310
DIOCLETIAN AND MAXIMIAN.
Illyricum, viz , Pannonia and Moesia, by a Caesar; and the re-
maining part of the East by an Augustus. This idea of
having two Augusti and two Caesars, of thereby keeping the
empire united notwithstanding the apparent separation, and of
thus securing a regular succession of emperors, is certainly an
ingenious combination; but it did not answer its purposes.
Diocletian’s division of the empire itself is the basis of the
subsequent four praefecturcs, two of which belonged to the
Augusti and two to the Caesars. I must also mention that
Diocletian introduced into his court the ceremonial system of
the eastern monarchs, which 'enters very much into detail.
Neither of the two emperors resided at Pome. Maximian
made Milan his capital,—a place which is destined by nature
to be a great city, and one which very easily recovers, even
after the most severe calamities—and Diocletian had his court
at Nicomedia. Constantine the Great was a very eminent
man : he was not only a brave and skilful general, but alto-
gether a great man, however much may be said against him.
He had the eye of a great man and carried out his plans ac-
cordingly: the foundation of Constantinople alone sufficiently
attests his greatness. Diocletian overlooked that spot, notwith-
standing his vast acuteness.
The most important events of his reign are the insurrection
of Carausius in Britain, a revolt in Egypt, and the war against
the Persians, the most glorious that Rome had carried on for a
very long time; and it may further be said that, after this
period, Rome never again carried on a war so truly glorious
as that under Diocletian. The first insurrection was made by
Carausius, the admiral of the British fleet, which was stationed
at Bononia (Boulogne) to keep in check the Franks and other
people of the Netherlands and the coast of the German Ocean,
who had already begun to act as pirates. Carausius, who
resided at Boulogne, revolted, occupied Biitain, and assumed
the title of Augustus ; he was even, for a time, recognised by
Diocletian and Maximian as Augustus.4 But he was murdered
by his own soldiers ; and Allectus, who then usurped the im-
perial power, was conquered by a general of the Caesar Con-
stantius, and Britain was reunited with the empire. The
suppression of the revolt in Egypt was accomplished by
Diocletian himself: Alexandria surrendered after a long siege,
EutTOpius, ix. 22.
WARS AND PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 311
and the revenge which he took was fearful. Meanwhile,
Galerius, the other Caesar, commenced the war against Persia,
which was brought to a close in two campaigns. In the first,
Galerius was defeated, and his arrogance humbled; but in the
second he gained a complete victory, and routed the whole
Persian army. The king of Persia was obliged to conclude
peace, and recognised Armenia as a vassal kingdom of Rome-
The king of Armenia received Azerbijan, with his capital of
Tauris, which was taken from the Persians. Rome acquired
the countries south of lake Van, and in the East as far as
Mossul, that is, the countries between the Euphrates and
Tinris, and even districts to the east of the latter liver. These
events occurred in a.d. 296, four years after the institution of
the Caesars. I should like to give you a minute account
of the persecution which Dioclctian carried on against the
Christians during the latter years of his reign, and also
of the spreading of the Christian religion at that period;
but our time does not allow of it and the subject itself
is one concerning which it is better to say nothing at all than
only little. I may, however, remark, that Diocletian and
his advisers employed their violence in endeavouring to stem
the current of opinion, to which a universally felt want gave
strength, without intending to substitute for Christianity any-
thing to satisfy that want in any other way. IIc attempted
obstinately to crush that which was calculated to satisfy the
wants of the people, and to compel them by his commands to
adhere to the traditional forms. This led him to institute his
cruel persecution ; which, however, was not so terrible as we
usually imagine. Dodwell is right in observing, that it was
hardly a shadow of what Alba did in the Nctlicrlands. But
it was, at all events, an effort to turn or to stay the stream of
opinion : when a people however is earnestly bent upon a thing
the tendency cannot be stopped : extirpation or slavery alone
can stop its progress.
Diocletian’s reign lasted twenty years, from λ.d. 285 to 305.
Maximian was proclaimed in A.D. 286. On the first of May,
A.D. 305, Diocletian, through his paramount influence, pre-
vailed upon Maximian to resign together with himself the
dignity of Augustus, in order that he might see the succession
regulated according to his plan. But the results were similar
to those which we have seen for the last forty years in Europe,