ionate solicitations of his soldiers. Seeing
the uselessness of further protest, Constantine accepted the imperial
title, and wrote to Galerius claiming the throne and justifying his
acceptance of the unsought dignity thrust upon him. Galerius
acquiesced in the inevitable, and granted Constantine the inferior
title of "Caesar," with rule over Western Europe, and the wise prince
was content to wait until favouring circumstances should destroy his
rivals and give him that sole sway over the Roman Empire for which he
was so well fitted. He had now reached the age of thirty, had fought
valiantly in the wars in Egypt and Persia, and had risen by merit to
the rank of tribune. His marriage with Fausta, the daughter of the
Emperor Maximian, and his elevation to the rank of Augustus brought
him nearer to the attainment of his ambition; and at length the defeat
and death of his rivals placed him at the head of the world-wide
empire of Rome. It is to some period previous to Constantine's
elevation to the supreme authority that we must refer the following
story, told by Gower in his "Confessio Amantis" as an example of that
true charity which is the mother of pity, and makes a man's heart so
tender that,

"Though he might himself relieve,
Yet he would not another grieve,"

but in order to give pleasure to others would bear his own trouble
alone.

Becomes a Leper

The noble Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was in the full flower of his
age, goodly to look upon, strong and happy, when a great and sudden
affliction came upon him: leprosy attacked him. The horrible disease
showed itself first in his face, so that no concealment was possible,
and if he had not been the emperor he would have been driven out to
live in the forests and wilds. The leprosy spread from his face till
it entirely covered his body, and became so bad that he could no
longer ride out or show himself to his people. When all cures had been
tried and had failed, Constantine withdrew himself from his lords,
gave up all use of arms, abandoned his imperial duties, and shut
himself in his palace, where he lived such a secluded life in his own
apartments that Rome had, as it were, no lord, and all men throughout
the empire talked of his illness and prayed their gods to heal him.
When everything seemed to be in vain, Constantine yielded to the
prayer of his council, that he would summon all the doctors, learned
men, and physicians from every realm to Rome, tha