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Let my word be inspired. From this very first age of the man, let us begin our account in this way. 1.12.1 An ancient report holds that dreadful races of tyrants once afflicted the Hebrew people, and that God, appearing benevolent to the afflicted, provided that the prophet Moses, while still an infant at that time, be raised in the very midst of the tyrants' houses and bosoms and share in their wisdom. But as advancing time called him to manhood, and Justice, the helper of the wronged, pursued the wrongdoers, at that time the prophet of God, having come forth from the very dwellings of the tyrants, was serving the will of the Almighty, becoming estranged in deeds and words from the tyrants who had raised him, and revealing as his own brothers and kinsmen those who were so by true account, and then God, having raised him up as a leader of the whole nation, freed the Hebrews from the slavery under their enemies, and pursued the race of tyrants with divinely-sent 1.12.2 punishments through him. This, then, is an ancient report, handed down to the many in the form of a myth, which formerly filled the ears of all, but now the same God has bestowed upon us clear, first-hand views of wonders greater than myths, truer than any hearsay, for our young eyes to see. For the tyrants of our time, having set out to make war on the God over all, were afflicting His church, but in their midst was Constantine, soon to be the slayer of tyrants, a youth still new, tender, and handsome with the bloom of his first beard, like that very servant of God himself, he was positioned at the hearths of the tyrants, yet he did not share in the same ways, 1.12.3 although he was young, with the godless. For a good nature, together with the divine spirit, drew him from that time toward the pious and God-pleasing life, and moreover a paternal zeal also moved him, calling the son to the imitation of good things. For his father—since it is indeed fitting at this point to rekindle his memory as well—was Constantius, the most illustrious of the emperors of our time. Concerning whom it is necessary to recount briefly the things which bring honor to the son. 1.13.1 For while four indeed shared in the Roman imperial rule, he alone, adopting a way of life not shared with the others, established a friendship with the 1.13.2 God over all. The others, however, laying waste to the churches of God by siege, were razing them from top to bottom, destroying the houses of prayer to their very foundations; but he kept his hands clean from their accursed impiety, in no way making himself like them. And while they were defiling the pro1.13.3vinces under them with the civil slaughter of god-fearing men and women, he kept his own soul unstained from the abomination. And while they, through a confusion of evils of unlawful idolatry, first enslaved themselves and then all their subjects to the deceptions of wicked demons, he, ruling over those under him in deepest peace, awarded to his people the griefless practice of piety toward God. But while the others, imposing the heaviest exactions upon all men, inflicted on them a life not worth living and more grievous than death, Constantius alone, having prepared for his subjects a rule free from grief and tranquil, provided from himself an assistance in no way lack1.13.4ing in paternal care. And while myriad other virtues of the man are celebrated by all, having mentioned one or two accomplishments and using these as proofs of the ones passed over in silence, I will proceed to the proposed subject of my writing. 1.14.1 Indeed, as much talk was circulating in rumor about this emperor, how gentle he was, how good, how he possessed godliness to an exceeding degree, how through an excess of frugality for his subjects not even any treasure of money was stored up for him, the emperor who at that time held the first rank of the empire sent to him and blamed him for his neglect of the public funds and reproached him for his poverty, offering as proof of his argument 1.14.2 that he possessed nothing laid up in his treasuries. But he, having urged those who had come from the emperor to remain with him, from among those under him who possessed abundant wealth

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ἐμπνείτω λόγος. Ἐξ αὐτῆς δ' ἤδη πρώτης ἡλικίας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὧδέ πῃ τῆς γραφῆς ἀπαρξώμεθα. 1.12.1 Παλαιὰ κατέχει φήμη δεινά ποτε γένη τυράννων τὸν Ἑβραίων καταπονῆσαι λεών, θεὸν δὲ τοῖς καταπονουμένοις εὐμενῆ παραφανέντα Μωϋσέα προφήτην ἔτι τότε νηπιάζοντα μέσοις αὐτοῖς τυραννικοῖς οἴκοις τε καὶ κόλποις τραφῆναι καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς μετασχεῖν προνοῆσαι σοφίας. ὡς δ' ἐπιὼν ὁ χρόνος τὸν μὲν εἰς ἄνδρας ἐκάλει, δίκη δ' ἡ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἀρωγὸς τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας μετῄει, τηνικαῦτα ἐξ αὐτῶν τυραννικῶν δωμάτων προελθὼν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτης τῇ τοῦ κρείττονος διηκονεῖτο βουλῇ, τῶν μὲν ἀναθρεψαμένων τυράννων ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις ἀλλοτριούμενος, τοὺς δ' ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ σφετέρους ἀδελφούς τε καὶ συγγενεῖς ἀποφαίνων γνωρίμους, κἄπειτα θεὸς αὐτὸν καθηγεμόνα τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους ἐγείρας, Ἑβραίους μὲν τῆς ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἠλευθέρου δουλείας, τὸ δὲ τυραννικὸν γένος θεηλάτοις μετήρχετο 1.12.2 δι' αὐτοῦ κολαστηρίοις. φήμη μὲν αὕτη παλαιά, μύθου σχήματι τοῖς πολλοῖς παραδεδομένη, τὰς πάντων ἀκοὰς ἐπλήρου πρότερον, νυνὶ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡμῖν θεὸς μειζόνων ἢ κατὰ μύθους θαυμάτων ἐναργεῖς αὐτοπτικὰς θέας νεαραῖς ὄψεσι πάσης ἀκοῆς ἀληθεστέρας δεδώρηται. τύραννοι μὲν γὰρ οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν πολεμεῖν ὡρμημένοι τὴν αὐτοῦ κατεπόνουν ἐκκλησίαν, μέσος δὲ τούτων Κωνσταντῖνος, ὁ μετ' ὀλίγον τυραννοκτόνος, παῖς ἄρτι νέος ἁπαλὸς ὡραῖός τ' ἀνθοῦσιν ἰούλοις, οἷα τις αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ θεράπων, τυραννικαῖς ἐφήδρευσεν ἑστίαις, οὐ μὴν καὶ τρόπων 1.12.3 τῶν ἴσων, καίπερ νέος ὤν, τοῖς ἀθέοις ἐκοινώνει. εἷλκε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου θείῳ σὺν πνεύματι φύσις ἀγαθὴ πρὸς τὸν εὐσεβῆ καὶ θεῷ κεχαρισμένον βίον, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῆλος ἐνῆγε πατρικὸς ἐπ' ἀγαθῶν μιμήσει τὸν παῖδα προκαλούμενος. πατὴρ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ-ὅτι δὴ καὶ ἄξιον ἐν καιρῷ καὶ τούτου τὴν μνήμην ἀναζωπυρῆσαι-περιφανέστατος τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοκρατόρων Κωνστάντιος. οὗ πέρι τὰ τῷ παιδὶ φέροντα κόσμον βραχεῖ λόγῳ διελθεῖν ἀναγκαῖον. 1.13.1 Τεττάρων γάρ τοι τῆς Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκρατορικῆς κοινωνούντων ἀρχῆς, μόνος οὗτος ἀκοινώνητον τοῖς ἄλλοις περιβαλλόμενος τρόπον τὴν πρὸς τὸν 1.13.2 ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν φιλίαν ἐσπένδετο. οἱ μέντοι τὰς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ πολιορκίᾳ δῃοῦντες ἐξ ὕψους εἰς ἔδαφος καθῄρουν, αὐτοῖς θεμελίοις τοὺς εὐκτηρίους ἀφανίζοντες οἴκους, ὁ δὲ τῆς τούτων ἐναγοῦς δυσσεβείας καθαρὰς ἐφύλαττε τὰς χεῖρας, μηδαμῆ μηδαμῶς αὐτοῖς ἐξομοιούμενος. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐμφυλίοις θεοσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν σφαγαῖς τὰς ὑπ' αὐτοῖς ἐπαρ1.13.3 χίας ἐμίαινον, ὁ δὲ τοῦ μύσους ἀμίαντον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ συνετήρει ψυχήν. καὶ οἱ μὲν συγχύσει κακῶν εἰδωλολατρίας ἐκθέσμου σφᾶς αὐτοὺς πρότερον κἄπειτα τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἅπαντας πονηρῶν δαιμόνων πλάναις κατεδουλοῦντο, ὁ δὲ εἰρήνης βαθυτάτης τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βασιλευομένοις ἐξάρχων τὰ τῆς εἰς θεὸν εὐσεβείας ἄλυπα τοῖς οἰκείοις ἐβράβευεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι μὲν ἀνθρώποις βαρυτάτας εἰσπράξεις ἐπαιωροῦντες οἱ ἄλλοι βίον ἀβίωτον αὐτοῖς καὶ θανάτου χαλεπώτερον ἐπήρτων, μόνος δὲ Κωνστάντιος ἄλυπον τοῖς ἀρχομένοις καὶ γαληνὴν παρασκευάσας τὴν ἀρχήν, πατρικῆς κηδεμονίας ἐν οὐδενὶ λεί1.13.4 πουσαν τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ παρεῖχεν ἐπικουρίαν. μυρίων δὲ καὶ ἄλλων τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀρετῶν παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ᾀδομένων, ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου μνημονεύσας κατορθώματος τεκμηρίοις τε τούτοις τῶν σιωπωμένων χρησάμενος ἐπὶ τὸν προκείμενον τῆς γραφῆς σκοπὸν διαβήσομαι. 1.14.1 Πολλοῦ δὴ λόγου περιτρέχοντος φήμῃ ἀμφὶ τοῦδε τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς ἤπιος ὡς ἀγαθὸς ὡς τὸ θεοφιλὲς ὑπεράγαν κεκτημένος, ὡς δι' ὑπερβολὴν φειδοῦς τῶν ὑπηκόων οὐδὲ θησαυρός τις αὐτῷ τεταμίευτο χρημάτων, βασιλεὺς ὁ τηνικαῦτα τὸν πρῶτον τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπέχων βαθμὸν πέμψας αὐτῷ κατεμέμφετο τὴν τῶν κοινῶν ὀλιγωρίαν πενίαν τ' ἐπωνείδιζε, δεῖγμα τοῦ λόγου παρέχων 1.14.2 τὸ μηθὲν αὐτὸν ἐν θησαυροῖς ἀπόθετον κεκτῆσθαι. ὁ δὲ τοὺς παρὰ βασιλέως ἥκοντας αὐτοῦ μένειν παρακελευσάμενος, τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν τοὺς ἀμφιλαφῆ πλοῦτον κεκτημένους ἐξ