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to say these things; and thus to quell the uproar of the soldiers. then to come into Gaul to the great Constantine, who was also his 3.167 son-in-law through his daughter Fausta, plotting against him and trying to take his kingdom; but to be discovered there also and to be thwarted in his attempt, and so to hang himself. But these men ended their lives in one of the ways mentioned, but Constans, having completed his eleventh year in power since he was proclaimed Caesar, and having ruled gently and graciously, ended his life while staying in Britain, leaving behind grief for himself among his subjects on account of his goodness, having first established the elder of his own sons as successor to the rule, namely the great Constantine, whom he had begotten from his first wife. And from his second wife Theodora, the daughter of Herculius, he also had other sons, Constantine, Annibalianus, and Constantius. But the great Constantine was preferred over these, because they were judged by their father to be unsuitable for the kingship. But the whole thing was ordained by God on behalf of the divine preaching, or rather also on behalf of all those subject to Roman rule, so that through him the tyrannies might be destroyed. For it is said that when Constans was sick and disheartened because of his failure with his other children, an angel appeared, commanding him to leave the authority to Constantine. This Constantine, when he was a youth, his father gave to Galerius as a hostage, so that while being a hostage he might also be trained in the exercise of the military art. But he, seeing him to be very skillful and 3.168 envying him, plotted against him. And first, while fighting against the Sarmatians, he ordered him to attack their chief, who was conspicuous by his full armor. And he both attacked and, seizing him alive, brought him to Galerius. Then he ordered him to face a lion, a certain frightful and murderous beast. And he also completed this trial, though dangerously, but with the divine grace preserving him. Recognizing from this that he was envied by Galerius and being plotted against, he escaped by night with some men whom he trusted and returned to his father. And thus he both escaped the danger and was deemed worthy of his father's kingdom. But Maximinus had taken Licinius as a partner in rule, one who traced his lineage from the Dacians and was the brother-in-law of the great Constantine through his sister. And having made him a partner in the kingship, he left him in Illyricum to defend the Thracians who were being plundered by barbarians, while he himself arrived in Rome to fight against Maxentius. Then, holding his own soldiers under suspicion, and fearing that they might side with the enemy, he withdrew from the battle and retreated. But regretting having taken on Licinius, he at first plotted against him secretly, and then openly organized a battle against him. And engaging him in battle, he is routed, and being defeated he fled, and in his flight he killed himself. Some, then, have related that Maximinus 3.169 ended his life with such an end, but others have handed down that divine justice pursued him for raging against the Christians. For a most grievous ulcer that broke out on his groin and private parts began to consume the organs of his licentiousness. And from the putrefaction of these, worms also swarmed, and the affliction was incurable. And of the physicians, some who immediately refused the attempt were cruelly slaughtered, while those who tried but were unable to heal him were killed most savagely, because they did not succeed in impossibilities. At last, then, the tyrant suspected that he was paying the penalty for the unjust murders of those who worshiped Christ, and he put forth decrees everywhere ordering the persecution against the Christians to cease, and for them to live and worship as they wished, and to pray for him. And here also two accounts are told. For one says that he was delivered from his affliction against all hope, then raised the persecution again, and remained uncorrected, until he drank the dregs of the cup in the Lord's hand; but the other

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ταῦτα εἰπεῖν· καὶ ουτω καταστεῖλαι τὸν θόρυβον τῶν στρατιωτῶν. ειτα εἰς Γαλλίας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν μέγαν Κωνσταντῖνον, κηδεστὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ 3.167 αὐτὸν οντα ἐπὶ Φαύστᾳ τῇ αὐτοῦ θυγατρί, κἀκείνῳ ἐπιβουλεύοντα καὶ πειρώμενον τὴν ἐκείνου βασιλείαν λαβεῖν· γνωσθῆναι δὲ κἀκεῖσε καὶ ἀποκρουσθῆναι τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος, καὶ ουτως ἀπάγξασθαι. ̓Αλλ' ουτοι μὲν ἑνί γέ τῳ τρόπῳ τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησαν, Κώνστας δὲ ἑνδέκατον ἠνυκὼς ἐνιαυτὸν παρὰ τῇ ἀρχῇ ἐξ οτου Καῖσαρ ἀνηγορεύθη, καὶ ἠπίως αρξας καὶ προσηνῶς, ἐν Βρεττανίαις διάγων κατέλυσε τὴν ζωήν, πένθος ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν καταλελοιπὼς διὰ τὴν χρηστότητα, πρότερον τὸν πρεσβύτερον τῶν οἰκείων υἱῶν τῆς ἀρχῆς καταστήσας διάδοχον, τὸν μέγαν δηλαδὴ Κωνσταντῖνον, ον ἐκ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ ἐγείνατο γαμετῆς. ειχε δὲ κἀκ τῆς δευτέρας τῆς τοῦ ̔Ερκουλίου θυγατρὸς Θεοδώρας ἑτέρους υἱούς, Κωνσταντῖνον, ̓Αναβαλλιανὸν καὶ Κωνστάντιον. προτετίμητο δὲ τούτων ὁ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος, οτι ἐκεῖνοι τῷ πατρὶ ἀνεπιτήδειοι πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκρίθησαν. τὸ δ' ολον ην ἐκ θεοῦ οἰκονομηθὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος, η μᾶλλον καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν τῇ ̔Ρωμαίων ὑποκειμένων ἀρχῇ, ινα δι' αὐτοῦ καταλυθεῖεν αἱ τυραννίδες. λέγεται γὰρ οτι νοσοῦντι τῷ Κώνσταντι καὶ ἀθυμοῦντι διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς αλλοις παισὶν ἀποτυχίαν αγγελος ἐπέστη, τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ κελεύων τὴν ἐξουσίαν καταλιπεῖν. Τοῦτον δὴ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ὁ πατὴρ μειράκιον οντα τῷ Γαλερίῳ εἰς ὁμηρείαν παρέσχετο, ιν' ὁμηρεύων αμα καὶ πρὸς ασκησιν γυμνάζοιτο τῆς τέχνης τῆς στρατιώτιδος. ὁ δὲ περιδέξιον τοῦτον ὁρῶν καὶ 3.168 φθονῶν αὐτῷ ἐπεβούλευε. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοῖς Σαρμάταις μαχόμενος τῷ ἐκείνων ἀρχηγῷ ἐκ τῆς πανοπλίας ἐπισήμῳ τυγχάνοντι προσέταξεν ἐπελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ καὶ ἐπῆλθε καὶ ἁρπάσας αὐτὸν ζῶντα τῷ Γαλερίῳ ἐκόμισεν. ειτα λέοντα φρικτόν τινα θῆρα καὶ παλαμναῖον ἐκέλευσε δέξασθαι. ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν αεθλον ηνυσεν ἐπικινδύνως μέν, τῆς θείας δέ γε χάριτος συντηρούσης αὐτόν. γνοὺς δ' ἐντεῦθεν φθονούμενος παρὰ τοῦ Γαλερίου καὶ ἐπιβουλευόμενος, νυκτὸς μετά τινων οις ἐθάρρει ἀπέδρα καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐπανελήλυθε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ουτως τόν τε κίνδυνον διαπέφευγε καὶ τῆς πατρῴας βασιλείας ἠξίωτο. Μαξιμῖνος δὲ κοινωνὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν Λικίνιον προσειλήφει, ἐκ ∆ακῶν ελκοντα τὴν τοῦ γένους σειρὰν καὶ γαμβρὸν οντα ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου. κοινωνὸν δὲ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτὸν ποιησάμενος τὸν μὲν ἐν τῷ ̓Ιλλυρικῷ καταλέλοιπεν, ιν' ἀμύνῃ τοῖς Θρᾳξὶν ὑπὸ βαρβάρων ληιζομένοις, ἐκεῖνος δ' εἰς ̔Ρώμην ἀφίκετο μαχόμενος πρὸς Μαξέντιον. ειτα τοὺς οἰκείους ὑπόπτους σχὼν στρατιώτας, καὶ φοβηθεὶς μὴ πρόσθοιντο τῷ ἐχθρῷ, ἀπέστη τῆς μάχης καὶ ἀνεχώρησε. μεταμεληθεὶς δ' ἐπὶ τῇ προσλήψει τοῦ Λικινίου, πρότερον μὲν λαθραίως αὐτῷ ἐπεβούλευεν, ειτα καὶ μάχην κατ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὐμφανὲς συνεστήσατο. καὶ συμβαλὼν αὐτῷ τρέπεται, καὶ ἡττώμενος εφυγε, καὶ ἐν τῇ φυγῇ ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο. Οἱ μὲν ουν τοιούτῳ τέλει καταλῦσαι τὴν ζωὴν 3.169 τὸν Μαξιμῖνον ἱστόρησαν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ χριστιανῶν ἐκμανέντα μετελθεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν θείαν παραδεδώκασι δίκην. ελκος γὰρ ἐνσκῆψαν αὐτοῦ περὶ τὸν βουβῶνα καὶ τὴν αἰδῶ χαλεπώτατον τὰ τῆς ἀκολασίας αὐτοῦ ἐπιβόσκεσθαι οργανα. ἐκ δέ γε τῆς σήψεως τούτων καὶ σκώληκας ἀναβράσσεσθαι, καὶ ειναι τὸ πάθος ἀνίατον. ἰατρῶν δὲ τοὺς μὲν αὐτόθεν ἀπαγορεύοντας τὴν ἐγχείρησιν ὠμῶς ἀποσφάττεσθαι, τοὺς δ' ἐπιχειροῦντας μέν, μὴ δυναμένους δ' ἀκέσασθαι, κτείνεσθαι ἀπηνέστατα, οτι μὴ κατώρθουν ἀδύνατα. ὀψὲ δ' ουν ὑποτοπῆσαι τὸν τύραννον διὰ τοὺς ἀδίκους φόνους τῶν τὸν Χριστὸν σεβομένων τιννύναι δίκην, καὶ ἐκθέσθαι θεσπίσματα πανταχοῦ κελεύοντα παυθῆναι τὸν κατὰ χριστιανῶν διωγμόν, καὶ ζῆν ἐκείνους καὶ θρησκεύειν ὡς βούλοιντο, ευχεσθαί τε ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. κἀνταῦθα δὲ διττοὶ λέγονται λόγοι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πάθους αὐτὸν παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα φησίν, ειτ' αυθις ἐπεγεῖραι τὸν διωγμόν, καὶ ἀδιόρθωτον μεῖναι, εως ου τοῦ ἐν χειρὶ κυρίου ποτηρίου τὸν τρυγίαν ἐξέπιεν· ὁ δ'