winter, and met with brilliant success, capturing Byzantium and
pushing on towards Hadrianople. There, however, Licinius met him
with a very inferior force, and completely routed him (30 April 313).
Maximin fled to Nicomedia, and soon found that it would* be as much
as he could do to hold the line of Mount Taurus. Now he had no
choice—the Christians were strong in Egypt and Syria, and must be
conciliated at any cost. So he issued a new edict, explaining that the
officials had committed many oppressions very painful to a benevolent
ruler like himself; and now, to make further mistakes impossible, he lets
all men know that everyone is free to practise whatever religion he
pleases. Maximin gives the same liberty as Constantine and Licinius—he could not safely offer less—but he states no principle of toleration.
However, it was too late now. Maximin died in the summer, and
Licinius issued a rescript carrying out the decisions of Milan, and
restoring confiscated property to “the corporation of the Christians.”
It was published at Nicomedia 13 June 313. Constantine sent out similar letters in the West.
The defeat of Maximin ends the long contest of Church and State begun by Nero. Former persecutions had died out of themselves, and even Gallienus had only restored the confiscated property; but now the Christians had gained full legal recognition, of which they were never again deprived. Licinius and Julian might devise annoyances and connive at outrages, and work the administration in a hostile spirit; but they never ventured to revoke the Edict of Milan. Heathenism was still strong in its associations with Greek philosophy and culture, with Roman law and social order, and its moral character stood higher than it had done. It hardly looked like a beaten enemy: yet such it was. Its last real hope was gone.
Religious peace was assured, but the unity of the Empire was not yet restored. Constantine and Licinius were both ambitious, and war between them was only a question of time. They were not unequally matched. If Constantine had the victorious legions of Gaul, Licinius ruled the East from the frontier of Armenia to that of Italy, so that he was master of the Illyrian provinces, which furnished the best soldiers of the Roman army. Every emperor from Claudius to Licinius himself was an Illyrian, except Tacitus and Cams. And if Constantine had done a splendid feat of arms, Licinius was a fine soldier too, and (with all his personal vices) not less careful of his subjects.
Constantine was called away from Milan by some incursions of the Franks, who kept him busy during the summer of 313. When things were more settled, he proposed to institute a middle domain for his other brother-in-law Bassianus. The plan seems to have been that while Constantine gave him Italy, Licinius should give him Illyricum. Licinius frustrated it by engaging Bassianus in a plot for which he was put to death, and then refused to give up to Constantine his agent Senecio,
