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The son of Aspar; noble in spirit, [he who] often strongly repulsed the barbarians overrunning Thrace. To him therefore, as rewards for excellence, the Emperor Marcianus[1] offered command of the eastern infantry army. But after accepting this [position] in peacetime he turned to relaxation and effeminate luxuriance. For he used to rejoice in mimes and charlatans and all theatrical pastimes,[2] and passing his days in such shameful things he paid no regard whatsoever to those things which tended toward good repute. And after the emperor Marcianus had become "good", but had soon died, Aspar of his own will prepared Leon to be his successor.[3]

*)ardabou/rios, ui(o\s *)/asparos, gennai=os to\n qumo\n kai\ tou\s th\n *qra/|khn polla/kis katadramo/ntas barba/rous eu)rw/stws a)pokrousa/menos. tou/tw| ou)=n ge/ra a)risteiw=n o( basileu\s *markiano\s pare/sxeto th\n e(/w stratopedarxi/an. katalabw\n de\ e)n ei)rh/nh| tau/thn o( strathgo\s pro\s a)/nesin e)tra/ph kai\ r(a|stw/nhn qhludriw=tin. e)/xaire ga\r mi/mois kai\ qaumatopoioi=s kai\ pa=si skhnikoi=s a)qu/rmasi, kai\ toi=s toiou/tois dihmereu/wn ai)sxroi=s h)lo/gei pa/mpan tw=n pro\s eu)/kleian teino/ntwn. *markianou= de\ tou= basile/ws xrhstou= me\n gegono/tos, qa=tton de\ e)kbebiwko/tos, au)tokeleu/stw| gnw/mh| *)/aspar *le/onta dia/doxon au)tou= gene/sqai pareskeu/asen.

See already alpha 707, and again under alpha 4201 (below), zeta 29 and sigma 180. The present material, with its odd echoes (see n.2 below), has been attributed to Menander Protector (fr.20 FHG) and, more plausibly, Priscus (fr. 59 Bornmann).
[1] On Marcian, see the De Imperatoribus Romanis entry by Geoffrey Nathan at web address 1.
[2] This phrase echoes what Diodorus Siculus wrote of Antiochus Cyzicenus. See pi 2362.
[3] On Leo I, see the De Imperatoribus Romanis entry by Hugh Elton at web address 2. This sentence appears also at alpha 4201.

David Whitehead (added notes) on 28 October 2001@06:16:44.
Catharine Roth (modified translation) on 2 November 2001@00:54:24.
Catharine Roth (added links) on 2 November 2001@01:02:30.
Catharine Roth (added cross-reference) on 4 January 2002@18:52:39.
David Whitehead (added keywords) on 7 June 2002@10:05:00.
David Whitehead (added x-ref) on 23 July 2003@08:14:33.
David Whitehead (tweaks to tr; augmented notes and keywords) on 11 April 2012@03:46:57.
Catharine Roth (coding) on 28 November 2014@01:24:35.
David Whitehead on 31 January 2015@09:28:58.
Catharine Roth (tweaked notes) on 21 October 2015@23:53:28.

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