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imprinting, saying, "today in Persia Julian is killed." When the day was therefore noted, after these things it was known that on that very day he had been killed. And he, having lived for thirty-one 70 years, died thus as has been said. But the one who had learned beforehand of his death through the stars took the vision as an occasion for faith. And when Julian died, by a common vote Jovian was chosen for the supreme power, at that time a tribune, a pious man, son of Varronianus who had been a comes. But he was refusing the imperial power; and when asked the reason, he cried out that he was a Christian and could not bear to rule a Hellenizing army. And immediately with one voice, as if by a prearranged signal, all shouted back that they were Christians. And so he, having accepted the rule, made a truce with the Persians, having made by necessity treaties not befitting the Romans. For he ceded to them Nisibis and Singara, renowned cities, having relocated the inhabitants of the cities; by whom, as they were lamenting, he was shamelessly blasphemed. But he also conceded to them many territories and rights belonging to the Romans from of old. And with hostages having been given from both sides, thus the treaties were confirmed. Departing from there, the Romans fell into a lack of necessities, so as not even to have an abundance 71 of water. At any rate, having with difficulty arrived at Antioch in Coele-Syria, Jovian brought back to the churches the priests of the Christians, both those who had been driven out under Constantius and those under the transgressor, and before the others, the great Athanasius to Alexandria. And from Antioch having come to Tarsus and having adorned the tomb of Julian, he was returning; and having come to Ancyra of Galatia and having departed from there and having advanced one stage and having lodged at Dadastana, he died suddenly, as some have written, from eating newly-grown poisonous mushrooms (for he was simple in his diet), but as others say, since it was winter, he slept in a room newly coated with plaster, and because of the great cold, with coals having been lit inside, much vapor was given off from the heated plaster, and through it he was suffocated while sleeping, not even perceiving the suffocation, being heavy-headed from wine; for he is said to have used much unmixed wine. And not even his wife managed to see him, and this though she had come out to meet him with a royal procession along with her son Varronianus. However, when Jovian died, the soldiers, being downcast, occupied Nicaea, and having arrived there, they deliberated about an emperor. 72 And some named this man, and others that one, but the majority agreed with one voice upon Salutius, who happened to be praetorian prefect. But he refused, putting forward his old age as an excuse. And when they asked for his son, he did not consent, judging him to be unsuitable for such a high office on account of his youth and simplicity of mind. Therefore, along with the others, Salutius himself also voted for Valentinian as emperor, even though he was absent. Jovian, however, was pious regarding dogma and benevolent. But he was overcome by wine and sensual pleasures; and in stature he was tall, and not inexperienced in letters. who once, while proceeding behind Julian as a tribune on sloping ground, stepped on the hem of his purple robe as he was going forward. And he, whether he inferred from this that Jovian would be his successor or knew this from some oracle, said, "If only he were a man." And he ruled not even a full eight months; however, his body was conveyed to Byzantium and buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, where afterwards his wife 73 Charito was also buried with him. And Jovian died, being in his thirty-third year of age. Thus therefore, as has been said, Valentinian was chosen emperor by vote. And having been brought and proclaimed, he put on the imperial insignia. But Salutius, because he had shown eagerness for him to be proclaimed, asked as a reward to be released from the cares of the prefecture. And the emperor said, "For this reason have you burdened me with the weight of so many affairs, so that you yourself might not have to touch it?" Now Valentinian was from Pannonia; and he was pious toward God;

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ἐκτυποῦσαν λέγοντα "σήμερον ἐν Περσίδι Ἰουλιανὸς ἀναιρεῖται." σημειωθείσης οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας, μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγνώσθη ὅτι κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀνῄρητο. καὶ ὁ μὲν τριάκοντα πρὸς ἑνὶ 70 βιώσας ἐνιαυτοὺς οὕτως ὡς εἴρηται ἀπεβίω. ὁ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀστέρων τὴν ἐκείνου προμυηθεὶς τελευτὴν ἀφορμὴν ἔσχε πρὸς εὐπιστίαν τὸ ὅραμα. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ Ἰουλιανοῦ ψήφῳ κοινῇ Ἰοβιανὸς εἰς τὴν αὐταρχίαν προυκέκριτο, τότε χιλιαρχῶν, ἀνὴρ εὐσεβής, υἱὸς Βαρωνιανοῦ χρηματίσαντος κόμητος. ὁ δ' ἦν τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπαναινόμενος· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρωτηθεὶς ἐξεβόησε χριστιανὸς εἶναι καὶ μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι βασιλεύειν στρατοῦ ἑλληνίζοντος. καὶ εὐθὺς ὁμοφώνως ὡς ἐκ συνθήματος ἅπαντες ἀντεβόησαν εἶναι χριστιανοί. καὶ οὕτως ἐκεῖνος δεξάμενος τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐσπείσατο, οὐ προσηκούσας Ῥωμαίοις σπονδὰς ἐξ ἀνάγκης πεποιηκώς. τῆς γὰρ Νισίβεως καὶ Σιγγάρας, πόλεων περιφανῶν, ἐξέστη αὐτοῖς, μετοικίσας τοὺς κατοίκους τῶν πόλεων· ὑφ' ὧν θρηνούντων καὶ ἀναίδην ἐβλασφημεῖτο. ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρῶν αὐτοῖς πολλῶν παρεχώρησε καὶ δικαίων Ῥωμαίοις ἀνηκόντων ἀνέκαθεν. καὶ ὁμήρων δοθέντων ἑκατέρωθεν, οὕτως ἐβεβαιώθησαν αἱ σπονδαί. ἐντεῦθεν ἀναζευγνύντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων περιπεπτώκασιν, ὡς μηδὲ ὕδατος εὐπο71 ρεῖν. μόλις γοῦν εἰς τὴν τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας Ἀντιόχειαν ὁ Ἰοβιανὸς καταντήσας τοὺς τῶν χριστιανῶν ἱερεῖς, ὅσοι τε ἐπὶ Κωνσταντίου καὶ ὅσοι ἐπὶ τοῦ παραβάτου τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξηλάθησαν, εἰς αὐτὰς ἐπανήγαγε καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων τὸν μέγαν Ἀθανάσιον ἐπὶ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν. ἐξ Ἀντιοχείας δὲ εἰς Ταρσὸνγεγονὼς καὶ τὸ μνῆμα κοσμήσας τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ ἐπανῄει· καὶ εἰς Ἄγκυραν τῆς Γαλατίας γεγονὼς κἀκεῖθεν ἀπάρας καὶ σταθμὸν προελθὼν εἰς ∆αδάστανά τε καταλύσας αἰφνίδιον τετελεύτηκεν, ὡς μὲν ἔνιοι συνεγράψαντο, ἀρτιφυεῖς μύκητας δηλητηρίους φαγών (ἦν γὰρ λιτὸς περὶ δίαιταν), ὡς δ' ἕτεροι, χειμῶνος ὄντος ἐν οἰκήματι κατέδραθε νέον ἐμπεπλασμένῳ κονίᾳ, καὶ διὰ τὸ τοῦ ψύχους πολὺ ἀνθράκων ἀναφθέντων ἐντὸς ἀτμὶς ἐκ τῆς κονίας πυρουμένης ἀνεδόθη πολλή, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἀπεπνίγη κοιμώμενος μηδ' αἰσθόμενος τῆς πνιγμονῆς, ἐξ οἴνου καρηβαρῶν· πολλῷ γὰρ λέγεται κεχρῆσθαι ἀκράτῳ. καὶ οὐδὲ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἔφθη τοῦτον θεάσασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς ὑπαντὴν αὐτοῦ προελθοῦσα μετὰ βασιλικῆς πομπῆς σὺν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς Βαρωνιανῷ. Θανόντος μέντοι τοῦ Ἰοβιανοῦ οἱ στρατιῶται σκυθρωπάζοντες τὴν Νίκαιαν κατειλήφασι καὶ γεγονότες ἐκεῖ περὶ βασι72 λέως ἐβουλεύοντο. καὶ οἱ μὲν τόνδε, οἱ δὲ τόνδε ὠνόμαζον, οἱ πλείους δ' ἐπὶ τῷ Σαλουστίῳ ὑπάρχῳ τῶν πραιτωρίων τυγχάνοντι ὡμοφώνησαν. ὁ δ' ἀπηνήνατο, τὸ γῆρας εἰς παραίτησιν προβαλόμενος. αἰτουμένων δὲ τὸν τούτου υἱὸν οὐ κατένευσε, διὰ νεότητα καὶ γνώμης ἀφέλειαν κρίνας ἐκεῖνον πρὸς ἀρχὴν τοιαύτην ἀνεπιτήδειον. διὸ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σαλούστιος βασιλέα καὶ ἀπόντα Οὐαλεντινιανὸν ἐψηφίσατο. Ὁ μέντοι Ἰοβιανὸς εὐσεβὴς ἦν περὶ τὸ δόγμα καὶ ἀγαθοθελής. οἴνου δ' ἥττητο καὶ ἀφροδισίων· καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀναδρομὴν εὐμήκης ἐτύγχανε καὶ γραμμάτων οὐκ ἄπειρος. ὃς ὀπίσω ποτὲ τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ πορευόμενος ὡς χιλίαρχος ἐν τόπῳ κατάντει προϊόντος ἐπάτησε τὸ κράσπεδον τῆς πορφυρίδος αὐτοῦ. ὁ δέ, εἴτ' ἐκ τούτου διάδοχον αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰοβιανὸν ἐτεκμήρατο εἴτ' ἐκ μαντείας ἔγνω τοῦτό τινος, εἶπεν "αἴθε κἂν ἄνθρωπος." ἦρξε δὲ οὐδ' ὅλους μῆνας ὀκτώ· ὁ μέντοι νεκρὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἀνακομισθεὶς ἐν τῷ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ἐτάφη ναῷ, ὅπου μετὰ ταῦτα συνετάφη καὶ ἡ γυνὴ 73 αὐτοῦ Χαριτώ. ἔθανε δὲ Ἰοβιανὸς τρίτον ἄγων τῆς ἡλικίας ἔτος ἐπὶ τριακοστῷ. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ἐψήφιστο βασιλεύς. ἀχθεὶς δὲ καὶ ἀναρρηθεὶς καὶ τὰ βασιλικὰ περιέθετο σύμβολα. ὁ δὲ Σαλούστιος, ὅτι σπουδὴν ἐνεδείξατο ἀναρρηθῆναι αὐτόν, ἀμοιβὴν ᾔτει τῶν τῆς ἐπαρχότητος ἀνεθῆναι φροντίδων. καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς "διὰ τοῦτο" εἶπε "τοσούτων μοι πραγμάτων ἐπεφόρτισας ὄγκον, ἵν' αὐτὸς μηδ' ἐφάπτοιο τούτου;" ὥρμητο δὲ Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ἐκ Παιονίας· ἦν δ' εὐσεβὴς τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν·