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to defend himself from the accusation, it does not seem to me that he was grieving so much for his brother, whom he knew to be an enemy on account of his religion, as much as, being unable to bear the growth of the Christians and raging against piety, he dared to attack the established order, and to seek for free men in his madness; for it was necessary that philosophy and empire, as their saying goes, should come together; not that cities might cease from evils, but that they might be filled with them.

46. And the first act of his audacity and madness was to crown himself, and to honor himself with the great title (which is bestowed not by a stroke of luck, but as a prize for virtue, or by time, or by the vote of the emperor, or by a decree of the senate, as of old), and he does not make the possessor of the empire the arbiter of the measure of his honor. Second (for he knew that he had made madness a necessity for himself by what he had already dared), what does he intend? And to what lengths of impiety and audacity does he proceed? O that maniacal soul! He marches against him, and rebels from the West; 35.572 on the pretext, indeed, of defending himself concerning the diadem, for he still seemed to hide his madness; but in truth, that he might transfer all the power to himself, and be admired for his ingratitude. And indeed he was not cheated of his hope.

47. Let not those who do not know the unsearchable depth of the decrees of God, by which all things are borne along, be surprised, and who do not yield to the craftsman of governance, who is certainly wiser than we are, and who guides His own creation where and how He wishes; but always towards what is better and for healing, even if those being treated are displeased. By these decrees, that man was not indeed incited to wickedness (for the Godhead is entirely without blame for evils, being good by nature, and wickedness belongs to the one who has chosen it); yet he was not restrained from his impulse. But with great speed, having traversed both his own land and part of the barbarian bank, and seizing the passage more by stealth than by force, he comes near the imperial city. As his supporters say, he was roused to the expedition by a prophecy, and an impulse from demons promising the future and decreeing a change in affairs. But as the account of those who speak the truth says, he was present at an appointed time, but a more secret and deeper one, and hastening to a death of which he himself was the author, having secretly contrived the undertaking with one of those within; so that what happened was not foreknowledge, but knowledge, and the work of wickedness, not a benefit from demons; for how well-aimed they are in such matters, Persia clearly showed. And let those who attribute his speed to demons cease, unless we are to add that evil itself is one of their attributes.

48. If, then, the end of the emperor had not preceded the tyrant's attack, nor had the unseen war prevailed more than the visible hand, perhaps the wretch would have known that he had hastened to his own ruin; and before 35.573 his madness was chastened by the infatuation of the Persians, he would have paid the penalty within the borders of the Romans, against whom he had wickedly dared. And here is the proof: for while still advancing and unrecognized, as he thought, he is surrounded by an army from the most noble emperor, which cut off his escape as well, as became clear from later events; for even when he already held the power, to overcome it was no small task. But now, the one boiling with anger against both his madness and his impiety, and having the wisest of men in his nets—O, our wickedness!—ends his life in the midst of his journey, having made many apologies to both God and men for his own philanthropy, and having shown to the Christians by his zeal his concern for piety.

49. But at this point a tear comes to me, mixed with joy, on account of what follows in the narrative; and it is like a battle of river and sea, and a mixing, and a standing still, opposing and coming together with one another; for from the final events I experience pleasure,

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κατηγορίας ἀπολο γήσασθαι, οὔ μοι δοκεῖ τοσοῦτον ὑπεραλγῶν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ὅν γε καὶ πολέμιον ἐκ τῆς θρησκείας ἐγί νωσκεν, ὅσον τὰ Χριστιανῶν οὐ φέρων αὐξανόμενα, καὶ λυσσῶν κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, τοῖς καθεστηκόσιν ἐπιτολμᾷν, καὶ ζητεῖν ἐλευθερίων τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ· χρῆναι γὰρ φιλοσοφίαν καὶ βασιλείαν, ὡς ὁ ἐκείνων λόγος, εἰς ταυτὸ συνελθεῖν· οὐχ ἵνα παύσωνται κακῶν αἱ πόλεις, ἀλλ' ἵνα πλησθῶσι.

Μςʹ. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον αὐτῷ τῆς αὐθαδείας καὶ ἀπονοίας ἑαυτὸν ἀναδῆσαι, καὶ τῇ μεγάλῃ προσ ηγορίᾳ τιμῆσαι (ἣν οὐχ ἅρπαγμα τύχης, ἀλλ' ἀρε τῆς ἆθλον ἢ χρόνος ἢ ψῆφος βασιλέως χαρίζεται, ἢ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς, ὡς τὸ παλαιὸν, κρίσις), καὶ οὐ ποιεῖται τοῦ μέτρου τῆς τιμῆς κύριον τὸν τῆς βα σιλείας· δεύτερον δὲ (καὶ γὰρ ἀναγκαίαν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀπόνοιαν ἐκ τῶν ἤδη τετολμημένων ᾔδει πε ποιηκὼς), τί διανοεῖται; καὶ ποῖ πρόεισιν ἀσεβείας τε καὶ θρασύτητος; Ὢ τῆς μανιώδους ἐκείνης ψυ χῆς! Ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐκστρατεύει, καὶ τῆς δύσεως ἀπαν 35.572 ίσταται· προφάσει μὲν, ὡς ἀπολογησόμε νος ὑπὲρ τοῦ διαδήματος· ἔτι γὰρ ἐδόκει κρύπτειν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀπόνοιαν· τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς, ὡς μεταστή σων εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἅπαν τὸ κράτος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγνωμο σύνης θαυμασθησόμενος· καὶ οὐκ ἐψεύσθη γε τῆς ἐλπίδος.

ΜΖʹ. Μὴ θαυμαζέτωσαν οἱ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων, ὑφ' ὧν τὸ πᾶν φέρεται, τὸ ἀτέκμαρτον μὴ ἐπιστάμενοι βάθος, καὶ μὴ παραχωροῦντες τῷ τεχνίτῃ τῆς κυβερνήσεως, ἡμῶν γε πάντως συνετωτέρῳ, καὶ ἄγοντι τὸ οἰκεῖον ὅπη καὶ ὅπως βούλεται· πάντως δὲ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον καὶ τὴν ἰατρείαν, κἂν οἱ θεραπευό μενοι δυσχεραίνωσιν· ὑφ' ὧν λόγων κἀκεῖνος οὐκ ἐπήρθη μὲν εἰς τὴν κακίαν· ἀναίτιον γὰρ παντά πασι κακῶν τὸ Θεῖον, ἀγαθὸν τῇ φύσει τυγχάνον, καὶ τοῦ προελομένου τὰ τῆς κακίας· οὐ μὴν ἐπεσχέθη γε τῆς ὁρμῆς· ἀλλὰ τάχει πολλῷ τήν τε οἰκείαν, καὶ τῆς βαρβαρικῆς ὄχθης ἔστιν ἣν διαδραμὼν, καὶ τῷ λαθεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ κρατῆ σαι τὴν πάροδον ἁρπάσας, πλησίον τῶν βασιλείων γίνεται· ὡς μὲν οἱ τὰ ἐκείνου φρονοῦντες, κατὰ πρόγνωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκστρατείαν ἀρθεὶς, καὶ δαιμόνων κίνησιν τὸ μέλλον ὑπισχνουμένων, καὶ με ταβολὴν πρυτανευόντων τοῖς πράγμασιν· ὡς δὲ ὁ τῶν ἀληθευόντων λόγος, κατὰ προθεσμίαν παρὼν, ἀλλ' ἀποῤῥητοτέραν τε καὶ βαθυτέραν, καὶ σπεύδων ἐπὶ θάνατον, οὗ δημιουργὸς αὐτὸς ἦν, κλέ ψας τινὶ τῶν ἔνδον τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν· ὥστε εἶ ναι μὴ πρόγνωσιν, ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν, καὶ πονηρίας ἔργον, ἀλλὰ μὴ δαιμόνων εὐεργέτημα τὸ γινόμε νον· οἵ γε πῶς εὔστοχοι τὰ τοιαῦτα, Περσὶς σαφῶς ἔδειξε. Καὶ παυσάσθωσαν οἱ τὸ ἐκείνου τάχος τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἐπιφημίζοντες· εἰ μή γε καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ κακὸν εἶναι τούτοις προσθήσομεν.

ΜΗʹ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν μὴ προὔλαβε τὴν ἔφοδον τοῦ τυ ράννου τὸ τέλος τοῦ βασιλέως, μηδὲ ὁ ἀφανὴς πόλεμος τῆς φανερᾶς χειρὸς πλεῖον ἴσχυσε, τάχα ἂν ἔγνω καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ταχύνας ὁ ἀλιτήριος· καὶ πρὶν ὑπὸ 35.573 Περσῶν τὴν ἐμπληξίαν σωφρονισθῆναι τῆς ἀπο νοίας, ἔδωκεν ἂν δίκην ἐν ὅροις Ῥωμαίων, ὧν κα κῶς κατετόλμησε· τεκμήριον δέ· καὶ γὰρ ἔτι προϊὼν καὶ ἀγνοούμενος, ὡς ἐνόμιζεν, ὑπὸ τοῦ γεν ναιοτάτου βασιλέως στρατιᾷ περιλαμβάνεται προϋποτεμνούσῃ καὶ τὴν φυγὴν, ὡς δῆλον γέγονεν ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον· καὶ γὰρ ἤδη τὸ κράτος ἔχοντι, τὸ κρατῆσαι ταύτης οὐ μικρὸν ἔργον ἐγένετο· νῦν δὲ ὁ μὲν θυμῷ ζέων κατὰ τῆς ἀπονοίας ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ τὸν σοφώτατον ἔχων ἐν ἄρκυσιν, ὢ τῆς ἡμετέρας κακίας! ἐν ἀκμῇ τῆς ὁδοῦ κα ταλύει τὸν βίον, πολλὰ καὶ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολογησάμενος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁρμῆς δείξας Χριστιανοῖς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας κίνησιν.

ΜΘʹ. Ὧδε δέ τι δάκρυον ἐπέρχεταί μοι χαρᾷ συμμιγὲς διὰ τὰ ἑξῆς τοῦ λόγου· καὶ οἷον ποταμοῦ καὶ πελάγους μάχη, καὶ μίξις, καὶ στάσις, ἀλλήλοις ἀντιστατούντων, καὶ συνιόντων· ἐκ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τε λευταίων πάσχω τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς,