48. Now, if the decease of the emperor had not anticipated the advance of the tyrant, and his privy machination been more effectual than his open violence, the miscreant would soon have discovered that he had been too expeditious for his own destruction; and before his fit of frenzy was chastised by the Persians, he would have paid the penalty of his crime in the territories of the Romans upon whom he basely waged war. Proof of this is at hand: for whilst he was still advancing and fancying himself undiscovered, by order of that most excellent emperor he was being surrounded by a force that cut off his retreat, as became evident from what followed; for even after he was master of the empire, he had no small trouble in mastering this army. Now, his adversary, boiling with indignation against this folly and impiety combined, and having this very clever fellow completely in his net----alas for our wickedness!----in the very middle of his march closes his mortal career, after offering many excuses to God and man for his misplaced humanity,³⁰ and having set an example to all Christians by his zeal of affection for the Faith!

ΜΗʹ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν μὴ προὔλαβε τὴν ἔφοδον τοῦ τυράννου τὸ τέλος τοῦ βασιλέως, μηδὲ ὁ ἀφανὴς πόλεμος τῆς φανερᾶς χειρὸς πλεῖον ἴσχυσε, τάχα ἂν ἔγνω καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ταχύνας ὁ ἀλιτήριος: καὶ πρὶν ὑπὸ Περσῶν τὴν ἐμπληξίαν σωφρονισθῆναι τῆς ἀπονοίας, ἔδωκεν ἂν δίκην ἐν ὅροις Ῥωμαίων, ὧν κακῶς κατετόλμησε: τεκμήριον δέ: καὶ γὰρ ἔτι προϊὼν καὶ ἀγνοούμενος, ὡς ἐνόμιζεν, ὑπὸ τοῦ γενναιοτάτου βασιλέως στρατιᾷ περιλαμβάνεται προϋποτεμνούσῃ καὶ τὴν φυγὴν, ὡς δῆλον γέγονεν ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον: καὶ γὰρ ἤδη τὸ κράτος ἔχοντι, τὸ κρατῆσαι ταύτης οὐ μικρὸν ἔργον ἐγένετο: νῦν δὲ ὁ μὲν θυμῷ ζέων κατὰ τῆς ἀπονοίας ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ τὸν σοφώτατον ἔχων ἐν ἄρκυσιν, ὢ τῆς ἡμετέρας κακίας! ἐν ἀκμῇ τῆς ὁδοῦ καταλύει τὸν βίον, πολλὰ καὶ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολογησάμενος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁρμῆς δείξας Χριστιανοῖς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας κίνησιν.