Having gone away, we made the supplication, arranging many things on the charter, not only that the temples of the idols be destroyed, but also that privileges and revenue be provided to the holy church and to the Christians; for the holy church was poor.

47 When the days had passed, the day arrived on which the new emperor Theodosius was to be baptized. The whole city was crowned and adorned with all-silk and gold-embroidered fabrics and every other kind of decoration, so that no one could describe the city's adornment; but it was also possible to see the surging crowds of inhabitants changing into all sorts of types of garments. It is not within my power to describe the splendor of that adornment, but that of those trained in rhetoric; but I shall proceed to the present true account. When the new Theodosius was baptized and went out from the church to the palace, it was again possible to see the excellence of the crowd of those preceding and their gleaming clothing; for all were wearing white, so that the crowd was thought to be filled with snow. Patricians, illustres and every rank with the military units went before, all carrying wax candles, so that it was thought that stars were appearing on the earth. Near the infant who was being carried was also the emperor Arcadius himself, having a cheerful and radiant face, more than the purple he wore, and one of the magnates was carrying the infant in splendid clothing. And we marveled, seeing such great glory. And Porphyry, among the saints, says to us: If earthly things which disappear after a little while have such glory, how much more the heavenly things prepared for the worthy, which neither eye has seen nor ear has heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man?

48 And we stood at the entrance of the holy church, holding the charter of the supplication, and as he came out from the baptism, we cried out, saying: We beseech your Piety, holding out the charter also. And the one carrying the child, seeing and knowing our business (for he had been previously instructed by the empress), ordered the charter to be received and given to him, and having received it, he stood. He ordered silence to be made and, unrolling a part, he read it and, rolling it up, he placed his hand on the infant's head and, bowing it before all, he cried out: Their Majesties have ordered that the things in the supplication be done. And all who saw marveled and did obeisance to the emperor, calling him blessed because he was deemed worthy to see in his life a son reigning; and he rejoiced hearing it. And it was announced beforehand to the empress Eudoxia what had been done for the sake of her child, and she rejoiced and, falling to her knees, gave thanks to God.

49 When the child entered the palace, the empress met him and received and kissed him, and holding him, she greeted the emperor also, saying: Blessed are you, my lord, for what your eyes have seen in your life; and the emperor rejoiced to hear it. And seeing him cheerful, the empress said: If it seems good, let us learn what the supplication contains, so that the things in it may certainly be done. And the emperor ordered the charter to be read, and when it was read, he said: The request is indeed burdensome, but the refusal is more burdensome, since it is also the first command of our son. And the empress says to him: Not only is it the first command, but it is also in this holy guise, and the supplication is for the sake of piety and requested by holy men. And with difficulty the emperor assented, with the empress urging him much. And the God-loving Amantius reported all these things to us.

50 On the next day, the empress summons us, and having first greeted the holy bishops according to custom, she ordered them to be seated and says to them: By your prayers God has put it into my mind how to proceed in your matter, and by his cooperation it has come to pass; and you have seen what method I used. But if it seems good, on the

ἀπελθόντες ἐποιήσαμεν τὴν ἱκεσίαν, πολλὰ τάξαντες ἐν τῷ χάρτῃ, οὐ μόνον καταστραφῆναι τὰ ἱερὰ τῶν εἰδώλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ προνόμια τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς καὶ πρόσοδον παρασχεθῆναι· ἦν γὰρ πενιχρὰ ἡ ἁγία ἐκκλησία.

47 Τῶν δὲ ἡμερῶν διαδραμουσῶν, ἐπέφθασεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν ᾗ ἔμελλεν φωτίζεσθαι ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος. Ἐστεφανώθη δὲ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις καὶ ἐκοσμήθη ἔκ τε ὁλοσηρικῶν καὶ χρυσωμάτων καὶ ἄλλου παντοίου κόσμου, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαί τινα ἐξειπεῖν τὸν κόσμον τῆς πόλεως· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πλήθη τῶν οἰκητόρων τὰ κυματώδη ἦν θεάσασθαι παντοίαις εἰδέαις ἱματίων ἐναλλάττοντα. Τῆς δὲ ἐμῆς δυνάμεως οὐκ ἔστιν φράσαι τὴν λαμπρότητα τοῦ κόσμου ἐκείνου, ἀλλ' ἐκείνων τῶν τὸν λόγον ἠσκημένων, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ἀληθῆ συγγραφὴν μετελεύσομαι. Βαπτισθέντος τοῦ νέου Θεοδοσίου καὶ ἐξελθόντος ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπὶ τὸ παλάτιον, ἦν πάλιν θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ πλήθους τῶν προηγουμένων καὶ τὴν ἐξαστράπτουσαν αὐτῶν ἐσθῆτα· πάντες γὰρ ἐλευκοφόρουν, ὡς νομίζεσθαι τὸ πλῆθος ὑπὸ χιόνος πεπληρῶσθαι. Προηγοῦντο δὲ πατρίκιοι, ἰλλούστριοι καὶ πᾶσα ἀξία μετὰ τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ταγμάτων, πάντες κηροὺς βαστάζοντες, ὡς νομίζεσθαι ἐν τῇ γῇ ἄστρα φαίνεσθαι. Ἦν δὲ πλησίον τοῦ βασταζομένου βρέφους καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρκάδιος, ἔχων τὸ πρόσωπον ἱλαρὸν καὶ ἔκλαμπρον πλέον ἧς ἐφόρει πορφύρας, εἷς δὲ τῶν μεγιστάνων ἐβάσταζεν τὸ βρέφος ἐν λαμπρᾷ ἐσθῆτι. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐθαυμάσαμεν ὁρῶντες τὴν τοσαύτην δόξαν. Λέγει δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις Πορφύριος· Εἰ τὰ γήϊνα καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἀφανιζόμενα τοιαύτην ἔχει δόξαν, πόσῳ τὰ ἐπουράνια τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς ἀξίοις, ἃ οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη;

48 Ἔστημεν δὲ ἡμεῖς εἰς τὸ πρόθυρον τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας ἔχοντες καὶ τὸν χάρτην τῆς ἱκεσίας, καὶ ὡς ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἀνεβοήσαμεν εἰπόντες· ∆εόμεθα τῆς σῆς εὐσεβείας, προτείνοντες καὶ τὸν χάρτην. Θεασάμενος δὲ ὁ τὸ παιδίον βαστάζων καὶ γινώσκων τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς πρᾶγμα (προεδιδάχθη γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς δεσποίνης), ἐκέλευσεν τὸν χάρτην δεχθῆναι καὶ ἐπιδοθῆναι αὐτῷ, καὶ δεξάμενος ἔστη. Ἐκέλευσεν δὲ ἡσυχίαν γενέσθαι καὶ λύσας μέρος ἀνέγνω καὶ εἱλίξας ὑπέβαλεν τὴν χεῖρα τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ βρέφους καὶ ὑποκλίνας αὐτὴν ἐπὶ πάντων ἔκραξεν· Ἐκέλευσεν τὸ κράτος αὐτῶν γενέσθαι τὰ ἐν τῇ ἱκεσίᾳ. Πάντες δὲ θεασάμενοι ἐθαύμασαν καὶ προσεκύνουν τὸν βασιλέα, μακαρίζοντες αὐτὸν ὅτι ἠξιώθη ἰδεῖν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ υἱὸν βασιλεύοντα· ἐγαυρία δὲ ἀκούων. Προηγγέλθη δὲ καὶ τῇ βασιλίσσῃ Εὐδοξίᾳ τὸ γενόμενον χάριν τοῦ αὐτῆς τέκνου, ἐχάρη δὲ καὶ γονυπετήσασα ηὐχαρίστησεν τῷ θεῷ.

49 Εἰσελθόντος δὲ τοῦ παιδίου ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ ἡ δέσποινα καὶ ἐδέξατο καὶ κατεφίλησεν, καὶ βαστάζουσα αὐτὸ ἠσπάσατο καὶ τὸν βασιλέα εἰποῦσα· Μακάριος εἶ, δέσποτα, ἐφ' οἷς ἑωράκασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔχαιρεν ἀκούων. Ἰδοῦσα δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ βασίλισσα ἱλαρὸν εἶπεν· Εἰ δοκεῖ, μάθωμεν τί περιέχει ἡ ἱκεσία, ἵνα πάντως γένηται τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν τὸν χάρτην ἀναγνωσθῆναι, καὶ ὡς ἀνεγνώσθη εἶπεν· Βαρεῖα μὲν ἡ αἴτησις, βαρυτέρα δὲ ἡ παραίτησις, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρώτη ἐστὶν ἡ κέλευσις τοῦ ἡμετέρου υἱοῦ. Λέγει δὲ αὐτῷ ἡ δέσποινα· Οὐ μόνον πρώτη κέλευσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ προσχήματι, καὶ χάριν εὐσεβείας ἡ ἱκεσία καὶ ὑπὸ ὁσίων ἀνδρῶν αἰτηθεῖσα. Μόγις δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπένευσεν, τῆς δεσποίνης πολλὰ ἐπιτιθεμένης αὐτῷ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἀπήγγειλεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεοφιλὴς Ἀμάντιος.

50 Τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ μεταπέμπεται ἡμᾶς ἡ βασίλισσα, καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἔθος προασπασαμένη τοὺς ὁσίους ἐπισκόπους, ἐκέλευσεν καθίσαι καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εὐχαῖς ὑμετέραις ἐνέβαλέν μοι ὁ θεὸς πῶς χρήσασθαι εἰς τὸ καθ' ὑμᾶς πρᾶγμα, καὶ συνεργείᾳ αὐτοῦ γέγονεν· ἐθεάσασθε δὲ ποίᾳ μεθόδῳ ἐχρησάμην. Ἀλλ' εἰ δοκεῖ, τῇ