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they were repulsed, but attacking Athens they took it. And having gathered all the books in the city they wanted to burn them. But a certain one of those who seemed wise among them prevented his countrymen from the attempt, saying that the Greeks, being occupied with these things, neglect the works er3.151 of war and thus become easy to conquer. But Cleodemus, an Athenian man, managing to escape, and gathering a multitude, came upon them with ships from the sea, and killed many, so that those who were left fled from there. And Claudius, having set out against them as they were scattered in many places, was victorious, sometimes in naval battles, sometimes in battles joined on land. And winters also afflicted them and famine oppressed and destroyed them. While staying in Sirmium, Claudius fell ill, and having summoned the most notable of the army, he discussed with them concerning an emperor, and said that Aurelian was worthy of the empire. There are some who say that he even immediately proclaimed him emperor. But some say that the senate in Rome, on learning of Claudius' death, deemed his brother Quintillianus worthy of the empire out of affection for Claudius, but the army acclaimed Aurelian. But Quintillianus, being simple and naturally unsuited for the handling of affairs, on learning of Aurelian's proclamation, killed himself, by cutting the vein of his own hand and expiring in the flow of blood from it, having dreamed of the empire, as it were, for only seventeen days. But not even concerning the length of Claudius' reign do the writers agree with one another. For some record that he ruled for one year, but others for two, among whom is also Eusebius. Of this emperor Claudius, the grandson through his daughter was 3.152 Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine the Great. But Aurelian, having taken charge of the Roman government, asked those in authority how one ought to reign. One of them said to him, "If you wish to reign well, you must fence yourself in with gold and iron, using iron against those who cause trouble, but rewarding with gold those who serve you." who was the first, as is said, to reap the consequences of this counsel, after a short time being tested by the iron. This emperor at first behaved moderately towards those who worshipped Christ, but as the time of his reign went on, he changed, and he himself planned to raise a persecution against the faithful, and was already writing decrees. But divine justice checked the impulse of his wickedness against those who worship Jesus Christ, by cutting short his life. But not yet about his end, but the things done by him during his reign must be related. For being a most skillful general he won many wars. For he subdued the Palmyrenes, and their queen Zenobia, who had seized Egypt and captured Probus who was then general there; he himself campaigned against her, defeated her in war and subjugated her. Some say that she was led away to Rome and married to one of the more distinguished men, but others say that she died 3.153 on the way, grieving excessively because of the change of her fortune; and that Aurelian took one of her daughters as a wife, and married the rest to notable Romans. He also restored the Gauls, which had been held for very many years by certain tyrants, to Roman rule again, and having appointed rulers for them he himself returned to Rome, and celebrated a triumph on a chariot of four elephants. But he also defeated the Gauls who were then in rebellion. But when he also set out on a campaign against the Scythians, he was slain, being near Heraclea in Thrace. For a certain man named Eros, an announcer of the rescripts brought from abroad, or, as some historians say, an eavesdropper who reported to the emperor things said about him by certain people, when Aurelian became angry with him, plotted against him. And imitating his handwriting, he composed a certain document containing the names of some powerful men, ordering that they be led away to death; which

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ἀπεκρούσθησαν, ἐπελθόντες δὲ ταῖς ̓Αθήναις ειλον αὐτάς. καὶ συναγαγόντες πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει βιβλία καῦσαι ταῦτα ἠβούλοντο. εις δέ τις τῶν συνετῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς δοκούντων ἀπεῖρξε τοὺς ὁμοφύλους τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος, φάμενος ὡς περὶ ταῦτα οἱ Ελληνες ἀσχολούμενοι πολεμικῶν ἀμελοῦσιν ερ3.151 γων καὶ ουτως εὐχείρωτοι γίνονται. Κλεόδημος δὲ ̓Αθηναῖος ἀνὴρ διαδρᾶναι ἰσχύσας, καὶ πλῆθος συναγαγών, μετὰ πλοίων ἐκ θαλάσσης ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλεν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς περιλειφθέντας ἐκεῖθεν φυγεῖν. Κλαύδιος δὲ κατὰ τούτων ὁρμήσας ἐν πολλαῖς σκεδασθέντων χώραις, ποτὲ μὲν ναυμαχίαις, ποτὲ δὲ κατὰ γῆν συνισταμέναις μάχαις ἐνίκησε. καὶ χειμῶνες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκάκωσαν καὶ λιμὸς ἐπίεσε καὶ διέφθειρεν. ἐν δὲ τῷ Σιρμίῳ διατρίβων ὁ Κλαύδιος ἐνόσησε, καὶ συγκαλέσας τὸ λογιμώτατον τοῦ στρατεύματος περὶ βασιλέως διειλέχθη αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸν Αὐρηλιανὸν αξιον τῆς βασιλείας ειπε τυγχάνειν. εἰσὶ δ' οι λέγουσιν οτι καὶ αὐτίκα βασιλέα ἀνεῖπεν αὐτόν. ενιοι δὲ τὴν σύγκλητον λέγουσιν ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ μαθοῦσαν τοῦ Κλαυδίου τὸν θάνατον Κυντιλιανὸν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐκείνου διὰ τὸν πρὸς Κλαύδιον πόθον ἀξιῶσαι τῆς βασιλείας, τὸ δὲ στρατιωτικὸν ἀναγορεῦσαι τὸν Αὐρηλιανόν. ἀφελὴς δὲ ων ὁ Κυντιλιανὸς καὶ πρὸς πραγμάτων ἀποπεφυκὼς μεταχείρισιν, μαθὼν τὴν ἀνάρρησιν τοῦ Αὐρηλιανοῦ, ἑαυτὸν ἀνεῖλε, τεμὼν τὴν φλέβα τῆς οἰκείας χειρὸς καὶ τῇ ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ αιματος ἐναποψύξας ῥοῇ, ἑπτακαίδεκα μόνας ἡμέρας ὀνειρώξας ωσπερ τὴν βασιλείαν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ περὶ τοῦ χρόνου τῆς τοῦ Κλαυδίου ἀρχῆς ἀλλήλοις συμφωνοῦσιν οἱ συγγραφεῖς. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ενα αρξαι τοῦτον ἱστοροῦσιν ἐνιαυτόν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ δύο, ων ἐστι καὶ Εὐσέβιος. Τούτου τοῦ βασιλέως Κλαυδίου θυγατριδοῦς ην 3.152 Κώνστας ὁ Χλωρὸς ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου πατήρ. Αὐρηλιανὸς δὲ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐπιβεβηκὼς ̔Ρωμαίων ηρετο τοὺς ἐν τέλει οπως βασιλεύειν χρεών. ων εις ειπεν αὐτῷ ὡς "ἐὰν βούλῃ βασιλεῦσαι καλῶς, χρυσῷ σε δεῖ καὶ σιδήρῳ περιφράξαι σαυτόν, κατὰ μὲν τῶν λυπούντων κεχρημένον σιδήρῳ, τοὺς δέ γε θεραπεύοντας χρυσῷ ἀμειβόμενον." ος πρῶτος, ὡς λέγεται, τῆς οἰκείας ταύτης ἀπώνατο συμβουλῆς, μετ' οὐ πολὺ τοῦ σιδήρου πειραθείς. Ουτος ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ πρότερον μὲν τοῖς τὸν Χριστὸν σεβομένοις ἐπιεικῶς προσεφέρετο, προϊόντος δέ οἱ τοῦ χρόνου τῆς αὐταρχίας ἠλλοίωτο, καὶ διωγμὸν ἐγεῖραι κατὰ τῶν πιστῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐβουλεύσατο, καὶ ηδη καὶ διατάγματα συνεγράφετο. ἀλλ' ἐπέσχεν ἡ θεία δίκη τὴν κατὰ τῶν σεβομένων ̓Ιησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν ὁρμὴν τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ, ὑποτεμοῦσα τὴν ἐκείνου ζωήν. ̓Αλλὰ μήπω περὶ τοῦ τέλους αὐτοῦ, τὰ δ' ἐν τῇ αὐταρχίᾳ αὐτῷ πραχθέντα διηγητέον. στρατηγικώτατος γὰρ ων πολλοὺς πολέμους ἐνίκησε. τούς τε γὰρ Παλμυρηνοὺς ἐχειρώσατο, καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν βασίλισσαν Ζηνοβίαν κρατήσασαν καὶ Αἰγύπτου καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖ τότε στρατηγοῦντα Πρόβον ἑλοῦσαν αὐτὸς κατ' αὐτῆς στρατεύσας κατεπολέμησε καὶ ὑπέταξεν. ην ενιοι μὲν εἰς ̔Ρώμην ἀπαχθῆναί φασι καὶ ἀνδρὶ συναφθῆναι τῶν ἐπιφανεστέρων ἑνί, οἱ δὲ καθ' ὁδὸν 3.153 θανεῖν αὐτὴν λέγουσι, περιαλγήσασαν διὰ τὴν τῆς τύχης μεταβολήν· μίαν δὲ τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτῆς λαβεῖν εἰς γυναῖκα τὸν Αὐρηλιανόν, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς ἐπισήμοις τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων συζεῦξαι. Ουτος καὶ τὰς Γαλλίας ἐπὶ πλείστοις ετεσι παρά τινων τυραννούντων κατεχομένας τῇ ̔Ρωμαίων ἡγεμονίᾳ αυθις ἐπανεσώσατο, καὶ αρχοντας ταύταις ἐγκαταστήσας αὐτὸς ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην ἐπανελήλυθε, καὶ ἐθριάμβευσεν ἐπὶ ὀχήματος ἐλεφάντων τεσσάρων. ἀλλὰ καὶ Γάλλους τότε κινηθέντας κατηγωνίσατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ Σκύθας τὴν στρατείαν εθετο, ἀνῃρέθη, γενόμενος κατὰ τὴν Θρᾳκῴαν ̔Ηράκλειαν. Ερως γάρ τις καλούμενος καὶ τῶν εξωθεν φερομένων ἀποκρίσεων ων μηνυτής, ὡς δέ τινες ἱστοροῦσιν, ὠτακουστὴς καὶ προσαγγέλλων τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ παρά τινων περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα, ὀργισθέντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Αὐρηλιανοῦ, ἐπεβούλευσεν αὐτῷ. καὶ μιμησάμενος τὰ ἐκείνου γράμματα γραφήν τινα συνέταξεν ὀνόματα περιέχουσάν τινων δυνατῶν, κελεύουσαν τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἐκείνους ἀχθήσεσθαι· ην