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having learned the custom; "I owe thanks," he said, "for this healing as well." With such and so great virtue did both the high priest and the emperor shine; for I admire them both, the one for his boldness, the other for his obedience, and the one for the fervor of his zeal, the other for the purity of his faith. The boundaries of piety, which he had learned from the great high priest, he also maintained upon returning to Constantinople. For when a divine festival again brought him to the divine temple, having brought the gifts to the holy table, he immediately went out; and when the president of the church (it was Nectarius at that time) declared, "Why did you not remain inside?" being displeased, he said, "With difficulty I was taught the difference between an emperor and a priest, for with difficulty I found a teacher of truth. For I know only Ambrose to be worthily called a bishop." So much benefit does a rebuke offered by a man shining with virtue bring. But the emperor also had another occasion for benefit. For she who had accepted the yoke of marriage with him constantly reminded him of the divine 314 laws, having first accurately taught them to herself. For the power of the empire did not puff her up, but rather inflamed her divine desire; for the greatness of the benefaction produced a greater love for the benefactor. Indeed, she took all kinds of care for those who were maimed in body and crippled in all their limbs, not using servants or bodyguards as assistants, but becoming a worker herself and going to their lodgings and providing for the need of each. Thus also going around the guest-houses of the churches, she nursed the bedridden by herself, herself both touching pots and tasting broth and offering a bowl and breaking bread and holding out morsels and washing a cup and doing all the other things which are considered the work of male and female servants. And to those trying to restrain her personal service, she would say: "It is fitting for the empire to distribute gold, but I, on behalf of the empire itself, offer this personal service to the one who gave it." And to her spouse she was accustomed to say continually: "It is always proper for you, O husband, to consider what you once were, and what you have now become; for by constantly bearing these things in mind, you will not be ungrateful to your benefactor, but you will govern the empire you received lawfully, and by this you will serve the one who gave it." Using such words always, she offered, as it were, a most beautiful and fitting irrigation to the seeds of her husband's virtue. However, she died before her spouse; and it happened that some time 315 after her death something of this sort occurred, which laid bare the emperor's tender affection for her. Compelled by frequent wars, the emperor imposed a certain unusual tax on the cities. But the city of Antioch did not bear the new tax, but the populace, seeing the tax-collectors being hanged, did other things which a mob is accustomed to do when it finds a pretext for disorder, and they pulled down the bronze statue of the all-praised Placilla (for that was the name of the empress) and dragged it through a large part of the city. When the emperor learned of these things, he was angered, as was to be expected, and he took away the city's privileges and gave the leadership to the neighboring city, thinking he would grieve it most in this way; for Laodicea had been jealous of Antioch from of old. And after this he threatened to burn and destroy it and to reduce the city to a village. The magistrates even put some to death, having arrested them in the very act of daring, before the emperor knew of the tragedy. But the emperor ordered all these things, but they were not done, because of the law that Ambrose the Great had advised be established, which prevented it. And when those bearing those threats arrived, both Hellebichus, who was general at that time, and Caesarius, who was in charge of the palace (the Romans call the one holding this office 'magister'), all were in fear, having shuddered at the threats. 316 But the athletes of virtue who inhabited the foothills (and there were many and excellent ones at that time) many exhortations and

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ἔθος μαθών· "χάριν δὲ ὀφείλω", ἔφη, "καὶ τῆσδε τῆς ἰατρείας". τοσαύτῃ καὶ τηλι καύτῃ καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς διέλαμπον ἀρετῇ· ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ ἔγωγε ἄγαμαι, τοῦ μὲν τὴν παρρησίαν, τοῦ δὲ τὴν εὐπείθειαν, καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν τοῦ ζήλου θερμότητα, τοῦ δὲ τὴν τῆς πίστεως καθαρότητα. Τοὺς δὲ δὴ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὅρους, οὓς παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀρχιερέως μεμάθηκε, καὶ εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐπανελθὼν διετήρησεν. ἑορτῆς γὰρ αὐτὸν πάλιν θείας εἰς τὸν θεῖον ἀγαγούσης νεών, τῇ ἱερᾷ τραπέζῃ τὰ δῶρα προσενεγκὼν εὐθὺς ἐξελήλυθε· τοῦ δὲ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας προέδρου (Νεκτάριος δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἦν) δεδηλωκότος· "τί δή ποτε μὴ μεμένηκας ἔνδον;" δυσχεράνας· "μόγις", ἔφη, "βασιλέως καὶ ἱερέως ἐδιδάχθην διαφοράν, μόγις γὰρ εὗρον ἀληθείας διδάσκαλον. Ἀμβρόσιον γὰρ οἶδα μόνον ἐπίσκοπον ἀξίως καλούμενον". τοσοῦτον ὀνίνησιν ἔλεγχος παρὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀρετῇ λάμποντος προσφερόμενος. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἀφορμὴν ὠφελείας ὁ βασιλεύς. ἡ γὰρ τοῦ γάμου τὸν ζυγὸν σὺν αὐτῷ δεξαμένη τῶν θείων αὐτὸν συνεχῶς 314 ἀνεμίμνησκε νόμων, ἑαυτὴν τούτους πρῶτον ἀκριβῶς ἐκπαιδεύσασα. οὐ γὰρ ἐπῆρεν αὐτὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἡ δυναστεία, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον πλέον ἐπύρσευσε πόθον· τῆς γὰρ εὐεργεσίας τὸ μέγεθος μεῖζον τὸ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην εἰργάζετο φίλτρον. αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τῶν τὸ σῶμα πεπηρωμένων καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ μέλη λελωβημένων παντοδαπὴν ἐποι εῖτο φροντίδα, οὐκ οἰκέταις οὐδὲ δορυφόροις ὑπουργοῖς κεχρημένη, ἀλλ' αὐτουργὸς γιγνομένη καὶ εἰς τὰς τούτων καταγωγὰς ἀφικνου μένη καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὴν χρείαν πορίζουσα. οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοὺς ξενῶνας περινοστοῦσα τοὺς κλινοπετεῖς δι' ἑαυτῆς ἐνοσήλευεν, αὐτὴ καὶ χύτρας ἁπτομένη καὶ ζωμοῦ γευομένη καὶ τρύβλιον προσφέ ρουσα καὶ ἄρτον κλῶσα καὶ ψωμοὺς ὀρέγουσα καὶ κύλικα ἀποκλύ ζουσα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἐργαζομένη ὅσα οἰκετῶν καὶ θεραπαινίδων ἔργα νενόμισται. καὶ τοῖς τὴν αὐτουργίαν ἐπέχειν πειρωμένοις ἐπέ λεγεν ὡς· "τὸ μὲν χρυσίον διανέμειν τῇ βασιλείᾳ προσήκει, ἐγὼ δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς γε τῆς βασιλείας τὴν αὐτουργίαν τῷ δεδωκότι προσφέρω". καὶ τῷ δὲ ὁμόζυγι συνεχῶς εἰώθει λέγειν· "ἀεί σε, ὦ ἄνερ, προσήκει λογίζεσθαι τί μὲν ἦσθα πάλαι, τί δὲ γέγονας νῦν· ταῦτα γὰρ διηνεκῶς ἐνθυμούμενος οὐκ ἔσῃ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀχάριστος, ἀλλ' ἣν ἐδέξω βασιλείαν κυβερνήσεις ἐννόμως, καὶ ταύτῃ θεραπεύσεις τὸν δεδωκότα". τοιούτοις ἀεὶ κεχρημένη λόγοις οἷόν τινα καλλίστην ἀρδείαν καὶ πρόσ φορον τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προσέφερε σπέρμασι. Προτέρα μέντοι τοῦ ὁμόζυγος ἐτελεύτησε· καὶ συνέβη μετὰ χρόνον 315 τινὰ τῆς τελευτῆς τοιόνδε τι γενέσθαι, ὃ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως περὶ αὐτὴν φιλοστοργίαν ἐγύμνωσεν. Ὑπὸ τῶν συχνῶν πολέμων ἀναγκαζόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰσφοράν τινα ξένην ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐπιτέθεικεν. ἡ δὲ Ἀντιόχου πόλις τὸ καινὸν τέλος οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλ' ὁρῶν ὁ δῆμος τοὺς εἰσπραττομένους κρεμαν νυμένους, ἄλλα τε ἔδρασεν ἃ ποιεῖν φιλεῖ ὄχλος πρόφασιν εἰς ἀταξίαν λαμβάνων, καὶ τὴν χαλκῆν εἰκόνα τῆς πανευφήμου Πλακίλλης (τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ὄνομα τῇ βασιλίδι) κατήνεγκέ τε καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς πόλεως κατέσυρε μέρος. ταῦτα πυθόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ χαλεπήνας, ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἦν, τά τε τῆς πόλεως ἀφείλετο προνόμια καὶ τῇ γειτονευούσῃ πόλει τὴν ἡγεμονίαν δέδωκε, ταύτῃ μάλιστα νομίζων ἀνιάσειν· ἐζηλο τύπει γὰρ ἡ Λαοδίκεια τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν ἄνωθεν. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἐμπρήσειν ἠπείλει καὶ καταλύσειν καὶ εἰς κώμην τὸ ἄστυ μετασκευ άσειν. οἱ δέ γε ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀνεῖλόν τινας παρ' αὐτὸ συλλαβόντες τὸ τόλμημα, πρὶν γνῶναι τὸν βασιλέα τὴν τραγῳδίαν. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ὁ βασιλεὺς προσέταττε μέν, οὐκ ἐγίνετο δέ, τοῦ νόμου κωλύ οντος ὃν Ἀμβρόσιος ὁ μέγας τεθῆναι παρῄνεσεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀφίκοντο οἱ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἐκείνας κομίζοντες, Ἐλλέβηχός τε στρατηγὸς τηνικαῦτα ὢν καὶ Καισάριος τῶν βασιλείων ἡγούμενος (μάγιστρον δὲ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσι τὸν ταύτην ἔχοντα τὴν ἀρχήν), ἐν δέει μὲν ἦσαν ἅπαντες τὰς ἀπειλὰς πεφρικότες. 316 Οἱ δὲ τὴν ὑπώρειαν οἰκοῦντες τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθληταὶ (πολλοὶ δὲ ἦσαν τηνικαῦτα καὶ ἄριστοι) πολλὰς καὶ παραινέσεις καὶ