Constantine Moves to Rescue the Christians

Constantine saw that the evils he had heard about could no longer be borne. He took wise counsel, tempered the natural mildness of his character with a certain measure of severity, and hurried to the help of those who were so cruelly oppressed. He judged that it would rightly be counted a godly and holy task to secure the safety of the greater part of the human race by removing one man. He judged, too, that if he listened only to mercy and spent his pity on a man wholly unworthy of it, he would do no real good to someone whom nothing could persuade to give up his evil ways, and whose fury against his subjects would only grow. And on the other hand, those who suffered under his oppression would be robbed forever of all hope of rescue. [a]

Moved by these reflections, the emperor resolved without further delay to stretch out a protecting hand to those who had fallen into such extreme distress. So he made the usual preparations for war and gathered all his forces, both cavalry and infantry. But in front of them all was carried the standard I described earlier, as the symbol of his full confidence in God. [b]