having cast a covetous eye, he received the same punishment. But Heraclian, imitating these men and mounting higher on the laughter of fortune, had a more famous downfall, the divine clearly proclaiming .... neither does it permit disorder, nor does it rejoice in those who rule as tyrants, but it itself also arrays itself with him whom the king according to law befits. 12.7 That, when Arcadius died, his son Theodosius, being very young, was declared his successor in the eastern empire. His sister Pulcheria was with him, serving and directing the imperial decrees. 12.8 That, when Theodosius had reached the age of puberty, and on the nineteenth day of the month of July, around the eighth hour of the day the sun was so deeply eclipsed that stars even shone forth; and such a drought accompanied the event, that an unusual destruction of many men and other living things was reported everywhere. And while the sun was in eclipse, a certain light appeared together with it in the sky, taking on the shape of a cone, which some out of ignorance called a comet. For none of what it showed was a sign of a comet; for neither did its light end in a tail, nor did it look like a star at all, but it was like a great flame of a lamp seen by itself, with no star running beneath it to give it the form of a wick; but indeed it also differed in its motion. For having been set in motion from where the sun rises at the equinox, from there, passing over the last star placed at the tail of the Bear, it advanced slowly, proceeding towards the west. When it had traversed the sky, it was unseen, its journey having been completed in more than four months. And the tip of the light was now sharpened to a great length so as to exceed the proportions of the cone, and now it was contracted to its measure. And it provided other wondrous sights through which it departed from the nature of usual apparitions. And it began from the middle of summer approximately until the end of autumn. And this sign, then, was also one of great wars and unspeakable destruction of men. In the following year earthquakes began, no less severe than the previous ones, and with the earthquakes fire also breaking forth from heaven cut off all hopes of safety; except that it did not work the destruction of men, but the divine benevolence, sending down a violent wind and driving the fire from all sides, cast it down upon the sea. And it was a strange sight to see, the waves for a great distance being burned up by the fire as if they were some wooded regions, until what was burning was completely extinguished in the sea. 12.9 That in many places where the earthquakes occurred, the roofs of houses were seen to separate from each other with great crashes and clatter, so that those who happened to be inside could see the sky clearly; and after so great a separation, they were so joined and fitted together again, as to give no one any perception of what had happened. This same event also occurred with respect to the floors in many places. For granaries suffocated those living below, pouring out the grain on them all at once through the floors; and again they presented the floor so well-fitted, that everyone was at a loss as to whence the murderous grain had poured down. And other calamities of this kind occurred at that time, showing that these things did not proceed from any natural sequence, as the children of the Hellenes talk nonsense, but that scourges of divine indignation were sent. 12.10 That by various arguments he attempts to establish that earthquakes are not caused either by a flood of waters or by winds being trapped in the hollows of the earth, nor indeed by any deviation of the earth at all, but by the divine will alone for the conversion and correction of sins. And he says that he asserts these things, because neither of the said elements is able to accomplish such great events by its natural power. since if God willed it, even the smallest falling drop of rain and the lightest snowflake could easily move Olympus of Macedonia or any other of the greatest mountains. since it also appears

ἐποφθαλμήσας, τὴν ἴσην ἔδωκε δίκην. ὁ δ' Ἡρακλειανὸς μιμησάμενος τούτους καὶ πλέον τῷ τῆς τύχης γέλῳ ἐπιβάς, εὐκλεεστέραν ἔσχεν τὴν καταστροφήν, τῆς θείας ἐμφανῶς ἐπικηρυττούσης .... οὐδὲ ἀκόσμητον ἐᾷ, οὐδὲ χαίρει τοῖς τυραννοῦσιν, ἀλλ' οἷς ὁ κατὰ θεσμὸν βασιλεὺς ἁρμόζει, τούτῳ καὶ αὐτὴ συμπαρατάττεται. 12.7 Ὅτι, τελευτήσαντος Ἀρκαδίου, διάδοχος τῆς ἑῴας ἀρχῆς κομιδῇ νέος ὢν Θεοδόσιος ὁ παῖς ἀναδείκνυται. συνῆν δ' αὐτῷ καὶ Πουλχερία ἡ ἀδελφὴ τὰς βασιλικὰς σημειώσεις ὑπηρετουμένη καὶ διευθύνουσα. 12.8 Ὅτι, Θεοδοσίου τῆς τῶν μειρακίων ἡλικίας ἐπιβεβηκότος, καὶ τοῦ μηνὸς Ἰουλίου εἰς ἐννέα ἐπὶ δεκάτῃ διαβαίνοντος, περὶ ὀγδόην τῆς ἡμέρας ὥραν ὁ ἥλιος οὕτως βαθέως ἐκλείπει, ὡς καὶ ἀστέρας ἀναλάμψαι· καὶ αὐχμὸς οὕτω τῷ πάθει συνείπετο, ὡς πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ἀσυνήθη φθορὰν πανταχοῦ φέρεσθαι. Ἐκλείποντι δὲ τῷ ἡλίῳ φέγγος τι κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν συνανεφάνη, κώνου σχῆμα παραδυόμενον, ὅ τινες ἐξ ἀμαθίας ἀστέρα κομήτην ἐκάλουν. καὶ γὰρ ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἐδείκνυ οὐδὲν ἦν κομήτου παράσημον· οὔτε γὰρ τὸ φέγγος εἰς κόμην ἀπέβαινεν οὔτε ἀστέρι ὅλως ἐῴκει, ἀλλ' οἷον λύχνου τις μεγάλη φλὸξ ὑπῆρχεν καθ' ἑαυτὴν ὁρωμένη, μηδενὸς ἀστέρος θρυαλλίδος αὐτῷ τινος μορφὴν ὑποτρέχοντος· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῇ κινήσει παρήλλαττεν. καὶ γὰρ κινηθεὶς ὅθεν ὁ ἥλιος κατὰ ἰσημερίαν ἀνίσχει, ἐκεῖθεν τὸν κατὰ τῆς οὐρᾶς ἄρκτου τεταγμένον ἔσχατον ἀστέρα ὑπερενεγκὼν ἠρέμα προὔβαινεν πορευόμενος ἐπὶ δυσμάς. ἐπεὶ δὲ διεμέτρει τὸν οὐρανόν, ἀφανὴς ἦν, πλείους τεσσάρων μηνῶν ἐξανυσθείσης αὐτῷ τῆς πορείας. ἡ δὲ κορυφὴ τοῦ φέγγους νῦν μὲν εἰς μῆκος μέγα ὠξύνετο ὡς ἐκβαίνειν τοὺς τοῦ κώνου λόγους, νῦν δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἐκείνου μέτρον συνεστέλλετο. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ παρεῖχεν τερατώδη θεάματα δι' ὧν τῆς τῶν συνήθων φασμάτων ἐξηλλάττετο φύσεως. ἤρξατο δὲ ἀπὸ μέσου θέρους σχεδόν τι μέχρι τῆς τοῦ μετοπώρου τελευτῆς. Γέγονεν δὲ ἄρα καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον πολέμων μεγάλων καὶ φθορᾶς ἀνθρώπων οὐ ῥητῆς. τῷ δὲ ἑξῆς ἔτει ἤρξαντο σεισμοὶ οὐ ῥᾴους ὄντες τοῖς προλαβοῦσι παραβαλεῖν, τοῖς δὲ σεισμοῖς καὶ πῦρ οὐρανόθεν συγκαταρρηγνύμενον πάσας ἐλπίδας σωτηρίας περιέκοπτεν· πλήν γε φθορὰν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐνειργάσατο, ἀλλ' ἡ θεία εὐμένεια πνεῦμα σφοδρὸν καθιεῖσα καὶ τὸ πῦρ πανταχόθεν περιελάσασα κατὰ τῆς θαλάσσης ἀπέρριψεν. καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ξένην θέαν, τῶν κυμάτων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὥσπερ τινῶν λασίων χωρίων τῷ πυρὶ καταφλεγομένων, ἄχρι τελείως τὸ φλέγον ἐναπέσβη τῷ πελάγει. 12.9 Ὅτι κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους τῶν σεισμῶν γενομένων ὤφθησαν ὀροφαὶ οἰκιῶν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων μετὰ μεγάλων πατάγων καὶ ἀραγμῶν διαστᾶσαι, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἔνδον παρατυχόντας καθαρῶς τῇ ὄψει τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑποβάλλειν· καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην διάστασιν οὕτως πάλιν ἁρμοσθεῖσαί τε καὶ συναφθεῖσαι, ὡς μηδεμίαν αἴσθησιν τοῦ νεωτερισθέντος μηδενὶ παρασχεῖν. τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο πάθος καὶ περὶ τὰ ἐδάφη πολλαχοῦ συνηνέχθη. καὶ γὰρ σιτοβολῶνες τοὺς κάτωθεν οἰκοῦντας ἀπέπνιξαν, τὸν σῖτον αὐτοῖς ἀθρόον ἐπιχεάμενοι διὰ τῶν πάτων· καὶ πάλιν οὕτως παρέσχον τὸ ἔδαφος ἡρμοσμένον, ὡς ἐξαπορεῖν ἅπαντας πόθεν ὁ φονεὺς ἐπερρύη σῖτος. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ τοιουτότροπα πάθη τηνικαῦτα ἐνεοχμώθη, δεικνύντα μὴ φυσικῇ τινι ταῦτα προελθεῖν ἀκολουθίᾳ, ὡς Ἑλλήνων παῖδες ληροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ θείας ἀγανακτήσεως μάστιγας ἐπαφεθῆναι. 12.10 Ὅτι διαφόροις ἐπιχειρήμασι κατασκευάζειν πειρᾶται τοὺς σεισμοὺς μήτε διὰ πλημμύραν ὑδάτων συνίστασθαι μήτε πνευμάτων ἐναπολαμβανομένων τοῖς κόλποις τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ γῆς τινος ὅλως παρεγκλίσει, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ θείᾳ γνώμῃ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ διόρθωσιν τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων. καὶ ταῦτά φησιν ἰσχυριζόμενον λέγειν, διότι τὰ τηλικαῦτα πάθη μὴ δύναται μηδέτερον τῶν εἰρημένων στοιχείων κατὰ φυσικὴν ἀποτελεῖν δύναμιν. ἐπεὶ θεοῦ γε βουληθέντος καὶ ψεκὰς ἂν ἡ σμικροτάτη προσπεσοῦσα καὶ νιφὰς ἡ κουφοτάτη τὸν Ὄλυμπον τῆς Μακεδονίας ἤ τι ἄλλο τῶν μεγίστων ὀρῶν κινήσειεν ἂν ῥᾳδίως. ἐπεὶ καὶ φαίνεται