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Terrible. At any rate, two men in the guise of deserters came over to the emperor and promised him victory against the Persians, if he would follow them. For they advised him to leave 66 the river and to burn down the triremes which he was leading and the other transport ships, so that the enemy might not use them, and, with them as guides, to lead his troops by other roads safely and quickly to have seized the inner regions of Persia and to easily gain mastery of it. That sinner, madly persuaded by these men, and this despite many telling him, including Hormisdas himself, that the matter was a trick, set fire to the ships and burned all except twelve. There were seven hundred triremes, and four hundred transport ships. And when these had already been reduced to ashes, since many of the commanders insisted that the things said by those deserters were an ambush and a trick, he with some difficulty consented to have the false deserters examined; who, when examined with tortures, revealed the secret. Some, then, say that Julian was deceived in this way, but others say that he gave up the siege against Ctesiphon on account of its strength and because necessary supplies were failing the army, and thought of returning; and that as they were departing, the Persians appeared from be67 hind and harassed those in the rear guard; but the Gauls, who were guarding the rear, arrayed themselves against the enemy more bravely and killed many of them, not only common soldiers, but also those who were distinguished among them. But due to a lack of provisions, the Romans were severely pressed. And Julian, being at a loss as to what he must do and from where it was necessary to return, chose to make his journey through the mountainous region. The Persians, perceiving this and having gathered together, attacked the Romans; and while the Romans were victorious on the left wing, on the right they were getting the worst of it. Julian, realizing this, hurried to help the defeated. And it happened that because of the weight and the heat from the sun (for it was summertime), he had taken off his breastplate. Therefore, being in the midst of the enemy, he was struck in the side with a spear. It is said that when a strong wind blew then, a thick mist was spread over the air there; for the multitudes of the armies stirred up much dust, so that they knew neither where they were nor what they were doing; and it was unclear from where the spearhead that struck him was thrown against him, whether by an enemy, or by one of his own men, or by a more divine power; 68 for these things are also sung. Therefore they say that he, having caught in his hollow hand the blood flowing from the wound and having scattered it into the air, said, "Be satisfied, Nazarene." And he, who had lived so impiously, violently breathed out his soul, having reigned for two years. And the army, having brought his body to Tarsus of Cilicia, buried it in a suburb of the city; upon whose tomb this epigram was also inscribed: "By silvery Cydnus, from the streams of the Euphrates, from the land of Persia, having moved his army on an unfinished work, Julian has this tomb, being both a good king and a mighty spearman." But later he was brought back to the queen of cities. He was obsessed with glory and wanted to be praised for trivial things, but when he made mistakes, he was not annoyed at being corrected 69 by his friends. He also had a share of all kinds of wisdom, and especially of the more esoteric sort, and was temperate in his diet, so as to avoid even these natural things: belching and excretions through the mouth. He used to say that a philosopher ought, if possible, not even to breathe. They say that when he was in Antioch he saw in a dream a young man with blond hair who told him, "You must die in Phrygia." Therefore, when he was struck, he asked those present what the place was called; and when he heard it was called Phrygia, he cried out, "O Sun, you have destroyed Julian." It is said that on the very day on which he died, his death became known in Antioch. For a certain man of the staff of the court there, a Hellene and of the same religion as the apostate, keeping watch all night around the guard of the public records, saw a conjunction of stars in the sky, letters

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δεινόν. δύο γοῦν ἐν σχήματι αὐτομόλων τῷ βασιλεῖ προσερρύησαν καὶ νίκην αὐτῷ κατὰ Περσῶν, εἰ ἕποιτο αὐτοῖς, ἐπηγγέλλοντο. ἐᾶσαι γὰρ 66 τὸν ποταμὸν αὐτῷ συνεβούλευον καὶ τὰς τριήρεις ἃς ἐπήγετο κατακαῦσαι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πλοῖα τὰ φορτηγά, ἵνα μὴ τούτοις οἱ πολέμιοι χρήσαιντο, αὐτῶν δ' ἡγουμένων δι' ἑτέρων ὁδῶν ἀγαγεῖν τὰ στρατεύματα ἀκινδύνως τε καὶ δι' ὀλίγου τὰ τῆς Περσίδος κατειληφέναι ἐνδότερα καὶ εὐμαρῶς κυριεῦσαι αὐτῆς. τούτοις φρενοβλαβῶς ὁ ἀλιτήριος ἐκεῖνος πεισθείς, καὶ ταῦτα πολλῶν λεγόντων αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ὁρμίσδου δόλον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, πῦρ ἐνέβαλε ταῖς ναυσὶ καὶ πάσας κατέκαυσε πλὴν δυοκαίδεκα. ἦσαν δὲ τριήρεις μὲν ἑπτακόσιαι, φορτηγοὶ δὲ τετρακόσιαι. ἤδη δ' ἐκείνων ἐκτεφρωθεισῶν, ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ταξιαρχῶν ἐνέδραν καὶ δόλον ἐνίσταντο εἶναι τὰ παρὰ τῶν αὐτομόλων ἐκείνων λεγόμενα, μόλις που κατένευσεν ἐτασθῆναι τοὺς ψευδαυτομόλους· οἳ ἐτασθέντες βασάνοις ἐξέφηναν τὸ ἀπόρρητον. Οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἀπατηθῆναί φασι τὸν Ἰουλιανόν, οἱ δὲ ἀπειπάμενον λέγουσι τὴν πρὸς Κτησιφῶντα πολιορκίαν δι' ὀχυρότητα καὶ ὅτι καὶ τῷ στρατεύματι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐπέλιπον, ἐπανόδου μνησθῆναι· ἀπιοῦσι δὲ ἐπιφανῆναι τοὺς Πέρσας ὄπι67 σθεν καὶ τοὺς οὐραγοῦντας ταράττειν· τοὺς Γάλλους δ' ὀπισθοφυλακοῦντας ἀντιτάξασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις γενναιότερον καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀνελεῖν, οὐ τῶν τυχόντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις ἐπιφανῶν. ἐνδείᾳ δὲ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι σφοδρῶς ἐπιέζοντο. Ἰουλιανὸς δ' ἐν ἀπορίᾳ τοῦ τί δεῖ πράττειν καὶ ὅθεν ἐπανιέναι χρεὼν καταστάς, εἵλετο διὰ τῆς ὀρεινῆς τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι. τοῦτο οἱ Πέρσαι κατανοήσαντες καὶ εἰς ταὐτὸν ἀθροισθέντες τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπέθεντο· καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸ εὐώνυμον κέρας ἐκράτουν Ῥωμαῖοι, κατὰ δέ γε τὸ δεξιὸν ἠλαττοῦντο. ὃ γνοὺς Ἰουλιανὸς ἀμύνειν τοῖς ἡττωμένοις ἠπείγετο. ἔτυχε δὲ διὰ βάρος καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου φλόγωσιν (θέρους γὰρ ἦν ὥρα) τὸν θώρακα ἐκδυσάμενος. ἐν μέσοις οὖν τοῖς πολεμίοις γενόμενος δόρατι βάλλεται κατὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς. λέγεται δὲ ὅτι σφοδροῦ τότε πνεύσαντος πνεύματος ἀχλὺς βαθεῖα τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ ἐκεῖ κατεσκέδαστο· τὰ γὰρ πλήθη τῶν στρατευμάτων πολὺν ἐκίνουν κονιορτόν, ὡς μηδὲ γινώσκειν οὔθ' ὅποι εἰσὶν οὔθ' ὅ, τι πράττοιεν· ἄδηλον δ' εἶναι ὅθεν ἡ αὐτὸν πλήξασα αἰχμὴ κατ' ἐκείνου ἐβέβλητο, εἴθ' ὑπὸ πολεμίου εἴθ' ὑπό τινος τῶν αὐτοῦ εἴτ' ἐκ θειοτέρας δυνάμεως· 68 ᾄδεται γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα. διό φασιν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ καταρρέοντος τοῦ τραύματος αἵματος κοίλῃ δεξάμενον τῇ χειρὶ καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦτο κατασκεδάσαντα εἰπεῖν "κορέσθητι, Ναζωραῖε." Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἀσεβῶς ζήσας βιαίως τὴν ψυχὴν ἐξηρεύξατο, βασιλεύσας ἔτη δύο. τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἡ στρατιὰ εἰς Ταρσὸν τῆς Κιλικίας κομίσασα ἔθαψεν ἐν προαστείῳ τῆς πόλεως· οὗ τῷ τάφῳ καὶ τόδε τὸ ἐπίγραμμα ἐπεγράφη· Κύδνῳ ἐπ' ἀργυρόεντι ἀπ' Εὐφρήταο ῥοάων Περσίδος ἐκ γαίης ἀτελευτήτῳ ἐπὶ ἔργῳ κινήσας στρατιὴν τόδ' Ἰουλιανὸς λάχε σῆμα, ἀμφότερον βασιλεύς τ' ἀγαθὸς κρατερός τ' αἰχμητής. ὕστερον δὲ ἀνεκομίσθη εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων. Ἦν δ' ἐκεῖνος περὶ δόξαν ἐπτοημένος καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἐπαινεῖσθαι βουλόμενος, ἐφ' οἷς δ' ἐσφάλλετο διορθούμενος 69 παρὰ τῶν φίλων οὐκ ἤχθετο. ἦν δὲ καὶ παντοδαπῆς σοφίας μετειληχὼς καὶ μάλιστα τῆς περιττοτέρας, περὶ τὴν δίαιταν ἐγκρατής, ὥστε καὶ τὰ φυσικὰ ταῦτα διαφυγγάνειν, ἐρυγὰς καὶ τὰς ἐκκρίσεις τὰς διὰ στόματος. ἔλεγε δὲ χρῆναι τὸν φιλόσοφον, εἰ οἷόν τε, μηδὲ ἀναπνεῖν. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὄντα ὄναρ ἰδεῖν νεανίαν ξανθὸν τὴν κόμην εἰρηκότα αὐτῷ ὡς "ἐν Φρυγίᾳ τελευτῆσαί σε δεῖ." ὅτε οὖν ἐπλήγη, ἤρετο τοὺς παρόντας ὅπως ὁ τόπος καλοῖτο· ὡς δ' ἤκουσε Φρυγίαν καλεῖσθαι αὐτόν, ἀνέκραξεν "ὦ ἥλιε, ἀπώλεσας Ἰουλιανόν." λέγεται δὲ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν καθ' ἣν ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ γνωσθῆναι τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ. τινὰ γὰρ τῶν τῆς τάξεως τοῦ ἐκεῖσε δικαστηρίου, Ἕλληνα κἀκεῖνον καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς θρησκείας τῷ παραβάτῃ, διανυκτερεύοντα περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ ἀρχείου συνθήκην ἀστέρων ἐν οὐρανῷ θεάσασθαι γράμματα