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having come to Constantinople 5.1.8 he was proclaimed emperor. But the Hellenes spread a report, that even before he left Gaul divination and demons moved him to this expedition, foretelling the death of Constantius and the change of affairs. It would have been plausible to call these things a foreknowledge, if the end of his life had not reached him so soon, as one who had tasted the imperial power 5.1. as in a dream. For I think it is foolish to say, that having foreseen by divination the natural death of Constantius and his own slaughter among the Persians, he willingly rushed into a manifest death, attaching to himself among many the reputation for nothing but poor counsel and ignorant generalship, and bringing so much danger upon the Roman subjects, that almost all or the greater part of it was in danger of falling under the Persians. But these things, so that they might not seem to have been omitted, have been said by us here, and as each person wishes, so let him think. 5.2.1 When Constantius died, the church was plunged into fear of persecution; and the expectation was made more fearful than the experience for the Christians by the long time that had passed, having rendered them unaccustomed to such dangers, and the remembrance of the former punishments, and the hatred of the ruler concerning the doctrine 5.2.2. For he is said to have immediately denied the faith in Christ so openly and unrestrainedly, as to have washed away our baptism with certain sacrifices and invocations, which the Hellenes call apotropaic, and with the blood of slaughtered animals, having renounced the initiation of the church, and from that time, both privately and publicly, to have used without fear entrails and victims and all that is lawful for the Hellenes 5.2.3. At any rate, once when he was sacrificing, there is a report that the sign of a cross appeared in the entrails, encircled by a crown, and that it cast into fear the other participants in the divination, who inferred from this the future strength of the religion and the eternity of the doctrine, since the crown, by which it was surrounded, is both a sign of victory and, by the circuit of the circle, beginning from every point 5.2.4 and ending in itself, is nowhere completed. However, the chief interpreter of these things bade them to be of good courage, as the victims were being revealed as auspicious and according to their mind, and enclosing the symbol of the doctrine and forcing it into one place, so that it could not spread and proceed fearlessly against whomever it wished, having the circumference of the circle as its boundary. 5.2.5 And I have learned that he went down into a certain one of the fearsome and most renowned adyta, for the sake of some rite or divination; but when the phantoms contrived for these purposes and produced by magic suddenly attacked him, forgetting those present out of confusion and fear (for late in life he came to this learning), he was unconsciously led by his former habit, as a Christian caught in desperate dangers, to sign himself with the symbol of Christ 5.2.6. And immediately the phantoms vanished, and the business at hand was hindered. And when the mystagogue was at a loss about this, after he recognized the cause of the demons' flight, he called what had happened a pollution, and having exhorted him to be courageous and to do or think nothing Christian, he seemed to speak well; and having prepared himself again, he led him to the rite. 5.2.7 Therefore, the zeal of the emperor concerning these things distressed the Christians not moderately and made them very fearful, and especially because he was formerly a Christian. For having been born of parents who were pious in their religion, from a young age he was initiated according to the custom of the church and he was instructed in the sacred scriptures and was brought up under bish5.2.8ops and ecclesiastical men. For Constantius was the father of him and Gallus, the half-brother on his father's side of Constantine the emperor and of Dalmatius, whose son of the same name, having been appointed Caesar, was killed by the soldiers after the death of Constantine; and having become orphans of their father 5.2. they themselves were then in danger of perishing with Dalmatius. But from the plot he saved Gallus because he happened to be sick and was about to die a natural death

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Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐλθὼν 5.1.8 αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνηγορεύθη. οἱ δὲ ῞Ελληνες ἐλογοποίουν, ὡς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ Γαλάτας ἀπολιπεῖν αὐτὸν μαντικὴ καὶ δαίμονες ἐπὶ ταύτην τὴν ἐκστρατείαν αὐτὸν ἐκίνησαν, τὸν Κωνσταντίου θάνατον προμηνύσαντες καὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολήν. ἦν δὲ ἄρα πιθανὸν πρόγνωσιν ταῦτα καλεῖν, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸν ὅσον οὔπω τὸ τοῦ βίου τέλος ἔφθασεν, ὡς ἐν ὀνείρῳ τῆς βασιλείας 5.1. γευσάμενον. εὔηθες γὰρ οἶμαι λέγειν, ὡς διὰ τῆς μαντικῆς προϊδὼν τὴν αὐτόματον Κωνσταντίου τελευτὴν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ παρὰ Πέρσαις σφαγήν, ἑκοντὴς εἰς προὖπτον ἥλατο θάνατον, αὐτῷ μὲν οὐδὲν ὅτι μὴ ἀβουλίας καὶ ἀμαθοῦς στρατηγίας προσάψαντα δόξαν παρὰ πολλοῖς, τῇ δὲ ῾Ρωμαίων ὑπηκόῳ τοσοῦτον ἐπαγαγόντα κίνδυνον, ὡς μικροῦ πᾶσαν ἢ τὸ πλεῖστον αὐτῆς κινδυνεῦσαι ὑπὸ Πέρσαις γενέσθαι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ἵνα μὴ παραλελεῖφθαι δόξῃ, ὧδε εἰρήσθω ἡμῖν, καὶ ὅπῃ ἕκαστος βούλεται, ταύτῃ ἡγείσθω. 5.2.1 Κωνσταντίου δὲ τελευτήσαντος εἰς δέος διωγμῶν ἡ ἐκκλησία καθίστατο· καὶ φοβερωτέραν τῆς πείρας τὴν προσδοκίαν ἐποιεῖτο τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς ὅ τε διὰ μέσου πολὺς χρόνος, ἀήθεις αὐτοὺς καταστήσας τῶν τοιούτων κινδύνων, καὶ τῶν πάλαι τιμωριῶν ἡ ἀνάμνησις καὶ τὸ τοῦ κρατοῦντος περὶ τὸ δόγμα 5.2.2 μῖσος. λέγεται γὰρ εὐθὺς περιφανῶς οὕτως ἀνέδην ἀπαρνήσασθαι τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πίστιν, ὡς θυσίαις τισὶ καὶ ἐπικλήσεσιν, ἃς ἀποτροπαίους ῞Ελληνες καλοῦσι, καὶ αἵματι σφαγίων τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς βάπτισιν ἀπονίψασθαι, τῇ μυήσει τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποταξάμενον, καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐκείνου ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἐντόμοις καὶ ἱερείοις καὶ τοῖς ὅσα θέμις ἐστὶν ἀδεῶς ῞Ελλησι 5.2.3 χρῆσθαι. ποτὲ γοῦν αὐτῷ θυομένῳ λόγος ἀναδειχθῆναι σταυροῦ σημεῖον ἐν τοῖς σπλάγχνοις στεφάνῳ κυκλούμενον, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους κοινωνοὺς τῆς μαντείας εἰς δέος ἐμβαλεῖν, συμβάλλοντας ἐντεῦθεν τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς θρησκείας ἰσχὺν καὶ τοῦ δόγματος τὸ ἀίδιον, καθότι ὁ στέφανος, ᾧ περιείληπτο, νίκης τε σημαντικόν ἐστι καὶ τῇ περιόδῳ τοῦ κύκλου πάντοθεν 5.2.4 ἀρχόμενος καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν λήγων οὐδαμοῦ περαιοῦται. ὅ γε μὴν ἀρχηγὸς τῆς περὶ ταῦτα διαγνώσεως θαρρεῖν ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς αἰσίων καὶ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῖς τῶν σφαγίων ἀναδεικνυμένων καὶ περικλειόντων τὸ τοῦ δόγματος σύμβολον καὶ εἰς ταὐτὸν συνωθούντων, ὥστε μὴ πλατύνεσθαι καὶ ἀδεῶς χωρεῖν ἐφ' οὓς βούλεται, ὅρον ἔχον τὴν τοῦ κύκλου περιγραφήν. 5.2.5 ᾿Επυθόμην δὲ ὡς καὶ τῶν φοβερῶν καὶ ἐπισημοτάτων ἀδύτων εἴς τι κατῄει, τελετῆς τινος ἢ μαντείας χάριν· ἐξαπίνης δὲ προσβαλλόντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐπὶ τούτοις μεμηχανημένων καὶ γοητείαις παραγινομένων φασμάτων, ὑπὸ θορύβου καὶ δέους τῶν παρόντων ἐπιλαθόμενος (ὀψὲ γὰρ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐπὶ ταύτην ἦλθε τὴν μάθησιν) ἔλαθεν ὑπὸ τῆς προτέρας συνηθείας, οἷά γε Χριστιανὸς ἐν ἀπόροις κινδύνοις περιληφθείς, τῷ συμβόλῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ 5.2.6 κατασημάνας ἑαυτόν. αὐτίκα τε φροῦδα τὰ φάσματα ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ἐμπεπόδιστο. ἀπορούμενος δὲ περὶ τούτου ὁ μυσταγωγός, ἐπειδὴ ἔγνω τὸ αἴτιον τῆς φυγῆς τῶν δαιμόνων, ἄγος τὸ γεγονὸς ἀποκαλέσας, καὶ ἀνδρεῖον εἶναι καὶ μηδὲν πρᾶξαι ἢ ἐννοῆσαι Χριστιανικὸν παρακελευσάμενος, ἔδοξε καλῶς λέγειν· καὶ παρασκευασάμενος αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν τελετὴν αὐτὸν ἦγεν. 5.2.7 Οὐ μετρίως οὖν ἐλύπει τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ περιδεεῖς ἐποίει ἡ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδὴ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ μάλιστα ὅτι Χριστιανὸς ἦν πρότερον. εὐλαβῶν γὰρ περὶ τὴν θρησκείαν πατέρων γενόμενος ἐκ νέου ἐμυήθη κατὰ τὸν θεσμὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς γραφὰς ἐπαιδεύθη καὶ ὑπὸ ἐπισκό5.2.8 ποις καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐτράφη. γέγονε μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ Γάλλῳ πατὴρ Κωνστάντιος, ὁμοπάτριος ἀδελφὸς Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος καὶ ∆αλματίου, οὗ παῖς ὁμώνυμος Καῖσαρ ἀναδειχθεὶς ἀνῃρέθη ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν μετὰ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου τελευτήν· ὀρφανοὶ δὲ πατρὸς 5.2. γενόμενοι καὶ αὐτοὶ τότε ∆αλματίῳ συναπολέσθαι ἐκινδύνευσαν. ἐξείλετο δὲ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς Γάλλον μὲν ὅτι νοσῶν ἔτυχε καὶ ὅσον οὔπω αὐτομάτως τεθνήξεσθαι