Introduction
Constantius I Chlorus was supreme commander of the Roman Army in Britain and Gaul, and a co-ruler of the Roman Empire from 293 to 306. His son Constantine the Great became the first Roman Emperor to allow Christians to worship freely, and although Constantius was not a Christian himself, it is clear where his son acquired his respect for religious liberty.
IN the days of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the order went out that Christians serving in the Army were to offer sacrifice to the gods of Rome, or be dishonourably discharged.
So Constantius, who shared government of the western Empire with Maximian, and was commander of the Imperial forces in Gaul and Britain, gathered his officers around, told them that those who would not worship the gods of Rome would be stripped of their rank, and sat back to see what would happen.
Once he had a decision from everyone, he turned to those whom he knew had betrayed their God for the sake of rank. No one, he said sternly, could be trusted to be faithful to his commanding officer who had proved so faithless to a far higher Power.
But those who had defied the Imperial order – those to whom honour had meant more than rank – he now made his most trusted counsellors, his personal bodyguard, and his closest friends.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Command. Mean. Order.
2 But. Emperor. More.
3 Friend. So. Worship.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Mean. 2. Close. 3. Saw. 4. See. 5. Order. 6. Serve.
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Command. 2. Back. 3. Make. 4. Power. 5. Most. 6. Empire. 7. Gather. 8. Emperor. 9. Honour.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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