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De la mort des persécuteurs de l'église

XLV.

Après avoir mis ordre aux affaires de la ville, Constantin alla à Milan. Licinius s'y trouvant pour la célébration de son mariage, Maximin les croyant occupés à la solennité de ces noces, part de la Syrie avec son armée durant la plus grande rigueur de l'hiver, et à grandes journées se rend dans la Bithynie. Ses troupes étaient fort fatiguées; la pluie, la neige, les boues, le froid, avaient presque ruiné tous ses équipages. Sa marche était affreuse et toute couverte de chevaux morts, funeste présage pour ses soldats! Après avoir franchi les limites de son empire, et passé la mer, il se présenta aux portes de Byzance. Licinius y avait laissé une garnison. Maximin, par présents, par promesses, tenta la fidélité des soldats ; puis il en vint à la force ; mais ni la force ni les promesses ne servirent de rien. Il y avait déjà onze jours que la ville était assiégée, terme suffisant pour donner avis à Licinius des choses qui se passaient. Les soldats pleins de fidélité, mais en trop petit nombre pour faire une plus longue résistance, furent obligés de se rendre. De là il marche contre Héraclée, qui se défend et lui coûte quelques journées. Licinius était accouru à Andrinople assez mal accompagné. Cependant Maximin s'empare d'Héraclée, et s'avance à six lieues au devant de l’ennemi. Il ne put aller plus loin à cause de la proximité de Licinius, qui, ayant ramassé le plus de gens qu'il avait pu, marchait contre Maximin, à la vérité plutôt à dessein de le retarder que de le combattre ; car l'armée de Licinius n'était pas de trente mille hommes, et dans celle de son ennemi on comptait soixante et dix mille combattants. Comme les troupes de Licinius étaient répandues en plusieurs provinces, le temps ne permit pas de les pouvoir rassembler toutes.

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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Chap. XLV.

Constantine having settled all things at Rome, went to Milan about the beginning of winter. Thither also Licinius came to receive his wife Constantia. When Daia understood that they were busied in solemnizing the nuptials, he moved out of Syria in the depth of a severe winter, and by forced marches he came into Bithynia with an army much impaired; for he lost all his beasts of burden, of whatever kind, in consequence of excessive rains and snow, miry ways, cold and fatigue. Their carcases, scattered about the roads, seemed an emblem of the calamities of the impending war, and the presage of a like destruction that awaited the soldiers. Daia did not halt in his own territories; but immediately crossed the Thracian Bosphorus, and in a hostile manner approached the gates of Byzantium. There was a garrison in the city, established by Licinius to check any invasion that Daia might make. At first Daia attempted to entice the soldiers by the promise of donatives, and then to intimidate them by assault and storm. Yet neither promises nor force availed aught. After eleven days had elapsed, within which time Licinius might have learned the state of the garrison, the soldiers surrendered, not through treachery, but because they were too weak to make a longer resistance. Then Daia moved on to Heraclea (otherwise called Perinthus), and by delays of the like nature before that place lost some days. And now Licinius by expeditious marches had reached Adrianople, but with forces not numerous. Then Daia, having taken Perinthus by capitulation, and remained there for a short space, moved forwards eighteen miles to the first station. Here his progress was stopped; for Licinius had already occupied the second station, at the distance also of eighteen miles. Licinius, having assembled what forces he could from the neighbouring quarters, advanced towards Daia rather indeed to retard his operations than with any purpose of fighting, or hope of victory: for Daia had an army of seventy thousand men, while he himself had scarce thirty thousand; for his soldiers being dispersed in various regions, there was not time, on that sudden emergency, to collect all of them together.