254 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XV. in memory. One, 1 it is said, having suspected his wife of adultery, bound her naked upon mules, and exposed her to wild beasts, though she had already been the mother to him of many princes. What sort of life, think ye, could that man have lived ? For he would not have broken out into such vengeance, had he not been deeply affected with that distress. Moreover, this same man slew his own son, 2 or rather his brother did so. Of his sons, the one indeed slew himself, when seized by a tyrant,3 and another put to death his cousin, his colleague in the kingdom, to which he had appointed him ; and * saw his wife destroyed by pessaries, for when she bore not, a certain wretched and miserable woman (for such indeed she was who thought to supply the gift of God by her own wisdom) gave her pessaries, and destroyed the queen, and herself perished with her. And this man is said to have also killed his own brother. 5 Another again, his successor, was destroyed by noxious drugs, and his cup was to him no longer drink, but death. And his son had an eye put out, from fear of what was to follow, though he had done no wrong. 1 After these words the Greek text is disarranged, and irrecon cilable with itself and with the real history. Chrysostom seems, however, to intend to say what follows ; that the brother of Crispus, i.e. Constantius Augustus, caused his father s brother, Julius Con- stantius, and his sons, Dalmatius and Annibalianus, to be put to death. They were in fact slain by the soldiery, and as some thought, at the instigation of Constantius Augustus, son of Constantine. He adds afterwards, that his brother was taken by an usurper, and killed himself. Now Constans Augustus, the brother of Constantius, was taken by the usurper Magnentius, o.r rather by his generals, and slain, but no writer except Chrysostom says that he killed himself. He adds that Constantius slew his cousin. This was Gallus, who was made his colleague in the Empire by Constantius, and put to death by his order, A.D. 345. Mont/. (Tillemont understands this otherwise, and more according to the Greek, which is not difficult to construe as it stands; viz. that Constans killed himself and his children [if he had any, which does not otherwise appear] when taken by Magnentius, and that he [Con stans^ caused the death of his brother Constantine the younger.) 2 Here Chrysostom relates the violent deaths that had occurred within memory in the imperial palace ; he goes, however, by common report, which usually varies from the real fact. He mentions the events without the names. There is no doubt, however, that the first example brought forward is Constantine the Great, who caused his son Crispus to be put to death, and afterwards his wife Fausta. Chrysostom says he exposed her to wild beasts; others, however, relate that she was suffocated by his order in a hot bath. Tillemont gives the most accurate of all the accounts of this affair. Montf. 3 [There is no known warrant for translating Tvpawo<; by " rebel," as the Oxford tr. does. It probably means some local usurping des pot. In the Horn, on the return ofBishop Flavian, Chrysostommakes the emperor speak of the Antiochene mob who insulted his statues as " tyrants," just as we say, " the tyranny ofa mob." J. A. B.I * As for what Chrysostom adds (as usual, without names) of the wife of one of the Augusti who used drugs to cure barrenness, and perished together with the woman who supplied the drugs, also of another Augustus who was poisoned, and whose son had an eye put out, and another who perished in some horrible manner, I have not yet been able to find out to whom it applies. But what follows, of one burnt among beams and horses and all sorts of things, relates to Valens, who after his defeat at Hadrianople retired to a house, and was burnt to ashes with it. The reigning emperor was Arcadius, with respect to whom the history of that age attests the truth of his words. Montf. Tillemont understands the one poisoned to be Jovian, and says that his son Varronianus was treated as here mentioned, and after wards put to death; and so Montf., in his Introduction to St. Chrys., " ad Viduam Juniorem," t. i. p. 337. 5 [The older text, as here given after Field, may afford some help in these inquiries. The altered text, to which the notes refer, makes the brother of the first-mentioned king slay himselfand his children. He whose wife was destroyed is there different from the one just pre ceding; and he who killed his brother is there the suicide. These differences are stated for the sake of those who are curious about snch matters. J. A. B.] It is not befitting to mention how another ended his life miserably. And after them, one was burnt, like some miserable wretch, amongst horses, and beams, and all sorts of things, and left his wife in widowhood. For it is not possi ble to relate the woes which he was compelled to undergo in his lifetime, when he rose up in revolt. And hath not he who now rules, from the time he received the crown, been in toil, in danger, in grief, in dejection, in misfortune, ex posed to conspiracies? Such is not the king dom of heaven, but after it is received, there is peace, life, joy, delight. But as I said, life can not be without pain. For if in the affairs of this world even he who is accounted most happy, if the king is burdened with so many misfortunes, what thinkest thou must be true of private life ? I cannot say how many other evils there are ! How many stories have ofttimes been woven on these subjects ! For nearly all the tragedies of the stage, as well as the mythical stories, have kings for their subjects. For most of these sto ries are formed from true incidents, for it is thus they please. As for example, Thyestes banquet, and the destruction of all that family by their misfortunes. These things we know from the writers 6 that are without : but if ye will, I will adduce in stances from the Scripture too. Saul was the first king, and ye knew how he perished, after experiencing numberless ills. After him, David, Solomon, Abia, Hezekiah, Josiah, in like sort. For it is not possible, without affliction and toil, and without dejection of mind, to pass through the present life. But let us be cast down in mind, not for such things as these, for which kings grieve, but for those things, whence we (thus) have great gain. " For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret." (2 Cor. vii. 10.) On account of these things we should be grieved, for these thingswe should be pained, for these things we should be pricked at heart ; thus was Paul grieved for sinners, thus did he weep. " For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you in many tears." (2 Cor. ii. 4.) Forwhen he had no cause of grief on his own ac count, he did so on account of others, or rather he accounted those things too to be his own, at least as far as grief went. Others were offended, and he burned ; others were weak, and he was weak ; such grief as this is good, is superior to all worldly joy. Him who so grieves I prefer to all men, or rather the Lord Himself pro nounces them blessed, who so grieve, who are sympathizing. I do not so much admire him in dangers, or rather I do not admire him less for the dangers by which he died daily, yet this still more captivates me. For it came of a soul The civil historians.