OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 145

could have yielded only to the necessity of de- chap

fending the eastern provinces of Persia against a.

formidable invasion of the Massagetse/ Alarm-ed by this intelligence, lie hastily relinquishedthe siege, and marched with rapid diligence fromthe banks of the Tigris to those of the Oxus .

The danger and difficulties of the Scythian warengaged him soon afterwards to conclude, or atleast to observea truce with the Roman emperor,which was equally grateful to both princes; asConstantins himself, after the death of his twobrothers, was involved, by the revolutions of theWest, in a civil contest, which required andseemed to exceed, the most vigorous exertionof his undivided strength.

After the partition of the empire, three years cuii war,had scarcely elapsed before the sons of Con- 0 f con- *stantine seemed impatient to convince mankindthat they were incapable of contenting them- March -selves with the dominions which they were un-qualified to govern. The eldest of those princessoon complained, that he was defrauded of hisjust proportion of the spoils of their murderedkinsmen ; and though he might yield to the su-perior guilt and merit of Constantins, he exactedfrom Constans the cession of the African pro-vinces, as an equivalent for the rich countries ofMacedonia and Greece , which his brother hadacquired by the death of Dalmatius. The want

y We are obliged to Zonaras (tom. ii, I. xiii, p. 11) for this invasionof the Massagetse, which is perfectly consistent with the general seriesof events, to which we are darkly led by the broken history of Am-mianus

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VOL. Ill