and many ways were opened to the attainment of freedom. Parents were no longer allowed to expose or to sell their children. If they could not support them, provision was made for them at the public cost, after the manner of our parochial relief Constantine's legislation, on the whole, certainly conduced to the morality and happiness of his subjects. With the Church and clergy he dealt liberally: he gave them privileges, a good social position, and handsome endowments; the public purse was always open to them, and they were put in the way to grow rich and influential. But he kept them under a tight rein, and was quite as much the head of the Church as he was of the State. As such, he summoned the first general council, the famous Council of Nice, in 325, which condemned the theology of Arius.
In one important respect his government was felt to be oppressive. It was very costly, and taxation in those days was carried out in a clumsy fashion, and on what we regard as thoroughly bad principles. A system of administration which attempted so much as that of Constantine could not possibly dispense with an immense revenue, and this was raised by methods which really discouraged industry and economy. Everything seemed to be sacrificed to the imperial court and its belongings, the property of the clergy alone being somewhat favoured. The emperor's palace in its establishment was made a very heavy, and to a great extent a useless, burden on the resources of the empire. Constantine's idea was, no doubt, partly to have a number of well-paid offices which might attract men of ability,
