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proceeded from the hot springs, and from there arrived at the city named after his mother. And there, having spent time in the house of prayer of the martyrs, he sent up both supplicatory prayers 4.61.2 and litanies to God. But when the thought of the end of his life came to him, he considered this to be the time for purification of the sins ever committed by him, trusting that he could wash away from his soul, by the power of the mystical words 4.61.3 and by the saving laver, whatever sins it had occurred to him to commit as a mortal. Having considered this, kneeling on the ground, he became a suppliant of God, making his confession in the martyrium itself, where indeed for the first time he was deemed worthy of the prayers through the laying on of hands. And moving on from there, he arrived at a suburb of the city of the Nicomedians, 4.62.1 and there, having called together the bishops, he spoke to them in some such way as this: “This was the very time I have long hoped for, thirsting and praying to obtain salvation in God. It is time for us to receive the seal that makes immortal, 4.62.2 time for the saving seal, which I had once intended to receive in the streams of the river Jordan, in which the Savior is also recorded to have partaken of the laver for our example. But God, it seems, knowing what is expedient, deems us worthy of these things here and now. 4.62.3 Therefore let there be no doubt. For if the Lord of both life and death should will for us to live here again, it is once and for all determined for me to associate hereafter with the people of God and, assembling with all, to share in the prayers; I shall now ordain for myself rules of life befitting God.” 4.62.4 He indeed said these things, and they, performing the customary rites, fulfilled the divine ordinances and imparted the mysteries, having first set forth all that was necessary. And indeed Constantine, alone of the emperors from the beginning of time, being reborn through the mysteries of Christ, was perfected, and being deemed worthy of the divine seal, he rejoiced in spirit, and was renewed and filled with divine light, rejoicing in his soul through the excess of his faith, and struck with awe at the clear evidence of the divine power. 4.62.5 And when the necessary rites were fulfilled, he was clothed in shining and imperial garments that shone like light, and he rested upon a most white couch, 4.63.1 no longer willing to touch the purple robe. And then raising his voice he sent up a prayer of thanksgiving to God, after which he added, saying: “Now in truth I know myself to be blessed, now I am shown to be worthy of immortal life, now I have partaken of the divine light.” But he also called wretched, saying they were miserable, 4.63.2 those who were deprived of these good things. And when the tribunes and generals of the armies came in and lamented, weeping that they themselves would be desolate, and prayed for him years of life, he answered them, saying that now he had been deemed worthy of the true life and that he alone knew the good things of which he had partaken. Therefore he was also hastening and not delaying the journey to his 4.63.3 God. Then after these things he arranged what was fitting, and he honored the Romans inhabiting the capital city with annual distributions, and to his sons, as a sort of paternal inheritance, he handed over the inheritance of the empire, having arranged all that was dear to him. 4.64.1 And each of these things was accomplished at the greatest festival, namely the all-venerable and all-holy Pentecost, honored by seven weeks and sealed by a single day, on which the divine oracles declare that the ascension into heaven of the common Savior and the descent of the Holy Spirit to men took place. 4.64.2 Indeed, the emperor having been deemed worthy of these things at this festival, on the very last day of all, which one would not err in calling the festival of festivals, around the midday hours of the sun, was taken up to his God, having committed to mortals what was kindred to them, but himself uniting to his God that part of his soul which was intellectual and god-loving. This was the end of Constantine's life. But let us proceed to what follows. 4.65.1 The spearmen immediately and the whole company of bodyguards, tearing their garments and throwing themselves upon the ground, struck their heads, voices of lamentation with wailings and cries at the same time

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θερμῶν ὑδάτων πρόεισιν, ἔνθεν τε τῆς αὐτοῦ μητρὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπώνυμον ἀφικνεῖται πόλιν. κἀνταῦθα τῷ τῶν μαρτύρων εὐκτηρίῳ ἐνδιατρίψας οἴκῳ ἱκετηρίους εὐχάς τε 4.61.2 καὶ λιτανείας ἀνέπεμπε τῷ θεῷ. ἐπειδὴ δ' εἰς ἔννοιαν ἥκει τῆς τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς, καθάρσεως εἶναι τοῦτον καιρὸν τῶν πώποτε αὐτῷ πεπλημμελημένων διενοεῖτο, ὅσα οἷα θνητῷ διαμαρτεῖν ἐπῆλθε ταῦτ' ἀπορρύψασθαι 4.61.3 τῆς ψυχῆς λόγων ἀπορρήτων δυνάμει σωτηρίῳ τε λουτρῷ πιστεύσας. τοῦτό τοι διανοηθείς, γονυκλινὴς ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἱκέτης ἐγίγνετο τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ ἐξομολογούμενος, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ πρῶτον τῶν διὰ χειροθεσίας εὐχῶν ἠξιοῦτο. Μεταβὰς δ' ἔνθεν ἐπὶ προάστειον τῆς Νικομηδέων ἀφικνεῖται πόλεως, 4.62.1 κἀνταῦθα συγκαλέσας τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ὧδέ πη αὐτοῖς διελέξατο· "6οὗτος ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ πάλαι μοι διψῶντί τε καὶ εὐχομένῳ τῆς ἐν θεῷ τυχεῖν σωτηρίας καιρὸς ἐλπιζόμενος· ὥρα καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ἀθανατοποιοῦ σφραγῖδος, 4.62.2 ὥρα τοῦ σωτηρίου σφραγίσματος, οὗ μετασχεῖν ἐπὶ ῥείθρων Ἰορδάνου ποταμοῦ ἐνενόουν ποτέ, ἐφ' ὧν καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ εἰς ἡμέτερον τύπον τοῦ λουτροῦ μετασχεῖν μνημονεύεται· θεὸς δ' ἄρα τὸ συμφέρον εἰδὼς ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τού4.62.3 των ἡμᾶς ἀξιοῖ. μὴ δὴ οὖν ἀμφιβολία τις γιγνέσθω. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πάλιν ἡμᾶς ἐνταυθοῖ βιοῦν ὁ καὶ ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου κύριος ἐθέλοι, καὶ οὕτως ἐμὲ συναγελάζεσθαι λοιπὸν τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λαῷ καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ὁμοῦ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐκκλησιάζοντα κοινωνεῖν ἅπαξ ὥρισται· θεσμοὺς ἤδη βίου θεῷ πρέποντας ἐμαυτῷ διατετάξομαι."6 4.62.4 Ὁ μὲν δὴ ταῦτ' ἔλεγεν, οἱ δὲ τὰ νόμιμα τελοῦντες θεσμοὺς ἀπεπλήρουν θείους καὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων μετεδίδοσαν, ὅσα χρὴ προδιαστειλάμενοι. καὶ δὴ μόνος τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος αὐτοκρατόρων Κωνσταντῖνος Χριστοῦ μυστηρίοις ἀναγεννώμενος ἐτελειοῦτο, θείας τε σφραγῖδος ἀξιούμενος ἠγάλλετο τῷ πνεύματι ἀνεκαινοῦτό τε καὶ φωτὸς ἐνεπίμπλατο θείου, χαίρων μὲν τῇ ψυχῇ δι' ὑπερβολὴν πίστεως, τὸ δ' ἐναργὲς καταπεπληγὼς τῆς ἐνθέου δυνάμεως. 4.62.5 Ὡς δ' ἐπληροῦτο τὰ δέοντα, λαμπροῖς καὶ βασιλικοῖς ἀμφιάσμασι φωτὸς ἐκλάμπουσι τρόπον περιεβάλλετο ἐπὶ λευκοτάτῃ τε στρωμνῇ διανεπαύετο, 4.63.1 οὐκέθ' ἁλουργίδος ἐπιψαῦσαι θελήσας. κἄπειτα τὴν φωνὴν ἀνυψώσας εὐχαριστήριον ἀνέπεμπε τῷ θεῷ προσευχήν, μεθ' ἣν ἐπῆγε λέγων· "6νῦν ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ μακάριον οἶδ' ἐμαυτόν, νῦν τῆς ἀθανάτου ζωῆς πεφάνθαι ἄξιον, νῦν τοῦ θείου μετειληφέναι φωτός."6 ἀλλὰ καὶ τάλανας ἀπεκάλει, ἀθλίους εἶναι 4.63.2 λέγων, τοὺς τῶνδε τῶν ἀγαθῶν στερουμένους. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν στρατοπέδων οἱ ταξίαρχοι καὶ καθηγεμόνες εἴσω παρελθόντες ἀπωδύροντο, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐρήμους ἔσεσθαι ἀποκλαιόμενοι, ἐπηύχοντό τε ζωῆς αὐτῷ χρόνους, καὶ τούτοις ἀποκρινάμενος, νῦν ἔφη τῆς ἀληθοῦς ζωῆς ἠξιῶσθαι μόνον τ' αὐτὸν εἰδέναι ὧν μετείληφεν ἀγαθῶν· διὸ καὶ σπεύδειν μηδ' ἀναβάλλεσθαι τὴν πρὸς τὸν 4.63.3 αὐτοῦ θεὸν πορείαν. εἶτ' ἐπὶ τούτοις τὰ προσήκοντα διετάττετο, καὶ Ῥωμαίους μὲν τοὺς τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν οἰκοῦντας ἐτίμα δόσεσιν ἐτησίαις, τοῖς δ' αὐτοῦ παισὶν ὥσπερ τινὰ πατρικὴν ὕπαρξιν τὸν τῆς βασιλείας παρεδίδου κλῆρον, πάνθ' ὅσα φίλα ἦν αὐτῷ διατυπωσάμενος. 4.64.1 Ἕκαστα δὲ τούτων ἐπὶ τῆς μεγίστης συνετελεῖτο ἑορτῆς, τῆς δὴ πανσέπτου καὶ παναγίας πεντηκοστῆς, ἑβδομάσι μὲν ἑπτὰ τετιμημένης μονάδι δ' ἐπισφραγιζομένης, καθ' ἣν τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν τοῦ κοινοῦ σωτῆρος τήν τε τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος εἰς ἀνθρώπους κάθοδον γεγενῆσθαι λόγοι περιέχουσι 4.64.2 θεῖοι. ἐν δὴ ταύτῃ τούτων ἀξιωθεὶς βασιλεύς, ἐπὶ τῆς ὑστάτης ἁπασῶν ἡμέρας, ἣν δὴ ἑορτὴν ἑορτῶν οὐκ ἄν τις διαμάρτοι καλῶν, ἀμφὶ μεσημβρινὰς ἡλίου ὥρας πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ θεὸν ἀνελαμβάνετο, θνητοῖς μὲν τὸ συγγενὲς παραδοὺς ἔχειν, αὐτὸς δ' ὅσον ἦν αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς νοερόν τε καὶ φιλόθεον τῷ αὐτοῦ θεῷ συναπτόμενος. τοῦτο τέλος τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ζωῆς. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπίωμεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 4.65.1 ∆ορυφόροι μὲν αὐτίκα καὶ πᾶν τὸ τῶν σωματοφυλάκων γένος ἐσθῆτας περιρρηξάμενοι σφᾶς τε ῥίψαντες ἐπ' ἐδάφους, τὰς κεφαλὰς ἤρασσον, κωκυτοῦ φωνὰς οἰμωγαῖς θ' ἅμα καὶ βοαῖς