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we neglect our 5.16.13 "7reverence for the gods. If I should learn that you are doing these things, I will be full "7of joy. "7See the governors at your house infrequently, but write to them very "7often. Let none of the priests go out to meet them when they enter the city, but "7only when they visit the temples of the gods, within the vestibules. Let no soldier "7lead them inside, but let whoever wishes follow; for as soon as he has come to the 5.16.14 "7threshold of the sanctuary, he has become a private citizen. For you yourself, "7as you know, rule over what is within, since the divine ordinance demands this. And those who "7obey are truly god-fearing, but those who cling to their pride "7are opinion-mongers and vainglorious. 5.16.15 "7I am ready to help Pessinus, if they will make the Mother of the Gods gracious "7to them; but if they neglect her they are <not> only not blameless, "7but, not to say something harsh, may they not even experience our displeasure. "7For it is not lawful for me to care for or pity "7men who are hated by the immortal gods. "7Persuade them, therefore, if they value my care, to become supplicants "7of the Mother of the Gods with the whole people.” 5.17.1 The emperor, by doing and writing such things, thought he would easily persuade his subjects to willingly change their doctrine. And though eager in every way to abolish the Christian religion, he was neither able to persuade them completely, and was ashamed to use open force, lest he seem to be a tyrant. Yet he did not relax his zeal, but contrived everything to bring his subjects, and particularly the military, over to Hellenism, partly by himself, and partly through his 5.17.2 governors. And indeed, accustoming them in all things to act as Hellenes, he determined to restore to its former shape the chief of the Roman standards, which Constantine, by divine command, as has been said before, 5.17.3 had altered into the symbol of the cross. And in the public portraits, he took care to have painted beside him Jupiter, as it were appearing from heaven and presenting him with a crown and a purple robe, the symbols of royalty, and Mars and Mercury looking at him and testifying, as if with their eyes, that he was excellent in eloquence and in war. 5.17.4 And he ordered these and whatever else pertains to Hellenic worship to be intermingled in the portraits, so that, under the pretext of the customary honor to the emperor, they might unwittingly 5.17.5 worship what was painted with him. And using the ancient customs, he diligently sought with all ingenuity to steal the convictions of his subjects; for he considered that, if he could persuade them, he might more readily afterwards attempt whatever he wished; but if he found them disobedient, he would punish them without pardon as innovators in Roman customs 5.17.6 and offenders against the state and the empire. A few, therefore, who were also punished, understood the trick, and, as was their custom, refused to worship. But the majority, as is usual, from ignorance or an uncurious disposition, thought they were simply obeying an old law and more simply approached the 5.17.7 portraits. But the emperor accomplished nothing more. And when this artifice had been tried, he did not give up, but continued devising everything by which he might bring his subjects to worship in a similar manner to himself. And what he contrived then is not inconsistent with what has been said; however, it was attempted more openly and violently than the former, and became an occasion of courage for not a few 5.17.8 of those serving in the palace. For when the time came for the emperor to give a donative to the soldiers (and this generally happens on the Roman festivals and on the birthdays of emperors and of imperial cities), he reasoned that the soldiery is by nature simple and naive and easily overcome by the usual greed for money, and so he sat down for the distribution of the money. And those who stood by the emperor ordered each of those coming forward for this to first offer incense. For incense and 5.17. fire were placed nearby, as if this had long been the custom for the Romans. At this point, some fearlessly showed their courage and neither

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καταπροώμεθα τὴν εἰς τοὺς θεοὺς 5.16.13 "7εὐλάβειαν. εἰ ταῦτα πυθοίμην ἐγώ σε πράττοντα, μεστὸς εὐφροσύνης "7ἔσομαι. "7Τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ὀλιγάκις ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ὅρα, τὰ πλεῖστα δὲ αὐτοῖς "7ἐπίστελλε. εἰσιοῦσι δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὑπαντάτω μηδεὶς αὐτοῖς ἱερέων, "7ἀλλ' ὅταν εἰς τὰ ἱερὰ φοιτῶσι τῶν θεῶν, εἴσω τῶν προθύρων. ἡγείσθω "7δὲ μηδεὶς αὐτῶν εἴσω στρατιώτης, ἑπέσθω δὲ ὁ βουλόμενος· ἅμα γὰρ εἰς 5.16.14 "7τὸν οὐδὸν ἦλθε τοῦ τεμένους καὶ γέγονεν ἰδιώτης. ἄρχεις γὰρ αὐτός, "7ὡς οἶσθα, τῶν ἔνδον, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ταῦτα ἀπαιτεῖ θεσμός. καὶ οἱ μὲν "7πειθόμενοι κατὰ ἀλήθειάν εἰσι θεοσεβεῖς, οἱ δὲ ἀντεχόμενοι τοῦ τύφου "7δοξοκόποι εἰσὶ καὶ κενόδοξοι. 5.16.15 "7Τῇ Πισσινοῦντι βοηθεῖν ἕτοιμός εἰμι, εἰ τὴν μητέρα τῶν θεῶν ἵλεων "7καταστήσουσιν ἑαυτοῖς· ἀμελοῦντες δὲ αὐτῆς <οὐ> μόνον οὐκ ἄμεμπτοι, "7ἀλλά, μὴ πικρὸν εἰπεῖν, μὴ καὶ τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν ἀπολαύσωσι δυσμενείας. "7οὐ γάρ μοι θέμις ἐστὶ κομιζέμεν οὐδ' ἐλεαίρειν "7ἄνδρας, οἳ καὶ θεοῖσιν ἀπέχθονται ἀθανάτοισιν. "7πεῖθε τοίνυν αὐτούς, εἰ τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ κηδεμονίας ἀντέχονται, πανδημεὶ "7τῆς μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ἱκέτας γενέσθαι.» 5.17.1 ῾Ο μὲν δὴ βασιλεὺς τοιαῦτα ποιῶν καὶ γράφων ἡγεῖτο ῥᾳδίως τοὺς ἀρχομένους ἑκόντας μεταθήσειν τοῦ δόγματος. καὶ πάντα σπουδάζων ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν θρησκείας οὔτε πείθειν παντελῶς οἷός τε ἦν περιφανῶς τε βιάζεσθαι ᾐσχύνετο, μὴ τυραννικὸς εἶναι δόξῃ. οὐ μὴν καθυφῆκε τῆς προθυμίας, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐμηχανᾶτο, πρὸς ῾Ελληνισμὸν τὸ ὑπήκοον, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ στρατιωτικόν, τὸ μὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ δὲ διὰ τῶν 5.17.2 ἀρχόντων ἐπαγόμενος. ἀτεχνῶς δὲ διὰ πάντων ἑλληνίζειν προσεθίζων μεταποιεῖν ἔγνωκεν εἰς τὸ πρότερον σχῆμα τὸ κορυφαῖον τῶν ῾Ρωμαϊκῶν συνθημάτων, ὅπερ Κωνσταντῖνος κατὰ θεῖον πρόσταγμα, ὡς ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν 5.17.3 εἴρηται, εἰς σταυροῦ σύμβολον μετετύπωσεν. ἐν δὲ ταῖς δημοσίαις εἰκόσιν ἐπιμελὲς ἐποιεῖτο παραγράφειν αὐτῷ ∆ία μὲν οἷά γε ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ προφαινόμενον καὶ στέφανον καὶ ἁλουργίδα τὰ σύμβολα τῆς βασιλείας παρέχοντα, ῎Αρεα δὲ καὶ τὸν ῾Ερμῆν εἰς αὐτὸν βλέποντας καὶ καθάπερ τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ ἐπιμαρτυροῦντας ὡς ἀγαθὸς εἴη περὶ λόγους καὶ πολεμικός. 5.17.4 ἐκέλευσε δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα πρὸς ῾Ελληνικὸν ὁρᾷ σέβας παρεμμίγνυσθαι ταῖς εἰκόσιν, ὥστε προφάσει τῆς εἰς βασιλέα νενομισμένης τιμῆς λεληθότως 5.17.5 προσκυνεῖν τοῖς συγγεγραμμένοις. ἀποχρώμενός τε τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἔθεσι πάσῃ περινοίᾳ ἐσπούδαζε κλέπτειν τῶν ὑπηκόων τὴν προαίρεσιν· ἐνενόει γὰρ ὡς, εἰ πείσειεν, ἑτοιμότερον οἷς ἂν ἐθέλῃ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπιχειρήσειεν· εἰ δὲ ἀπειθοῦντας εὕροι, συγγνώμης ἐκτὸς κολάσειν ὡς περὶ τὰ ἔθη ῾Ρωμαίων 5.17.6 νεωτερίζοντας καὶ εἰς πολιτείαν καὶ βασιλείαν ἐξαμαρτάνοντας. ὀλίγοι μὲν οὖν, οἳ καὶ δίκην εἰσεπράχθησαν, συνῆκαν τὸν δόλον, καὶ ὡς ἔθος ἦν οὐκ ἠνείχοντο προσκυνεῖν· τὸ δὲ πλῆθος, οἷα φιλεῖ, ὑπ' ἀγνοίας ἢ γνώμης ἀπεριέργου νόμῳ ἁπλῶς παλαιῷ ἡγοῦντο πείθεσθαι καὶ ἁπλούστερον ταῖς 5.17.7 εἰκόσι προσῄεσαν. βασιλεῖ δὲ πλέον οὐδὲν ἠνύετο. καὶ ταύτης τῆς τέχνης εἰς πεῖραν προελθούσης οὐ μὴν ἐνεδίδου, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐπινοῶν διετέλει, ὡς ἂν προσαγάγοιτο τοὺς ἀρχομένους παραπλησίως αὐτῷ θρησκεύειν. οἷον δὲ καὶ τότε ἐμηχανήσατο, οὐκ ἀπᾴδει τοῦ εἰρημένου· περιφανέστερον μέντοι τοῦ προτέρου καὶ βιαιότερον ἐπεχειρήθη, καὶ πρόφασις ἀνδρείας οὐκ ὀλίγοις 5.17.8 ἐγένετο τῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις στρατευομένων. ἐπεὶ γὰρ καιρὸς παρῆν βασιλέα δωρεῖσθαι τοῖς στρατιώταις (γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο ὡς ἐπίπαν ἐν ταῖς ῾Ρωμαίων ἱερομηνίαις καὶ βασιλέων καὶ βασιλίδων πόλεων ἐν γενεθλίοις ἡμέραις), λογισάμενος ὡς ἁπλοῦν φύσει καὶ εὔηθές ἐστι τὸ στρατιωτικὸν καὶ ὑπὸ συνήθους πλεονεξίας ῥᾳδίως ἡττᾶται χρημάτων, καθέζεται ἐπὶ τῇ δόσει τῶν χρημάτων. τῶν δὲ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ παριόντων ἕκαστον οἱ τῷ βασιλεῖ παρεστῶτες ἐκέλευον πρότερον θυμιᾶν. προὔκειτο γὰρ πλησίον λίβανος καὶ 5.17. πῦρ, ὡς δὴ τοῦτο πάλαι ῾Ρωμαίοις νενομισμένον. ἐνταῦθα οἱ μὲν ἀδεῶς τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπεδείξαντο καὶ οὔτε