37. No one, surely, was ever possessed with so fervent a desire for any object, as was that emperor for the aggrandizement of the Christians, and their advancement to the highest pitch of glory and power: and neither nations vanquished, nor the commonwealth well governed, nor the greatness of wealth, nor the superabundance of glory, nor the being, and the being entitled "King of Kings," nor all the other marks by which mortal felicity is distinguished; not one of all these things gave him such delight as that, through his means, we, and through our means, he should have glory in the sight of God and men, and that our supremacy should continue indestructible to all time; for besides all this, he clearly perceived the fact (thinking as he did on these matters with deeper insight and loftier mind than the vulgar herd), that simultaneously with the state of the Christians grew up that of the Romans, and their supremacy began its course with the sojourn of Christ upon earth, which before that time had not perfectly ripened into a monarchy: and for this reason, in my opinion, he fostered and befriended our Church all the more: inasmuch as he, though he did slightly vex ²³ us, yet did so not out of despite and insolence, nor to gratify other parties at our expense: but he vexed us a little in order that we might be at one together, and become unanimous, and not be divided, neither be separated by our schisms.

ΛΖʹ. Οὐδενὶ γὰρ οὐδενὸς οὕτω πώποτε πράγματος ἔρως θερμὸς ἐνέσκηψεν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ Χριστιανοὺς αὐξηθῆναι, καὶ εἰς πλεῖστον καὶ δόξης προελθεῖν καὶ δυνάμεως: καὶ οὔτε ἔθνη χειρούμενα, οὔτε τὸ κοινὸν εὐνομούμενον, οὐ πλῆθος χρημάτων, οὐ δόξης περιουσία, οὐ τὸ βασιλέα βασιλέων καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι, οὐχ ὅσοις ἄλλοις ἀνθρώπων εὐδαιμονία γνωρίζεται: οὐδὲν οὕτω τῶν πάντων ἐκεῖνον ηὔφραινεν, ὡς τὸ δι' ἑαυτοῦ μὲν ἡμᾶς, διὰ δὲ ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνον, καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκιμεῖν, καὶ ἀκατάλυτον ἡμῖν εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον παραμεῖναι τὴν δυναστείαν: καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐκεῖνο ᾔδει σαφῶς, ὑψηλότερόν τε καὶ βασιλικώτερον ἢ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς περὶ τούτων διανοούμενος, ὅτι τοῖς Χριστιανῶν πράγμασι τὰ Ῥωμαίων συνηύξησε, καὶ συνεισῆλθε τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ Χριστοῦ τὸ κράτος, οὔπω πρότερον τελείως εἰς μοναρχίαν νενικηκός: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πλέον ἐδόκει μοι περιέπειν εὖ ποιῶν τὰ ἡμέτερα: ὅς γε, καὶ εἴ τι παρελύπησεν ἡμᾶς, οὐ περιφρονῶν, οὐδὲ ὑβρίζων, οὐδὲ ἄλλοις τισὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν χαριζόμενος, ἀλλ' ὥστε πάντας ἒν εἶναι, καὶ συμφρονεῖν παρελύπησε, καὶ μὴ διακεκόφθαι, μηδὲ διεστάναι τοῖς σχίσμασιν.