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fanning up a war against the Christians. Then the Romans proclaimed Licinius Caesar, as a favor to Constantine, since he was his brother-in-law through his sister Constantia, and was falsely feigning our piety, after Severus had died. In the same year, Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, being in prison, was beheaded by the command of Maximian Galerius and Maximinus, his son, and gloriously martyred; who excommunicated Arius, who was a deacon of his church; who after this, having become the champion of a malevolent heresy, caused many to fall away from piety. And many others under these tyrants took up the martyr's crown for Christ, of whom are Phileas bishop of Thmuis in Egypt, Peleus and Nilus bishops of Egypt, Anthimus bishop of Nicomedia, Tyrannion bishop of Tyre, Silvanus bishop of Emesa, and Silvanus bishop of Gaza, Lucian presbyter of Antioch, Zenobius presbyter of Sidon, Pamphilus presbyter of Caesarea, and countless others. This Galerius Maximian was so exceedingly mad for women, that those who served under him had to consider where they might hide 13 their own wives, being also wasted away by the deceit of wandering demons, so that he would not bear to taste anything without divination. He ordered the complete destruction of the Christians, not so much because of his own impiety as because of the seizure of their possessions. Divine justice therefore pursued him because of his measureless licentiousness and the unendurable affliction towards the Christians. For a grievous ulcer, springing up on the part of his licentiousness, proved to be beyond all human help, with gangrene taking hold and the corruption of worms in those places. For he was also very fleshy. He, supposing that he had been struck down because of the unjust murders, wrote commands for every place on behalf of the Christians, ordering them to do everything with good will and to pray for him. When this happened, and when the most grievous affliction was unexpectedly healed by the prayer of the Christians, but before the wound had properly scarred over, he raged more greatly, clinging to his unlawful deeds. But immediately again wars and uprisings, and famines and plagues and droughts suddenly assailed, so that the living were not sufficient to bury the dead; and thunderbolts and terrors were sent forth, so that each person cared only for himself, and most of the commands remained unfulfilled. Bishop of Jerusalem Hermon 9 years. Bishop of Alexandria Achillas year 1. 2. 4. 6. 1. 1. 2. 19th bishop of Alexandria Alexander 23 years. 3. 5. 7. 2. 1. 3. 4. 6. 8. 3. 2. 4. 5. 7. 9. 4. 3. 5. Bishop of Antioch Paulinus 5 years. 6. 8. 10. 5. 4. 1. In this year the most divine Constantine rose up for the overthrow of the tyrants. But the impious Maxentius, having bridged with boats the river flowing by Rome, arrayed his army against the great Constantine. But the great Constantine feared the sorceries of Maxentius, 14 who cut up infants for unlawful divinations. And while he was in great anxiety, there appeared to him at the sixth hour of the day the precious cross, fashioned from light, having an inscription: "In this, conquer." And the Lord, appearing to him, said to him in a vision of the night: "Use that which was shown to you, and conquer." Then having fashioned a golden cross, which exists to this day, he ordered it to be carried before him in the war. And when the engagement took place, those with Maxentius were defeated, most of whom were killed. And Maxentius, fleeing with the rest, when the bridge broke apart by divine power, was drowned in the river, like Pharaoh of old with all his host, so that the river was filled with drowned horses and their riders. And the citizens of Rome, as if they had asked him to rise up to their aid, having been delivered from the tyranny of the wicked Maxentius, having wreathed the city, received with joy the victor Constantine with the victory-bringing cross

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κατὰ Χριστιανῶν πόλεμον ἀναρριπιζόντων. τότε καὶ Λικίνιον καίσαρα Ῥωμαῖοι ἀνηγόρευσαν χαριζόμενοι Κωνσταντίνῳ γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ ὄντα εἰς ἀδελφὴν Κωνσταντίαν καὶ ὑποκρινόμενον ψευδῶς τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς εὐσέβειαν, Σευήρου δηλαδὴ τελευτήσαντος. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει Πέτρος, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ἀλεξανδρείας, ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ὑπάρχων προστάγματι Μαξιμιανοῦ τοῦ Γαλλερίου καὶ Μαξιμίνου, τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθεὶς ἐνδόξως ἐμαρτύρησεν· ὅστις τὸν Ἄρειον διάκονον ὄντα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίας ἀκοινώνητον ἐποίησεν· ὅστις μετὰ ταῦτα κακοδόξου αἱρέσεως προστάτης γεγονὼς πολλοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀπέστησεν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν τυράννων τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρικὸν στέφανον ἀνεδήσαντο, ὧν εἰσι Φιλέας ἐπίσκοπος Θμούεως τῆς Αἰγύπτου, Πηλεὺς καὶ Νεῖλος ἐπίσκοποι τῆς Αἰγύπτου, Ἄνθιμος ἐπίσκοπος Νικομηδείας, Τυραννίων ἐπίσκοπος Τύρου, Σιλουανὸς ἐπίσκοπος Ἐμέσης, καὶ Σιλουανὸς ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης, Λουκιανὸς πρεσβύτερος Ἀντιοχείας, Ζηνόβιος πρεσβύτερος Σιδῶνος, Πάμφιλος πρεσβύτερος Καισαρείας, καὶ ἄλλοι ἀναρίθμητοι. οὗτος ὁ Γαλλέριος Μαξιμιανὸς γυναικομανέστατος ἦν τοσοῦτον, ὥστε τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν τελοῦντας μελετᾷν, ποῦ κρύψωσι 13 τὰς ἰδίας γαμετάς, ἐκτετηκὼς καὶ τῇ τῶν πλάνων δαιμόνων ἀπάτῃ, ὡς μὴ ἀνέχεσθαί τινος γεύσασθαι ἄνευ μαντείας. οὗτος πανωλεθρίαν Χριστιανῶν γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, οὐ τοσοῦτον διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσέβειαν, ὅσον διὰ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῶν. τοῦτον οὖν θεία δίκη μετῆλθε διὰ τὴν ἄμετρον ἀκολασίαν καὶ τὴν περὶ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἀνύποιστον κάκωσιν. χαλεπὸν γὰρ ἕλκος κατὰ τὸ τῆς ἀκολασίας αὐτοῦ μόριον ἐκφυὲν κρεῖττον πάσης ἀνθρωπίνης βοηθείας ἐτύγχανεν, νομῆς καταλαβούσης καὶ σκωλήκων φθορᾶς τοὺς τόπους. ἦν γὰρ καὶ πολύσαρκος. οὗτος ὑπολαβών, ὡς ἄρα διὰ τοὺς ἀδίκους φόνους πέπληκται, προστάγματα κατὰ παντὸς τόπου ὑπὲρ Χριστιανῶν ἔγραψε πᾶν κελεύων καταθυμίως πράττειν καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εὔχεσθαι. οὗ γεγονότος, εὐθέως τοῦ χαλεπωτάτου πάθους τῇ εὐχῇ τῶν Χριστιανῶν θεραπευθέντος παρ' ἐλπίδα, μήπω δὲ τοῦ τραύματος καλῶς συνουλώσαντος, μειζόνως ἐμαίνετο τῶν ἀθεμίτων ἐχόμενος πράξεων. ἀλλ' εὐθὺς πάλιν πόλεμοι καὶ ἐπαναστάσεις, λιμοί τε καὶ λοιμοὶ καὶ αὐχμοὶ ἀθρόοι ἐπέσκηπτον, ὡς μὴ ἀρκεῖν θάψαι τοὺς ζῶντας τοὺς τεθνεῶτας· κεραυνοί τε καὶ φόβητρα ἐξαπεστέλλετο, ὡς ἕκαστον ἑαυτοῦ μόνου φροντίζειν, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν προσταγμάτων ἄπρακτα διαμένειν. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἑρμὼν ἔτη θʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἀχιλλᾶς ἔτος αʹ. βʹ. δʹ. ϛʹ. αʹ. αʹ. βʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος ιθʹ Ἀλέξανδρος ἔτη κγʹ. γʹ. εʹ. ζʹ. βʹ. αʹ. γʹ. δʹ. ϛʹ. ηʹ. γʹ. βʹ. δʹ. εʹ. ζʹ. θʹ. δʹ. γʹ. εʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Παυλῖνος ἔτη εʹ. ϛʹ. ηʹ. ιʹ. εʹ. δʹ. αʹ Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ θειότατος εἰς τὴν κατὰ τῶν τυράννων διανέστη κατάλυσιν. Μαξέντιος δὲ ὁ δυσσεβὴς ναυσὶ γεφυρώσας τὸν παραρρέοντα τῇ Ῥώμῃ ποταμὸν παρετάξατο κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου. ὁ δὲ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος ἐδεδίει τὰς Μαξεν14 τίου γοητείας βρέφη ἀνατεμόντος διὰ μαντείας ἀθεμίτους. ἐν πολλῇ δὲ ἀγωνίᾳ ὄντι ὤφθη αὐτῷ ἐν ὥρᾳ ἕκτῃ τῆς ἡμέρας ὁ τίμιος σταυρὸς ἐκ φωτὸς κατεσκευασμένος, ἔχων ἐπιγραφήν· "ἐν τούτῳ νίκα." ἐπιστὰς δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτός· "χρῆσαι τῷ δειχθέντι σοι, καὶ νίκα." τότε σταυρὸν σχεδιάσας χρυσοῦν, ὃς ἔστι μέχρι τῆς σήμερον, ἐκέλευσε προάγειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ. καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης ἡττήθησαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Μαξέντιον, ὧν οἱ πλείους ἀνῃροῦντο. Μαξέντιος δὲ σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς φεύγων, τῆς γεφύρας θείᾳ δυνάμει διαρραγείσης, ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ καταποντίζεται, ὡς πάλαι Φαραὼ πανστρατί, ὥστε τὸν ποταμὸν πληρωθῆναι ἵππων σὺν ἀναβάταις πεπνιγμένοις. οἱ δὲ πολῖται τῆς Ῥώμης, ὡς αἰτησάμενοι αὐτὸν διαναστῆναι εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν αὐτῶν, λυτρωθέντες τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ Μαξεντίου τυραννίδος, τὴν πόλιν στεφανώσαντες εἰσεδέξαντο μετὰ χαρᾶς τὸν νικητὴν Κωνσταντῖνον σὺν τῷ νικοποιῷ σταυρῷ