THE DECLINE AND FALL

2G4

chap, against Maxentius and all his enemies.* Thelearned bishop of Ctesarea appears to be sensi-ble, that the recent discovery of this marvellousanecdote would excite some surprise and dis-trust among the most pious of his readers.Yet, instead of ascertaining the precise circum-stances of time and place, which always serveto detect falsehood, or establish truth ; b insteadof collecting and recording the evidence of somany living witnesses, who must have beenspectators'of this stupendous miracle;* Euse-bius contents himself with alleging a very sin-gular testimony; that of the deceased Constan-tine , who, many years after the event, in thefreedom of conversation, had related to himthis extraordinary incident of his own life, andhad attested the truth of it by a solemn oathThe prudence and gratitude of the learned pre-late forbade him to suspect the veracity of hisvictorious master: but he plainly intimates,that, in a fact of such a nature, he should haverefused his assent to any meaner authority.This motive of credibility could not survive thepower of the Flavian family; and the celestialsign, which the infidels might afterwards de-

r * Eusebius, 1. i, c. 28, 29, 30. The silence of the same Eusebius , inhis Ecclesiastical History , is deeply felt by those advocates for the mi-racle who are not absolutely callous.

b The narrative of Constantine seems to indicate, that he saw thecross in the sky before he passed the Alps against Maxentius . Thescene has been fixed by provincial vanity at Treves, Besanson , &c.See Tillemont, des Empereurs , tom. iv, p. 573,c The pious Tillemont (Mem. Ecclcs. tom. vii, p. 1317) rejects witha sigh the useful acts of Artemius, a veterau an«d a martyr, who attestsas an eye-witness the vision of Constantine .