A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Constantine 533
institutions of the ancients, many of them were subdued
A change of
by danger, many also ruined; yet when great numbers nounced.
held to their determination, and we saw that they neither
gave worship and due reverence to the gods, nor yet re- j^ndmt
garded the God of the Christians—we therefore in con- World, 514.
sideration of our most mild clemency, and of the unbroken
custom whereby we are used to grant pardon to all men,
have thought it right in this case also to offer our speediest
indulgence, that Christians may exist again, and may establish
their meetings, yet so that they do nothing contrary
to good order. By another letter we shall signify to magistrates
how they should proceed. Wherefore, in accordance He asks their
with this indulgence of ours, they will be bound to pray
their God for our good estate, and that of the commonwealth,
and their own, that the commonwealth may endure
on every side
live securely in their own homes.
^.
unharmed, and they may be able to
V. The Battle of the Milvian Bridge
And now a civil
war broke out between Constantine
and Maxentius. ... At length Constantine, with steady
courage and a mind prepared for every event, led his whole
force to the neighborhood of Rome, and encamped them
opposite the Milvian Bridge. . . . Constantine was directed
in a dream to cause the heavenly sign to be delineated
on the shields of his soldiers, and so to proceed to
battle.
He did as he had been commanded, and he marked
on their shields the letter X with a perpendicular line
drawn through it and turned round thus at the top >^
being a cipher of Christ. Wearing this sign, his soldiers
stood to arms. The enemies advanced but without their
The armies met
emperor, and they crossed the bridge.
and fought with the utmost exertion of valor, and firmly
/j.
The monogram
of
Christ.
Lactantius,
The Manner
in which the
Persecutors
died, xliv.
Ancient
World, 514 f.
The Greek
letter X is
equivalent to
our Ch; the
curious P in
the centre is
our R, making
Chx.