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they were accomplishing. A royal establishment had been allotted to each of the children, men-at-arms, spearmen, bodyguards, and all kinds of military units, and over these, commanders, captains, generals, tribunes, whose skill in war and loyalty to himself 4.52.1 their father had already tested. So while the Caesars were still of a tender age, of necessity their colleagues were with them and administered public affairs, but when they finally advanced to manhood, their father alone was sufficient for their instruction, at times urging them, when present, with special precepts and teaching them to become emulators and imitators of his own piety, and at other times, when they were absent, addressing them with imperial edicts, he went through his instructions in writing, of which the greatest and foremost was that the knowledge and reverence 4.52.2 for God the King of all should be honored above all wealth and above the empire itself. He already gave them authority to act through their own agency for the public benefit, and he exhorted them first of all to care for the Church of God, and he urged them to be explicitly Christians. And thus he guided his sons, but they, not as if by command but with self-motivated eagerness, surpassed their father's exhortations, directing their own mind to piety toward God, and they fulfilled the ordinances of the Church in the very palace with all 4.52.3 their household. And this also was a work of the father's foresight, to hand over to his children all the members of his household as pious people, and of the first ranks, who had happened to have been entrusted with the care of public affairs, there were some of this sort; indeed, he secured them with men faithful to God as if with some strong walls. 4.52.4 But when these things also had been honorably arranged by the thrice-blessed emperor, God, the ruler of every good thing, as if all affairs had been well arranged by him, judged it to be a fitting time henceforth for his partaking of better things and brought on the debt of nature. 4.53.1 He had therefore completed thirty years of his reign, lacking a few months and days, and of his life about double that time. At which age his body remained unaffected and un-enfeebled, free from every blemish and more youthful than any young man, beautiful to behold, and powerful in strength for whatever was needed to be done, so as to take exercise and ride horses and travel, and to engage in wars and to raise trophies over enemies and to win the customary bloodless victories over opponents. And likewise the qualities of his soul advanced to the height of human perfection, being distinguished in all virtues, but exceedingly in philanthropy, which indeed was considered a fault by many on account of the worthlessness of wicked men, who attributed the cause of their own wickedness to the emperor's forbear4.54.2ance. For indeed we ourselves also observed these two grievous things during these times mentioned, the relaxed punishment of insatiable and wicked men who were corrupting all life, and the unspeakable dissimulation of those who infiltrated the Church and falsely assumed the name 4.54.3 of Christians. But his philanthropy and love of good, the sincerity of his faith and the truthfulness of his character, led him to trust the outward appearance of those who were considered to be Christians and who pretended with a feigned soul to maintain true goodwill toward him; and by entrusting himself to them, he might perhaps sometimes have been involved in things that were not fitting, envy thus bringing this stain upon his virtues. 4.55.1 But divine justice pursued these men before long. But the emperor himself was so advanced in soul with rational understanding, that until his very end he was accustomed to compose orations, and was accustomed to hold audiences and to provide divinely-inspired instructions to his hearers, and was accustomed to legislate, sometimes for civilians, sometimes for the military, and to devise everything suitably for human 4.55.2 life. But it is worth mentioning that when he was near the very end of his life, he delivered a certain funeral oration in his usual auditorium, and having spoken at length in this about

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εἰργάζοντο. βασιλικὴ δ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν παίδων κεκλήρωτο παρασκευή, ὁπλῖται, δορυφόροι, σωματοφύλακες, στρατευμάτων τε τάγματα παντοῖα, τούτων δὲ καθηγεμόνες, λοχαγοί, στρατηγοί, ταξίαρχοι, ὧν τῆς ἐν πολέμοις ἐπιστήμης τῆς τε πρὸς αὐτὸν 4.52.1 εὐνοίας ὁ πατὴρ προειλήφει τὴν πεῖραν. ἁπαλοῖς μὲν οὖν ἔτι τὴν ἡλικίαν τοῖς καίσαρσιν ἀναγκαίως οἱ συμπράττοντες συνῆσάν τε καὶ τὰ κοινὰ διῴκουν, εἰς ἄνδρας δὲ λοιπὸν προϊοῦσιν αὐτοῖς μόνος ὁ πατὴρ εἰς διδασκαλίαν ἐπήρκει, τοτὲ μὲν παρόντας ἰδιαζούσαις ὑποθήκαις ζηλωτὰς αὐτοὺς παρορμῶν καὶ μιμητὰς τῆς αὐτοῦ θεοσεβείας ἀποτελεῖσθαι διδάσκων, τοτὲ δ' ἀποῦσι τὰ βασιλικὰ προσφωνῶν διῄει γράφων παραγγέλματα, ὧν τὸ μέγιστον ἦν καὶ πρώτιστον τὴν εἰς τὸν πάντων βασιλέα θεὸν γνῶσίν τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν 4.52.2 πρὸ παντὸς πλούτου καὶ πρὸ αὐτῆς βασιλείας τιμᾶσθαι. ἤδη δ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ δι' αὐτῶν πράττειν τὰ λυσιτελῆ τοῖς κοινοῖς ἐξουσίαν ἐδίδου, καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ φροντίδος ἄγειν ἐν πρώτοις παρῄνει, αὐτοῖς τε διαρρήδην Χριστιανοῖς εἶναι παρεκελεύετο. καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτω τοὺς υἱοὺς προῆγεν, οἱ δὲ οὐχ ὡς ἐκ παραγγέλματος αὐτογνώμονι δὲ προθυμίᾳ τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς παραινέσεις ὑπερέβαλλον, τῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὁσίᾳ τὴν σφῶν διάνοιαν συντείνοντες, τούς τε τῆς ἐκκλησίας θεσμοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς βασιλείοις σὺν τοῖς 4.52.3 οἰκείοις ἅπασιν ἀπεπλήρουν. καὶ τοῦτο δ' ἔργον τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπῆρχε προμηθείας τὸ τοὺς συνοίκους ἅπαντας θεοσεβεῖς παραδοῦναι τοῖς παισί, καὶ τῶν πρώτων δὲ ταγμάτων, οἳ τὴν τῶν κοινῶν ἐτύγχανον ἀναδεδεγμένοι φροντίδα, τοιοῦτοί τινες ὑπῆρχον· τοῖς γοῦν κατὰ θεὸν πιστοῖς ἀνδράσιν αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ τισὶν ὀχυροῖς περιβόλοις ἠσφαλίζετο. 4.52.4 Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα εὐπρεπῶς διέκειτο τῷ τρισμακαρίῳ, θεὸς ὁ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πρύτανις, ὡσανεὶ τῶν καθόλου πραγμάτων εὖ διατεθέντων αὐτῷ, καιρὸν εὔκαιρον εἶναι λοιπὸν τῆς τῶν κρειττόνων μεταλήψεως ἐδοκίμαζε καὶ τὸ τῇ φύσει χρεὼν ἐπῆγε. 4.53.1 ∆ύο μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοῖς τριάκοντα τῆς βασιλείας ἐνιαυτοῖς μησί τε καὶ ἡμέραις βραχείαις δέουσιν ἐπλήρου, τῆς δὲ ζωῆς ἀμφὶ τὸν διπλασίονα χρόνον. ἐν ᾧ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀπαθὲς μὲν καὶ ἄλυτον αὐτῷ διήρκει τὸ σῶμα, κηλῖδος καθαρὸν ἁπάσης παντός τε νέου νεανικώτερον, ὡραῖον μὲν ἰδεῖν, ῥωμαλέον δ' ὅ τι δέοι δυνάμει καταπράξασθαι, ὡς καὶ γυμνάζεσθαι καὶ ἱππάζεσθαι καὶ ὁδοιπορεῖν, πολέμοις τε παραβάλλειν τρόπαιά τε κατ' ἐχθρῶν ἐγείρειν καὶ τὰς συνήθεις ἀναιμακτὶ κατὰ τῶν δι' ἐναντίας αἴρεσθαι νίκας. Καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς δ' ὡσαύτως εἰς ἄκρον τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις τελειώσεως αὐτῷ προῄει, πᾶσι μὲν ἐμπρέποντι τοῖς καλοῖς, ὑπερβαλλόντως δὲ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, ὃ δὴ καὶ μεμπτὸν ἐνομίζετο τοῖς πολλοῖς τῆς τῶν μοχθηρῶν ἀνδρῶν φαυλότητος εἵνεκα, οἳ τῆς σφῶν κακίας τὴν βασιλέως ἐπεγράφοντο ἀνεξι4.54.2 κακίαν αἰτίαν. καὶ γὰρ οὖν ἀληθῶς δύο χαλεπὰ ταῦτα κατὰ τοὺς δηλουμένους τούτους χρόνους καὶ αὐτοὶ κατενοήσαμεν, ἐπιτριβῆς ἄνεσιν ἀπλήστων καὶ μοχθηρῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν πάντα λυμαινομένων βίον, εἰρωνείαν τ' ἄλεκτον τῶν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὑποδυομένων καὶ τὸ Χριστιανῶν ἐπιπλάστως σχηματιζο4.54.3 μένων ὄνομα. τὸ δ' αὐτοῦ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ φιλάγαθον τό τε τῆς πίστεως εἰλικρινὲς καὶ τοῦ τρόπου τὸ φιλάληθες ἐνῆγεν αὐτὸν πιστεύειν τῷ σχήματι τῶν Χριστιανῶν εἶναι νομιζομένων εὔνοιαν τ' ἀληθῆ περὶ αὐτὸν πεπλασμένῃ ψυχῇ σῴζειν προσποιουμένων· οἷς ἑαυτὸν καταπιστεύων τάχα ἄν ποτε καὶ τοῖς μὴ πρέπουσιν ἐνεπείρετο, κηλῖδα ταύτην τοῖς αὐτοῦ καλοῖς ἐπιφέροντος τοῦ φθόνου. 4.55.1 Ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἡ θεία μετήρχετο δίκη. αὐτὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς οὕτω τὴν ψυχὴν λογικῇ συνέσει προῆκτο, ὡς αὐτῆς μέχρι τελευτῆς συνήθως μὲν λογογραφεῖν, συνήθως δὲ τὰς προσόδους ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τὰς θεοπρεπεῖς τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς διδασκαλίας παρέχειν, νομοθετεῖν τε συνήθως τοτὲ μὲν πολιτικοῖς τοτὲ δὲ στρατιωτικοῖς, πάντα τε προσφόρως τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπι4.55.2 νοεῖν βίῳ. μνημονεῦσαι δ' ἄξιον, ὡς πρὸς αὐτῇ γεγονὼς τῇ τοῦ βίου τελευτῇ ἐπικήδειόν τινα λόγον ἐπὶ τοῦ συνήθους διῆλθεν ἀκροατηρίου, μακρὸν δὲ κατατείνας ἐν τούτῳ περὶ