics, and were eafily admitted to share a fuperfluous wafte of uncultivated land. But the far greater part of the diftreffed nation turned their eyes towards the fiuitful provinces of Rome. Imploring the protection and forgiveness of the emperor, they folemnly promifed, as fubjects in peace, and as foldiers in war, the most inviolable fidelity to the empire which should graciously receive them into its bofom. According to the maxims adopted by Probus and his fucceffors, the offers of this Barbarian colony were eagerly accepted, and a competent portion of lands in the provinces of Pannonia Thrace, Macedonia, and Italy, were immediately affigned for the habitation and fubfiftence of three hundred thoufand Sarmatians ". By chaftifing the pride of the Goths, and by accepting the homage of a fappliant nation, Conftantine afferted the majefty of the Roman empire; and the ambaffadors of Ethiopia, Perfia, A. D. 335, and the most remote countries of India, congratulated the peace and profperity of his govern Vol. III. 45 G Death and funeral of Conftantine, July 25. СНАР. May 22. ment ". If he reckoned, among the favours of fortune, the death of his eldest son, of his nephew, and perhaps of his wife, he enjoyed an uninterrupted flow of private as well as public felicity, till the thirtieth year of his reign; a period which none of his predeceffors, fince Auguftus, had been permitted to celebrate. Conftantine furvived that folemn feftival about ten months; and, at the mature age of fixty-four, after a short illness, he ended his memorable life at the palace A. 327. of Aquyrion, in the fuburbs of Nicomedia, whither he had retired for the benefit of the air, and with the hope of recruiting his exhausted strength by the use of the warm baths. The exceffive demonftrations of grief, or at leaft of mourning, furpaffed whatever had been practised on any former occafion. Notwithstanding the claims of the fenate and people of ancient Rome, the corpse of the deceased emperor, according to his last requeft, was tranfported to the city, which was deftined to preserve the name and memory of its founder. The body of Conftantine, adorned with the vain fymbols of greatnefs, the purple and diadem, was depofited on a golden bed in one of the apartments of the palace, which for that purpofe had been fplendidly furnished and illuminated. The forms of the court were ftrictly maintained. Every day, at the appointed hours, the principal officers of the state, the army, and the household, approaching the person of their fovereign with bended knees and a compofed countenance, offered their respectful homage as feriously po as if he had been ftill alive. From motives of But this reign could fubfift only in empty pageantry; and it was foon discovered that the will of the most abfolute monarch is feldom obeyed, when his fubjects have no longer any thing to hope from his favour, or to dread from his refentment. The fame minifters and generals who bowed with fuch reverential awe before the inani. mate corpfe of their deceased fovereign, were engaged in fecret confultations to exclude his two nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibalianus, from the share which he had affigned them in the fucceffion of the empire. We are too imperfectly acquainted with the court of Conftantine to form any judgment of the real motives which influenced the leaders of the confpiracy; unless we should fuppose that they were actuated by a spirit of jealousy and revenge against the præfect Ablavius, a proud favourite, who had long directed the counfels and abused the confidence of the late emperor. The arguments, by which they folicited the concurrence of the foldiers and people, are of a more obvious nature and they might with decency, as well as truth, infift on the fuperior rank of the children of Conftantine, the danger of multiply. ing the number of fovereigns, and the impending mischiefs which threatened the republic, from the Ga СНАР. Factions of the court. XVIII. СНАР. difcord of fo many rival princes, who were not connected by the tender fympathy of fraternal affection. The intrigue was conducted with zeal and fecrecy, till a loud and unanimous declaration was procured from the troops, that they would fuffer none except the fons of their lamented monarch, to reign over the Roman empire **. The younger Dalmatius, who was united with his collateral relations by the ties of friendship and intereft, is allowed to have inherited a confiderable share of the abilities of the great Conftantine: but, on this occafion, he does not appear to have concerted any meafures for fupporting, by arms, the juft claims which himself and his royal brother derived from the liberality of their uncle. Aftonished and overwhelmed by the tide of popular fury, they feem to have remained without the power of flight or of refiftance, in the hands of their implacable enemies. Their fate was fufpended till the arrival of Conftantius, the fecond +9 and perhaps the most favoured, of the fons of Conftantine. Maffacre of the princes. 49 The voice of the dying emperor had recommended the care of his funeral to the piety of Conftantius; and that prince; by the vicinity of his eastern station, could easily prevent the diligence of his bro hers, who refided in their diftant government of Italy and Gaul. As foon as he had taken poffeffion of the palace of Conftantinople, his firft care was to remove the apprehenfions of his kinfmen, by a folemn oath, which he pledged for their fecurity. His next employment |