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returned. 14.9.2 But the emperor was annoyed because the barbarians were not caught by the troops, nevertheless he considered this too a part of his victory, that by mere hearsay he had driven away the barbarians and that he had brought over many of the Manichaean heresy to our faith, having set up a double trophy both against the barbarians by arms and against the heretics by his most pious words. Therefore, having returned again to Philippopolis and having rested himself for a short while, he once more took up the contests. 14.9.3 For Couleon and Kousinos and with them Pholos, men who were leaders of the Manichaean heresy, and in other respects like the other Manichaeans, but terrible in clinging to their own evil doctrine and adamantine against being persuaded by words, and exceedingly resourceful at tearing apart the divine oracle and interpreting it mischievously, summoning these men each day he waged a war of words against them. And it was possible to see a double contest, that of the emperor, struggling mightily so that they might be saved, and that of them, striving contentiously so that they might win the so-called Cadmean victory. For the three stood having whetted one another like boars' tusks and intending to cut to pieces the emperor's arguments. And if any objection eluded Kousinos, Couleon took it up, and when Couleon was at a loss, Pholos in turn rose up in opposition, or even against the imperial propositions and arguments one rose up after another like the greatest waves overtaking great waves. But the emperor, dissolving all their objections as if they were a spider's web, immediately sewed up the mouths of the unclean men. But since he in no way persuaded them, finally, having despaired at the stupidity of these men, he sends them away to the capital city, having assigned to them as a dwelling the surrounding porticoes around the great palace. He was not, however, entirely without a catch, even if for the time being he did not hunt down these leaders with his words, but each day he brought to God in some places a hundred, and in others even more than a hundred, so that those previously hunted and those now captured by his tongue amounted to tens of thousands and thousands of numerous men. 14.9.4 For why must I speak and dwell on things which the whole world knows and to which east and west are witnesses? For whole cities and countries held fast by all kinds of heresies he brought over in many ways to our orthodox faith. Those who were leaders he deemed worthy of great gifts and enrolled them among the chosen troops. But gathering together all the commoner sort and as many as were ditch-diggers and occupied with ploughs and oxen, gathering them all together with their children and wives and having built a city for them somewhere near Philippopolis and across the river Hebrus, he resettled them there, naming the city Alexiopolis, or also Neokastron, which name has rather prevailed, apportioning to these and to those men both arable land and vineyards and houses and immovable property. Nor indeed did he leave his grants to them invalid nor like gardens of Adonis, blooming today and withering tomorrow, but with golden bulls he secured the gifts to them and he did not establish the favors to be limited to them alone, but he made them transmissible to their descendants and the descendants of those others. And if these die off, the wives in turn of the recipients hold on to what has been given. Thus did he extend his favors. 14.9.5 Let these things be thus spoken; for the greater part has been omitted. And let no one find fault with the history, as if the writing were taking a bribe. For there are many living witnesses of the things narrated, and we could not be convicted of falsehood. And the emperor, having done everything as was necessary, departed from there and had moved his camp to the capital city. And again the same struggles and

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ἐπανέ στρεψαν. 14.9.2 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἠνιάθη μὲν ὅτι μὴ κατε λήφθησαν παρὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων οἱ βάρβαροι, ὅμως μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο μέρος νίκης ἡγήσατο, ὅτι ἐξ ἀκοῆς καὶ μόνης τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπῶσε καὶ ὅτι πολλοὺς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Μανιχαϊκῆς αἱρέσεως εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν μετήνεγκε πίστιν, διπλοῦν στησάμενος τρόπαιον καὶ κατὰ βαρβάρων ἀπὸ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀπὸ τῶν εὐσεβε στάτων λόγων. Ὑποστρέψας τοίνυν καὶ αὖθις εἰς Φιλιπ πούπολιν καὶ μικρὸν διαναπαύσας ἑαυτὸν πάλιν ἀγώνων εἴχετο. 14.9.3 Τὸν γάρ τοι Κουλέοντα καὶ τὸν Κούσινον καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τούτοις Φῶλον, ἄνδρας προστάτας τῆς Μανιχαϊ κῆς αἱρέσεως καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους Μανι χαίους, δεινοὺς δὲ ἐνστῆναι τῇ ἑαυτῶν κακοδοξίᾳ καὶ πρὸς τὸ πεισθῆναι λόγοις ἀδαμαντίνους, σπαράξαι δὲ τὸ θεῖον λόγιον καὶ κακοσχόλως αὐτὸ ἐκλαβεῖν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν εὐμη χάνους, τούτους μεταπεμπόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν ἑκάστην πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν λογικὸν συνεκρότει πόλεμον. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ἀγῶνα διπλοῦν, τοῦ μὲν βασιλέως, ὅπως σωθεῖεν, καὶ σφόδρα ὑπεραγωνιζομένου, τῶν δ', ὅπως νικήσειαν τὴν λεγομένην Καδμείαν, διαφιλονεικούντων. Ἑστᾶσι μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς θήξαντες ἀλλήλους καθάπερ συῶν ὀδόντες καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες δια τέμνειν· καὶ εἴ τις τὸν Κούσινον ἐξέφευγεν ἔνστασις, ταύτης ὁ Κουλέων ἀντελαμβάνετο, καὶ ἀμηχανοῦντος Κουλέοντος ὁ Φῶλος αὖθις ἀντεξανίστατο, ἢ καὶ πρὸς τὰς βασιλικὰς προτάσεις καὶ ὑποφορὰς ἄλλος ἐπ' ἄλλῳ ἠγείρετο καθάπερ μέγιστα κύματα ἐπὶ μεγάλοις κατα λαμβάνοντα κύμασιν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τὰς πάσας τούτων διαλύων ὡς ἱστὸν ἀράχνης ἐνστάσεις ἐπέρραπτε μὲν εὐθὺς τῶν ἀκαθάρτων τὰ στόματα· ὡς δὲ πέπεικεν οὐδαμῶς, τέλος ἀπειρηκὼς πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν τούτων ἠλιθιότητα, προπέμπει τούτους εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν ἑστίαν ἀπο κληρωσάμενος αὐτοῖς τὰς περὶ τὸ μέγα παλάτιον περιδρό μους στοάς. Οὐ μὴν ἄθηρος παντάπασιν ἦν, εἰ καὶ τούτους τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς λόγοις τῷ τέως οὐκ ἐθήρασεν, ἀλλ' ἡμέρας ἑκάστης προσῆγε Θεῷ ὅπου μὲν ἑκατόν, ὅπου δὲ καὶ πλείους τῶν ἑκατόν, ὡς συμποσοῦσθαι τούς τε προτεθηραμένους καὶ τοὺς νῦν ὑπὸ τῆς τούτου γλώττης ἑαλωκότας εἰς μυρίας καὶ χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν πολυαριθμήτων. 14.9.4 Καὶ τί γὰρ δεῖ λέγειν καὶ διατρίβειν περὶ ὧν ἡ σύμπασα οἰκουμένη ἐπίσταται καὶ μάρτυρές εἰσι καὶ ἀνατολὴ καὶ δύσις; Πόλεις γὰρ ὅλας καὶ χώρας ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς αἱρέσεσι κεκρατημένας πολυτρόπως εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν ὀρθόδοξον μετήνεγκε πίστιν. Τοὺς μὲν τὰ πρῶτα φέροντας μεγάλων ἠξίου δωρεῶν καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοῖς λογάσι κατέλεγε· τοὺς δὲ χυδαιοτέρους συναθροίσας ἅπαντας καὶ ὅσοι σκαπανεῖς ἦσαν καὶ περὶ ἄροτρα καὶ βόας ἠσχόληντο, πάντας συναγαγὼν ἅμα καὶ τέκνοις καὶ γυναιξὶν καὶ πόλιν τούτοις δειμάμενος ἀγχοῦ που Φιλιππουπόλεως καὶ πέραν Εὔρου τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐκεῖσε τούτους μετῴκισεν, Ἀλεξιούπολιν τὴν πόλιν κατονομάσας ἢ καὶ Νεόκαστρον, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπεκράτησεν, ἀποδασάμενος καὶ τούτοις κἀκείνοις ἀρούρας τε καὶ οἰνόπεδα καὶ οἰκίας καὶ κτῆσιν ἀκίνητον. Οὐ μὴν ἀφῆκεν αὐτοῖς ἀνίσχυρα τὰ τῶν δόσεων οὐδ' ὥσπερ Ἀδώνιδος κήπους σήμερον ἀνθοῦντας καὶ αὔριον καταρ ρέοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρυσοβούλλοις λόγοις τὰς πρὸς τούτους ἐνεπέδωσε δωρεὰς καὶ οὐκ εἰς τούτους μόνους περιιστα μένας τὰς χάριτας ἔστησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνων διαδοσίμους πεποίηκε· καὶ τούτων διαρρυέντων αἱ γυναῖκες αὖθις τῶν δεδωρημένων ἀντέχον ται. Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος ἐξήπλου τὰς χάριτας. 14.9.5 Ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω λελέχθω· τὰ γὰρ πλείω παρείθη. Καὶ μή τις ἐπι μεμφέσθω τὴν ἱστορίαν, ὡς δῆθεν δωροδοκοῦσαν τὴν συγ γραφήν. Τῶν γὰρ νῦν ὄντων μάρτυρές εἰσι πολλοὶ τῶν ἀφηγουμένων, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ψευδηγορίας ἁλοίημεν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτοκράτωρ, πάνθ' ὡς ἐχρῆν πεποιηκώς, ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν μετεσκηνώκει. Καὶ πάλιν οἱ αὐτοὶ ἀγῶνες καὶ