At a banquet of the gods on Mount Olympus, the emperors of Rome were called to account to find which of them was the greatest. When Constantine’s turn came and he recounted his long string of triumphs, Silenus, the drunken companion of Dionysus, stood and rebuked him: “Constantine,” he said, “are you not offering us mere gardens of Adonis as exploits?” “What do you mean,” Constantine asked, “by gardens of Adonis?” “I mean,” said Silenus, “those that women plant in pots by scraping together a little earth for a garden bed. They bloom for a little space and fade forthwith.”...