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so-called, creeping over the whole body, it created treacherous dangers for those who suffered from it. But indeed, especially attacking the eyes for a very long time, it rendered countless men, along with women and children, blind. And in addition to these things, the war against the Armenians also rose up against the tyrant, all at once and at the same time converging against the boastful pride of the impious one against God, because he was vaunting that on account of his zeal for idols and his siege against us, neither famine nor pestilence nor war had occurred in his time. These things, then, came upon him together and at the same time, and they constituted the prelude to his own destruction. He himself, therefore, was worn down by the war against the Armenians along with his armies, while the rest of those inhabiting the cities and lands under him were dreadfully afflicted by famine and pestilence, and countless were those who were dying in the cities, and even more in the fields and villages, as nearly all were perishing from lack of food and pestilential disease. For some, chewing on grass and destroying their physical condition, were perishing, while others, shriveled up like dead images, gasping for breath here and there, staggering and slipping about, fell down in the public squares. 1.469 From which dead and naked bodies, scattered about unburied for many days, presented a wretched and pitiful sight to those who saw them; some indeed even became food for dogs. And not least of all, the pestilence also spread through every house. Not long after, the tyrants themselves received the rewards worthy of their impiety, as if receiving from here a pledge of the punishments that were to await them after death. For Diocletian, after the abdication of his rule, fell into a most dreadful disease and with intense pains ravaged his entire flesh, and his intestines were being destroyed by the most violent inflammation, while all his flesh was melting like wax. And in addition to these things, the wretched man was blinded and rendered helpless. And from there, perishing miserably and decaying terribly, he brought up a multitude of worms from his throat, along with his putrefied tongue. He therefore emitted such a stench as to be no different from the decomposed corpses in tombs. And the tyrant, breathing in this state, groaned and called for death, and breathing his last he said, "Woe is me, wretched and worthy of lamentations, what a fitting punishment I suffer for the impieties I dared to commit against the Christians." And these things later befell the sinner. In the ninth and tenth year of his reign, they made Constantius, who was called Chlorus because of the paleness of his face, and Maximian Galerius Caesars, having persuaded them to leave their own wives and take their daughters. 1.470 Theodora was Constantius's and Valeria was Galerius's, that is, Diocletian's daughter. In his tenth year, when Alexandria along with Egypt revolted under Achilleus, very many were slain in the assault of the Romans. In the eleventh year, raising a dreadful persecution against the Christians, they made many thousands of martyrs. This was the year of the world #225787. And Eusebius says that Adauctus, a magister, was martyred. And when his wife and daughters were being sought, in order not to have their chastity corrupted, they threw themselves into the river. It should be investigated, therefore, whether they are numbered among the martyrs. In the twelfth year, Maximian Herculius ruled Gaul and Britain, and Constantius ruled Alania and Africa. In the thirteenth year, they expelled the Christians in the army. In the seventeenth year, Galerius Maximian, having marched out against Narses, the king of the Persians, put him to flight, and taking his wife and all his possessions, and having made a great slaughter, he returned to Diocletian, and having pouches filled with precious stones and pearls, from which Diocletian was the first with precious stones and gold on his clothing and shoes

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λεγόμενον, καθ' ὅλον μὲν ἕρπον τὸ σῶμα, σφαλεροὺς δὲ τοῖς πεπονθόσιν ἐνεποίει κινδύνους. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐξαιρέτως ἐπὶ πλεῖστον γενόμενον μυρίους ὅσους ἄνδρας ἅμα γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶ πηροὺς ἀπειργάσατο. καὶ σὺν τούτοις προσεπανίσταται τῷ τυράννῳ ὁ πρὸς Ἀρμενίους πόλεμος, ἀθρόως ὑφ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν συρρεύσαντα τῆς τοῦ δυσ σεβοῦς θρασύτητος τὴν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μεγαλαυχίαν, ὅτι δὴ τῆς περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα σπουδῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν ἕνεκα πολιορ κίας μὴ λιμὸν μηδὲ λοιμὸν μήτε μὴν πόλεμον ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ συμ βῆναι καιρὸν ἐνηβρύνετο. ταῦτα δὴ οὖν ἅμα καὶ κατὰ ταυτὸν ἐπῆλθον, καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν καταστροφῆς περιειλήφει τὰ προοί μια. αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν τὸν πρὸς Ἀρμενίους πόλεμον ἅμα τοῖς αὐτοῦ στρατοπέδοις κατεπονεῖτο, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τῶν τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν πό λεις καὶ χώρας οἰκούντων δεινῶς ὁ λιμὸς ἅμα καὶ ὁ λοιμὸς κατέ τρυχε, καὶ μυρίοι μὲν ἐτύγχανον οἱ κατὰ πόλεις θνήσκοντες, πλείους δὲ οἱ κατ' ἀγροὺς καὶ κώμας, ἁπάντων σχεδὸν τροφῆς ἐνδείᾳ καὶ λοιμώδει νόσῳ διεφθαρμένων. καὶ γὰρ οἱ μὲν χόρτον διαμασώμενοι καὶ τὴν ἕξιν λυμαινόμενοι διώλλυντο, οἱ δὲ ἀπε σκληκότες ὥσπερ εἴδωλα νεκρά, ὧδε κἀκεῖσε ψυχορραγοῦντες ἐν σειόμενοί τε καὶ περιολισθαίνοντες, κατέπιπτον ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις. 1.469 ὅθεν νεκρὰ σώματα καὶ γυμνά, ἐφ' ἡμέραις πλείοσιν ἄταφα διερ ριμμένα, θέαν οἰκτρὰν καὶ ἐλεεινὴν παρεῖχον τοῖς ὁρῶσιν, ἤδη γέ τοι καὶ κυνῶν τινὲς ἐγένοντο βορά. οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ὁ λοιμὸς πάντας οἴκους ἐπενέμετο. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ τύραννοι ἄξια τῆς δυσσεβείας αὐτῶν τὰ ἐπίχειρα ἐκομίσαντο, οἱονεὶ ἀρρα βῶνα τῶν μελλόντων αὐτοὺς μετὰ θάνατον διαδέξασθαι τιμωριῶν ἐντεῦθεν κομιζόμενοι. νόσῳ γὰρ δεινοτάτῃ ὁ ∆ιοκλητιανὸς μετὰ τὴν ἀπόθεσιν τῆς βασιλείας περιπεσὼν ἀλγηδόσιν ἰσχυραῖς τὴν σάρκα πᾶσαν διελυμαίνετο, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἔγκατα διεφθείροντο ὑπὸ τῆς σφοδροτάτης φλογώσεως, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ πᾶσα κηροῦ δίκην διετή κετο. καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἐκτυφλοῦται καὶ πηρὸς ὁ δείλαιος ἀποκαθ ίσταται. κἀντεῦθεν ἐλεεινῶς διαφθειρόμενος καὶ δεινῶς καταση πόμενος σκωλήκων πλῆθος ἐκ τοῦ φάρυγγος ἀνέφερε σὺν τῇ γλώσ σῃ αὐτοῦ κατασαπείσῃ. τοσαύτην οὖν δυσωδίαν ἐξέπεμπεν ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν τάφοις διαλυθέντων νεκρῶν διαφέρειν. ὁ δὲ τύραν νος ἐν τούτοις ἐμπνέων στενάξας θάνατον ἐπεκαλεῖτο, καὶ τὰ τε λευταῖα πνέων ἔφη "οἴ μοι τῷ ἐλεεινῷ καὶ θρήνων ἀξίῳ, ὁποίαν τῶν εἰς Χριστιανούς μοι τετολμημένων ἀσεβειῶν ἀξίαν ὑπέχω τὴν τιμωρίαν." καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον συμβέβηκε τῷ ἀλιτηρίῳ. Τῷ δὲ θʹ καὶ ιʹ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ Κωνστάντιον τὸν λεγόμενον Χλωρὸν διὰ τὴν ὠχρότητα τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ Μαξιμιανὸν Γαλλέριον Καίσαρας ἐποίησαν, πείσαντες τὰς ἰδίας αὐτῶν καταλιπόντας γαμετὰς τὰς αὐτῶν εἰληφέναι θυγατέρας. 1.470 Θεοδώρα ἦν τοῦ Κωνσταντίου καὶ Βαλλερία ἡ τοῦ Γαλλερίου ἤτοι τοῦ ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ θυγάτηρ. Τῷ ιʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας σὺν τῷ Αἰγύπτῳ ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως ἀποστατησάσης, τῇ προσβολῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πλεῖστοι ἀνῃρέθησαν. Τῷ ιαʹ ἔτει φρικτὸν διωγμὸν κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ἐγείραντες πολλὰς μυριάδας μάρτυρας ἐποίησαν. τοῦτο ἔτος ἦν τοῦ κόσμου #22εψπζʹ. καὶ φησὶν Εὐσέβιος ὅτι Ἄδαγκτος μάγιστρος ἐμαρτύρησε. τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων ζητουμένων, διὰ τὸ μὴ διαφθαρῆναι τὴν σωφροσύνην ἑαυτὰς ἔρριψαν κατὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ. ζητητέον οὖν εἰ ἀριθμοῦνται εἰς μάρτυρας. Τῷ ιβʹ ἔτει Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ Ἑρκούλιος Γαλλίας καὶ Βρεττα νίας, Κωνστάντιος δὲ Ἀλανίας καὶ Ἀφρικῆς ἐκράτησαν. Τῷ ιγʹ ἔτει τοὺς ἐν στρατείᾳ Χριστιανοὺς ἐξέβαλον. Τῷ ιζʹ ὁ Γαλλέριος Μαξιμιανὸς κατὰ Ναρσέως τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλέως ἐκδραμὼν τοῦτον μὲν ἐδίωξε, τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἀφελόμενος καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σφαγὴν μεγάλην ποιή σας, ὑπέστρεψε πρὸς ∆ιοκλητιανόν, καὶ βαλάντια πεπληρωμένα ἔχων λίθων τιμίων καὶ μαργαριτῶν, ἀφ' ὧν πρῶτος ∆ιοκλητιανὸς ἐσθῆτι καὶ ὑποδήμασι λίθοις τιμίοις καὶ χρυσῷ