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king Herculius. Therefore, having prevailed, the most divine and most Christian emperor Constantine ruled over the Gauls and Britain. Therefore in his first year, which was the 1st of the divine incarnation, and the 5707th of the world, these four reigned with him, Maximian Galerius, with two Caesars, Severus and Maximian the son of Galerius, and Maxentius the son of Herculius, who had been proclaimed emperor in Rome by the soldiers. These men strove to outdo one another in the war against the Christians, living together in all wickedness and woman-madness, they used the dissections of the infants of pregnant women 1.474 for divination, and robberies and murders, and all such things. And when Severus died, the Romans proclaimed Licinius as Caesar, to gratify Constantine, as he was his brother-in-law through his sister Constantia, and who was falsely feigning our piety. But Maxentius inflicted all kinds of terrible evils upon the Romans; for he seized their property and wives and daughters, and killed them in many ways, and following the demons he performed immeasurable things. Wherefore the Romans also sent an embassy to Constantine and roused him against the impious Maxentius. But Maxentius, having bridged with boats the river flowing by the city, drew up his forces against the great Constantine. But he, fearing the sorceries of Maxentius, was in great anguish. Therefore at the sixth hour of the day the precious cross appeared to him, having an inscription made of light by means of stars, "in this, conquer." And in a vision of the night the Lord stood by him, saying, "Use the sign that was shown to you, and conquer." Then having designed a golden cross, which exists even until now, he ordered it to be carried forth in the war; and when the battle took place, those with Maxentius were defeated, and as the multitude was being slain, Maxentius with the rest mounted the bridge fleeing, which, having been broken by divine power, submerged them all in the river. And the Romans, delivered from the tyranny of the wicked Maxentius, having crowned the city, rece 1.475 ived the victor Constantine with joy along with the victory-making cross, acclaiming him as savior. In the 7th year of his reign, the great Constantine, having taken control of Rome, before all else committed the relics of the holy martyrs to a holy burial, and recalled those in exile. And he is baptized by Sylvester, the most holy pope of Rome, and is freed from his disease in the following manner: having entered Rome after the victory against Maxentius, he seeks physicians to be cured of his disease. And indeed certain Jews come saying that it is necessary to make a pool from the blood of nursing infants and, having bathed in it, to be cleansed. Therefore the infants are gathered together with their mothers. And what need is there to speak of the mothers' laments and the cutting of their hair and the other things that belong to those grieving from the soul? Seeing these things and becoming tearful, he said, "It is better for me alone to die an evil fate than these infants. But also who knows what the end will be?" Having said these things and having kindly treated the mothers with gifts, he sent them away in peace. For this reason, he sees in a dream the two great apostles Peter and Paul urging him to seek Sylvester, the bishop of the city; "and he himself will show you a font through which you will be healed of the diseases of both soul and body." Therefore Sylvester, being in exile because of the impending persecutions, comes, and having instructed him, baptizes him. Therefore, as Constantine was coming up immediately 1.476 from the divine font, something like scales fell from his body, and he was cleansed, and his whole body became healthy like a small child's. Seeing this, innumerable people were baptized, and Crispus the son of Constantine. But those who say that he was baptized in Nicomedia at the time of his death by Eusebius of Nicomedia, the Arian, are lying. For they say that he postponed baptism because

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Ἑρκουλίου βασιλέα. Κρατήσας οὖν ὁ θειότατος καὶ χριστιανικώτατος βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος ἐβασίλευσε Γαλλιῶν καὶ Βρεττανίας. τῷ πρώτῳ οὖν αὐτοῦ ἔτει, τῆς δὲ θείας σαρκώσεως αʹ, τοῦ δὲ κόσμου #22εψζʹ τέσσαρες οὗτοι συνεβασίλευον αὐτῷ, Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ Γαλλέ ριος, σὺν δυσὶ Καίσαρσι Σεβήρῳ καὶ Μαξιμιανῷ τῷ Γαλλερίου υἱῷ καὶ Μαξεντίῳ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Ἑρκουλίου, ἐν Ῥώμῃ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀναγορευθέντι βασιλεῖ. οὗτοι ἀλλήλους ἔσπευδον ὑπερβάλλειν εἰς τὸν κατὰ Χριστιανῶν πόλεμον, πάσῃ τε κακίᾳ καὶ θηλυμανίᾳ συζῶντες ἀνατομαῖς βρεφῶν τῶν ἐγκυμονουσῶν γυναι 1.474 κῶν ἐν μαντείαις ἐχρῶντο, ἁρπαγαῖς τε καὶ φόνοις, καὶ ὅσα τοι αῦτα. Τοῦ δὲ Σεβήρου τελευτήσαντος Λικίνιον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι Καί σαρα ἀνηγόρευσαν, Κωνσταντίνῳ χαριζόμενοι γαμβρῷ αὐτοῦ ὄντι εἰς ἀδελφὴν Κωνσταντίαν, καὶ ὑποκρινόμενον ψευδῶς τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς εὐσέβειαν. Μαξέντιος δὲ πάνδεινα τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐποίει κακά· τάς τε γὰρ οὐσίας αὐτῶν καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας ἥρ παζε, καὶ αὐτοὺς πολυτρόπως ἀνῄρει, καὶ ἄμετρα τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἐξακολουθῶν ἐπετέλει. ὅθεν καὶ πρεσβείαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Κων σταντῖνον ποιησάμενοι κατὰ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς Μαξεντίου τοῦτον διή γειραν. ὁ δὲ Μαξέντιος τὸν παραρρέοντα τῇ πόλει ποταμὸν ναυ σὶ γεφυρώσας κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου ἀντιπαρετάξατο. ὁ δὲ δεδιὼς τὰς τοῦ Μαξεντίου γοητείας ἐν πολλῇ ἀγωνίᾳ ἦν. φαίνεται οὖν αὐτῷ ἐν ἕκτῃ ὥρᾳ τῆς ἡμέρας ὁ τίμιος σταυρός, ἐκ φωτὸς κατεσκευασμένην ἔχων ἐπιγραφὴν δι' ἀστέρων "ἐν τούτῳ νίκα." ἐν ὁράματι δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐφίσταται αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος, λέγων "χρῆσαι τῷ δειχθέντι σοι σημείῳ, καὶ νίκα." τότε σταυρὸν χρυ σοῦν σχεδιάσας, ὃς ἔστι μέχρι καὶ νῦν, ἐκέλευσε προάγειν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ· καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης ἡττήθησαν οἱ περὶ Μαξέντιον, καὶ τοῦ πλήθους ἀναιρουμένου Μαξέντιος σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς τῇ γε φυρᾷ ἐπέβη φεύγων, ἥτις θείᾳ δυνάμει διαρραγεῖσα ἐν τῷ ποτα μῷ πάντας κατεπόντισεν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι λυτρωθέντες τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ Μαξεντίου τυραννίδος, τὴν πόλιν στεφανώσαντες, εἰσε 1.475 δέξαντο μετὰ χαρᾶς τὸν νικητὴν Κωνσταντῖνον σὺν τῷ νικοποιῷ σταυρῷ, σωτῆρα αὐτὸν ἀνευφημοῦντες. Τῷ ζʹ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ὁ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος τῆς Ῥώμης κρατήσας πρὸ πάντων τὰ λείψανα τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τῇ ὁσίᾳ ταφῇ παρέδωκε, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἐξορίαις ἀνεκαλέσατο. καὶ ὑπὸ Σιλβέστρου τοῦ ὁσιωτάτου πάπα Ῥώμης βαπτίζεται καὶ τῆς λώβης ἐξελευθεροῦται τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· εἰς Ῥώμην εἰσελθὼν μετὰ τὴν κατὰ Μαξεντίου νίκην ζητεῖ ἰατροὺς θεραπευθῆναι τῆς νόσου. καὶ δὴ Ἰουδαῖοί τινες ἔρχονται λέγοντες ὅτι κολυμβήθραν χρὴ ποιῆσαι ἀφ' αἵματος ὑπομαζίων βρεφῶν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ λουσάμενον καθαρι σθῆναι. συνάγονται οὖν τὰ βρέφη μετὰ τῶν μητέρων. καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν τοὺς τῶν μητέρων ὀδυρμοὺς καὶ τὰς τῶν τριχῶν ἐκκο πὰς καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα τοῖς ἐκ ψυχῆς ὀδυνωμένοις ἐστί; ταῦτα ἰδὼν ἐκεῖνος καὶ σύνδακρυς γενόμενος εἶπε "καλόν ἐστι μᾶλλον ἐμὲ μό νον κακῷ μόρῳ ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ταῦτα τὰ βρέφη. ἀλλὰ καὶ τίς οἶδεν τὸ τέλος ὁποῖον;" ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ τὰς μητέρας δώροις φιλοφρο νησάμενος ἀπέλυσεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ κατ' ὄναρ ὁρᾷ τοὺς δύο μεγάλους ἀποστόλους Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον προτρεπομένους αὐ τὸν Σίλβεστρον ζητῆσαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς πόλεως· "καὶ αὐτὸς ὑποδείξει σοι κολυμβήθραν δι' ἧς τῆς τε ψυχῆς τὰς νόσους καὶ τοῦ σώματος θεραπευθήσῃ." ἔρχεται οὖν ὁ Σίλβεστρος διὰ τοὺς ἐπικειμένους διωγμοὺς ἐν φυγαδείᾳ τελῶν, καὶ βαπτίζει κατηχή σας τοῦτον. εὐθὺς οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας κολυμβήθρας ἀνερχομένου 1.476 τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἐξέπεσον ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ λεπίδες, καὶ ἐκαθαρίσθη, καὶ γέγονεν ὅλον ὑγιὲς ὡς παιδαρίου μικροῦ. τοῦτο ἰδόντες οἱ λαοὶ ἐβαπτίσθησαν ἄπειροι, καὶ Κρῖσπος ὁ υἱὸς Κωνσταντίνου. Οἱ δὲ λέγοντες ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ θάνατον βα πτισθῆναι ὑπὸ Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Νικομηδείας τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ ψεύδον ται. φασὶ γὰρ ἀναβάλλεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ βάπτισμα διὰ τὸ