34. Why didst thou this, O most religious and Christ-loving of princes! (for I address thee as though present here, and listening to my censure, even though I know thee to be far above our fault-finding, for thou art placed at the side of God, and hast inherited the glory that is there; having retired from earth only to receive another crown----change thy crown). Why didst thou devise this scheme? thou who didst so far surpass all in sagacity and understanding, not only the princes of thy own times, but also those who preceded thee: thou who didst clear away barbarian force from round about us, and didst put down domestic tyrants, some by means of argument,²² others by force of arms; and in either way, without being embarrassed in the one course by the employment of the other: thou of whom great trophies stand erected with arms and with battles, but yet greater and more conspicuous thy gifts to heaven: thou to whom embassies and petitioners flocked from every quarter of the world, whom part already obeyed, and the rest would have obeyed; for everything was hoped, equal to what had been already achieved. Thou that wert led by God's own hand in every action and purpose, whose prudence was admired more than his valour, and his valour again more than his prudence, and yet more admirable than his glory in both was his piety.

ΛΔʹ. Τί τοῦτο, ὦ θειότατε βασιλέων καὶ φιλοχριστότατε (προάγομαι γὰρ ὡς παρόντι καὶ ἀκούοντι μέμψασθαι, καὶ εἰ πολὺ κρείττονα γινώσκω τῆς ἡμετέρας μέμψεως, μετὰ Θεοῦ τεταγμένον, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ δόξης κληρονομήσαντα, καὶ τοσοῦτον μεταχωρήσαντα, ὅσον μεταθέσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν): τίνα ταύτην ἐβουλεύσω βουλὴν, πάντων συνέσει καὶ ἀγχινοίᾳ κατὰ πολὺ διαφέρων, οὐ τῶν ἐπὶ σοῦ βασιλέων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν; ὁ τὸ βαρβαρικὸν ἀνακαθαίρων κύκλῳ, καὶ τοὺς οἴκοι τυράννους χειρούμενος, τοὺς μὲν τοῖς λόγοις, τοὺς δὲ τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ τούτων ἑκάτερον ὡς μηδὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου διοχλούμενος: οὗ μεγάλα μὲν τρόπαια τὰ μεθ' ὅπλων καὶ μάχης, μείζω δὲ καὶ περιφανέστερα τὰ ἀναίμακτα: πρὸς ὃν καὶ αἱ πανταχόθεν πρεσβεῖαι καὶ ἱκεσίαι: ᾧ τὰ μὲν ὑπήκουε, τὰ δὲ ἔμελλε: πᾶν δὲ ἦν τὸ ἐλπισθὲν ἴσον τῷ χειρωθέντι: ὁ χειρὶ Θεοῦ πρὸς πᾶσαν καὶ βουλὴν καὶ πρᾶξιν ὁδηγούμενος: οὗ μᾶλλον μὲν τῆς χειρὸς ἡ σύνεσις, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς συνέσεως ἡ χεὶρ ἐθαυμάζετο: πλέον δὲ τῆς ἐν ἀμφοτέροις εὐδοκιμήσεως ἡ εὐσέβεια.