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who would be emperor. The method, as the story goes, is as follows. The 24 letters are written in the dust, and on each of them is placed a grain of wheat or barley. Then a rooster is let loose, while certain incantations are chanted over them, and it is watched from which letters it takes the grains. And these, being put together, are thought to give a revelation of what is sought. So, when they did this at that time, they saw the rooster take the grain on the Theta, and the one on the Epsilon, the one on the Omicron, and the one on the Delta. Therefore the indication seemed ambiguous; for it seemed to indicate either Theodore, or Theodosius, or Theodotus. When Valens learned this, he suspected and destroyed many of those called by such names. And he sought also the very ones who had performed the divination. Wherefore Iamblichus, fearing his cruelty, drank a deadly82 poison, as some have recorded, and removed himself from life. For Valens was inexorable in his anger; whence he also used to say, "he who is quick to change his anger might also change justice very quickly." This man had reigned thirteen years and four months and was destroyed in a manner worthy of his own impiety. But Gratian, the son of Valentinian, and Valentinian the younger, his brother, became masters of the Roman empire; for Gratian alone was proclaimed by his father, as has already been recorded. But when Valentinian died, the latter was not present at his father's death. The army, therefore, at that time proclaimed the young Valentinian emperor, who was then four years old. And Gratian, having returned from his journey, blamed the soldiers and punished some of them, chastising the instigators of his brother's proclamation, for proclaiming another while he himself was emperor, without his consent. But he did not refuse to have his brother as co-ruler, but chose him as a partner in the empire. This emperor emulated83 his father in piety. Whence also, when his uncle Valens once asked him for an alliance against the Scythians, he did not provide it, writing to him that "one must not ally with an enemy of God." But to the shepherds who had been driven out of their own churches, he by decree permitted their return to them. And when the Scythians, after the defeat of Valens, became swollen with pride and were plundering Thrace and the regions around it and were uncontrollable, he summoned Theodosius from Spain (and Hispania of European Iberia is the most distinguished city among those in it), a man most noble and most pious. Having therefore appointed him general, he sent him with an army against the barbarians; who, having engaged them and conquered, raised a trophy, a great number of Scythians having been slaughtered in the war, and the rest having been turned to flight, some being killed when they were overtaken, and others being destroyed by each other in the flight. Therefore, when almost all those barbarians had perished, Theodosius, having left the army there, came himself to Gratian as his own messenger84 of the victory, who was then staying in Pannonia. But when he announced the victory to the emperor and brought the good news of the barbarians' destruction, he was disbelieved, both because of the swiftness of the deed and the Scythians' being most difficult to fight. But when the emperor learned the truth and was fully informed of the barbarians' destruction, he both marveled at the man on account of his swiftness and his valor, and praised him. And when the portion of Valens had also been added to his own after that one's destruction, looking at the almost boundless extent of the empire and realizing that he would not be able by himself to govern so great an empire, he proclaimed Theodosius emperor of New Rome, at once rewarding him for his valor, and at the same time judging no other to be better than him for a share in the empire. Therefore, having entrusted to him the entire East and Thrace, he allotted the western parts to himself. And having come into the Gallic provinces, he was slain by the treachery of Andragathius the general, after having reigned for six years after the death of his father. But when Gratian died, was left as sole85 ruler of the western parts the

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βασιλεύσοντα. ἡ δὲ τοιαύτη, ὡς λόγος, ἐστίν. ἐν κόνει τὰ κδʹ γράφονται γράμματα, καὶ τούτων ἑκάστῳ σίτου κόκκος ἢ κριθῆς ἐπιτίθεται. εἶτ' ἀλέκτωρ ἀφίεται, ἐπᾳδομένων ἐπὶ τούτοις τινῶν ἐπῳδῶν, καὶ κατασκοπεῖται ἐκ τίνων στοιχείων λαμβάνει κόκκους. καὶ ταῦτα συντιθέμενα δήλωσιν ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ ζητουμένου δοξάζεται. τοῦτο τοίνυν κἀκεῖνοι τότε ποιήσαντες εἶδον λαβόντα τὸν ἀλέκτορα τὸν ἐν τῷ ˉθ κόκκον καὶ τὸν ἐν τῷ ˉε, τὸν ἐν τῷ ˉο καὶ τὸν ἐν τῷ ˉδ. ἔδοξεν οὖν ἀμφίβολον τὸ δηλούμενον· ἢ γὰρ Θεόδωρον ἐδόκει δηλοῦν ἢ Θεοδόσιον ἢ Θεόδοτον. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Οὐάλης πολλοὺς τῶν τοιούτοις κεκλημένων ὀνόμασιν ὑποπτεύσας ἀπώλεσεν. ἐζήτει δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς τὴν μαντείαν ποιήσαντας. ὅθεν τὴν ἐκείνου δείσας ὠμότητα ὁ Ἰάμβλιχος φάρμακον δηλη82 τήριον πεπωκώς, ὥς τινες ἱστορήκασιν, ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ζῆν ὑπεξήγαγεν. ἦν γὰρ δυσπαραίτητος τὰς ὀργὰς ὁ Οὐάλης· ὅθεν καὶ ἔλεγεν ὡς "ὁ ταχὺ μεταθέμενος τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ τοῦ δικαίου ἂν μετάθοιτο τάχιστα." οὗτος ἔτη βεβασίλευκε δέκα ἐπὶ τρισὶ καὶ μῆνας τέσσαρας καὶ ἀξίως τῆς οἰκείας δυσσεβείας διέφθαρτο. Γρατιανὸς δὲ ὁ υἱὸς Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ καὶ Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ὁ νέος ὁ τούτου ἀδελφὸς τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἀρχῆς γεγόνασιν ἐγκρατεῖς· μόνος μὲν γὰρ ὁ Γρατιανὸς παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνερρήθη, ὥσπερ ἤδη ἱστόρηται. ὅτε δὲ ὁ Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ἐτελεύτησεν, οὐ παρῆν οὗτος ἐπὶ τῷ θανάτῳ τῷ τοῦ πατρός. ἡ γοῦν στρατιὰ τηνικαῦτα τὸν νέον Οὐαλεντινιανὸν βασιλέα ἀνεῖπε τετραετῆ τότε τυγχάνοντα. ἐπανελθὼν δ' ἐκ τῆς ἀποδημίας Γρατιανὸς τοὺς μὲν στρατιώτας ἐκάκισε καί τινας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκάκωσε, κολάσας τοὺς τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πρωτουργοὺς ἀναρρήσεως, ὡς ἄτερ γνώμης αὐτοῦ βασιλέως ὄντος ἄλλον ἀναγορεύσαντας. τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν αὐτὸν συνάρχειν οὐ παρῃτήσατο, ἀλλὰ κοινωνὸν τῆς βασιλείας προσείλετο. οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν πατέρα ἐζή83 λωσεν εἰς εὐσέβειαν. ὅθεν καὶ τῷ θείῳ Οὐάλεντι συμμαχίαν αἰτήσαντί ποτε κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ οὐ παρέσχετο, γράψας αὐτῷ ὡς "οὐ δεῖ τῷ ἐχθρῷ τοῦ θεοῦ συμμαχεῖν." τοῖς δ' ἐξελαθεῖσι ποιμέσι τῶν οἰκείων ἐκκλησιῶν διὰ δόγματος ἐφῆκε τὴν εἰς αὐτὰς ὑπονόστησιν. Τῶν δὲ Σκυθῶν μετὰ τὴν Οὐάλεντος ἧτταν ἐξογκωθέντων τὸ φρόνημα καὶ τήν τε Θρᾴκην ληιζομένων καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν καὶ ἀκαθέκτων ὄντων τὸν ἐξ Ἰσπανίας μετεκαλέσατο Θεοδόσιον (ἡ δ' Ἰσπανία τῆς Εὐρωπαίας Ἰβηρίας ἐστὶ πόλις ἡ διαφορωτάτη τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ), ἄνδρα γενναιότατόν τε καὶ εὐσεβέστατον. τοῦτον οὖν προχειρισάμενος στρατηγὸν μετὰ στρατιᾶς κατὰ βαρβάρων ἐκπέπομφεν· ὃς συμβαλὼν αὐτοῖς καὶ νικήσας τρόπαιον ἤρατο, πλήθους μὲν Σκυθικοῦ κατασφαγέντος ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πολλοῦ, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν εἰς φυγὴν τραπέντων, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀπολλυμένων ἐν τῷ καταλαμβάνεσθαι, τῶν δ' ὑπ' ἀλλήλων διαφθαρέντων ἐν τῇ φυγῇ. πάντων τοίνυν σχεδὸν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκείνων ἀπολωλότων τὴν στρατιὰν ἐκεῖ καταλείψας ὁ Θεοδόσιος, αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸν Γρατιανὸν τῆς νίκης ἧκεν αὐτάγ84 γελος ἐν Παιονίᾳ τότε διάγοντα. ἀπαγγείλας δὲ τὴν νίκην τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὸν τῶν βαρβάρων εὐαγγελισάμενος ὄλεθρον ἠπιστεῖτο διά τε τὸ τοῦ ἔργου ταχὺ καὶ τὸ δυσμαχώτατον τῶν Σκυθῶν. ἐπεὶ δ' ἔγνω τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων φθορὰν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ πεπληροφόρητο, καὶ ἐθαύμασε τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς τε ταχυτῆτος καὶ τοῦ ἀριστεύματος ἕνεκα καὶ ἐπῄνεσεν. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῆς Οὐάλεντος μοίρας προσκτηθείσης αὐτῷ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου φθορὰν ἀπιδὼν πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρον σχεδὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ συνιδὼν ὡς οὐχ οἷός τ' ἂν εἴη αὐτὸς μόνος τὴν τοσαύτην ἰθύνειν ἀρχήν, βασιλέα τῆς νέας Ῥώμης ἀναγορεύει τὸν Θεοδόσιον, ἅμα μὲν τῆς ἀριστείας αὐτὸν ἀμειβόμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ μηδένα κρίνας ἕτερον εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς ἀρχῆς τούτου κρείττω ἐσόμενον. τὴν γοῦν ἑῴαν ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην αὐτῷ ἀναθέμενος ἐκεῖνος ἑαυτῷ ἀπεκλήρωσε τὰ ἑσπέρια. καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς Γαλλίας γενόμενος ἀνῃρέθη δόλῳ ὑπὸ Ἀνδραγαθίου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, βασιλεύσας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς ἕξ. Τοῦ δὲ Γρατιανοῦ τελευτήσαντος κατελείφθη βασιλεὺς αὐτο85 κράτωρ τῶν ἑσπερίων ὁ