<GetPassage xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xmlns="http://chs.harvard.edu/xmlns/cts">
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                <requestName>GetPassage</requestName>
                <requestUrn>urn:cts:pdlrefwk:viaf88890045.003.perseus-eng1:C.constantius_1</requestUrn>
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            <reply>
                <urn>urn:cts:pdlrefwk:viaf88890045.003.perseus-eng1:C.constantius_1</urn>
                <passage>
                    <TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><text xml:base="urn:cts:pdlrefwk:viaf88890045.003.perseus-eng1"><body xml:lang="eng" n="urn:cts:pdlrefwk:viaf88890045.003.perseus-eng1"><div type="textpart" subtype="alphabetic_letter" n="C"><div type="textpart" subtype="entry" xml:id="constantius-bio-1" n="constantius_1"><head><persName xml:lang="la"><surname full="yes">Consta'ntius</surname></persName></head><p>a native of Gaul, was private secretary to Attila and his brother Bleda, to whom he was
      recommended by Aetius. Constantius was a very rapacious man. Having been sent to the court of
      Theodosius II. to negotiate a lasting peace, he promised to promote the interest of the
      emperor if he would give him a rich woman in marriage. Theodosius offered him the hand of a
      daughter of Saturninus, Comes Domesticorum, who was very rich, but who had been carried off by
      Zeno, Praefectus Orienti. Constantius having complained about it to Attila, this king
      threatened to invade Greece if the emperor did not produce the woman, and as Theodosius was
      unable to do so, Attila availed himself of the circumstance as a pretext for making war upon
      the emperor. During this war (<date when-custom="441">A. D. 441</date>) he laid siege to Sirmium.
      The bishop of Sirmium sent a considerable quantity of gold and silver vessels belonging to his
      church to Constantius, requesting that he would keep them as his ransom in case the town
      should be taken and he fall into the hands of the victors. But Constantius kept those vessels
      for himself, and pledged them to a banker of the name of Sylvanus. When after the capture of
      Sirmium and the captivity of the bishop, Attila was informed of the robbery, he requested
      Theodosius to give up Sylvanus and his property, and Theodosius having refused to comply with
      the demand, Attila prolonged the war on that ground. Constantius was afterwards charged with
      high treason, and crucified by order of his master. (Priscus, in <hi rend="ital">Excerpt. de
       Legyat.</hi> pp. 54, 57, 69, ed. Paris.) </p><byline>[<ref target="author.W.P">W.P</ref>]</byline></div></div></body></text></TEI>
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