according to
the testimonie of Eusebius) was famous in all the world. Amongst all the
women of her time there was none either in the liberall arts more
learned, or in the instruments of musike more skilfull, or in the divers
languages of nations more abundant than herselfe. She had a naturall
quicknesse of wit, eloquence of speech, and most notable grace in all
her behaviour. She was seen in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongues. Her
father (as Virumnius reporteth) had no other childe, ... Constantius had
by her a sonne called Constantine the great, while hee remained in
Britaine ... peace was granted to the Christian churches by her good
meanes. After the light and knowledge of the Gospel, she grew so
skilfull in divinity that she wrote and composed divers bookes and
certaine Greek verses also, which (as Ponticus reporteth) are yet
extant... went to Jerusalem... lived to the age of fourscore yeeres, and
then died at Rome the fifteenth day of August, in the yeere of oure
redemption 337.... Her body is to this day very carefully preserved at
Venice." As the learned author of the Prolegomena says, this is "a
matter-of-fact account of things which are not so."

There is another story, to the effect that Helena was the daughter of a
nobleman of Treves. While on a pilgrimage to Rome she was seen by
Emperor Constantius, and he, falling in love with her beauty, caused her
to be detained in the city until after her companions had returned home.
The result was disastrous to Helena's character as a virgin. To assuage
her grief, the emperor presented her with an ornament of precious stones
and his ring. She continued to remain in Rome with the son that was born
to her, allowing it to be understood that her husband was dead.
Constantine, her son, grew up to be a young man of remarkably fine
presence and unusual parts. These qualities in him attracted the
attention of some rich merchants, who conceived the project of palming
him off on the Emperor of the Greeks as the son of the Roman emperor, so
that the former might accept him as a son-in-law.

This scheme was successful, and after a time the merchants reembarked
for Rome, taking with them the princess as Constantine's wife, and also
much treasure, which presumably was the object of the adventure. One
night they went ashore on a little island, and in the morning the young
people awoke to find that they were deserted. Constantine then confessed
to the princess the fraud that had be