who should watch it day and night. This was
done, but the nails were still Elene's possession, and she was at a
loss how to preserve these holy relics, when the devout Cyriacus, now
ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, went to her and said: "O lady and queen,
take these precious nails for thy son the emperor. Make with them
rings for his horse's bridle. Victory shall ever go with them; they
shall be called Holy to God, and he shall be called blessed whom that
horse bears." The advice pleased the queen, and she had wrought a
glorious bridle, adorned with the Holy Nails, and sent it to her son.
Constantine received it with all reverence, and ordained that April
24, the day of the miracle of revelation, should henceforth be kept in
honour as "Holy Cross Day." Thus were the Emperor's zeal and the royal
mother's devotion rewarded, and Christendom was enriched by some of
its most precious treasures, the True Cross and the Holy Nails.

CHAPTER IV: THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE

Youth of Constantine

Constantine the Great was the eldest son of the Roman Emperor
Constantius and the British Princess Helena, or Elena, and was brought
up as a devout worshipper of the many gods of Rome. The lad grew up
strong and handsome, of a tall and majestic figure, skilled in all
warlike exercises, and, as he fought in the civil wars between the
various Roman emperors, he showed himself a bold and prudent general
in battle, a friendly and popular leader in time of peace. The
popularity of the youthful Constantine was dangerous to him, and he
needed, and showed, great skill in evading the deadly jealousy of the
old Emperor Diocletian, and the hatred of his father's rival,
Galerius. At last, however, his position became so dangerous that
Constantius felt his son's life was no longer safe, and earnestly
begged him to visit his native land of Britain, where Constantius had
just been proclaimed emperor and had defeated the wild Caledonians.
The excuse given was that Constantius was in bad health and needed his
son; but not until the young man was actually in Britain would his
anxious father avow that he feared for his son's life.

Acclaimed Emperor

When the half-British Constantius died, Constantine, who was the
favourite of the Roman soldiery of the west, was at once acclaimed as
emperor by his devoted troops. He professed unwillingness to accept
the honour, and it is said that he even tried in vain to escape on
horseback from the affect