The End of Magnentius and the Death of Gallus

Meanwhile Magnentius made himself master of ancient Rome and put many of the senators and of the people to death. When he heard that the troops of Constantius were approaching, he withdrew into Gaul. There the two sides met often, and sometimes one won, sometimes the other. At last Magnentius was defeated and fled to Mursa, which is the fortress of this Gaul. When he saw that his soldiers were discouraged by their defeat, he stood on a high place and tried to revive their courage. They hailed Magnentius with the acclamations usually given to emperors, and they were ready to cheer when he appeared in public. But secretly, and without having planned it, they shouted for Constantius as emperor in place of Magnentius. Magnentius concluded from this that God had not destined him to hold the reins of empire, and he tried to retreat from the fortress to some distant place. But the troops of Constantius pursued him, and when they caught up with him at a place called Mount Seleucus, he alone escaped from the battle and fled to Lyons. When he arrived there he killed his own mother and his brother, whom he had named Caesar, and finally he killed himself. Not long after, Decentius, another of his brothers, also took his own life. Still the public disorders were not ended. Soon afterward Silvanus seized supreme power in Gaul, but he was put to death at once by the generals of Constantius. [a]

The Jews of Diocaesarea also overran Palestine and the neighboring regions; they took up arms meaning to throw off the Roman yoke. When Gallus Caesar, who was then at Antioch, heard of their revolt, he sent troops against them, defeated them, and destroyed Diocaesarea. Drunk with success, Gallus could not bear his good fortune but reached for the supreme power. He killed Magnus the quaestor and Domitian the prefect of the East, because they had informed the emperor of his designs. Constantius was angered and summoned him to appear before him. Gallus did not dare refuse, and set out on the journey. But when he reached the island of Elavona, he was killed by the emperor’s order. This happened in the third year of his consulship, and the seventh of Constantius. [c]