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a church the locals in former times dedicated to John the Apostle, and this apostle has been surnamed the Theologian, since the things concerning God were related by him better than is in accordance with human nature. 5.1.6 This very church, which was small and worn out by the length of time, the Emperor Justinian tore down to its foundations, and he remodelled it to such a degree of size and beauty, that, to put it briefly, it is most similar and altogether a rival to the sanctuary, which he dedicated to all the apostles in the imperial city, as has been related by me in my previous account. 5.1.7 These things were accomplished by this emperor in Ephesus. And on this island of Tenedos something of a saving nature has been done for both the imperial city and for those who work on the sea, which I shall immediately explain, after saying this much: 5.1.8 the sea at the Hellespont runs especially in a narrow channel. For both continents, coming as close as possible to each other here, form the beginning of the strait around Sestos and Abydos, and whenever the ships arrive here, all those that are headed straight for Constantinople, 5.1.9 they anchor at this place. But it is impossible for them to put to sea from here, unless a south wind blows for them. 5.1.10 So whenever the grain fleet would come here from the city of Alexandria, if the wind fell favorably for them, in a short time those who manage this business bring their ships down to the Byzantine harbours, and after unloading they depart immediately, so that before the winter season is fully upon them they may convey a second and a third fleet. 5.1.11 And as many of them as wish, loading some other kind of merchandise from there in return, sail back. 5.1.12 If, however, the wind at the Hellespont should blow against them, it happened that both the grain and the ships would rot there. 5.1.13 Having taken thought for these things, the Emperor Justinian has clearly demonstrated that nothing would be impossible for a man, not even if he should contend with the most difficult circumstances. 5.1.14 For on the island of Tenedos, which is very near the strait, he skilfully built a granary sufficient for the whole fleet to unload, no less than ninety feet in width, and two hundred and eighty feet in length, and extending to a quite indescribable height. 5.1.15 Since this was accomplished by the emperor, whenever the escorts of the public grain, coming here, should be hindered by contrary winds, these men, depositing the cargo in this granary and bidding a long farewell to the north wind and the west wind, and any other that might blow against them here, 5.1.16 prepare for another voyage. And they themselves are brought straightway to their homes, but later on, whenever the sailing from here to Byzantium happens to be favorable, they transport the grain from Tenedos in other vessels upon which this duty is imposed. 5.2.1 There is a certain city in Bithynia, named after Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. For they say that Helen came from this place, which was formerly a village of no account. 5.2.2 To which Constantine, paying for her nurture, presented this place with the name and rank of a city, yet he did nothing either imperial or magnificent here, but in its construction it remained in its former condition, and has been adorned only by being called a city and takes pride in the name of its nursling Helen. 5.2.3 But the emperor of our time, as if making amends for the thoughtlessness of the forefather of his imperial line, first, seeing the city was oppressed by a lack of water and was possessed by a truly terrible thirst, extemporized a wondrous aqueduct, and by it provided water, an unexpected sight, sufficient for the people there not only to drink, but also to bathe, and for all other things in which men indulge when they have a superabundant supply of water. 5.2.4 In addition, he also built for them a public bath which had not existed before, and he rebuilt another that was ruined and lying in neglect, having already collapsed both from the scarcity of water, as I have mentioned, 5.2.5 and from neglect. But also shrines and palaces and stoas

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νεὼν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις Ἰωάννῃ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἀνέθηκαν, θεολόγος δὲ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος οὗτος ὠνόμασται, ἐπεὶ τά γε ἀμφὶ τῷ θεῷ ἄμεινον αὐτῷ ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου δεδιήγηται φύ5.1.6 σιν. τοῦτον δὴ τὸν νεὼν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς βραχύν τε ὄντα καὶ καταπεπονηκότα τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου καθελὼν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος, ἐς τοσόνδε μεθηρμόσατο μεγέθους καὶ κάλλους, ὥστε δή, ξυνελόντα εἰπεῖν, ἐμφερέστατος καὶ παντάπασιν ἐνάμιλλος τῷ ἱερῷ ἐστιν, ὅπερ ἐν πόλει τῇ βασιλίδι τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἀνέθηκε πᾶσιν, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν δεδήλωται λόγοις. 5.1.7 Ταῦτα μὲν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐξείργασται τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ. ἐν Τενέδῳ δὲ ταύτῃ τῇ νήσῳ σωτήριόν τι πόλει τε τῇ βασιλίδι καὶ τοῖς κατὰ θάλασσαν ἐργαζομένοις πεποίηται, ὅπερ ἐγὼ αὐτίκα δηλώσω, τοσοῦτον ὑπειπών· ἡ θάλασσα 5.1.8 ἐφ' Ἑλλησπόντου ἐν στενῷ μάλιστα φέρεται. ἄμφω γὰρ αἱ ἤπειροι ἀλλήλαις ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐνταῦθα ἰοῦσαι τὴν τοῦ πορθμοῦ ποιοῦνται ἀρχὴν ἀμφὶ Σηστόν τε καὶ Ἄβυδον, ἐπειδάν τε αἱ νέες ἐνταῦθα ἵκωνται, ὅσαι δὴ Κων5.1.9 σταντινουπόλεως εὐθὺ ἵενται, τῇδε ὁρμίζονται. ἀνάγεσθαι δὲ αὐταῖς ἐνθένδε ἀμήχανά ἐστιν, ὅτι μὴ νότου 5.1.10 ἐπιπνεύσαντος ἀνέμου σφίσιν. ἡνίκα οὖν ὁ σιταγωγὸς στόλος ἐκ πόλεως Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐνταῦθα ἴοι, εἰ μὲν ἐμπέσοι τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπίφορον σφίσι, δι' ὀλίγου μὲν οἱ ταύτην τὴν ἐργασίαν διαχειρίζοντες καταίρουσι ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐς τοὺς Βυζαντίους λιμένας, ἀποφορτιζόμενοι δὲ ἀπαλλάσσονται αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος ἅπαντες ὥρας δεύτερόν τε καὶ τρίτον διαπεραιώ5.1.11 σονται στόλον. ὅσοις δὲ αὐτῶν βουλομένοις ᾖ, καὶ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐμπολημάτων ἐνθένδε ἀντιφορτισάμενοι ἀναστρέ5.1.12 φουσιν. εἰ μέντοι ἀπ' ἐναντίας σφίσι τὸ πνεῦμα ἐφ' Ἑλλησπόντου ἴοι, ἐνταῦθα δὴ τῷ τε σίτῳ καὶ ταῖς ναυσὶ 5.1.13 σεσηπέναι συνέβαινεν. ἅπερ ἐν προνοίᾳ πεποιημένος Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς διαφανῶς ἐπιδέδεικται ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ ἂν ἀμήχανον οὐδὲν γένοιτο, οὐδ' ἢν τοῖς χαλε5.1.14 πωτάτοις ἀνταγωνίζοιτο. ἐν Τενέδῳ γὰρ τῇ νήσῳ, ἣ τοῦ πορθμοῦ ἄγχιστά ἐστι, σιτῶνα ἐπετεχνήσατο τῷ παντὶ στόλῳ ἀποφορτίσασθαι διαρκῶς ἔχοντα, εὖρος μὲν οὐχ ἧττον ἢ ποδῶν ἐνενήκοντα, μῆκος δὲ ποδῶν ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ διακοσίων, ἐς ὕψος τε ἄφατον ἐπιεικῶς κατατείνοντα. 5.1.15 οὗ δὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξειργασμένου, ὁπηνίκα ἂν τοῦ δημοσίου σίτου παραπομποὶ ἐνταῦθα ἰόντες ἀνέμων ἐναντιώμασι συμποδίζοιντο, οἵδε τὸν φόρτον ἐν τῷ σιτῶνι καταθέμενοι τούτῳ καὶ χαίρειν φράσαντες τῷ τε βορρᾷ καὶ ζεφύρῳ πολλά, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐτοῖς 5.1.16 ἐνταῦθα ἴοι, ἐς πλοῦν ἕτερον συσκευάζονται. καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν εὐθὺς εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα κομίζονται, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον, ὁπηνίκα ἂν τὸν ἐνθένδε ἀπόπλουν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ γενέσθαι ξυμβαίη, πλοίοις ἑτέροις τὸν σῖτον ἐκ Τενέδου διακομίζουσιν οἷς ἐπίκειται ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη. 5.2.1 Ἔστι δέ τις ἐν Βιθυνοῖς πόλις, Ἑλένης ἐπώνυμος οὖσα τῆς Κωνσταντίνου βασιλέως μητρός. ἐκ ταύτης γὰρ τὴν Ἑλένην ὡρμῆσθαί φασι, κώμης οὐκ ἀξιολόγου 5.2.2 τὰ πρότερα οὔσης. ᾗπερ τὰ τροφεῖα Κωνσταντῖνος ἐκτίνων ὀνόματι μὲν καὶ ἀξιώματι πόλεως τὸ χωρίον δεδώρηται τοῦτο, οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲν οὐδὲ βασιλικὸν οὐδὲ μεγαλοπρεπὲς τῇδε πεποίηται, ἀλλὰ τῇ μὲν κατασκευῇ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας διέμεινε τύχης, κεκόμψευται δὲ μόνῳ τῷ πόλις κεκλῆσθαι καὶ τῇ ἐπωνυμίᾳ τῆς τροφίμου Ἑλένης 5.2.3 ἀποσεμνύνεται. ὁ δὲ καθ' ἡμᾶς βασιλεύς, ὥσπερ τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην ἀπολογούμενος τοῦ τῆς βασιλείας προπάτορος, πρῶτα μὲν ὕδατος ἀπορίᾳ πιεζομένην τὴν πόλιν ἰδὼν καὶ δίψῃ ἐπιεικῶς δεινῇ ἐχομένην, ὀχετὸν αὐτοσχεδιάζει θαυμάσιον οἷον, ὕδωρ τε αὐτῷ παρέχεται ἀπροσδόκητον ἰδεῖν, τοῖς τῇδε ἀνθρώποις οὐ πιεῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λούεσθαι ἱκανῶς ἔχον, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τρυφῶσιν ἄνθρωποι, εὐπορίαν κατακόρως ὕδατος ἔχοντες. 5.2.4 πρὸς δὲ καὶ βαλανεῖον αὐτοῖς ἐν δημοσίῳ πεποίηται οὐ πρότερον ὄν, ἕτερόν τε ἀνῳκοδομήσατο διεφθαρμένον τε καὶ εἰκῆ κείμενον τῷ τε σπανίζειν, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐρρήθη, 5.2.5 τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ τῷ ἀπημελῆσθαι καταπεσὸν ἤδη. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱερὰ καὶ βασίλεια καὶ στοὰς