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Indeed, by these deceitful promises, with great boldness he went forth against the emperor's camps, to draw up in battle array, as he was able. 2.5.1 And when he was about to begin the war, he called together the chosen men from among the shield-bearers around him and his honored friends into one of the sacred places customary for them. And it was a well-watered and luxuriant grove, and in it had been set up all kinds of stone-carved statues of those he considered gods. To these, having lit wax candles and 2.5.2 having made the customary sacrifices, he is said to have delivered the following speech: "6Men, friends and 7allies, these are our ancestral gods, whom, having received them from our ancestors of old, we honor and worship, but the leader of the opposing battle-line, having betrayed the ancestral ways, has chosen an atheistic opinion, erroneously honoring some strange god from I know not where, and by the shameful sign of this one he disgraces his own army. Trusting in this, he rushes on not against us, but much more against 2.5.3 the very gods whom he has transgressed by taking up arms. The present moment, therefore, will prove who is deceived in his opinion, acting as umpire for the gods on our side and for those honored on the other side. For either, by showing us victorious, it will most justly demonstrate our gods to be true saviors and helpers, or if Constantine's one god—I know not of what sort or from where he has come—should prevail over our gods, though they are very many and for now have the advantage in numbers, let no one hereafter be in doubt which god he ought to worship, but it is necessary to go over 2.5.4 to the victor and to him ascribe the prizes of victory. And 7if the strange god, now ridiculed by us, should appear superior, let nothing prevent us from also acknowledging and honoring him, bidding a long farewell to these 7to whom we light our wax candles in vain. But if our gods should prevail, 7which indeed is not in doubt, after the victory here let us march on to the war against the atheists."6. 2.5.5 He indeed addressed these things to those present, but to us who are making this account, those who heard the speech themselves a little later imparted knowledge of these things. And so, having delivered such a speech, he ordered his troops to begin the engagement. 2.6.1 While these things were being done, a certain apparition beyond description was seen, they say, in the cities subject to the tyrant; for they seemed to see various battalions of the soldiers under Constantine passing through the cities in the middle of the day as if they had won the battle; and these things were seen although in truth no one at all appeared anywhere, but by a more divine and superior power the vision that appeared was revealing what was about to be. 2.6.2 And when the armies engaged in battle, he who had broken the friendly treaties began the war. Then indeed Constantine, having called upon God the Savior over all, and having given this as the watchword to the soldiers around him, prevailed in the first engagement. Then not long after he was victorious in a second engagement and was already winning greater victories, with the saving trophy leading the phalanx around him. 2.7.1 And so wherever this appeared, there was a flight of the enemies, and a pursuit by the victors. which indeed the emperor, perceiving, if he saw any detachment of his own army growing weary, ordered the saving trophy to be present there, like some victorious antidote. With it victory immediately appeared, as courage and strength, with some divine fate, empowered the combatants. For this reason indeed he ordered those of the shield-bearers around him chosen for their strength of body, virtue of soul, and manner of piety to be devoted solely to the service of the sign; and they were men no fewer than fifty in number, for whom there was no other care than to circle and attend the sign as a bodyguard, each one in turn 2.8.2 carrying it upon his shoulders. These things the emperor himself related to us who are making this account, at a time of leisure long after the events, 2.9.1 adding a wonder worthy to be recorded to the narrative. For he said that once in the midst of a battle engagement, when a sudden clash and tumult had taken hold of the army, the one carrying on his shoulders the

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δῆτα ταῖς τούτων ἀπατηλαῖς ἐπαγγελίαις σὺν πολλῷ θράσει προῄει ταῖς βασιλέως παρεμβολαῖς, ὡς οἷός τε ἦν, παρατάττεσθαι. 2.5.1 Μέλλων δέ γε τοῦ πολέμου κατάρχειν, τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὑπασπιστῶν τῶν τε τετιμημένων φίλων τοὺς ἐγκρίτους εἴς τινα τῶν αὐτοῖς νενομισμένων ἱερῶν συνεκάλει τόπων. ἄλσος δ' ἦν ἐπίρρυτον καὶ ἀμφιλαφές, παντοῖα δ' ἐν τούτῳ γλυφαῖς λίθων ἀγάλματα ὧν ἡγεῖτο θεῶν ἵδρυτο. οἷς κηροὺς ἐξάψας καὶ 2.5.2 τὰ συνήθη θυσάμενος, τοιόνδε λόγον ἀποδοῦναι λέγεται· "6Ἄνδρες φίλοι καὶ "7σύμμαχοι, πάτριοι μὲν οἵδε θεοί, οὓς ἐκ προγόνων τῶν ἀνέκαθεν παρ"7ειληφότες σέβειν τιμῶμεν, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἐναντίας ἡμῖν ἐξάρχων παρατάξεως τὰ "7πάτρια παρασπονδήσας τὴν ἄθεον εἵλετο δόξαν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὁπόθεν ξένον τινὰ "7πεπλανημένως περιέπων θεόν, αἰσχρῷ τε τούτου σημείῳ τὸν οἰκεῖον καται"7σχύνει στρατόν· ᾧ πεποιθὼς ὁρμᾶται οὐ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, πολὺ πρότερον δὲ πρὸς 2.5.3 "7αὐτοὺς οὓς παρέβη θεοὺς ἀράμενος τὰ ὅπλα. ὁ δὴ οὖν παρὼν ἐλέγξει καιρὸς "7τὸν τῇ δόξῃ πεπλανημένον, θεοῖς τοῖς παρ' ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς παρὰ θατέρῳ "7μέρει τιμωμένοις βραβεύων. ἢ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀποδείξας νικητὰς δικαιότατα τοὺς "7ἡμετέρους θεοὺς σωτῆρας ἀληθεῖς καὶ βοηθοὺς ἐπιδείξει, ἢ εἰ κρατήσειε "7τῶν ἡμετέρων, πλείστων γε ὄντων καὶ τέως τῷ πλήθει πλεονεκτούντων, "7εἷς τις οὗτος οὐκ οἶδ' ὁποῖος οὐδ' ὁπόθεν ὡρμημένος ὁ Κωνσταντίνου "7θεός, μηδεὶς λοιπὸν ἐν ἀμφιβόλῳ τιθέσθω τίνα δέοι θεὸν σέβειν, προσχω2.5.4 "7ρεῖν δέον τῷ κρατοῦντι καὶ τούτῳ τῆς νίκης ἀνατιθέναι τὰ βραβεῖα. καὶ "7εἰ μὲν ὁ ξένος καὶ νῦν γελώμενος ἡμῖν κρείττων φανείη, μηδὲν ἐμποδὼν "7γινέσθω τοῦ καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτὸν γνωρίζειν τε καὶ τιμᾶν, μακρὰ χαίρειν τούτοις "7εἰπόντας οἷς μάτην τοὺς κηροὺς ἐξάπτομεν, εἰ δ' οἱ ἡμέτεροι κρατήσειαν, "7ὃ δὴ οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεται, μετὰ τὴν ἐνταυθοῖ νίκην ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἀθέων 2.5.5 "7πόλεμον ὁρμῶμεν"6. ὁ μὲν δὴ τοῖς παροῦσι ταῦτα προσδιείλεκτο, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς ταύτην ποιουμένοις τὴν γραφὴν οἱ τῶν λόγων αὐτήκοοι τῆς τούτων σμικρὸν ὕστερον μετεδίδοσαν γνώσεως. καὶ δὴ τοιούτους διεξελθὼν λόγους ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς συμβολῆς τὰ στρατιωτικὰ παρήγγελλε. 2.6.1 Τούτων δὲ πραττομένων φάσμα τι λόγου κρεῖττον ἀμφὶ τὰς ὑπηκόους τῷ τυράννῳ πόλεις ὦφθαί φασιν· ὁπλιτῶν γὰρ τῶν ὑπὸ Κωνσταντῖνον ἐδόκουν ὁρᾶν διάφορα τάγματα ἐν αὐταῖς μέσαις ἡμέραις διερχόμενα τὰς πόλεις ὡσανεὶ κεκρατηκότα τῆς μάχης· καὶ ταῦτ' ἐβλέπετο μηδενός που τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μηδαμοῦ φαινομένου, θειοτέρᾳ δὲ καὶ κρείττονι δυνάμει τῆς φανείσης ὄψεως τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι προφαινούσης. 2.6.2 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ στρατιωτικὰ συμβολῆς ἥπτετο, προκατῆρχε τοῦ πολέμου ὁ τὰς φιλικὰς διαρρήξας συνθήκας. ἐνταῦθα δὴ Κωνσταντῖνος θεὸν σωτῆρα τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐπικαλεσάμενος, σύνθημά τε τοῦτο δοὺς τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὁπλίταις, πρώτης ἐκράτει παρατάξεως, εἶτ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν δευτέρας συμβολῆς κρείττων ἦν καὶ κρειττόνων ἤδη νικητηρίων ἐτύγχανε, τοῦ σωτηρίου τροπαίου προπομπεύοντος τῆς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν φάλαγγος. 2.7.1 Ἔνθα δ' οὖν ἀνεφάνη τοῦτο, φυγὴ μὲν τῶν ἐναντίων ἐγίνετο, δίωξις δὲ τῶν κρατούντων. ὃ δὴ συνιδὼν βασιλεύς, τοῦ οἰκείου στρατοῦ εἴ που τι τάγμα κεκμηκὸς ἑώρα, οἷόν τι νικητικὸν ἀλεξιφάρμακον ἐνταυθοῖ τὸ σωτήριον τρόπαιον παρεῖναι διεκελεύετο, ᾧ παραυτίκα συνέφαινεν ἡ νίκη, ἀλκῆς καὶ ῥώμης σὺν θείᾳ τινὶ μοίρᾳ δυναμούσης τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους. διὸ δὴ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὑπασπιστῶν τοὺς καὶ σώματος ἰσχύι καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ καὶ θεοσεβείας τρόποις ἐγκρίτους μόνῃ τῇ τοῦ σημείου διακονίᾳ προσκαρτερεῖν ἐκέλευσεν· ἦσαν δ' ἄνδρες τὸν ἀριθμὸν οὐχ ἥττους πεντήκοντα, οἷς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν μέλον ἢ κυκλοῦν καὶ περιέπειν δορυφορίᾳ τὸ σημεῖον, ἀμοιβαίως 2.8.2 ἑκάστου φέροντος αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων. ταῦτα βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς τοῖς τὴν γραφὴν ποιουμένος ἡμῖν ἐπὶ καιροῦ σχολῆς μακρῷ τῶν πραγμάτων ὕστερον 2.9.1 ὑφηγεῖτο, προστιθεὶς θαῦμα μνημονευθῆναι ἄξιον τῷ διηγήματι. ἔφη γάρ ποτ' ἐν μέσῃ τοῦ πολέμου συμβολῇ, κτύπου καὶ ταραχῆς ἀθρόας διαλαβούσης τὸ στρατιωτικόν, τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέροντα τὸ