d brought up
as a legitimate heir to the purple. This naturally resulted, on the part
of Fausta, in jealousy for the rights of her own children. This whole
story is deeply shrouded in mystery, as is the wont with the domestic
affairs of court; but the few rays of historical light which do
penetrate the gloom reveal to us nothing but a horrible intricacy of
moral turpitude. The murder of Crispus by the order of his father was
the outcome. Some ancient writers accuse Fausta of indulging an unchaste
passion for her stepson and of bringing about his death in revenge for
his disappointing her desires. They represent her as charging the young
man with an attempt of which his innocence was in reality the cause of
her malice toward him; but it is more likely that her fear of his
standing in the way of her own sons was the motive for bringing about
his downfall. Whether innocent or guilty, Crispus perished, for
Constantine, whatever may have been his religion, was as implacably
cruel as Tiberius. He even put to death the twelve-year-old son of his
favorite sister Constantia, for no other reason than that the lad's
existence might prove an injury to his own sons.

But, as Victor Duruy writes, "the tragedy was not yet ended. In the
imperial palace lived Helena, the aged mother of the emperor, a
rough-mannered, energetic woman, to whom the murder of Crispus was a
horrible crime. Repudiated by Constantius Chlorus, she had seen the
imperial title and honors pass to a rival; when policy expelled
Minervina, as it had driven out herself, from an emperor's dwelling,
this similarity in misfortune attached her to the son whom that
daughter-in-law had borne to Constantine, and who was to grow up with a
stepmother in his father's house. Helena watched over the boy with
anxiety, and toward the children of Fausta she felt the same aversion
that the latter manifested toward Crispus. Between these two women, no
doubt, a mutual hatred existed. How did Helena succeed in making Fausta
appear the author of abominable machinations? This we do not know; but
we have the fact that, by order of Constantine, the empress was seized
by her women, shut up in a hot bath, and smothered."

It must be admitted, however, that all the information that we have on
this subject is very hazy. The treatment which the ancient authors gave
to the reputation of Fausta depended very considerably upon their
purpose of either eulogizing or denouncing Constantine. While some