en practised upon her; but she
magnanimously declared that she was satisfied with him as her husband,
whatever his family might be. After some days of privation, they were
rescued by passing voyagers and taken on to Rome. There, with the
treasure which the princess had managed to retain, they purchased an
inn, and, with Helena's assistance, supported themselves by its means.
Constantine became so famous through his prowess at tournaments that he
attracted the attention of the emperor, who refused to believe that he
was of low extraction. Helena was sent for, and, after much questioning,
she at last confessed as to who she and her son really were. The truth
of her statement was confirmed by the ring which Constantius had given
her. The emperor then caused the merchants to be put to death and their
property given to Constantine. A treaty was made with the Greek emperor,
and Constantine was recognized as the heir to the whole Empire. This
story may be regarded as a sort of Middle Age historical novel, the
history being metamorphosed without stint in order to enhance the
interest of the tale.

The old chroniclers, such as Henry of Huntington, Geoffrey of Monmouth,
and Pierre de Langtoft, assert that Helena was the daughter of Duke Coel
of Colchester, who became King of Britain. She was the most beautiful
and cultivated woman of her time-the attribute of beauty is always
awarded to women who have been so fortunate as to become legendary. The
most interesting thing about this story is the fact that modern students
have identified Duke Coel, the alleged father of Helena, with "Old King
Cole," who was the "merry old soul" immortalized in the Mother Goose
rhymes.

Let us now turn to what may be seriously regarded as history and therein
ascertain what may be known of the life and character of the
empress-mother Helena. It must be taken as a well-established fact that
her father, so far from being either a king or a duke of Britain, was
indeed an innkeeper at Drepanum, a town on the Gulf of Nicomedia. The
story suggested by this circumstance is the commonplace one of a soldier
in the service of the emperor Aurelian passing a brief sojourn at the
hostelry in Drepanum, and, with the proverbially quick susceptibility of
the men of his calling, falling in love with the daughter of his host.
The necessary negotiations were easy, for a man like Constantius was an
unusual catch for a girl in the position of Helena. No time was lost
ove