Dynamics – Page 8

Thirty gold centenaries

July 20, 2020

Quadratus, however, approached only to hand him a letter from the Queen. And thus the letter read: “You know, Sir, your offense against us. But because I am greatly indebted to your wife, I have decided to dismiss all charges against you and give her your life. So for the future you may be of good cheer as to your personal safety and that of your property; but we shall know by what happens to you how you conduct yourself toward her.”

When Belisarius read this intoxicated with joy and yearning to give evidence of his gratitude, he leapt from his couch and prostrated himself at the feet of his wife. With each hand fondling one of her legs, licking with his tongue the sole of first one of her feet and then the other, he cried that she was the cause of his life and of his safety: henceforth he would be her faithful slave, instead of her lord and master.

Gelimer and Vitiges

The Empress then gave thirty gold centenaries of his property to the Emperor, and returned what was left to Belisarius. This is what happened to the great general to whom destiny had not long before given both Gelimer and Vitiges to be captives of his spear! But the wealth that this subject of theirs had acquired had long ago gnawed jealous wounds in the hearts of Justinian and Theodora, who deemed it grown too big for any but the imperial coffers. And they said he had concealed most of Gelimer’s and Vitiges’s moneys, which by conquest belonged to the State and had handed over only a small fraction, hardly worth accepting by an Emperor. Yet, when they counted the labors the man had accomplished, and the cries of reproach they might arouse among the people, since they had no credible pretext for punishing him, they kept their peace: until now, when the Empress, discovering him out of his senses with terror, at one fell stroke managed to become mistress of all his fortune.

To tie him further to her, she betrothed Joannina, Belisarius’s only daughter, to Anastasius her nephew.

Belisarius now asked to be given back his old command, and as General of the East lead the Roman armies once more against Chosroes and the Medes; but Antonina would not hear of it. It was there she had been insulted by him before, she said, and she never wanted to see the place again. Accordingly, Belisarius was instead made Count of the imperial remounts, and fared forth a second time to Italy; agreeing with the Emperor, they say, not to ask him at any time for money toward this war, but to prepare all the military equipment from his private purse.

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Caucasus to menace the fertile plains

Saksagan

March 16, 2020

Brought up as a Roman, Tiridates had returned to Armenia after a victorious campaign against the Persians and had proved a very popular and capable ruler, stabilizing the northeastern comer of the Euphrates frontier. But with that bastion now fallen to the Persians, Constantine did not need to be told that it must be restored as quickly as possible, before the Scythians from the vast steppes farther to the north, and perhaps even the yellow men of the East, came pouring through the passes of the Caucasus to menace the fertile plains and valleys of Syria.

“Was King Tiridates killed?” Constantine asked. Though he had never met the Armenian king, he knew of his fine reputation.

“Not according to the reports that come here, but I haven’t been getting a clear picture of the situation. There is even a rumor that Galerius is already moving the army I ordered him to raise to the eastern frontier.”

“Leaving the Danube undefended?” Constantine exclaimed, aghast.

“Not even my soninlaw would be such a fool and expect to keep his purple cloak,” Diocletian said dryly. “I am told that he left enough veterans to secure the forts along the Danube, so I hardly think the Goths will dare cross the river. But I shall move to Antioch as soon as we can get enough transport together, so as to be closer to the eastern front.”

“What do you wish me to do, Dominus?”

“Find the battle line, if there is one, and back up Galerius’ foot soldiers and auxiliaries with the five hundred horse I am entrusting to your command. But don’t forget what happened to Crassus. The Persians are skilled cavalrymen.”

“I remember.”

Euphrates frontier

“Evaluate the situation on the Euphrates frontier as soon as you arrive,” Diocletian added, “and send me a private report.”

The purpose of the mission was clear now; Constantine was really being sent to the Euphrates frontier to spy upon Galerius. Nor did he doubt that Galerius too would understand, as soon as he appeared with five hundred cavalry.

“Dacius will be your secondincommand,” Diocletian told him. “He has fought through the area of Syria Palaestina and Mesopotamia, so he knows the lay of the land.”

Constantine did not go at once to his quarters and the bath already drawn there. Instead, he sought out Dacius, to leave instructions for preparing the ala, or wing, of cavalry with which he would ride to the Euphrates frontier far to the northeast. There was an air of assuredness and purpose about him now that he had not possessed before leaving Alexandria. Dacius nodded approvingly when he finished the instructions.

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The Emperors face softened

Saksagan

March 16, 2020

“The message said you wanted to see me at once.”

“Good! I’m glad to find somebody who obeys my orders.” The Emperor’s face softened. “It has come to my attention that you suffered a loss in your family recently.”

“My wife died in childbirth at Drepanum. The letter was here when I returned.”

“And the child?”

“My mother says he is strong and healthy.”

“As he should be, with the blood of Claudius Gothicus and Con stantius Chlorus in his veins, to say nothing of yours. Do you need to return to Drepanum?”

“No, Dominus. My mother will care for the child.”

“GoodI How soon can you start for Damascus and the Persian frontier in command of five hundred horse?”

It was the sort of question Constantine had come to expect from his years of close association with Diocletian and he had the answer. “Whenever the troops are ready, Dominus. Is there trouble in Damascus?”

“The whole Euphrates frontier has erupted! Narses of Persia has driven King Tiridates out of Armenial”

Counteract the rapidly increasing popularity of Caesar

Constantine needed no further explanation for Diocletian’s anger. For centuries one of the most unstable frontiers of the Roman Empire had been along the river Euphrates, where the Persian kings were ever ready to take advantage of any difficulty requiring the presence of the legions elsewhere. While Julius Caesar had been carrying out his spectacular campaigns in Gaul over three centuries earlier, Crassus, who was serving that year as Consul, had sought a quick victory over the Persians in order to counteract the rapidly increasing popularity of Caesar. Moving eastward from Syria, he had attacked them at Carrhae, but was forced to retreat by their superior cavalry. While conducting an orderly withdrawal, Crassus had been tricked into a conference of war by the enemy and treacherously slain and, leaderless, his army had been almost completely destroyed on the plains around Carrhae in one of Rome’s most humiliating defeats.

Again and again Rome had sought to stabilize the eastern frontier, but every few decades new fighting had broken out and the border had shifted east or west, depending upon the fortunes of war. During the reign of the Emperor Valerian, several decades before the accession of Diocletian, Armenia, a country lying north of Mesopotamia and touching the extreme eastern end of the Eux ine Sea, had been snatched away by the Persians. And only through the bravery of followers of the assassinated Armenian King Chas roes had his infant son, Tiridates, been saved.

Flavius Valerius Constantinus at the age of twenty two

Saksagan

March 16, 2020

Flavius Valerius Constantinus at the age of twenty two

Thus at the age of twenty two, Flavius Valerius Constantinus was not only a father, an eventuality he had been quite too busy during the last months even to consider, but also seemed to have reached a point in his military career beyond which he could hardly expect to go. For the step from tribune to general was a great one and, even though he enjoyed the favor of Diocletian, he knew Galerius would never approve an elevation in rank for one he considered a potential military and political rival.

Upon his return to Alexandria at the end of the brief campaign to humble Busiris and Coptos, Constantine found another letter from his mother. Written hardly a week after the one notifying him of his son’s birth, it contained the tragic news that Minervina, never very strong, had not survived the aftermath of childbirth, succumbing to a fever a few days after the birth of the baby. The letter had arrived almost a month before but had been held in Alexandria, pending his return from the military expedition upriver.

The shock of Minervina’s death was diluted somewhat by the fact that Constantine had not seen her for a full ten months. His only memory now was of a frail, fairhaired girl who was quiet and unassuming. Her features seemed to have blurred in his mind. And as for a child from the seed of his own loins, he found it quite impossible even to envision what the baby would look like. Fortunately he could be sure that Helena would care for Crispus as if he were her own son.

Diocletian was in uniform

Constantine had barely finished the letter from Helena when he was summoned into the presence of the Emperor. He had not even had time to remove his clothing, duststained from the long ride, and soak himself in the bath to which he had been looking forward for days, but he knew better than to keep the Emperor waiting. Diocletian was in uniform, striding up and down in the building he had made his headquarters with a look of anger and annoyance on his face.

“What of your mission?” he demanded before Constantine could speak.

“Your orders were carried out, Dominus. Busiris and Coptos have been leveled to the ground.”

“Perhaps these cursed Egyptians will think twice before they decide again not to pay Rome’s taxes.” Diocletian gave a snort of satisfaction, then paused to survey Constantine from head to foot. “You lost no time in answering my summons, I see.”

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Accusations against the man

Saksagan

March 11, 2020

To my astonishment, he displayed extraordinary pleasure, and when I asked him why, he replied: ‘Because if you must know, I have heard many complaints about the fellow before and now . . .’, but here I broke in (actually I was afraid he might give way to violence and burst into a rage against the man): ‘Well, since he is dead, let the accusations against the man die too. It would be well for his detractors to forget it, for all hatred perishes when a man meets his end.’

Constantine promoted his brother John**249 to the dignity of Caesar. He showed great affection for him, especially after his elevation, and shared with him the administration of the Empire. This was not surprising, for the brother was endowed with wisdom. He was, moreover, a man of high ideals and great practical ability.

It was natural, then, that when the emperor (some time before his death) fell victim to a serious illness, he should place under John’s tutelage his own children. John was to be a father to them, together with the man whom Constantine himself had appointed Patriarch.**250 The latter gentleman was a person of great virtue and thoroughly suited to be Head of the Church.

However, the emperor recovered from that illness, though it was not long before there were signs of physical decay and he gradually declined. On this occasion he entrusted all his duties to his wife, Eudocia. In his opinion, she was the wisest woman of her time and he thought that no one was better qualified to educate his sons and daughters. Later on in the history I will give a more detailed account of Eudocia. Constantine himself did not long survive the administrative changes that I have mentioned, and after committing the children to her care, he died.**251 He had lived slightly over sixty years.

I doubt whether any other emperor lived a life more glorious, or died more contented. Apart from the one conspiracy against his life and the disaster from which he was saved, the rest of his reign was spent in tranquillity and pleasure. What is more, he left behind sons to succeed him on the throne, sons who were the living image of their father, resembling him both in character and in physique.

Depriving them of honour or money

Having given an adequate account of his deeds, let us now record a few of his sayings.**252 When speaking of those who had plotted against him, he used to remark, that far from depriving them of honour or money, he would treat them as slaves, not as free men. ‘But it is not I who have taken away their freedom: it is the law that has exiled them from their country.’ He was a keen student of literature and a favourite saying was this: ‘Would that I were better known as a scholar than as emperor!’

He was a valiant fighter himself, and when someone professed that he would gladly shield the emperor with his own body in battle, Constantine answered: ‘Bravo! and please don’t forget to deal me a blow yourself, when I have fallen!’ To a person who was making a careful study of the laws, so that he might do some wrong with impunity, he remarked, ‘These laws are the ruination of us!’ With that I end my account of this emperor.

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Exiles cannot share in such pleasures

Saksagan

March 11, 2020

They might have lost their hands or been mutilated in some other way. Instead, some of them were forcibly shaved and the rest condemned to exile. The emperor, as if to celebrate his narrow escape from danger, invited me to his private apartment and ordered me to dine at his table. But he had not finished the meal before he burst into tears. ‘Philosopher,’ he said, ‘what a pity our exiles cannot share in such pleasures! I cannot possibly enjoy myself like this when others are in distress!’

When an alliance had been concluded between the western Mysians**248 and the Triballi, and these two nations formed a united front, the Roman Empire found itself in a very serious position. At the first opportunity Constantine hurried off to fight them, but later, thanks to me — I snatched him from danger almost by main force — he returned to the palace. However, he did mobilize a small army and sent it off to oppose them. At this point God worked a wonder no less strange than the miracles performed by Moses, for the barbarians immediately took to their heels, terror-struck, scattering in all directions, and most of them were cut down by our men’s swords as they followed them in hot pursuit.

It was as if the enemy had seen a host of angelic beings. Their dead were left to the birds of prey, while the runaways dispersed all over the countryside. If I had proposed to write a panegyric, therefore, instead of a comprehensive history, in this marvel I would have found enough material for praise beyond all bounds. As it is, I must divert my enthusiasm to other matters.

Ineffable dispensation of God the Word

It would be possible for me to name emperors who rivalled, even equalled, Constantine in other things, but not where belief in God was concerned, or the mystery of the ineffable dispensation of God the Word. This latter, to Constantine, was more than anything else beyond conception: no words could possibly explain it, however simple, however clever.

Every time I tried to expound to him the Mystery enacted on our behalf, his heart would fill with joy, his whole body tremble in exultation, and the tears would stream from his eyes. He had made a study of Holy Writ in all its fullness, and his knowledge was not confined merely to the text, but extended to the deep spiritual ideas that underlie it. Whatever leisure from public duties he enjoyed was spent in the reading of the Sacred Books.

He took peculiar pleasure in my company. No one else had the same restful influence on him. If, therefore, I failed to present myself several times in a day, he would complain about it and fret. He respected me more than anyone else and ‘drank his fill of waters at my fount’: to him they were as nectar. I told him once that one of the citizens was dead.

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Abstain from physical violence

Saksagan

March 11, 2020

At the time when he was crowned, he made a vow to God that he would never inflict corporal punishment. It was a promise that he kept, and more than kept, for not only did he abstain from physical violence, but usually from violent language, except when he purposely assumed a terrible expression and uttered threats of vengeance that he never intended to carry out. As a judge, he went straight to the point, dealing with cases on their merits and giving [260] each party a reasonable chance to state their claims, careful to maintain justice where injustice had been done.

The reader may like to know something of his home-life. With the children he was delightful, joining gladly in their games, laughing at their baby-talk, often romping with them. From infancy he saw to it that they had a good education, both in mind and body. Three sons had been born before he acceded to the throne, and two daughters.

The second boy lived only a short time after his father became emperor and then died, a most beautiful child. Of the daughters, the younger had already been betrothed.**245 She was a lady of great charm and virtue. The other, who bore the significant name of Arete (Virtue), dedicated her life to the service of God.**246 lf She is still with us. May she live to a ripe old age!

Remarkable Michael and the younger son

The sun had not yet completed its yearly cycle after Constantine’s promotion, when another child was born to him, and at once dignified with the imperial title. The other two brothers, having been born before his accession (the remarkable Michael and the younger son, Andronicus), counted as ordinary citizens. However, it was not long before his father adorned the eldest and most handsome son, this same Michael, the truly devout Michael, with the imperial diadem, but just before he took his seat on the throne, Constantine put him to a severe test, to find out if the young man was really suited to be emperor. The question he asked him concerned political theory. As Michael solved the problem and gave the correct answer, the emperor regarded it as an omen that he was destined to win great renown in his future reign, and the ceremony of enthronement was at once performed.

Later on certain individuals set on foot a plot against the emperor’s life.**247 Their object was to depose him and set up someone else as head of the state. The conspirators included among their number men of obscure birth, persons who were quite unknown, but there were also implicated some of the nobles and men of distinction. The plot was preconcerted in such a way that some of the rebels made their attempt from the sea, while others were carrying on their disreputable business on land, but at the very moment when things reached a crisis, the affair was brought to light through Divine intervention and their evil plans were discovered. Constantine might well have had them beheaded.

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