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having lasted for fifteen years. But the Scythians, who annually received stipulated payments from the Romans according to treaties, came to get these, and saying that what was being given to them was less than what had been promised, they went away making threats. But a certain Aemilianus, a Libyan man, commander of the army in Mysia, promised the soldiers to give them all that was given to the Scythians, if they would join battle with the barbarians. And they, attacking the Scythians unexpectedly, killed all of them except for a few, and collected very much plunder from them, having overrun their country. Thereupon Aemilianus, becoming arrogant at his success, canvassed the soldiers under him; and they proclaimed him emperor of the Romans. who immediately gathered his forces and hastened to seize Italy 3.138. When these things came to the knowledge of Gallus, he too made preparations on his side and drew up his forces against Aemilianus. And when the armies clashed with one another, the troops of Gallus were defeated, and being defeated they turned on their own emperor; and having killed both him and his son, who had reigned for two years and eight months, they attached themselves to Aemilianus, having themselves voted him the imperial power. Having thus been proclaimed emperor, Aemilianus sent a letter to the senate, promising that he would both free Thrace from barbarians and would campaign against the Persians and would do and fight for everything as their general, leaving the imperial power to the senate. But he managed to do none of these things, before Valerian rose up against him; who, being commander of the forces beyond the Alps, upon learning the situation regarding Aemilianus, himself seized absolute power. And gathering the forces under him he hastened to Rome. Accordingly, those campaigning with Aemilianus, recognizing that they were not a match for Valerian's army, and judging it impious for Romans to destroy and be destroyed by one another and for wars to be made among kinsmen, and besides, considering Aemilianus unworthy of the imperial power as being obscure and base, but thinking Valerian more suitable for the office as one who would indeed take charge of affairs in a more commanding manner, they kill Aemilianus, who had not yet ruled for four months, and was in his 3.139 fortieth year of age; and they go over to Valerian and hand over the rule of the Romans to him without a fight. But when Flavianus was martyred under Decius, as has been said, Cornelius succeeded to the pastoral charge of Rome, and after distinguishing himself in it for three years, he ended his life, and Lucius was raised to the throne of the chief priesthood, who died in the episcopate of Rome before completing an eighth year. And Stephen succeeded to the ministry of the episcopate; of whom there exists a decree not to baptize Christians converting from heresies, but to purify them with the prayer of the laying on of hands. Of whom a letter on this matter to Cyprian the hieromartyr is also on record. And when Stephen fell asleep after two years, Xystus sat upon the archiepiscopal throne of Rome. At that time also the heresy of Sabellius arose in Ptolemais of the Pentapolis. But the affairs concerning the chief priests of Rome were thus; But Valerian, having seized the rule of the Romans with his son Gallienus, also stirred up a most fierce persecution against the Christians; and many in various lands became martyrs, having contended in diverse ways for the faith in Christ. Therefore, when a revolt of the nations also occurred under him, affairs went badly for the Romans. For the Scythians, having crossed the Ister, again enslaved the country of Thrace, and they besieged the renowned city of Thessalonica, but did not 3.140 take it. And they reduced everyone to such fear that the Athenians on the one hand rebuilt the wall of their own city, which had been demolished since the time of Sulla, and the Peloponnesians on the other hand built a wall across the Isthmus from sea to sea. But indeed the Persians also, while Shapur was their king, overran Syria and ravaged Cappadocia and the

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πεντεκαίδεκα διαρκέσας ἐνιαυτούς. οι γε μὴν Σκύθαι τεταγμένα παρὰ ̔Ρωμαίων κατὰ συνθήκας λαμβάνοντες ἐπετείως, ηκασι ταῦτα ληψόμενοι, καὶ ηττονα λέγοντες ειναι τῶν ὑπεσχημένων τὰ σφίσι διδόμενα, ἀπῄεσαν ἀπειλούμενοι. Αἰμιλιανὸς δέ τις Λίβυς ἀνήρ, αρχων τοῦ ἐν Μυσίᾳ στρατεύματος, τοῖς στρατιώταις δώσειν πάντα τὰ τοῖς Σκύθαις διδόμενα ἐπηγγείλατο, εἰ τοῖς βαρβάροις συνάψειαν πόλεμον. οἱ δὲ ἀπροόπτως ἐπελθόντες τοῖς Σκύθαις, ατερ ὀλίγων ἀπέκτειναν απαντας, καὶ λάφυρα ἐξ ἐκείνων πλεῖστα συνήγαγον, τὴν χώραν καταδραμόντες αὐτῶν. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Αἰμιλιανὸς ὑπερφρονήσας τῷ κατορθώματι, μέτεισι τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατιώτας· καὶ ̔Ρωμαίων αὐτὸν ἀναγορεύουσιν αὐτοκράτορα. ος αὐτίκα τὰς δυνάμεις ἀγείρας εσπευδε τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν 3.138 καταλαβεῖν. ὡς γοῦν εἰς γνῶσιν ηλθον ταῦτα τῷ Γάλλῳ, κἀκεῖνος ἑτέρωθεν παρασκευασάμενος τῷ Αἰμιλιανῷ ἀντιπαρετάξατο. καὶ συρραγέντων ἀλλήλοις τῶν στρατευμάτων ηττηντο οἱ τοῦ Γάλλου, ἡττώμενοι δὲ ἐπέθεντο τῷ σφῶν αὐτοκράτορι· καὶ ἀνελόντες κἀκεῖνον καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, βασιλεύσαντας ετη δύο καὶ μῆνας ὀκτώ, προστίθενται τῷ Αἰμιλιανῷ, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῷ ψηφισάμενοι. ̓Αναρρηθεὶς δὲ ουτως αὐτοκράτωρ ὁ Αἰμιλιανὸς ἐπέστειλε τῇ συγκλήτῳ, ἐπαγγελλόμενος ὡς καὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἀπαλλάξει βαρβάρων καὶ κατὰ Περσῶν ἐκστρατεύσεται καὶ πάντα πράξει καὶ ἀγωνίσεται ὡς στρατηγὸς αὐτῶν, τὴν βασιλείαν τῇ γερουσίᾳ καταλιπών. ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εφθη πεποιηκώς, Οὐαλεριανοῦ ἐπαναστάντος αὐτῷ· ος τῶν ὑπὲρ τὰς Αλπεις αρχων δυνάμεων, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Αἰμιλιανὸν μαθών, καὶ αὐτὸς τυραννεῖ. καὶ τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν πρὸς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἠπείγετο. οἱ γοῦν τῷ Αἰμιλιανῷ συστρατευόμενοι, οὐκ ἀξιομάχους ἑαυτοὺς ἐγνωκότες πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Οὐαλεριανοῦ στρατιάν, μηδὲ φθείρειν καὶ φθείρεσθαι ̔Ρωμαίους ὑπ' ἀλλήλων οσιον κρίναντες καὶ πολέμους συγκροτεῖσθαι ὁμογενῶν, καὶ αλλως δὲ τὸν μὲν Αἰμιλιανὸν ἀνάξιον λογιζόμενοι βασιλείας ὡς αδοξόν τε καὶ χαμερπῆ, τὸν Οὐαλεριανὸν δὲ οἰκειότερον ἡγούμενοι τῇ ἀρχῇ οια δῆτα καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιληψόμενον ἀρχικώτερον, κτείνουσι τὸν Αἰμιλιανὸν ουπω τέσσαρας μῆνας ἡγεμονεύσαντα, αγοντα δὲ τῆς ἡλικίας 3.139 ἐνιαυτὸν τεσσαρακοστόν· καὶ προσίασιν Οὐαλεριανῷ καὶ ἀμάχως αὐτῷ τὴν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἐγχειρίζουσι. Φλαβιανοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ ∆εκίου, ὡς ειρηται, μαρτυρήσαντος, Κορνήλιος τὴν τῆς ̔Ρώμης ποιμαντικὴν διεδέξατο, καὶ ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἐμπρέψας ταύτῃ ἐνιαυτοῖς τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησε, καὶ Λούκιος ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀνήχθη θρόνον, ος οὐδ' ογδοον ἐκπλήσας ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν τῇ τῆς ̔Ρώμης ἐπισκοπῇ τελευτᾷ. καὶ Στέφανος τὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς λειτούργημα διεδέξατο· ουπερ τυγχάνει διάταγμα τοὺς ἐξ αἱρέσεων ἐπιστρέφοντας χριστιανοὺς μὴ βαπτίζειν, ἀλλὰ τῇ διὰ χειρῶν ἐπιθέσεως εὐχῇ καθαίρειν αὐτούς. ου καὶ ἐπιστολὴ περὶ τούτου πρὸς Κυπριανὸν τὸν ἱερομάρτυρα ἀναγράφεται. Στεφάνου δὲ κοιμηθέντος μετὰ δύο ἐνιαυτούς, Ξύστος εἰς τὸν ἀρχιερατικὸν τῆς ̔Ρώμης θρόνον ἐκάθισε. τότε καὶ ἡ κατὰ Σαβέλλιον κεκίνητο αιρεσις ἐν Πτολεμαΐδι τῆς Πενταπόλεως. ̓Αλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τοὺς τῆς ̔Ρώμης ἀρχιερεῖς εσχον ουτως· Οὐαλεριανὸς δὲ σὺν Γαλιήνῳ τῷ υἱῷ τῆς ̔Ρωμαίων ἡγεμονίας δραξάμενος, καὶ ουτος σφοδρότατον ἐκίνησε κατὰ χριστιανῶν διωγμόν· καὶ πολλοὶ κατὰ διαφόρους χώρας γεγόνασι μάρτυρες, ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως πολυειδῶς ἐναθλήσαντες. ἐθνῶν ουν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου γενομένης ἐπαναστάσεως, κακῶς ειχον ̔Ρωμαίοις τὰ πράγματα. οι τε γὰρ Σκύθαι τὸν Ιστρον διαβάντες καὶ αυθις τὴν Θρᾳκῴαν χώραν ἠνδραποδίσαντο, καὶ πόλιν περιφανῆ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην ἐπολιόρκησαν μέν, οὐ μὴν 3.140 καὶ ειλον. εἰς δέος δὲ τοσοῦτον απαντας περιέστησαν ὡς ̓Αθηναίους μὲν ἀνοικοδομῆσαι τὸ τεῖχος τῆς ἑαυτῶν πόλεως, καθῃρημένον ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Σύλλα χρόνων, Πελποννησίους δὲ διατειχίσαι τὸν ̓Ισθμὸν ἀπὸ θαλάσσης εἰς θάλασσαν. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Πέρσαι, Σαπώρου σφῶν βασιλεύοντος, τὴν Συρίαν κατέδραμον καὶ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἐδῄωσαν καὶ τὴν