Fausta. On
learning the truth, he caused a silver statue to be raised, bearing the
inscription, "My son, whom I unjustly condemned;" and when other crimes
of Fausta came to light, he caused her to be suffocated.

Baptism was often in those days put off to the end of life, that there
might be no more sin after it, and Constantine was not baptized till his
last illness had begun, when he was sixty-four years old, and he sent
for Sylvester, Pope or Bishop of Rome, where he then was, and received
from him baptism, absolution, and Holy Communion. After this,
Constantine never put on purple robes again, but wore white till the day
of his death in 337.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

CONSTANTIUS.

337-364.

Constantine the Great left three sons, who shared the empire between
them; but two were slain early in life, and only Constantius, the second
and worst of the brothers, remained Emperor. He was an Arian, and under
him Athanasius, who had returned to Alexandria, was banished again, and
took refuge with the Pope Liberius at Rome. Pope--papa in Latin--is the
name for father, just as patriarch is; and the Pope had become more
important since the removal of the court from Rome; but Constantius
tried to overcome Liberius, banished him to Thrace, and placed an Arian
named Felix in his room. The whole people of Rome rose in indignation,
and Constantius tried to appease them by declaring that Liberius and
Felix should rule the Church together; but the Romans would not submit
to such a decree. "Shall we have the circus factions in the Church?"
they said. "No! one God, one Christ, one Bishop!" In the end Felix was
forced to fly, and Liberius kept his seat. Athanasius found his safest
refuge in the deserts among the hermits of the Thebaid in Egypt.

Meantime Sapor, king of Persia, was attacking Nisibis, the most Eastern
city of the Roman empire, where a brave Catholic named James was Bishop,
and encouraged the people to a most brave resistance, so that they held
out for four months; and Sapor, thinking the city was under some divine
protection, and finding that his army sickened in the hot marshes around
it, gave up the siege at last.

[Illustration: JULIAN.]

Constantius was a little, mean-looking man, but he dressed himself up to
do his part as Emperor. He had swarms of attendants like any Eastern
prince, most of them slaves, who waited on him as if he was perfectly
helpless. He had his face painted, and was c