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which were naturally known only to the local people. And I learned this also from his most remarkable 7.25. deeds. It was customary for the emperors to sit in church in the sanctuary, separated by a distinction from the precincts of the people; but perceiving that this was a matter of flattery or disorder, he appointed the place for the emperor in churches to be that before the rails of the sanctuary, so that the ruler might have precedence over the people, but the priests might sit before him. This most excellent tradition was praised by the emperor Theodosius and those after him strengthened it, 7.25.10 and from that time we see it being observed even now. It seems to me necessary to include in my writing this memorable deed of this man as well. A certain pagan of high rank was reviling Gratian and calling him unworthy of his father, and having undergone a trial for these things, he was condemned to die. As he was being led to his punishment, Ambrose came to the palace to entreat on his 7.25.11 behalf. But because Gratian was occupied with the spectacle of a hunt, the kind which emperors are accustomed to hold for their own private pleasure and not for the public, due to the zeal of those plotting against him, and since none of those stationed at the imperial 7.25.12 gates announced him, saying it was not the right time, he withdrew. But coming to the gate by which they brought in the wild beasts, he entered unnoticed, and going in with the hunters, he did not relent nor yield to the entreaties of Gratian and those around him, until he had wrested from the emperor an immediate decree of salvation, freeing the man who was being led to 7.25.13 his death. Moreover, he was exceedingly zealous concerning the observance of the laws of the church and the conduct of the clergy under him. From the many things he accomplished, let these things be said by me as proof of the boldness he had before the rulers for God's sake. 7.26.1 At this time many bishops distinguished themselves in many parts of the world, such as Donatus of Euroea in Epirus; to whom indeed the local people testify that many miracles were worked, but the greatest was concerning the destruction of the dragon, which lurked near the public road around the place called Chamaegephyrae and 7.26.2 seized sheep and goats, horses and cattle and men. For he did not go against this beast carrying a sword or a spear, nor having any other weapon; but when he perceived it and it raised its head as if to attack, he made the sign of the cross in the air before it with his finger and spat 7.26.3 upon it. And having received the spittle in its mouth, it immediately fell down; and lying dead, its size appeared no less than that of the serpents recorded among the Indians; at any rate, as I have learned, the local people dragged it out with eight yoke of oxen into a nearby plain and burned it, so that by its decomposition it might not corrupt the 7.26.4 air and make it pestilential. This Donatus has a remarkable tomb, a house of prayer having its name from him, and near it a spring of abundant waters, which, not being there before, the divinity granted after he had 7.26.5 prayed; for this place was formerly entirely without water. It is said that once, having arrived here from a journey, when those with him were suffering from lack of water, he dug the earth with his hand and prayed; and at the same time as his prayer, abundant water gushed forth and from that time has not failed. But witnesses of these things are those who inhabit Isoria, a village of Euroea, in which these things happened. 7.26.6 At this time Theotimus, a Scythian, a man educated in philosophy, administered the church of Tomis and the rest of Scythia. whom the barbarian Huns along the Ister, admiring his virtue, called the god of the Romans. For indeed 7.26.7 they had experienced divine deeds through him. At least it is said that once as he was traveling along the barbarian land here, they met him riding on the same road in the opposite direction towards Tomis. and when those with him were lamenting that they would be immediately destroyed, he dismounted from his horse and prayed. The barbarians, seeing neither him nor his followers nor the horses from which they had dismounted, passed by. 7.26.8 Since they often came and did evil to the Scythians, being savage by nature

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ἃ μόνοις ἐπιχωρίοις κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἔγνωσται. τῶν δ' αὖ ἐπισημοτάτων αὐτοῦ 7.25. ἔργων καὶ τοῦτο ἐπυθόμην. ἔθος ἦν τοὺς βασιλέας ἐν τῷ ἱερατείῳ ἐκκλησιάζειν κατ' ἐξοχὴν τῶν ὁρίων τοῦ λαοῦ κεχωρισμένους· κολακείας δὲ ἢ ἀταξίας εἶναι τοῦτο συνιδὼν τόπον εἶναι βασιλέως ἐν ἐκκλησίαις τέταχε τὸν πρὸ τῶν δρυφάκτων τοῦ ἱερατείου, ὥστε τοῦ μὲν λαοῦ τὸν κρατοῦντα τὴν προεδρίαν ἔχειν, αὐτοῦ δὲ τοὺς ἱερέας προκαθῆσθαι. ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἀρίστην παράδοσιν ἐπῄνεσε Θεοδόσιος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκρά7.25.10 τυναν, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου νυνὶ φυλαττομένην ὁρῶμεν. τούτου δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τόδε τὸ ἔργον ἀξιομνημόνευτον περιλαβεῖν τῇ γραφῇ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ. ῞Ελλην τις τῶν ἐν τέλει τὸν Γρατιανὸν ἐλοιδόρει καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνάξιον ἀπεκάλει, καὶ γραφὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὑπομείνας κατεδικάσθη ἀποθανεῖν. ἀγομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ ἧκεν ᾿Αμβρόσιος εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ὑπὲρ 7.25.11 αὐτοῦ δεησόμενος. ὑπὸ σπουδῆς δὲ τῶν αὐτῷ ἐπιβουλευόντων ἀσχολουμένου Γρατιανοῦ περὶ θέαν κυνηγίων, οἵας ἐπιτελεῖν εἰώθασιν οἱ βασιλεῖς τερπωλῆς ἰδίας χάριν οὐ δημοσίας, μηδενός τε τῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς βασιλικαῖς 7.25.12 πύλαις τεταγμένων μηνύοντος ὡς οὐ καιροῦ ὄντος, ὑπεχώρησεν. ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην ᾗ τοὺς θῆρας εἰσῆγον ἔλαθεν, καὶ συνεισελθὼν τοῖς κυνηγοῖς οὐ πρότερον καθυφῆκεν οὐδὲ Γρατιανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἀντιβολούντων εἶξεν, εἰ μὴ παραυτίκα σωτήριον ψῆφον τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξέσπασε τὸν 7.25.13 ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἀγόμενον ἐλευθεροῦσαν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν νόμων τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὴν ἀγωγὴν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν κληρικῶν σπουδαῖος εἰσάγαν ἐγένετο. ἐκ πολλῶν δὲ τῶν αὐτῷ κατωρθωμένων τάδε μοι εἰρήσθω εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ἧς εἶχε διὰ θεὸν πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας παρρησίας. 7.26.1 Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ πολλοὶ πολλαχῇ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν ἐπισκόποις διέπρεπον, ὡς ∆ονᾶτος ὁ Εὐροίας τῆς ᾿Ηπείρου· ᾧ δὴ πολλὰ τεθαυματουργῆσθαι μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, μέγιστα δὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ δράκοντος, ὃς περὶ τὰς καλουμένας Χαμαιγεφύρας παρὰ τὴν λεωφόρον ἐφώλευε καὶ 7.26.2 πρόβατα καὶ αἶγας, ἵππους τε καὶ βόας καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἐξήρπαζεν. οὐ γὰρ ξίφος ἢ δόρυ φέρων οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι βέλος ἔχων ἐπὶ τουτὶ τὸ θηρίον ἦλθεν· ἀλλ' ὡς ᾔσθετο καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ὡς ἐφορμῆσον ἐξανέστησεν, ἀντιπρόσωπον αὐτῷ εἰς σταυροῦ σύμβολον τὸν ἀέρα τῷ δακτύλῳ κατεσήμανε καὶ ἐπέ7.26.3 πτυσε. τὸ δὲ τὸν σίελον εἰς τὸ στόμα δεξάμενον αὐτίκα κατέπεσε· καὶ νεκρὸν κείμενον οὐ μεῖον τῶν παρ' ᾿Ινδοῖς ἱστορουμένων ἑρπετῶν διεφάνη τὸ μέγεθος· ἀμέλει τοι, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, ὑπὸ ζεύγεσιν ὀκτὼ εἰς τὸ πλησίον πεδίον ἐξελκύσαντες αὐτὸ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι κατέκαυσαν, ὅπως μὴ διασαπεὶς τὸν 7.26.4 ἀέρα λυμήνηται καὶ λοιμώδη ποιήσῃ. ∆ονάτῳ δὲ τούτῳ τάφος ἐστὶν ἐπίσημος εὐκτήριος οἶκος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχων, παρὰ τοῦτον δὲ πηγὴ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἣν οὐ πρότερον οὖσαν εὐξαμένου αὐτοῦ τὸ θεῖον ἀνέ7.26.5 δωκεν· ἦν μὲν γὰρ οὗτος ὁ χῶρος παντελῶς ἄνυδρος. ἐξ ὁδοιπορίας δέ ποτε ἐνθάδε παραγενόμενος λέγεται τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἀπορίᾳ ὕδατος ταλαιπωρουμένων τῇ χειρὶ τὴν γῆν λαχήνας εὔξασθαι· ἅμα δὲ τῇ εὐχῇ ἄφθονον ἀναβλύσαι ὕδωρ καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου μὴ διαλιπεῖν. ἀλλὰ τῶνδε μὲν μάρτυρες οἱ τὴν ᾿Ισωρίαν οἰκοῦντες κώμην Εὐροίας καθ' ἣν τάδε συνέβη. 7.26.6 ᾿Εν τούτῳ δὲ Τόμεως καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Σκυθίας τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπετρόπευε Θεότιμος Σκύθης, ἀνὴρ ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ διατραφείς· ὃν ἀγάμενοι τῆς ἀρετῆς οἱ παρὰ τὸν ῎Ιστρον Οὖννοι βάρβαροι θεὸν ῾Ρωμαίων ὠνόμαζον· καὶ γὰρ 7.26.7 δὴ καὶ θείων ἐπ' αὐτῷ πραγμάτων ἐπειράθησαν. λέγεται γοῦν ὡς ὁδεύοντί ποτε παρὰ τὴν ἐνθάδε βαρβάρων γῆν ὑπήντοντο ἐναντίαν τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ Τόμιν ἐλαύνοντες· ὀλοφυρομένων δὲ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὡς αὐτίκα ἀπολουμένων ἀποβὰς τοῦ ἵππου ηὔξατο· οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι μήτε αὐτὸν μήτε τοὺς ἑπομένους ἢ τοὺς ἵππους ὧν ἀπέβησαν θεασάμενοι παρέδραμον. 7.26.8 ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλάκις ἐπιόντες ἐκακούργουν τοὺς Σκύθας, φύσει θηριώδεις ὄντας