69

as much as he could, he reduced the measures of the tributes, and he displayed a popular and common character towards all his subjects alike; caring little for the accumulation of money, but being desirous and insatiably fond of glory, so that he often even exceeded the measure in his undertakings. He was harmed only in holding a contrary opinion concerning the glory of Christ the savior and opposing those who followed the doctrines of the Christians, not, however, so as ever to do anything cruel or murderous. To speak concisely, he was very similar to Marcus Antonius, whom he was generally eager to emulate.

t181 JOVIAN.

181 Ibid.: That Jovian, the emperor of the Romans who ruled after Julian, was known to those in the army more for his father’s reputation than for his own. When Julian gave the soldiers the choice, to sacrifice or be discharged from the army, he preferred to lay aside his belt. And having come to Nisibis, a populous and prosperous city, after staying in it for only two days, he spent all the money he had, giving nothing to the inhabitants, neither a humane word nor a good deed; and he withdrew by night, bidding it a long farewell, as if to an enemy and a dead body, not even shedding a tear, for the sake of which he himself was saved and he saved those who were left from the dangers of the war; a man who advanced to such a degree of fortune not through his own virtue, but through the reputation of his father. For his body was not at all weak, nor was he untrained in the deeds of war; but being unpracticed and without a taste of education, he obscured and effaced the nature he possessed through indolence. Therefore he departed, fleeing the city of the Nisibenes, so to speak, eager to enjoy the rank that had unexpectedly befallen him, and to be within the Roman nations to display his fortune; and he marched to Syria with the whole army. But the Antiochians were not well-disposed towards him, but mocked him with songs and parodies and what are called famosi, especially because of the betrayal of Nisibis, and not least because they feared for themselves, lest he might also give them up, content to rule over even a small part of the Roman world; also assailing his wife because of the destruction of the temple. For Hadrian the emperor, for the deification and honor of his father Trajan, built a certain small and most graceful temple, which Julian the apostate made into a library; which Jovian burned down along with the books. And when the Antiochians had said many things against him, outrageous things would have been done, if Salutius had not arrived and stopped the sedition and urged the unwilling Jovian to journey, and this during winter, to Cilicia and Galatia. And Jovian arrived in Dadastana proclaiming the glory of Christ. That Jovian during his reign seemed to be common and generous.

t18- 2184 VALENTINIAN AND VALENS. 182Exc. De virt.: That Valentinian, being a Christian and holding the doctrine of the homoousion

did no harm to his opponents. And he was most ready to legislate, caring also for the just receipt of treasures, and in the selection of officials he was precise and an inexorable punisher of the disobedient, and in wars he was the best. But Valens, adhering to the Arian doctrine, stirred up a very great persecution against the Christians, so that many were put to death in the courts of justice,

69

τῶν δασμῶν καθόσον ἠδύνατο καθῄρει μέτρα καὶ τὸ δημοτικὸν καὶ κοινὸν τοῦ ἤθους πρὸς ἅπαντας ὁμοίως τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἐξέφερε· χρημάτων μὲν ἀθροίσεως ὀλίγα πεφροντικὼς, δόξης δὲ ἐπιθυμητικῶς τε καὶ ἀκορέστως ἔχων, ὡς πολλάκις καὶ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνειν ταῖς ἐγχειρήσεσι. Ἐβέβλαπτο δὲ μόνον περὶ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ δόξαν ἐναντίως ἔχων καὶ ἐνιστάμενος τοῖς τὰ Χριστιανῶν μετιοῦσι δάγματα, οὐ μὴν ὥστε ὠμὸν ἢ φονικόν τι ἐργάσασθαι πώποτε. Συνελόντι δὲ εἰπεῖν, Μάρκῳ Ἀντωνίῳ προσόμοιος ἦν, ὃν δὴ καὶ ζηλοῦν ὡς ἐπίπαν ἐσπούδαζεν.

t181 ΙΟΒΙΑΝΟΣ.

181 Ibid.: Ὅτι Ἰοβιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίωνὁ μετὰ Ἰουλιανὸν ἄρξας τῇ τοῦ

πατρὸς μᾶλλον ἤπερ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δόξῃ τοῖς περὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἔγνωστο. Ὃς ἡνίκα Ἰουλιανὸς αἵρεσιν τοῖς στρατευομένοις ἐτίθει, θύειν ἢ ἀποστρατεύεσθαι, μᾶλλον τὴν ζώνην ἀποθέσθαι ἐβούλετο. Ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς Νίσιβιν πόλιν πολυάνθρωπον καὶ εὐδαίμονα, δύω μονῶν ἡμερῶν ἐνδιατρίψας αὐτῇ, ὅσαπερ εἶχε χρήματα κατηνάλωσε, τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦσι μηδενὸς μεταδοὺς ἢ λόγου φιλανθρώπου ἢ πράξεως ἀγαθῆς· νυκτός τε ὑπεχώρησε χαίρειν αὐτῇ πολλὰ φράσας, ὥσπερ ἐχθρῷ καὶ νεκρῷ σώματι μηδὲ δάκρυον ἐπισταλάξας, δι' ἣν αὐτός τε ἐσώθη καὶ τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ἐκ τῶν τοῦ πολέμου κινδύνων διέσωσεν· ἄνθρωπος οὐ δι' ἀρετὴν οἰκείαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς δόξαν εἰς τοσοῦτον τύχης προελθών. Ἦν μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ παντάπασιν ἀσθενὴς τὸ σῶμα, οὔτε πολεμικοῖς ἔργοις ἀγύμναστος· ἀμελέτητος δὲ ὢν καὶ ἄγευστος παιδεύσεως, καὶ ἣν εἶχε φύσιν διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἠμαύρου καὶ ἠφάνιζε. ∆ιόπερ καὶ τὴν Νισιβηνῶν πόλιν φεύγων, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ᾤχετο, ἀπολαῦσαι σπουδάζων τῷ συμβάντι αὐτῷ παρ' ἐλπίδα ἀξιώματι, καὶ γίνεσθαι τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ἐθνῶν ἐντὸς εἰς ἐπίδειξιν τῆς τύχης· καὶ ἤλαυνεν ἐπὶ Συρίαν μετὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ παντός. Οἱ δὲ Ἀντιοχεῖς οὐχ ἡδέως διέκειντο πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἀπέσκωπτον αὐτὸν ᾠδαῖς καὶ παρῳδίαις καὶ τοῖς καλουμένοις φαμώσσοις, μάλιστα μὲν διὰ τὴν τῆς Νισίβιος προδοσίαν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν δεδιότες, μή ποτε καὶ αὐτοὺς πρόοιτο, ἀγαπήσας καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ μέρει τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς οἰκουμένης κρατεῖν· καθαπτόμενοι καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταστροφήν. Ἀδριανὸς μὲν γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς ἀποθέωσιν καὶ τιμὴν τοῦ πατρὸς Τραϊανοῦ ἔκτισε μικρόν τινα καὶ χαριέστατον ναὸν, ὃν Ἰουλιανὸς ὁ παραβάτης βιβλιοθήκην κατεσκεύασεν· ὃν σὺν τοῖς βιβλίοις Ἰοβιανὸς κατέκαυσε. Καὶ πολλὰ εἰς αὐτὸν εἰπόντων τῶν Ἀντιοχέων, ἐπράχθη ἂν ἄτοπα, εἰ μὴ Σαλούστιος παραγενόμενος ἔπαυσε τὴν στάσιν καὶ τὸν Ἰοβιανὸν μὴ βουλόμενον παρώρμησεν ὁδοιπορῆσαι, καὶ ταῦτα χειμῶνος ὄντος, ἐπὶ Κιλικίαν καὶ Γαλατίαν. Καὶ Ἰοβιανὸς μὲν ἐν ∆αδαστάνοις ἀφίκετο τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δόξαν ἀνακηρύττων. Ὅτι Ἰοβιανὸς κατὰ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν κοινός τε καὶ ἐλευθέριος ἔδοξεν εἶναι.

t18- 2184 ΟΥΛΕΝΤΙΝΙΑΝΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΟΥΑΛΗΣ. 182Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Οὐαλεντινιανὸς χριστιανὸς ὢν καὶ τὰ τοῦ ὁμοουσίου

φρονῶν, οὐδὲν τοὺς ἐναντίους ἠδίκει. Ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ νομοθετεῖν ἑτοιμότατος, φροντίζων καὶ τῆς τῶν θησαυρῶν δικαίας ὑποδοχῆς, πρὸς δὲ ταῖς τῶν ἀρχόντων αἱρέσεσιν ἀκριβὴς καὶ τιμωρὸς τῶν ἀπειθούντων ἀπαραίτητος, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς πολέμοις ἄριστος. Ὁ δὲ Οὐάλης τῆς Ἀρείου δόξης μεταποιούμενος μέγιστον ἐκίνει κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν διωγμὸν, ὡς πολλοὺς μὲν ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις ἀναιρεῖσθαι,