74. But in spite of this, he slighted all these things, and was bent on one object alone, namely, how to gratify the demons who had often possessed him, as he well deserved. Before settling any other of the affairs of state he rushes upon the Christians,⁵⁵ and these two objects engrossed his whole attention, namely the "Galilaeans" (as he insultingly used to call us), and the Persians, who obstinately continued the war,⁵⁶ but our affair is much greater and more important, that he considered the war with the Persians a mere trifle and child's play. And this he did not indeed proclaim openly, yet he did not conceal it; and such was the excess of his infatuation that he never ceased avowing it to all parties; neither was this most excellent and sagacious of all sovereigns aware that by the former persecutions it was but a little thing that was troubled and upset, inasmuch as our system of religion had not yet spread over many people, and the Truth was established in only a few, and stood in need of illustration; but now that the Word of Salvation was spread abroad, and prevailed the most in our parts of the world, the attempt to change or upset the status of the Christians was no other than to toss about ⁵⁷ the Roman empire, and endanger the whole commonwealth, and to suffer at our own hands what not even our enemies would wish us worse; and this too from that new-fangled philosophy and government through which we were made so happy, and had returned once more to that Grolden Age and way of life so free from all fighting and discord!

ΟΔʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἅπαντα παριδὼν ταῦτα, καὶ πρὸς ἓν τοῦτο μόνον ἰδὼν, ὅπως ἂν χαρίσαιτο τοῖς κατενεγκοῦσι πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἀξίως δαίμοσι, πρὶν ἄλλο τι καταστήσασθαι τῶν κοινῶν, ἐπὶ Χριστιανοὺς φέρεται. Καὶ δύο μὲν ταῦτα ἦν αὐτῷ τὰ σπουδαζόμενα, Γαλιλαῖοί τε, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐφυβρίζων ἐκάλει, καὶ Πέρσαι τῷ πολέμῳ καρτερῶς παραμένοντες: οὕτω δὲ τὸ ἡμέτερον μεῖζον καὶ περισπουδαστότερον, ὥστε λῆρον καὶ παιδιὰν αὐτῷ τὸ κατὰ Πέρσας νομίζεσθαι. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐκφαίνει μὲν, οὐ κρύπτει δέ: ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ περιὸν τῆς μανίας, ὥστε ἀεὶ καὶ πρὸς πάντας ὁμολογῶν οὐκ ἐπαύετο. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνεῖδεν ὁ πάντων συνετώτατος καὶ ἄριστος τοῦ κοινοῦ προστάτης, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν προτέροις διωγμοῖς ὀλίγον ἦν τὸ συγχεόμενον καὶ παρακινούμενον, οὔπω τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς δόγματος ἐπὶ πολλοὺς φθάσαντος, ἀλλ' ἔτ' ἐν ὀλίγοις ἱσταμένης τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ δεομένης ἐκλάμψεως: νῦν δὲ ἤδη τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου χεθέντος, καὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς μάλιστα δυναστεύσαντος, τὸ πειρᾶσθαι τὰ Χριστιανῶν μετατιθέναι καὶ παρακινεῖν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἢ τὴν Ῥωμαίων παρασαλεύειν ἀρχὴν, καὶ τῷ κοινῷ παντὶ κινδυνεύειν, καὶ ὧν οὐδ' ἂν οἱ ἐχθροὶ χεῖρόν τι καθ' ἡμῶν εὔξαιντο, ταῦτα πάσχειν ὑφ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ τῆς νέας ταύτης καὶ θαυμαστῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ βασιλείας, ὑφ' ἧς ἡμεῖς εὐδαίμονες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν χρυσῆν ἐκείνην γενεάν τε καὶ πολιτείαν ἐπανεληλύθαμεν, τὴν ἀστασίαστόν τε καὶ ἄμαχον.