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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Ill
was incapable of alleviating the sufferings of starvation. By the cruel and atrocious policy
of the most enlightened ages of the pagan world, the magistrates and soldiers were put
to death without mercy, for their gallant/lefence, to deter others from similar perseverance ;
and to destroy for ever its power and importance, its privileges were suppressed, its walls
demolished, its means of defence taken away; and in this state it continued, an obscure
village, subject to its neighbours the Perenthians, till it was unexpectedly selected to
become the great capital of the Roman empire, an event rendered deeply interesting
because it was connected with the extinction of paganism, and the acknowledgment of
Christianity, as the recognised and accredited religion of the civilized world.
The emperor Diocletian, impelled by his cruel colleague Galerius, had consented to
the extirpation of the Christians, now becoming a numerous and increasing community
all over the Roman empire: decrees were issued for this purpose, and so persevering
and extreme were the efforts made for this purpose, that medals were struck and columns
erected with inscriptions, implying that " the superstition of Christianity was utterly
extirpated, and the worship of the gods restored." But while, to all human probability,
it was thus destroyed, the hand of Providence was visibly extended for its preservation ;
and mankind with astonishment saw the sacred flame revive from its ashes, and burn
with a more vivid light than ever, and the head of a mighty empire adopt its tenets from
a conviction of their truth, when his predecessor had boasted of its extinction on account
of its falsehood. This first Christian emperor was Constantine.
Christian writers assert that he, like St. Paul, was converted by a sensible miracle
while journeying along a public way. There were at this time six competitors for the Roman
empire. Constantine was advancing towards Rome to oppose one of them—Maxentius:
buried in deep thought at the almost inextricable difficulties of his situation, surrounded
by enemies, he was suddenly roused by the appearance of a bright and shining light;
and looking up, he perceived the representation of a brilliant cross in the sky, with a
notification, that it was under that symbol he should conquer. Whether this was some
atmospheric phenomenon which his vivid imagination converted into such an object,
it is unnecessary to inquire. It is certain that the effects were equally beneficial to
mankind. He immediately adopted the emblem as the imperial standard, and under it
he marched from victory to victory. His last enemy and rival was Licinius, who
commanded in the east, and established himself on the remains of Byzantium, as his
strongest position: but from this he was driven by Constantine, who was now acknowledged sole emperor of the East.
His first care was to build a city near the centre of his vast empire, which should
control, at the same time, the Persian power in the east, and the barbarians on the
north, who, from the Danube and the Tanais, were continually making inroads on his
subjects. It was with this view that Diocletian had already selected Nicomedia as his
residence; but any imitation of that persecutor of Christianity, was revolting to the
new and sincere convert to the faith,—so he sought another situation. He at one time
had determined on the site of ancient Troy, not only as commanding the entrance of
the Hellespont, and so of all the straits which led to the Euxine Sea, but because this |
