Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/437

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 419 Hshed his deaths of the persecutors at Nicomedia about CHAP, three years after the Roman victory ; but the interval ^^' of a thousand miles, and a thousand days, will allow an ample latitude for the invention of declaimers, the cre- duHty of party, and the tacit approbation of the em- peror himself; who might listen without indignation to a marvellous tale, which exalted his fame, and promoted his designs. In favour of Licinius, who still dissembled his animosity to the christians, the same author has provided a similar vision, of a form of prayer, which was communicated by an angel, and repeated by the whole army before they engaged the legions of the tyrant Maximin. The frequent repetition of miracles serves to provoke, where it does not subdue, the rea- son of mankind*; but if the dream of Constantine is separately considered, it may be naturally explained either by the policy or the enthusiasm of the emperor. Whilst his anxiety for the approaching day, which must decide the fate of the empire, was suspended by a short and interrupted slumber, the venerable form of Christ, and the well-known symbol of his religion, might forcibly offer themselves to the active fancy of a prince who reverenced the name, and had perhaps secretly implored the power, of the God of the chris- tians. As readily might a consummate statesman in- dulge himself in the use of one of those military strata- gems, one of those pious frauds, which Philip and Sertorius had employed with such art and effect ^ The title of the book, and from the names of Donatus and Caecilius, are produced by the advocates for Lactantius. See the P. Lestocq, tom. ii. p. 46 — 60. Each of these proofs is singly weak and defective ; but their concurrence has great weiglu. I have often fluctuated, and shall tamely follow the Col- bert manuscript, in calling the author (whoever he was) Caecilius, ' Caecilius de M. P. c. 46. There seems to be some reason in the obser- vation of M. de Voltaire, (CEuvres, tom. xiv, p. 307.) who ascribes to the success of Constantine the superior fame of his labarum above the angel of Licinius. Yet even this angel is favourably entertained by Pagi, Tillemont, Fleury, etc. who are fond of increasing their slock of miracles. ' Besides these well-known examples, Tollius (Preface to Boileau's translation of Longinus) has discovered a vision of Antigonus, who assured his troops that he had seen a pentagon (the symbol of safety) with these words, " In this conquer." But Tollius has most inexcusably omitted to produce his authority ; and his own character, literary as well as moral, is not free from reproach. See Chauffepie, Dictionnaire Critique, tom. iv. E e 2