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afterwards Praepidius was also in charge, who, being already elderly, oversaw many villages. He also presided over the Basilias, which is a most renowned hospice for the poor, built by Basil, bishop of Caesarea, from whom it originally received its name and still has it now. 6.35.1 But I have related these things, as far as it was possible for me to learn, concerning the ecclesiastical philosophers of that time. But of the Hellenists, on the other hand, almost all 6.35.2 perished at that time. For some, who were considered to excel the others in philosophy, being displeased at the progress of Christianity, conspired to learn beforehand the one who would rule the Romans after Valens, and by all kinds of 6.35.3 divination they inquired about this. And at last they constructed a wooden tripod out of laurel and consecrated it with the invocations and words they were accustomed to use, so that by a collection of letters, with each element being indicated by the mechanism of the tripod and the divination, the name of the 6.35.4 future emperor might be revealed. But while they were gaping at Theodorus, a man serving with distinction in the palace, a Hellenist and eloquent, the com6.35.5bination of the letters, having proceeded as far as the delta in his name, deceived the philosophers. And they were just about to expect Theodorus to be emperor. But when the attempt was reported, Valens, as one whose safety had been con6.35.6spired against, was unbearable in his rage. From this, both Theodorus and the artisans of the tripod were arrested and commanded to be destroyed, some by fire, others by the sword. And in like manner, for the same reason, those who were philosophizing brilliantly throughout the entire empire were also de6.35.7stroyed. And as the emperor's anger was uncontrollable, the slaughter proceeded even against those who were not philosophers but wore their clothing, so that not even those engaged in other pursuits would wear saffron-colored cloaks or threadbare garments, through suspicion of danger and fear, so that 6.35.8 they might not seem to have been occupied with divination and rites. And not least 6.35.8 among those of sound mind, I think it is just to blame both the emperor for such great anger and cruelty, and the philosophers for their rashness and their 6.35. unphilosophical enterprise. For he—this is indeed excessively foolish—supposing he would destroy the one who would reign after him, spared neither those who performed the divination nor the one about whom they divined; and, as they say, not even those of the same name as him, who were then prominent with the same name or even a similar one, 6.35.10 beginning from theta up to delta. But they were led to this as if it were in their power to depose and raise up a king. And indeed, if such things must be attributed to the things once determined in the course of the stars, they ought to have waited for whoever was to be. But if the work is of God's counsel, why was it necessary to be meddlesome? For it is surely not possible through human foreknowledge or zeal to understand what seems good to God, nor, if it were possible, would it have been right to think that men, even if wiser than all, could plan better than God. 6.35.11 But if simply from an eagerness for knowledge about the future they acted so rashly, as to leap into ready danger and to disregard laws long established among the Romans even when it was safe to practice Hellenism and to sacrifice, they did not think the same things as Socrates; who, when it was possible to be saved, and this when he was about to drink hemlock unjustly, out of respect for the laws, under which he was born and raised, although he was able, did not flee the prison. 6.36.1 But let each one examine and speak about these things as seems best to him. But when the Sauromatae overran some regions of the western empire, 6.36.2 Valentinian marched against them. But they, having heard of the multitude and preparation of the army, sent ambassadors and asked for peace. But seeing them, he inquired if all the Sauromatae were like this. And when they said that their 6.36.3 best men were present and serving as ambassadors, he was filled with rage, and crying out loudly, he said that his subjects were enduring terrible things and that the troubled Roman empire had fallen to him, if the Sauromatae, a barbarian nation whose best men

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ὕστερον ἐπιτροπεύσας καὶ Πραπίδιος, ὃς ἤδη γηραλέος ὢν πολλὰς ἐπεσκόπει κώμας. προέστη δὲ καὶ Βασιλειάδος, ὃ πτωχῶν ἐστιν ἐπισημότατον καταγώγιον, ὑπὸ Βασιλείου τοῦ Καισαρείας ἐπισκόπου οἰκοδομηθέν, ἀφ' οὗ τὴν προσηγορίαν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβε καὶ εἰσέτι νῦν ἔχει. 6.35.1 ᾿Αλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἀφηγησάμην, ἐφ' ὅσον μοι μαθεῖν ἐξεγένετο περὶ τῶν τότε ἐκκλησιαστικῶν φιλοσόφων. τῶν δ' αὖ ῾Ελληνιστῶν μικροῦ πάντες 6.35.2 κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ διεφθάρησαν. τινὲς γάρ, οἳ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ προφέρειν ἐνομίζοντο, πρὸς τὴν ἐπίδοσιν τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ δυσφοροῦντες ἐβουλεύσαντο προμαθεῖν τὸν ἐφεξῆς Οὐάλεντι ῾Ρωμαίων ἡγησόμενον, μαν6.35.3 τείαις τε παντοδαπαῖς περὶ τούτου ἐχρήσαντο. καὶ τελευτῶντες τρίποδα ξύλινον ἐκ δάφνης κατεσκευάσαντο καὶ ἐπικλήσεσι καὶ λόγοις οἷς εἰώθεσαν ἐτέλεσαν, ὥστε συλλογῇ γραμμάτων καθ' ἕκαστον στοιχεῖον ὑπὸ μηχανῆς τοῦ τρίποδος καὶ τῆς μαντείας σημαινομένων ἀναφανῆναι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ 6.35.4 ἐσομένου βασιλέως. κεχηνόσι δὲ αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόδωρον, ἄνδρα τῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐπισήμως στρατευομένων, ῾Ελληνιστὴν καὶ ἐλλόγιμον, μέχρι τοῦ δέλτα ἐπὶ τῆς τούτου προσηγορίας προελθοῦσα τῶν στοιχείων ἡ σύν6.35.5 ταξις ἠπάτησε τοὺς φιλοσόφους. καὶ ὅσον οὔπω Θεόδωρον βασιλεύσειν προσεδόκων. καταμηνυθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ὡς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐπι6.35.6 βουλευθεὶς Οὐάλης οὐκ ἀνεκτὸς ἦν χαλεπαίνων. ἐκ τούτου δὲ συλληφθέντες Θεόδωρός τε καὶ οἱ τοῦ τρίποδος τεχνῖται οἱ μὲν πυρί, οἱ δὲ ξίφει ἀπολέσθαι προσετάχθησαν. παραπλησίως δὲ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν διεφθά6.35.7 ρησαν καὶ οἱ ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχομένην λαμπρῶς φιλοσοφοῦντες. ἀσχέτου δὲ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως ὀργῆς οὔσης καὶ εἰς μὴ φιλοσόφους, ἐσθῆτι δὲ τῇ ἐκείνων χρωμένους ὁ φόνος ἐχώρει, ὡς μηδὲ τοὺς ἄλλα ἐπιτηδεύοντας κροκωτοῖς ἢ τριβωνίοις ἀμφιέννυσθαι δι' ὑπόνοιαν κινδύνου καὶ δέος, ὡς 6.35.8 ἂν μὴ δόξωσι περὶ μαντείας καὶ τελετὰς ἐσχολακέναι. οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ 6.35.8 παρὰ τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι δίκαιον οἶμαι καταμέμφεσθαι βασιλέα τε τῆς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὀργῆς καὶ ὠμότητος καὶ τοὺς φιλοσόφους προπετείας καὶ τῆς 6.35. ἀφιλοσόφου ἐπιχειρήσεως. ὁ μὲν γὰρ δή-τοῦτο δὴ τὸ λίαν εὔηθες- ὑπολαβὼν ἀναιρήσειν τὸν μετ' αὐτὸν βασιλεύσοντα, οὔτε τῶν μαντευσαμένων ἐφείσατο οὔτε περὶ οὗ ἐμαντεύσαντο· ὡς δέ φασιν, οὔτε τῶν ὁμωνύμων αὐτῷ, οἵτινες ἦσαν ἐπίσημοι τότε τῆς αὐτῆς προσηγορίας ἢ καὶ ὁμοίας, 6.35.10 ἀπὸ τοῦ θῆτα ἀρχομένης μέχρι τοῦ δέλτα. οἱ δὲ ὥσπερ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὂν βασιλέα καθαιρεῖν καὶ πάλιν ἐγείρειν ἐπὶ τοῦτο προήχθησαν. καὶ μέντοι, εἰ τοῖς ἅπαξ δεδογμένοις ἐν τῇ τῶν ἄστρων φορᾷ τὰ τοιαῦτα λογιστέον, ἐχρῆν τὸν ἐσόμενον ὅστις ἦν περιμένειν. εἰ δὲ θεοῦ βουλῆς τὸ ἔργον, τί πολυπραγμονεῖν ἔδει; οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἐκ προγνώσεως ἢ σπουδῆς ἀνθρωπείας ἔνεστιν ἐπίστασθαι τὸ θεῷ δοκοῦν, οὔτε, εἴπερ ἐξῆν, καλῶς εἶχεν οἴεσθαι ἀνθρώπους ὄντας, εἰ καὶ πάντων σοφωτέρους, ἄμεινον θεοῦ βουλεύεσθαι. 6.35.11 εἰ δὲ ἁπλῶς ὑπὸ προθυμίας τῆς περὶ τὸ μέλλον εἰδήσεως ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀκρίτως ἔσχον, ὡς εἰς ἕτοιμον ἅλασθαι κίνδυνον καὶ νόμους ὑπεριδεῖν πάλαι τεθέντας ἐν ῾Ρωμαίοις καὶ ἡνίκα ἑλληνίζειν τε καὶ θύειν ἀκίνδυνον ἦν, οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐφρόνουν Σωκράτει· ὃς ἐξὸν σῴζεσθαι καὶ ταῦτα ἀδίκως κώνειον μέλλων πίνειν, αἰδοῖ νόμων, καθ' οὓς ἐγένετο καὶ ἐτράφη, καίπερ δυνάμενος οὐκ ἀπέφυγε τὸ δεσμωτήριον. 6.36.1 ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ᾗπερ ἂν ἑκάστῳ δοκῇ σκοπείτω τε καὶ λεγέτω. καταδραμόντων δὲ Σαυροματῶν χωρία τινὰ τῆς πρὸς δύσιν ἀρχομένης 6.36.2 ἐπεστράτευσε τούτοις Οὐαλεντινιανός. οἱ δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν ἀκούσαντες, πρέσβεις πέμψαντες εἰρήνην ᾔτουν. ἰδὼν δὲ τούτους, εἰ τοιοῦτοι Σαυρομάται πάντες εἰσὶν ἐπυνθάνετο. τῶν δὲ τοὺς 6.36.3 ἀρίστους παρεῖναι καὶ πρεσβεύειν φησάντων ἐμπίπλαται ὀργῆς, καὶ μέγα κεκραγὼς ἦ δεινὰ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ὑπομένειν ἔφη καὶ τὴν ῾Ρωμαίων δυσπραγεῖν ἀρχὴν εἰς αὐτὸν περιστᾶσαν, εἰ Σαυρομάται, βάρβαρον ἔθνος ὧν ἄριστοι