1. xiii. tit. v. leg. *?. liater writers ascribe the founding of Constantinople to a nocturnal vision of the emperor, and an injunction of the Virgin Mary, who was revered as patroness, one might almost suppose as goddess, of the city. " The Turks still call it emphatically the city. For Stambul is a corruption of Istambul, which means : €is tV ttoXiv. ^ The most offensive of these is the colossal bronze statue of Apollo, pretended to be the work of Phidias, which Constantino set up in the middle of the Forum on a pillar of porphyry, a hundred and twenty feet high, and which, at least according to larter interpretations, served to represent the emperor himself with the attributes of Christ and the god of the sun ! So says the author of Antiquit. Constant, in Banduri, and J. v. Hammer: Constantinopolis u. der Bosphorus, i. 162 (cited in Milman's notes to Gibbon). Nothing now remains of the pillar but a mutilated piece. VOL. II. — 3 34 THIRD PEKIOD, A.D. 311-590. patriarchate of Alexandria and rivalled for centuries the papal power in ancient Rome. The emperor diligently attended divine worship, and is portrayed upon medals in the posture of prayer. He kept the Easter vigils with great devotion. He would stand during the longest sermons of his bishops, who always surrounded him, and unfortunately flattered him only too much. And he even himself composed and delivered discourses to his court, in the Latin language, from which they were translated into Greek by interpreters appointed for the purpose.' General invita- tions were issued, and the citizens flocked in great crowds to the palace to hear the imperial preaclier, who would in vain tiy to prevent their loud applause by pointing to heaven as the source of his wisdom. He dwelt mainly on the truth of Christianity, the folly of idolatry, the unity and providence of God, the coming of Christ, and the judgment. At times he would severely rebuke the avarice and rapacity of his courtiers, who would loudly applaud him with their mouths, and belie his exhortation by their works." One of these productions is still extant,^ in which he recommends Christianity in a charac- teristic strain, and in proof of its divine origin cites especially the fulfilment of prophecy, including the Sibylline books and the Fourth Eclogue of Yirgil, with the contrast between his own happy and brilliant reign and the tragical fate of his persecuting predecessors and colleagues. ^Nevertheless he continued in his later years tnie upon the whole to the toleration principles of the edict of 313, protected the pagan .priests and temples in their privileges, and wisely abstained from all violent measures against heathenism, in the persuasion that it would in time die out. He retained many heathens at court and in public office, although he loved to promote Christians to honorable positions. In several cases, however, he prohibited idolatry, where it sanctioned scandalous ' Euseb. V. C. iv. 29-33, Burckhardt, I. c.