Thalius felt irritated at this smug analysis. ‘All this theological trickery has nothing to do with the true nature of Christ and His message.’

Aurelia just laughed.

Cornelius turned to Thalius. ‘It is a little difficult to understand, good Thalius, what it is you object to about an emperor adopting your own long-marginalised faith.’

‘But the faith of Constantine isn’t necessarily mine,’ Thalius said unhappily. ‘Constantine’s warrior God has nothing to do with Christ and His teachings. And the Church he is creating is a mirror of the man and his empire: centralised, autocratic, intolerant, ruthless. That is why true Christians are appalled. Many of us are turning away - becoming ascetic, hermits and monks, retreating into the wilderness.’

Cornelius winked at Aurelia. ‘What a loss to society!’

‘Be nice, Cornelius,’ murmured Aurelia.

‘Frankly, Thalius,’ Cornelius said, ‘the fate of your derivative little sect is of little interest to me compared to the use Constantine evidently plans to make of it.’

Aurelia was interested. ‘And that use is?’

‘Isn’t it obvious? Constantine is turning the empire into a monarchy. He will be a king as supreme and unchallenged as the rulers of ancient Persia and Egypt. And he wants to draw on the unity of Christianity to cement all that in place; he imposes this alien cult on us in order to control us all.’

Aurelia said, ‘You asked Thalius what he objected to in an emperor who adopted his own faith. Now I ask you, Ulpius Cornelius: what is wrong with an emperor whose goal is to unify the empire? Isn’t that better than the bloody chaos of our youth?’

‘Not if it is done the wrong way,’ Cornelius said. ‘Not if it means abandoning everything that made Rome strong in the first place. For if he does that, even if he succeeds in the short term, in the long run only ruin will ensue.’

Aurelia tutted, mocking him. ‘And I had you down as a rational man, Ulpius Cornelius. Are you superstitious like Thalius here? Do you fear that if you turn your back on Rome’s old gods they will punish you?’

Cornelius reddened, and Thalius saw there must be some truth in the charge. But the courtier said, ‘I talk of political realities, madam. Of a system that has worked for centuries. There has always been room for another god or two in our infinitely flexible pantheon! And that way nobody, from Germany to Africa, from Britain to Asia Minor, need be excluded from the consciousness of empire. It is not its army that made Rome strong but its inclusivity.’