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of the eunuchs, sent to Egypt, if possible, to bring him, but if he should refuse, to learn what was to be done. 7.22.8 And he, having come to John, did not persuade him to go to the emperor, but on returning, he reported that he had said that he would win the war and depose the tyrant, and after the victory he would depart this life in Italy. And the outcome showed that both were true. 7.23.1 At this time, on account of the needs of the war, it seemed good to the magistrates, whose concern this was, to exact from the subjects more than the customary taxes. At this, the people of the Antiochenes in Syria revolted, tore down the statues of the emperor and of his wife, and having attached them to a rope, dragged them, 7.23.2 as is likely from an angry multitude, uttering insulting cries. But when he intended to destroy many of the Antiochenes, and at the mere rumor the multitude was terrified and ceasing their madness, they repented; and as if the announced evils were present, they lamented and wept and besought God to appease the anger of the ruler, using certain mournful 7.23.3 melodies for their supplications; at that time also Flavian, the bishop of the Antiochenes, acting as an ambassador on behalf of the citizens, while the emperor was still angry, persuaded the young men who were accustomed to sing at the imperial table to recite the psalm-melodies of the Antiochenes in their supplications; at which it is said that the emperor, being moved by humanity, was overcome by pity and immediately cast out his anger and made peace with the city, wetting with tears the cup which he 7.23.4 happened to be holding. They say that on the preceding night, after which on the very next day the revolt occurred, a phantom of a woman was seen, extraordinary in size and terrifying in appearance, and running aloft through the streets of the city, she scourged the air with a harsh-sounding whip, such as those with which the men who work in such spectacles 7.23.5 provoke the beasts to anger. Thus some one of the avenging demons incited the revolt by a plot; and much slaughter would have followed, if the emperor had not quelled his anger, reverencing the priestly supplication out of piety. 7.24.1 When his preparations for the war were made, he proclaimed Honorius, his younger son, emperor also; for he had already appointed Arcadius. and leaving both in Constantinople, with the armies from the east he hastened with speed to the continent bordering the west. And there followed him also a 7.24.2 multitude of barbarian allies from beside the Ister. It is said that at that time, as he was departing from Constantinople, having come to the seventh milestone, he prayed to God in the church there, which he had built in honor of John the Baptist, and asked that the outcome of the war might be favorable for him and for the army and for all the Romans, and he called upon the Baptist himself 7.24.3 as an ally. And having prayed these things, he arrived in Italy. And attacking the Alps, he took the first guards. And having passed the summit of the pass, as he came to the descent, he saw the plain full of cavalry and infantry, and not far off at his rear, many of the enemy on the 7.24.4 summit of the mountain were for the time being quiet. And when the first ones who had passed through engaged with those on the plain, a fierce and doubtful battle was started while the army was still passing through; and reasoning that, as far as human power and counsel were concerned, it was not possible to be saved, with those from the rear who had occupied the ridge attacking, he fell prostrate on the ground and prayed with tears. And 7.24.5 God immediately heard, as the outcome showed. For the leaders of those besieging the summit, having sent some men, announced that they would be allies, if they were to be held in honor by him. But when he had sought for paper and ink and did not find any, taking a tablet, which one of those present happened to have, he wrote down for them the rank of a distinguished and suitable command, which they would have with him on fulfilling their promise. And on these terms, they went over to the emperor. 7.24.6 And when neither side had yet given way, but the battle on the plain was still evenly balanced on both sides,
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εὐνούχων, πέπομφεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, εἰ μὲν δυνατόν, ἄξοντα αὐτόν, εἰ δὲ παραιτήσαιτο, τὸ 7.22.8 πρακτέον μαθεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡς ᾿Ιωάννην παραγενόμενος οὐκ ἔπεισε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθεῖν, ἐπανελθὼν δὲ ἤγγειλεν εἰπεῖν αὐτόν, ὡς νικήσει τὸν πόλεμον καθελών τε τὸν τύραννον μετὰ τὴν νίκην ἐν ᾿Ιταλίᾳ μεταλλάξει τὸν βίον. ἀμφότερα δὲ ἀληθῆ τὸ τέλος ἔδειξεν. 7.23.1 ᾿Εν τούτῳ δὲ διὰ τὴν χρείαν τοῦ πολέμου ἔδοξε τοῖς ἄρχουσι, οἷς τούτου μέλει, πλέον τι τῶν εἰωθότων φόρων εἰσπράξασθαι τοὺς ὑποτελεῖς. ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ στασιάσας ὁ ἐν Συρίᾳ τῶν ᾿Αντιοχέων δῆμος τοὺς βασιλέως ἀνδριάντας καθεῖλε καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ γαμετῆς, καὶ σχοίνῳ προσάψας εἷλκεν, 7.23.2 οἷα εἰκὸς ὑπὸ χαλεπαίνοντος τοῦ πλήθους, ὑβριστικὰς ἀφιεὶς φωνάς. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλοὺς ᾿Αντιοχέων διαφθεῖραι διενοεῖτο, καὶ πρὸς μόνην τὴν φήμην κατεπλάγη τὸ πλῆθος καὶ παυσάμενοι μαίνεσθαι μετεμέλοντο· καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ παροῦσι τοῖς ἀγγελλομένοις κακοῖς ἔστενόν τε καὶ ἐδάκρυον καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἱκέτευον καταπαῦσαι τοῦ κρατοῦντος τὴν ὀργήν, μελῳδίαις τισὶν ὀλοφυρ7.23.3 τικαῖς πρὸς τὰς λιτὰς κεχρημένοι· ἡνίκα δὴ καὶ Φλαβιανὸς ὁ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐπίσκοπος πρεσβευόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν πολιτῶν, ἔτι τοῦ βασιλέως χαλεπαίνοντος, πέπεικε τοὺς παρὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν τράπεζαν ᾄδειν εἰωθότας νέους τὰς ἐν ταῖς λιταῖς τῶν ᾿Αντιοχέων ψαλμῳδίας εἰπεῖν· ἐφ' ᾧ λέγεται φιλανθρωπίᾳ διαχεθέντα τὸν βασιλέα κρατηθῆναι τῷ ἐλέῳ καὶ αὐτίκα τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκβαλεῖν καὶ σπείσασθαι πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, δάκρυσι βρέξαντα τὴν φιάλην ἣν 7.23.4 ἔτυχε κατέχων. φασὶ δὲ τῆς φθασάσης νυκτός, μεθ' ἣν εὐθὺς ἐπιγενομένης ἡμέρας ἡ στάσις ἐγένετο, φάσμα γυναικὸς θεαθῆναι μεγέθει ἐξαίσιον καὶ θέᾳ φοβερόν, μετάρσιόν τε διατρέχον ἀνὰ τὰς ἀγυιὰς τῆς πόλεως τὸν ἀέρα μαστίζειν ὑπὸ μάστιγι δυσήχῳ, οἵαις εἰς θυμὸν προκαλοῦνται τοὺς θῆρας 7.23.5 οἱ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα θέατρα πονοῦντες. οὕτω τις ἀλαστόρων δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλῇ τὴν στάσιν ἐκίνησεν· ἐπηκολούθησε δ' ἂν καὶ φόνος πολύς, εἰ μὴ τὴν ὀργὴν κατέπαυσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἱερατικὴν ὑπὸ εὐσεβείας ἱκεσίαν αἰδεσθείς. 7.24.1 ᾿Επεὶ δὲ τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον αὐτῷ παρεσκεύαστο, ἀναγορεύει βασιλέα καὶ ᾿Ονώριον τὸν νεώτερον υἱόν· ᾿Αρκάδιον γὰρ ἤδη χειροτονήσας ἦν. ἄμφω δὲ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει καταλιπὼν σπουδῇ σὺν ταῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω στρατιαῖς ἐπὶ τὴν πρὸς δύσιν ἀρχομένην ἠπείγετο. συνείπετο δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ 7.24.2 πλῆθος συμμάχων τῶν παρὰ τὸν ῎Ιστρον βαρβάρων. λέγεται δὲ τότε τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐκδημῶν, πρὸς τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μιλίῳ γενόμενος, προσεύξασθαι τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῇ ἐνθάδε ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἣν ἐπὶ τιμῇ ᾿Ιωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἐδείματο, αἰτῆσαί τε αἰσίαν αὐτῷ καὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ ῾Ρωμαίοις ἅπασι γενέσθαι τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ σύμμαχον αὐτὸν ἐπικαλέσασθαι 7.24.3 τὸν βαπτιστήν. ταῦτα δὲ προσευξάμενος εἰς ᾿Ιταλίαν ἀφίκετο. καὶ προσβαλὼν ταῖς ῎Αλπεσιν εἷλε τὰς πρώτας φυλακάς. παραμείψας δὲ τῆς παρόδου τὸ ἄκρον, ὡς πρὸς τῇ καθόδῳ ἐγένετο, εἶδε τὸ πεδίον πλῆρες ἱππέων καὶ πεζῶν, οὐκ ἄπωθεν δὲ κατὰ νώτου πολλοὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἐν τῇ 7.24.4 κορυφῇ τοῦ ὄρους τέως ἠρεμοῦντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ πρῶτοι παρελθόντες συνεμίσγοντο τοῖς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, μάχη καρτερὰ καὶ ἀμφήριστος ἐκινήθη ἔτι παριούσης τῆς στρατιᾶς· λογισάμενος δέ, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς ἀνθρώπων δύναμιν καὶ βουλήν, μὴ δυνατὸν σῴζεσθαι, ἐπιτιθεμένων τῶν ἀπὸ νώτου τὴν ἀκρώρειαν καταλαβόντων, πρηνὴς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους πεσὼν ηὔχετο δακρύων. καὶ 7.24.5 ὁ θεὸς αὐτίκα ἐπήκουσεν, ὡς τὸ ἀποβὰν ἔδειξεν. πέμψαντες γάρ τινας συμμάχους σφᾶς ἔσεσθαι προσήγγειλαν οἱ ἡγεμόνες τῶν περικαθημένων τὴν ἄκραν, εἰ μέλλοιεν ἐν τιμῇ παρ' αὐτῷ εἶναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ χάρτην καὶ μέλαν ἐπιζητήσας οὐχ εὗρε, δέλτον λαβών, ἣν ἔτυχέ τις τῶν παρεστώτων ἔχων, ἐνέγραψεν αὐτοῖς ἐπισήμου καὶ ἁρμοδίας στρατείας τάξιν, ἣν ἕξουσι παρ' αὐτῷ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν πληροῦντες. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τούτοις τῷ βασιλεῖ προσεχώ7.24.6 ρησαν. μήπω δὲ θατέρου μέρους κλίναντος, ἀλλ' ἔτι τῆς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ μάχης ἑκατέρωθεν ἰσαζούσης,