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having made innumerable martyrs. κʹ. βʹ. δʹ. ηʹ. ιʹ. In this year Diocletian and Maximian Herculius out of madness laid aside their imperial rule, taking up the station of private citizens. And Diocletian lived as a private citizen at Salona in Dalmatia, his own city, while Maximian Herculius lived in Lycaonia, after first celebrating a triumphal procession in Rome, in which were paraded the multitude of Narses' carriages and his wives and children and sisters; after these things they retired and lived by themselves, appointing to rule in their place Galerius Maximian in the East, and Constantius in the western parts, who, being content with a small part of the empire, was exceedingly gentle and good in character, and he was not at all eager for the treasury; for he preferred that his subjects should possess treasures. And he was so moderate concerning the acquisition of money that he even held public festivals and honored many of his friends with banquets, and he was greatly loved by the Gauls who compared him with the bitterness of Diocletian and the murderousness of Maximian Herculius, from whom they were delivered through him. He died in Britain after reigning 11 years, having proclaimed in his stead as emperor Constantine his firstborn son, while still living in the sight of all the people, while his other children by the same father were still living, I mean Constantius, and Hannibalianus, also called Dalmatius, 11 born of Theodora, the daughter of Herculius. For Constantine was of Helena, the former wife of Constantius. And Constantius, their father, was the grandson of the emperor Claudius, while Galerius was the son-in-law of Diocletian by his daughter Valeria. Then Galerius Maximian, coming to Italy, appointed two Caesars; and he set Maximinus, his own son, over the East, and Severus over Italy. But the soldiers in Rome acclaimed Maxentius, the son of Maximian Herculius, emperor. Wherefore Herculius, being stirred again with a desire for the imperial rule, attempted to depose his own son Maxentius, and attempted by deceit to kill his son-in-law Constantius. But from the attempt against his son he was driven away by the soldiers, and in the one against his son-in-law, having been denounced by his daughter Fausta, he was killed, having fared badly. But Eusebius of Caesarea says that Diocletian, having become insane, and along with Herculius, laid aside the imperial rule and took up a private life. And the one ended his life by hanging, while Diocletian wasted away, being consumed by a long illness. But Gelasius, the bishop of the same Caesarea, says that having repented and wishing to rule again, they were killed by a common vote of the senate. Therefore, when these men were out of the way, and the Christian-minded Constantius had died, the imperial rule, as I said before, was held by Constantine Augustus and Maximian Galerius. Year of the world 5797. Year of the divine incarnation 297. Emperor of the Romans, Constantine, 32 years, 1st year. 9th King of the Persians, Sapor, 70 years, 3rd year. 32nd Bishop of Rome, Silvester, 28 years, 5th year. 30th Bishop of Jerusalem, Zabdas, 10 years, 9th year. 17th Bishop of Alexandria, Peter the martyr, 11 years, 11th year. Bishop of Antioch, Philogonus, 5 years, 1st year. In this year Constantine the most divine and most Christian began to rule the Romans in the Gauls and Britain. At the same 12 time, therefore, these four were co-emperors with him, Maximian Galerius with two Caesars, Severus and Maximinus, the son of Galerius, and Maxentius, the son of Herculius, acclaimed emperor in Rome by the soldiers. These men strove to outdo one another in the persecution against the Christians. And Maxentius the tyrant, ruling Rome lawlessly, committed all manner of dreadful evils, adulteries of the wives of men in high station, murders and robberies and whatever else is like these. And in the East Maximinus committed worse evils, two of the greatest evils having been allotted the East and the West and the

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ἀναριθμήτους μάρτυρας ἀποτελέσας. κʹ. βʹ. δʹ. ηʹ. ιʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ∆ιοκλητιανὸς καὶ Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ Ἐρκούλιος ἐξ ἀπονοίας τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπέθεντο ἰδιωτικὸν ἀναλαβόμενοι σχῆμα. καὶ ∆ιοκλητιανὸς μὲν κατὰ Σάλωνα τῆς ∆ελματίας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν ἰδιωτεύων βιοῖ, Ἐρκούλιος δὲ Μαξιμιανὸς ἐν Λυκαονίᾳ, πρότερον τὴν ἐπινίκιον ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐπιτελέσαντες πομπήν, ἐν ᾗ προεπόμπευον μὲν Ναρσέου τῶν ὀχημάτων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ αἱ τούτου γυναῖκες καὶ παῖδες καὶ ἀδελφαί· μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἀναχωρήσαντες διῆγον ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν, καταστήσαντες ἀντ' αὐτῶν βασιλεύειν τῆς μὲν ἑῴας Γαλλέριον Μαξιμιανόν, τῶν δὲ ἑσπερίων μερῶν Κωνστάντιον, ὃς ὀλίγῳ μέρει τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀρκούμενος λίαν ἦν ἥμερος καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὸν τρόπον, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ ταμιεῖον ἐσπουδάζετο· μᾶλλον γὰρ τοὺς ὑπηκόους θησαυροὺς ἔχειν ἐβούλετο. καὶ τοσοῦτον ἦν ἐγκρατὴς περὶ χρημάτων κτῆσιν, ὥστε καὶ πανδήμους ἐπιτελεῖν ἑορτὰς καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν φίλων συμποσίοις τιμῶν ἠγαπᾶτο πάνυ παρὰ τῶν Γάλλων τῷ πικρῷ ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ καὶ τῷ φονικῷ Μαξιμιανοῦ τοῦ Ἐρκουλίου συγκρινόντων, ὧν ἀπηλλάγησαν δι' αὐτοῦ. οὗτος τελευτᾷ ἐν Βρεττανίαις βασιλεύσας ἔτη ιαʹ, ἀναγορεύσας ἀντ' αὐτοῦ βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν πρωτότοκον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ζῶν ἔτι ἐπ' ὄψεσι παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, περιόντων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων τῶν ὁμοπατρίων Κωνσταντίνου, Κωνσταντίου, φημί, καὶ Ἀναβαλλιανοῦ, τοῦ καὶ ∆αλματίου, 11 γεννηθέντων ἐκ Θεοδώρας, θυγατρὸς Ἐρκουλίου. ὁ γὰρ Κωνσταντῖνος ἐξ Ἑλένης ἦν, τῆς προτέρας γυναικὸς Κωνσταντίου. ὁ δὲ Κωνστάντιος, ὁ τούτων πατήρ, θυγατρίδης ἦν Κλαυδίου τοῦ βασιλέως, Γαλλέριος δὲ γαμβρὸς ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ Βαλερίᾳ. τότε Γαλλέριος Μαξιμιανὸς ἐπὶ Ἰταλίαν ἐλθὼν ἐχειροτόνησε καίσαρας δύο· καὶ ἐπέστησε Μαξιμιανὸν μέν, τὸν ἴδιον υἱόν, κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν, Σευῆρον δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν. οἱ δὲ ἐν Ῥώμῃ στρατιῶται ἀνηγόρευσαν Μαξέντιον, τὸν υἱὸν Μαξιμιανοῦ τοῦ Ἐρκουλίου, βασιλέα. ὅθεν ὁ Ἐρκούλιος εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν πάλιν τῆς βασιλείας ἀρθεὶς ἐπεχείρησε μὲν ἀποδῦσαι τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν Μαξέντιον, ἐπεχείρησε δὲ δόλῳ τὸν γαμβρὸν Κωνστάντιον ἀνελεῖν. ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἐπιχειρήσεως ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπηλάθη, ἐν δὲ τῇ κατὰ τὸν γαμβρὸν ὑπὸ Φαύστης τῆς θυγατρὸς καταμηνυθεὶς ἀναιρεῖται κακῶς πράξας. Εὐσέβιος δὲ ὁ Καισαρεύς φησιν, ὅτι ∆ιοκλητιανὸς παράφρων γενόμενος καὶ σὺν τῷ Ἐρκουλίῳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποθέμενος ἰδιωτικὸν βίον ἀνέλαβεν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀγχόνῃ τὸν βίον μετήλλαξεν, ∆ιοκλητιανὸς δὲ νόσῳ μακρᾷ δαπανώμενος ἐμαράνθη. Γελάσιος δὲ ὁ Καισαρείας τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπίσκοπός φησιν, ὅτι μεταμεληθέντες καὶ πάλιν βασιλεῦσαι θελήσαντες ψήφῳ κοινῇ τῆς συγκλήτου ἀναιροῦνται. τούτων οὖν ἐκ μέσου γενομένων, καὶ τοῦ χριστιανόφρονος Κωνσταντίου τελευτήσαντος, τὴν βασιλείαν, ὡς προέφην, κατέσχον Κωνσταντῖνος Σεβαστὸς καὶ Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ Γαλλέριος. Κόσμου ἔτη εψϟζʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη ςϟζʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος ἔτη λβʹ αʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς θʹ Σαβώρης ἔτη οʹ γʹ. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος λβʹ Σίλβεστρος ἔτη κηʹ εʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος λʹ Ζάβδας ἔτη ιʹ θʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος ιζʹ Πέτρος ὁ μάρτυς ἔτη ιαʹ ιαʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Φιλόγονος ἔτη εʹ αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ θειότατος καὶ χριστιανικώτατος Ῥωμαίων ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Γαλλίαις καὶ Βρεττανίᾳ. κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν 12 οὖν χρόνον τέσσαρες οὗτοι συνεβασίλευον αὐτῷ, Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ Γαλλέριος σὺν δυσὶ καίσαρσι Σευήρῳ καὶ Μαξιμίνῳ, τῷ Γαλλερίου υἱῷ, καὶ Μαξεντίῳ, τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Ἐρκουλίου, ἐν Ῥώμῃ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀναγορευθέντι βασιλεῖ. οὗτοι ἀλλήλους ὑπερβαλεῖν ἔσπευδον εἰς τὸν κατὰ Χριστιανῶν διωγμόν. Μαξέντιος δὲ ὁ τύραννος τὴν Ῥώμην ἀνόμως βασιλεύων πάνδεινα εἰργάσατο κακά, μοιχείας τῶν ἐν τέλει γυναικῶν, φόνους καὶ ἁρπαγὰς καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοια. κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνατολὴν Μαξιμῖνος χείρονα διεπράττετο κακά, δύο κακῶν μεγίστων ἀνατολὴν καὶ δύσιν κληρωσαμένων καὶ τὸν