Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

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a native of Upper Mccfia, and advanced in years when
he ufurped the fbvercignty *, but fo illiterate, that he
then firtl learned to read. The third pretender was
Flavius Popilius Nepotianus, fon of Eutropia, the lifter
of Conftantine the Great. Having a&mbled a com¬
pany of gladiators and men of defperate fortunes, he
affumed the purple on the 3d of .10116350, and in
that attire prefented himfelf before the gates of Rome.
The petfedi Anicetus, who commanded there for Mag-
nentius, failied out againft him with a body of Ro¬
mans, who were foon driven back into the city. Soon
after Nepotianus made himfeif mafter of the city it-
felf, which he filled with blood and,(laughter. Mag-
nentius being informed of what had happened, fent
againft this new competitor his chief favourite and
prime minifter Marcellinus. Nepotianus received him
with great refolution ; a bloody battle enfued between
the foldiers of Magnentius and the Romans who had
efpoufed the caufe of Nepotianus j but the latter being
betrayed by a fenator, named Heraclitus, his men were
put to Sight, and he himfelf killed, after having enjoy¬
ed the fovereignty only 28 days. Marcellinus ordered
his head to be carried on the point of a lance through
the principal ftreets of the city ; put to death all thofe
who had declared for him 5 and under pretence of pre¬
venting difturbances, commanded a general mafiacre
of all the relations of Conftantine. Soon after, Mag¬
nentius himfelf came to Rome, to make the neceffary
preparations for refilling Conftantius, who was exert¬
ing himfeif to the utmoft in order to revenge the
death of his brother. In the city he behaved
tyrannically, putting to death many perfons of dif-
timftion, in order to feize their eftates; and obliged
the reft to contiibute half of what they were worth
towards the expence of the war. Having by this
means railed great firms, he afiembled a mighty army
compofed of Romans, Germans, Gauls, Franks, Bri¬
tons, Spaniards, &c. At the fame time, however,
dreading the uncertain iffues of war, he difpatched
ambafladors to Conftantius with propofals of accom¬
modation. Conftantius fet out from Antioch about the
beginning^of autumn ; and, palling through Conftanti-
nople, arrived at Heraclea, where he was met by the
deputies from Magnentius, and others from Veteranio,
who had agreed to fupport each other in cafe the em¬
peror would hearken to no terms. The deputies of
Magnentius propofed in his name a match between him
and Conftantia, or rather Conftantina, the lifter of
Confiantius, and widow of Annibalianus ; offering, at
the fame time, to Conftantius the filter of Magnentius.
At firff the emperor would hearken to no terms ; but
afterwards, that he might not have to oppofe two ene¬
mies at once, concluded a feparate treaty with Vetera¬
nio, by which he agreed to take him for his partner
an the empire. But when Veteranio afeendsd the tri-
hunal along with Conftantius, the foldiers pulled him
down from thence, crying out, That they would ac¬
knowledge no other emperor than Conftantius alone.
On this Veteranio threw himfelf at the emperor’s feet,
and implored his mercy. Conftantius received him
with great kindnefs, and fent him to Pruffia in Bithynia,
where he allowed him a maintenance fuitable to his
quality.
Conftantias, now mafter of all lilyricum, and of
the army commanded by Veteranio, refolved to march
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againft MagnPntms without delay. Lithe mean time, Cfoib---
however, on advke that the Perfians were preparing
to invade the eaftern provinces, he married' his fifte’r, a-~or)-
Conftantina to his coufin-german Gallus •, created'
him Ccefar on the 15th of March; and allotted him
for his (hare not only all the Eaft, but likewifo
Thrace and Conftantinople. About the fame time
Magneritius gave the title of Caefar to his brother
Decentius, whom he difpatched into Gaul to defend
that country againft the barbarians who had invaded
it; for Conftantius had not only iKrred up the Franks Conftantius
and Saxons to break into that province, by promifingfth'3 UP
to relinquifh to them all the places they Ihould
quer, but had fent them large fupplies of men
arms for that pufp*'£* On this encouragement
barbarians invaded C with a mighty army, over¬
threw Decentius in a jfttched battle, committed every¬
where dreadful ravages, and reduced the country to
a moft deplorable fituation. In the mean time Mag¬
nentius having affembled a numerous army, left Italy,
and crofting the Alps, advanced into the plains of
Pannoma, where Conftantius, whole main ftrengih
confifted in cavalry, vras waiting for him. Magnetic
tius hearing that his competitor was encamped at a
finall diftance, invited him by a meffenger to the ex-
tenfive plains of Scifcia on the Save, there to decide
which of them had the beft title to the empire. Thisp, defeated
challenge was by Conftantius received with great joy ;by Mag.
but as his troops marched towards Scifcia in diforder, nenfius;
they fell into an ambufeade, and were put to flight
with great (laughter. With this fuccefs, Magnentius
was fo elated, that he rejected all terms of peace, which
were now @ffered by Conftantius ; but after feme time, ,,
a general engagement enfued at Murfa, in which Mag-Magiwn-
nentius was entirely defeated, with the lofs of 24,000 ft113 de-
men. Conftantius, though vi&or, is faid to have lqft^ate^ at
30,000, wfoich feems improbable. All authors, how- ' t!n^
ever, agree, that the battle at Murfa proved fatal to This hatti*
the weftem empire, and greatly contributed to its fpeedyfatal'to the
decline. empire.
After his defeat at Murfa, Magnentius retired into
Italy, where he recruited his lhattered forces as well
as he could. But the beginning of the following year,
352, Conftantius, having -ffe nbled his troops, furpri-
fed and took a ftrong caltl? on the Julian Alps, belong¬
ing to Magnenlius, without the lofs of a man. After
this the emperor advanced in order to force the reft ;
upon which Magnentius was ftruck with fuch terror,
that he immediately abandoned Aquileia, and ordered
the troops that guarded the other paffes of the Alps to
follow him. Thus Conftanlius entering Italy wiihoqt
oppofition, made himfelf mafter of Aquileia. From
thence he advanced to Pavia, where Magnentius gain¬
ed a confiderable advantage over him. Notwith-
ftanding this lofs, however, Conftantius reduced the
whole country bordering on the Po, and Magnentius’s
men deferted to him in whole troops, delivering tip
to him the places they had garrifoned ; by which the
tyrant was fo dilheartened, that he left Italy, and retir¬
ed with all his forces into Gaul. Soon after this, A-
£rica, Sicily, and Spain, declared for Conftantius; upon
which Magnentius fent a fenator, and after him fome
bilhops, to treat of a peace : but the emperor treated
tire fenator as a fpy, and fent back the biftiops with¬
out any anfwer. Magnentius now finding his affairs
4 C 2 defperatc,