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The divine power granted him an unexpected victory. For when the Quadi had surrounded the Romans, the Romans, locking their shields together, staunchly defended themselves; but the barbarians refrained from fighting, and blockaded the surrounding area, so that they were unable to get water from anywhere, thinking they would overcome them more easily, as they would not be able to hold out against thirst and heat. So when the Romans were afflicted by fatigue and heat and thirst and wounds, clouds suddenly covered the sky, and it rained very heavily, not as Dio related, that an Egyptian magician invoked Hermes and was able by sorcery through him to bring on the rain, but because the divine power was besought by the prayers of Christians and then rescued them and the whole army by a miracle. For there was in the Roman army at that time a certain legion, all of whom were Christians. And when the emperor was at a loss and fearing for the whole army, the story is that the prefect of the praetorian guard said that there is nothing that the race of those called Christians cannot do; and that there was in the army a whole legion of such men. And that he, upon hearing this, requested them to invoke their own god. And when they had prayed, the enemy were struck by lightning, and a downpour burst forth for the Romans. Amazed at this, Marcus honored the Christians by an edict, and called that legion the 'thundering'. And that the legion was so called is acknowledged both by the other Greeks and by Dio, but they do not add the reason. And Eusebius also mentions this miracle in his Ec3.84clesiastical History. Indeed Dio says that while the downpour was happening, the Romans, being occupied with drinking, would have been almost destroyed as the barbarians were then attacking them, if a violent hailstorm had not broken out and the enemy were struck with many thunderbolts. But Cassius, who was in Syria, revolted; who was a Syrian, an excellent man and such as one might pray to have as emperor. And he was moved to revolt, when a false report was brought to him that Marcus had died. But once having set out on the deed, he did not desist, having learned after a little while that the report was false; but he prepared to gain power by war. But Marcus, having called the soldiers together, addressed them and encouraged them for the war. And while he was preparing, very many victories against various barbarians were announced, and the slaying of Cassius, whom a certain centurion, coming up to him as he was walking, suddenly wounded, not fatally, however, but the decurion finished the murder. And so he perished, having dreamt of rule for three months and six days, and his son also was killed, being elsewhere; but the emperor put none of those who revolted with him to death, but treated them all with clemency. and he also wrote to the senate that none of those who had joined Cassius should be put to death; "for may it not be," he said, "that any one of you on my account be slain by either my vote or yours. And if I do not obtain this, I shall hasten to die." Thus in all things he was both pious and good. And it was decreed then3.85 that no one should rule the nation from which he originated, because Cassius, governing in Syria, where his homeland was, had started a revolution. And having gone to Athens, Marcus both bestowed honors on the Athenians and appointed teachers for every branch of learning, receiving an annual salary from the treasury. and having gone to Rome, he remitted the debts of all those who were indebted to the imperial treasury and to the public treasury. And he gave money to cities, and ordered Smyrna, which had suffered from an earthquake, to be rebuilt. and when again the Scythian troubles had been stirred up, sooner than he wished he married Crispina to his son, and he marched out against them. and he asked for money from the treasury; for he said that all things belonged to the senate and the people. And when the barbarians had been subdued, he was hailed Imperator for the tenth time. and if he had lived longer, he would have brought all the territories there under the Romans; but he passed away, the physicians having done away with him, as it is said, to gratify Commodus. and as he was just dying

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νίκην παράδοξον αὐτῷ τὸ θεῖον παρέσχετο. κύκλῳ γὰρ τῶν Κουάδων τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους περισχόντων συνασπίσαντες οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καρτερῶς ἀντημύνοντο· οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἀπέσχοντο μὲν τοῦ μάχεσθαι, τὰ δὲ πέριξ ἀπέφραξαν, ωστε μήποθεν αὐτοὺς ὑδρεύσασθαι δύνασθαι, οἰόμενοι ῥᾷον αὐτῶν περιγενέσθαι, μὴ οιων τε ἐσομένων πρὸς δίψαν ἀντέχειν καὶ καύσωνα. τῶν ουν ̔Ρωμαίων καὶ καμάτῳ κακουμένων καὶ καύματι καὶ δίψει καὶ τραύμασιν, νέφη ἀθρόον τὸν ἀέρα περιέσχον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ υσέ γε πλεῖστα, οὐχ ὡς ὁ ∆ίων ἱστόρησεν, Αἰγυπτίου μάγου τὸν ̔Ερμῆν ἐπικαλεσαμένου καὶ γοητείαις δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν ὑετὸν δυνηθέντος ἐπαγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θείου χριστιανῶν παρακληθέντος ἐντεύξεσι καὶ ῥυσαμένου τότε κἀκείνους παραδοξοποιίᾳ καὶ απαν τὸ στράτευμα. ην γάρ τις ἐν τῇ τότε ̔Ρωμαϊκῇ στρατιᾷ λεγεών, οι πάντες ησαν χριστιανοί. ἀμηχανοῦντι δὲ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι καὶ δεδοικότι περὶ παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι λόγος ἐστὶ φάναι τὸν επαρχον τοῦ δορυφορικοῦ ὡς οὐκ εστιν ο μὴ δύναται τὸ γένος τῶν καλουμένων χριστιανῶν· ειναι δὲ παρὰ τῇ στρατιᾷ ἀνδρῶν τοιούτων τάγμα ὁλόκληρον. τὸν δὲ ἀκούσαντα δεηθῆναι τούτων ἐπικαλέσασθαι τὸν οἰκεῖον θεόν. κἀκείνων εὐξαμένων κεραυνῷ μὲν βληθῆναι τοὺς ἐναντίους, ομβρον δὲ ̔Ρωμαίοις καταρραγῆναι. οις ἐκπλαγέντα τὸν Μάρκον τιμῆσαι μὲν τοὺς χριστιανοὺς δόγματι, κεραυνοβόλον δ' ἐκεῖνο καλέσαι τὸ σύνταγμα. καὶ οτι μὲν ουτως ὁ λεγεὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐκλήθη καὶ παρὰ τοῖς αλλοις Ελλησι καὶ παρὰ τῷ ∆ίωνι ὡμολόγηται, τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν οὐ προστιθέασι. μέμνηται δὲ τῆς παραδοξοποιίας ταύτης ἐν τῇ ̓Εκ3.84 κλησιαστικῇ ἱστορίᾳ καὶ ὁ Εὐσέβιος. ο γε μὴν ∆ίων φησὶν οτι τοῦ ομβρου γινομένου οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι περὶ τὸ πίνειν ἀσχοληθέντες ὀλίγου δεῖν ἀπολώλεισαν αν, τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπιτιθεμένων τότε αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ χάλαζα κατερράγη σφοδρὰ καὶ κεραυνοῖς πολλοῖς ἐβάλλοντο οἱ πολέμιοι. ̔Ο δὲ Κάσσιος ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ διάγων ἐνεωτέρισεν· ος Σύρος ην, ἀνὴρ δὲ αριστος καὶ οιον αν τινες εξειν ευξαιντο αὐτοκράτορα. ἐκινήθη δὲ πρὸς ἀποστασίαν, ἀγγελίας αὐτῷ ψευδοῦς κομισθείσης ὡς ὁ Μάρκος ἀπέθανεν. απαξ δὲ πρὸς τὸ εργον ὁρμήσας οὐκ ἀπέστη, μετ' ὀλίγον μαθὼν τὴν ἀγγελίαν ειναι ψευδῆ· ἡτοιμάζετο δὲ πολέμῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν εξειν. ὁ δὲ Μάρκος τοὺς στρατιώτας συγκαλεσάμενος ἐδημηγόρησε καὶ παρεθάρρυνε σφᾶς πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον. παρασκευαζομένῳ δὲ νῖκαί τε πλεῖσται κατὰ βαρβάρων διαφόρων ἠγγέλθησαν καὶ ἡ Κασσίου σφαγή, ον ἑκατόνταρχός τις βαδίζοντι προσελθὼν ετρωσεν αἰφνίδιον, οὐ μέντοι καιρίως, προσκατειργάσατο δὲ τὸν φόνον ὁ δέκαρχος. καὶ ὁ μὲν ουτως ἀπώλετο μῆνας τρεῖς καὶ ἡμέρας εξ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὀνειρώξας, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐφονεύθη τυγχάνων ἑτέρωθι· ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ οὐδένα τῶν ἐκείνῳ συναποστάντων διεχρήσατο, ἀλλ' ἐπιεικῶς ἐχρήσατο ξύμπασι. καὶ τῇ βουλῇ δὲ ἐπέστειλε μηδένα τῶν Κασσίῳ συναραμένων τεθνάναι· "μὴ γὰρ γένοιτο" εφη "μηδένα ὑμῶν δι' ἐμὲ μήτε τῇ ἐμῇ μήτε τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ψήφῳ σφαγῆναι. αν δὲ μὴ τούτου τύχω, σπεύσω θανεῖν." ουτω διὰ πάντων καὶ εὐσεβὴς ἐγένετο καὶ χρηστός. ἐνομοθε3.85 τήθη δὲ τότε μηδένα τοῦ εθνους αρχειν οθεν ἐγένετο, οτι ὁ Κάσσιος ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ ἡγεμονεύων, οπου καὶ ἡ πατρὶς αὐτοῦ ην, ἐνεόχμωσεν. ̓Ελθὼν δ' εἰς ̓Αθήνας ὁ Μάρκος τιμάς τε τοῖς ̓Αθηναίοις ενειμε καὶ διδασκάλους ἐπὶ πάσης παιδείας εταξε, μισθὸν ἐτήσιον ἐκ τοῦ ταμείου κομιζομένους. ἐς δὲ τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἐλθὼν τοῖς οφλουσι τῷ βασιλικῷ ταμείῳ καὶ τῷ δημοσίῳ πᾶσιν ἀφῆκε τὰς ὀφειλάς. πόλεσί τε χρήματα δέδωκε, καὶ τὴν Σμύρναν ὑπὸ σεισμοῦ παθοῦσαν ἀνοικοδομηθῆναι προσέταξεν. ὡς δ' αυθις τὰ Σκυθικὰ κεκίνητο, γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ θᾶττον η ἐβούλετο Κρισπῖναν συνῴκισε, καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐξεστράτευσε. καὶ χρήματα ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου ῃτησε· πάντα γὰρ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου ελεγεν ειναι. καταπολεμηθέντων δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτοκράτωρ προσηγορεύθη τὸ δέκατον. καὶ εἰ ετι ἐζήκει, τὰ ἐκεῖ πάντα ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίους αν ἐποιήσατο· ἀλλὰ μετήλλαξε, τῶν ἰατρῶν αὐτὸν κατεργασαμένων, ὡς λέγεται, τῷ Κομόδῳ χαριζομένων. αρτι δὲ θνήσκων