He Never Saw Constans Alone

But in truth I am ashamed even to have to defend myself against charges like these. I do not suppose that even the accuser himself would dare to mention them in my presence. For he knows very well that he is lying, and that I was never so mad, so robbed of my senses, as to be open even to the suspicion of having thought of any such thing. So if anyone else had questioned me on this subject, I would not even have answered, for fear that while I was making my defense my hearers might for a time hold back their judgment about me. But to Your Piety I answer with a loud and clear voice, and stretching out my hand, as I have learned from the apostle, “I call God as witness upon my soul.” And as it is written in the histories of the Kings (let me be allowed to say the same), “The Lord is witness, and his anointed is witness.” I have never spoken evil of Your Piety before your brother Constans, the most religious Augustus of blessed memory. I did not stir him up against you, as these people have falsely accused me of doing. Whenever he mentioned Your Grace in my meetings with him (and he did mention you at the time when Thalassus came to Pitybion, while I was staying at Aquileia), the Lord is witness how I spoke of Your Piety. I wish God would reveal my words to your soul, so that you might condemn the falsehood of these slanderers of mine. [a]

Bear with me, most gracious Augustus, and freely grant me your indulgence while I speak of this matter. Your most Christian brother was not a man of so light a temper, nor was I a man of such a character, that we should talk together on a subject like this, or that I should slander a brother to a brother, or speak evil of an emperor before an emperor. I am not so mad, Sire, nor have I forgotten the divine saying, “Do not curse the king, no, not even in your thought; and do not curse the rich in your bedroom; for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which has wings will tell the matter.” If, then, the things spoken in secret against you who are kings are not hidden, is it believable that I should have spoken against you in the presence of a king and of so many bystanders? For I never saw your brother by myself, and he never talked with me in private. I was always brought in together with the bishop of the city where I happened to be, and with others who happened to be there. We went into his presence together, and together we withdrew. Fortunatian, bishop of Aquileia, can testify to this. Father Hosius can say the same, and so can Crispinus, bishop of Padua, Lucillus of Verona, Dionysius of Leis, and Vincentius of Campania. And although Maximinus of Trier and Protasius of Milan are dead, Eugenius, who was master of the palace, can bear witness for me. For he stood before the veil and heard what we asked of the emperor and what he was kind enough to reply to us.