. Constantine the Great; the reorganisation of the empire and the triumph of the church . stly desired the body of theEmperor to be laid to rest in the old capital andsent deputations begging that this last honourshould not be denied them. But it had been Con-stantines express wish to be buried in the Churchof the Apostles, at Constantinople, where he hadprepared a splendid sarcophagus, and there can havebeen no hesitation as to the choice of a body was borne with an imposing militarypageant to the Church. Constantius was the chiefmourner, but he and his soldiers quitted thes
. Constantine the Great; the reorganisation of the empire and the triumph of the church . stly desired the body of theEmperor to be laid to rest in the old capital andsent deputations begging that this last honourshould not be denied them. But it had been Con-stantines express wish to be buried in the Churchof the Apostles, at Constantinople, where he hadprepared a splendid sarcophagus, and there can havebeen no hesitation as to the choice of a body was borne with an imposing militarypageant to the Church. Constantius was the chiefmourner, but he and his soldiers quitted thesanctuary before a word of the burial-service wasspoken or a note of music sounded. He was not abaptised Christian and, therefore, could not bepresent as the last rites were performed. The greatEmperor was buried by the bishops, priests, andChristian populace, whose zealous champion he hadbeen and to whose undying gratitude he had estab-lished an overwhelming title. Coins were struckbearing on one side the figure of the Emperor withhis head closely veiled, and, on the other, represent-. Constantines Death and Character 3^5 ing Constantine seated in a four-horse chariot, andbeing drawn up to heaven by a celestial handstretched out to him from the clouds. It was adevice which could offend neither Christian norpagan. To the former it would recall the trium-phant ascent of Elijah; the latter would regard itas the token of a natural apotheosis. The handmight equally well be the hand of God or ofJupiter. Such is the story of the Emperors baptism,death, and burial as recounted by Eusebius. Thereis, however, one important detail to be added andone important question to be asked. Constantinewas baptised by an Arian bishop. To the Athana-sian party and to the ecclesiastical historians ofsucceeding ages this was a lamentable circumstancewhich greatly exercised and troubled their sorely grieved them to think that their patrdnConstantine should have been admitted into thecommunion o
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