Constantine Rules Alone

To Constantine, then, God granted from heaven above the fruit his godliness deserved, the trophies of victory over the impious; and he threw the accursed wretch, with all his counselors and friends, headlong at Constantine’s feet. For when Licinius had driven his madness to the last extreme, the emperor, the friend of God, judged that he could no longer be tolerated. Taking sober counsel, and tempering the firm way of justice with kindness to mankind, he decided to come to the aid of those who were suffering under the tyrant, and set out to rescue the greater part of the human race by putting a few destroyers out of the way. For as long as he had used kindness alone in the time before, and shown mercy to a man who did not deserve sympathy, nothing came of it. Licinius did not give up his wickedness, but rather increased his fury against the peoples under him, and no hope of rescue was left to the afflicted, who were oppressed by a terrible beast.

So the helper of the good, mixing hatred of evil with love of good, went out with his son Crispus, a most humane emperor, and stretched out a saving right hand to all who were perishing. Then, with God the King of all, and the Son of God, the Savior of all, as their guide and ally, father and son together divided their battle line around the haters of God and carried off an easy victory, since God had made everything in the battle go smoothly for them, just as they wished. [a] Suddenly, then, and quicker than words, those who yesterday and the day before were breathing death and threats were no more. Not even their names were remembered, and their portraits and honors received the disgrace they deserved. What Licinius had seen with his own eyes befall the impious tyrants of old, he now suffered in the same way himself, because he too would not accept discipline or learn wisdom from the scourges of his neighbors, but followed the same road of impiety as they did and was justly carried over the same cliff. So he lay where he had been thrown down. [c]

But Constantine, the mightiest victor, outstanding in every virtue of godliness, together with his son Crispus, an emperor most dear to God and like his father in every way, recovered the East that was their own. They made the Roman empire one united realm, as it had been of old, bringing under their peace the whole world, from the rising sun round to the other side, north and south together, to the farthest limits of the setting day. So all fear of those who had formerly oppressed them was taken away from men. They celebrated brilliant and festive holidays. Everything was full of light, and people who had once been downcast looked at one another with smiling faces and shining eyes. In cities and in the country alike, with dances and hymns, they honored first of all God the King of all, because they had been taught to, and then the godly emperor with his sons, beloved of God. There was forgetfulness of old evils and oblivion of every impiety; there was enjoyment of present good things and the expectation of more to come. Everywhere the victorious emperor published decrees full of kindness, and laws that bore the marks of generosity and true godliness. [d] And so, with all tyranny purged away, the rule that was rightfully theirs was kept secure and free of ill will for Constantine and his sons alone. They wiped out the godlessness of all who had gone before them, and, conscious of the good things God had bestowed on them, they showed their love of virtue and love of God, their devotion and gratitude to the Divinity, by the deeds they set out plainly for all people to see. [e]