8

having laid an ambush, they attack them from the rear, and those who were fleeing turned back and surrounded them in the middle; and much of Constantine’s army was destroyed and he himself. For his horse having been wounded and because of the wound convulsing and rearing up, Constantine fell from his seat and was killed after receiving many wounds, neither obtaining his desire and in addition losing his very life, both because he had begun an unjust war, and because he lost his own share of the empire. And so the sovereignty of the western portion came under the one emperor Constans. Then he too, having slid into strange passions and a dissolute life, was plotted against by Magnentius and wretchedly perished; Magnentius, whom he had saved from danger during a military sedition, when the soldiers had already 29 raised their swords against him and were eager to dispatch him. But Constantius, spending his time in the east, was fighting the Persians, while Sapor, as has been said, was ruling the nation; who was the son of Narses, but not by a legitimate wife. For by his principal wife Narses had three sons, Adarnarses and Hormisdas and a third other. And when Narses died, Adarnarses, the eldest of these three, became the successor to the rule. But being exceedingly cruel and harsh, and on that account hated by the Persians, he was deposed from the kingdom. Let something also be told as an illustration of his characteristic cruelty. A tent was once brought to his father from Babylon, rather colorfully worked with native skins. Narses, seeing it just stretched out, asked Adarnarses, who was still a little boy, if the tent pleased him. But he answered that if he should gain the kingdom, he would make one better than this out of the skins of men. Thus from childhood he revealed his cruelty. 30 So when this man had thus been deposed from the kingdom, Sapor was brought in to rule in his stead. And he immediately blinded one of his brothers, and held Hormisdas bound in prison. But his mother and his wife, having won over the guards with money, were allowed to enter to visit him. And having entered they gave him a file, so that with it he might cut the iron chains, having also suggested what he should do afterwards and having prepared horses for him and for those who would escape with him. Then his wife set a lavish dinner before the guards; and they, being stuffed with food and having drunk the unmixed wine too immoderately, were overcome by a deep sleep. But Hormisdas, while they were sleeping, cut his chains with the file and, leaving the prison, departed and fled to the Romans and was received most honorably. But Sapor seemed to rejoice at his flight, as one who had rid himself of the fear of him; for not only did he not demand that the fugitive be handed over to him, but he also sent his wife to him with honor. And Hormisdas was both great in strength and a very skillful javelin-thrower, so that when 31 brandishing the javelin against someone, he would foretell where he would strike the enemy. This man therefore campaigned with Constantius against his countrymen, having been appointed to command a large squadron of cavalry. But the emperor Constantius, having often engaged the Persians, had the worse lot and lost many of his own men. And very many of the Persians also fell, and Sapor himself was wounded. However, when the wars against the Persians had turned out thus for the emperor Constantius, Magnentius, learning these things, who was born of a British father and served among the protectors and was then named count of two Roman regiments, desiring even before to become a tyrant, then set his mind more firmly on his goal, because he heard that Constantius was faring badly in the Persian war, and he judged it then to be an opportune moment to attempt the tyranny. And pretending to celebrate his own birthday in the city of Augustulum, he summoned the chief men of the city to participate in his banquet, some 32 of them being privy to his purpose, and others not sharing in the plot. And he prolonged the drinking until evening.

8

λοχῶντες γενόμενοι κατὰ νώτων αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθενται, καὶ οἱ φεύγοντες ἐπιστραφέντες μέσον περιέσχον αὐτούς· καὶ πολὺ τῆς τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου διέφθαρτο στρατιᾶς κἀκεῖνος αὐτός. τοῦ γὰρ ἵππου τρωθέντος αὐτῷ καὶ διὰ τὸ τραῦμα σφαδάζοντος καὶ ἀνασκιρτῶντος, ἐκπέπτωκε τῆς ἕδρας ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος καὶ ἀνῃρέθη πολλὰ δεξάμενος τραύματα, οὔτε τυχὼν τῆς ἐφέσεως καὶ αὐτὴν προσζημιωθεὶς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὅτι ἀδίκων ἦρξε, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν τῆς ἀρχῆς μοῖραν ἀποβαλών. καὶ γέγονε καὶ τῆς ἑσπερίου λήξεως ἐπικράτεια ὑφ' ἑνὶ τῷ Κώνσταντι βασιλεῖ. εἶτα κἀκεῖνος εἰς ἀλλοκότους ἐκκυλισθεὶς ἔρωτας καὶ ἐκδεδιῃτημένην ζωήν, ὑπὸ Μαγνεντίου ἐπεβουλεύθη καὶ ἀθλίως ἀπώλετο, Μαγνεντίου, ὃν ἐκεῖνος ἐκ στάσεως στρατιωτικῆς περιέσωσε κινδυνεύοντα, ἤδη τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατ' 29 ἐκείνου ἠρκότων τὰ ξίφη καὶ διαχειρίσασθαι αὐτὸν ὡρμηκότων. Ὁ Κωνστάντιος δὲ περὶ τὴν ἑῴαν διατρίβων τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐμάχετο, Σαπώρου τοῦ ἔθνους, ὡς εἴρηται, βασιλεύοντος· ὃς Ναρσῆ μὲν ἦν υἱός, οὐ μέντοι ἐξ ἐπισήμου γυναικός. ἐκ γὰρ τῆς πρωτευούσης τῶν αὐτοῦ γαμετῶν τρεῖς ἐγένοντο τῷ Ναρσῇ παῖδες, Ἀδαρνάρσης καὶ Ὁρμίσδας καὶ τρίτος ἕτερος. τελευτήσαντος δὲ Ναρσοῦ ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῶν τριῶν τούτων Ἀδαρνάρσης τῆς ἀρχῆς διάδοχος γέγονεν. ὠμὸς δὲ λίαν τυγχάνων καὶ ἀπηνὴς κἀντεῦθεν μισούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν, τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπέπτωκεν. Εἰρήσθω δέ τι καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου γνωμικῆς ὠμότητος γνώρισμα. σκηνή ποτε τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ διεκομίσθη ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος δέρμασιν ἐγχωρίοις ποικιλώτερον εἰργασμένη. ταύτην ἐκταθεῖσαν ἄρτι θεώμενος ὁ Ναρσῆς ἠρώτησε τὸν Ἀδαρνάρσην, παιδίον ἔτι τυγχάνοντα, εἰ ἀρέσκει αὐτῷ ἡ σκηνή. ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, εἰ κρατήσει τῆς βασιλείας, κρείττω ταύτης ποιήσειν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δορᾶς. οὕτω νηπιόθεν ἐνέφαινε τὴν ὠμότητα. 30 Τούτου τοίνυν οὕτω τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπεπτωκότος, Σαπώρης εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀντεισῆκτο. καὶ ὃς εὐθὺς τὸν μὲν ἕτερον τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐξετύφλωσε, τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν δὲ δεσμήσας ἔμφρουρον εἶχεν. ἡ δέ γε μήτηρ ἐκείνου καὶ ἡ γυνὴ χρήμασι δεξιωσάμεναι τοὺς φρουρούς, εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν ἐκείνου παρεχωρήθησαν εἰσελθεῖν. καὶ εἰσελθοῦσαι ῥίνην αὐτῷ παρέσχον, ἵνα ταύτῃ τὰ σιδήρεα διακόψῃ δεσμά, ὑποθέμεναι καὶ ὅσα δέοι μετὰ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἵππους τε αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς συναποδράσοντας ἑτοιμάσασαι. εἶτα τοῖς φρουροῖς ἡ ἐκείνου σύνευνος δεῖπνον παρέθετο δαψιλές· οἱ δὲ καὶ βρωμάτων ἐμφορηθέντες καὶ τοῦ ἀκράτου σπάσαντες ἀκρατέστερον ἐλήφθησαν ὕπνῳ βαρεῖ. ὁ δ' Ὁρμίσδας κοιμωμένων ἐκείνων καὶ τὰ δεσμὰ τῇ ῥίνῃ διέκοψε καὶ τῆς φρουρᾶς ἐξελθὼν ᾤχετο καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀπέδρα καὶ ὑπεδέχθη φιλοτιμότατα. ὁ δὲ Σαπώρης ἐῴκει τῇ φυγῇ ἐκείνου ἐφήδεσθαι, οἷα τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου ἀποσκευασάμενος φόβον· οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐκδοθῆναί οἱ τὸν φυγάδα οὐκ ἐξεζήτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτῷ ἐντίμως ἐξέπεμψεν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Ὁρμίσδας καὶ πολὺς τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ ἀκοντιστὴς περιδέξιος, ὡς ἐν 31 τῷ πάλλειν κατά τινος τὸ ἀκόντιον προλέγειν, ὅπου βαλεῖ τὸν πολέμιον. οὗτος τοίνυν τῷ Κωνσταντίῳ κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων συνεστρατεύετο, ἄρχειν ταχθεὶς ἱππέων ἴλης πολλῆς. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Κωνστάντιος πολλάκις τοῖς Πέρσαις συμβαλὼν τὴν ἥττονα μοῖραν εἶχε καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν οἰκείων ἀπέβαλε. καὶ τῶν Περσῶν δὲ πλεῖστοι πεπτώκασι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σαπώρης ἐτέτρωτο. Οὕτω μέντοι τῶν ἐπὶ Πέρσας πολέμων συνενεχθέντων τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίῳ, μαθὼν ταῦτα Μαγνέντιος, ὃς ἐκ πατρὸς μὲν γεγέννητο Βρεττανοῦ, ἐν τοῖς προτίκτορσι δ' ἐστρατεύετο εἶτα καὶ κόμης ὠνομάσθη ταγμάτων δύο Ῥωμαϊκῶν, τυραννῆσαί τε καὶ πρῴην ἐπιθυμῶν τότε μᾶλλον ἔθετο τῷ σκοπῷ, ὅτι ἀτυχοῦντα περὶ τὸν Περσικὸν πόλεμον ἤκουε τὸν Κωνστάντιον, καὶ εὐκαιρίαν ἔκρινε τηνικαῦτα τοῦ ἐπικεχειρηκέναι τῇ τυραννίδι. καὶ πλασάμενος τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἑορτάζειν γενέθλια ἐν Αὐγουστούλῳ τῇ πόλει συνεκάλεσε τοὺς ἐξόχους τῆς πόλεως τοῦ συμποσίου αὐτοῦ συμμεθέξοντας, τοὺς μὲν καὶ 32 συνίστορας αὐτῷ τοῦ σκοποῦ, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀμετόχους τοῦ σκέμματος. καὶ παρέτεινε τὸν πότον ἕως ἑσπέρας.