128

THE DECLINE AND FALL

xvm. acce pti n 8" the homage of a suppliant nation, Con-

.stan tine asserted the majesty of the Roman em-

finierai""? pi |e ; and the ambassadors of ^Ethiopia, Persia ,con»tan. and t] ie ir . 0 st remote countries of India , congra-a. b. 33s, tulated the peace and prosperity of his govern-ment. 11 If he reckoned, among the favours offortune, the death of his eldest son, of his ne-phew, and perhaps of his wife, he enjoyed an un-interrupted flow of private as well as public feli-city, till the thirtieth year of his reign; a periodwhich none of his predecessors, since Augustus ,had been permitted to celebrate. Constantinesurvived that solemn festival about ten months ;and, at the mature age of sixty-four, after a shortillness, he ended his memorable life at the pa-May aa 37 ^ ace Aquyrion, in the suburbs of Nicomedia,whither he had retired for the benefit of the air,and with the hope of recruiting his exhaustedstrength by the use of the warm baths. The ex-cessive demonstrations of grief, or at least ofmourning, surpassed whatever had been prac-tised on any former occasion. Notwithstand-ing the claims of the senate and people of an-cient Rome , the corpse of the deceased emperor,according to his last request, was transportedto the city, which was destined to preserve thename and memory of its founder. The body ofConstantine, adorned with the vain symbols ofgreatness, the purple and diadem, was deposited

b Eusebius (in Vif. Const. 1. iv, e. 50) remarks three circumstancesrelative to these Indians. 1, They came from the shores of the easternocean; a description which might be applied to the coast of China orCoromandel. 2, They presented shining gems, and unknown animals.3, They protested their kings had erected statues to represent the su-preme majesty of Constantine