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Orthodox emperor of [the] Romans, who displayed great care and attention for the churches and recalled all the bishops in exile. And he wrote to St. Athanasius to indicate to him the strictness of his blameless faith. And he sent a letter full of orthodoxy. This man ruled after Julian:[1] when this Julian gave his soldiers the choice to sacrifice or be discharged, Jovian preferred to remove his military belt. And, going to the well-populated city of Nisibis and spending only two days here, he spent as much money as he had—sharing nothing with the inhabitants, not a generous word nor a good deed. A man who had advanced to such a point of power not through his own virtue but through his father's reputation—for he was not altogether physically weak or unexercised in the deeds of war; but, being a man who lacked training and who had not tasted education, he dimmed and disfigured even what natural ability he had through laziness.
This man, who gained control of the Roman empire after Julian, as has been said, disdained all and was eager to reap the benefit of the honor that had come to him, and, fleeing from Persia, he hurried to get within the Roman provinces[2] to display his good fortune, and he turns over Nisibis, a city long subject to the Romans, to the Persians. Therefore, they mocked him in song and in burlesques and the so-called 'lampoons'[3] because of [his] betrayal of Nisibis.
And Jovian, set in motion by his wife, burned down a very elegant temple built by the emperor Hadrian for the deification of his father Trajan. This temple, by command of Julian, had been converted to a library by a eunuch named Theophilus, but Jovian burnt it down along with all its books, and the concubines[4] themselves, while laughing, set the fire. The Antiochenes became upset with the emperor and threw out some of the books onto the ground, so that whoever wanted could pick one up and read it, and they stuck others to the walls.[5] And they were this sort of thing: "You came from war; O, that you had died there."[6] And "You damned Paris, so very good-looking...." etc.[7] And "If I don’t grab you and take off your fine clothes, your chlaina and chiton, which cover your shame, and swiftly send you yourself weeping to the Persians."[8]
And an old woman who had seen that he was big and handsome and recognized that he was an idiot declared: "As long and deep as folly!" Another private citizen dared to shout in a loud voice at the racetrack and afforded laughter to everyone [by] saying empty, insipid [words] to his comrades.[9] And monstrous things would have happened, if a certain Sallustius had not ended the disturbance.
And when it was winter, Jovian made his way to Cilicia and Galatia and died in Dadastana after eating a poisoned mushroom.[10] And in his rule he seemed to be affable and generous.
In the reign of Jovian, Acacius, who wrote a pamphlet about orthodox faith [and] accept[ed] the synod at Nicaea, was bishop of Palestinian Caesarea.[11]

*)iobiano/s, basileu\s *(rwmai/wn o)rqo/docos, o(\s e)pime/leian kai\ fronti/da pollh\n e)poiei=to tw=n e)kklhsiw=n kai\ tou\s e)n e)cori/ais e)pisko/pous pa/ntas a)nekale/sato tw=| te a(gi/w| *)aqanasi/w| a)pe/steile th=s a)mwmh/tou pi/stews e)ggra/fws au)tw=| shma=nai th\n a)kri/beian. o( de\ a)pe/steilen e)pistolh\n plh/rh o)rqodoci/as. ou(=tos meta\ *)iouliano\n h)=rcen: o(\s h(ni/ka *)iouliano\s ai(/resin toi=s strateuome/nois e)ti/qei, qu/ein h)\ a)postrateu/esqai, ma=llon th\n zw/nhn a)poqe/sqai e)bou/leto. e)lqw\n de\ e)s *ni/sibin po/lin polua/nqrwpon du/o mo/non h(merw=n e)ndiatri/yas au)th=|, o(/sa per ei)=xe xrh/mata katana/lwse toi=s e)noikou=si mhdeno\s metadou\s h)\ lo/gou filanqrw/pou h)\ pra/cews a)gaqh=s: a)/nqrwpos ou) di' a)reth\n oi)kei/an, a)lla\ dia\ th\n tou= patro\s do/can e)s tosou=ton a)rxh=s proelqw/n. h)=n me\n ga\r ou)de\ panta/pasin a)sqenh\s to\ sw=ma ou)/te polemikoi=s e)/rgois a)gu/mnastos: a)mele/thtos de\ w)\n kai\ a)/geustos paideu/sews, kai\ h(\n ei)=xe fu/sin dia\ r(a|qumi/an h)mau/rou kai\ h)fa/nizen. ou(=tos meta\ *)iouliano/n, w(s ei)/rhtai, th=s *(rwmai/wn basilei/as e)gkrath\s geno/menos, pa/ntwn katafronh/sas e)spou/daze tou= sumba/ntos au)tw=| a)ciw/matos a)polau=sai, kai\ feu/gwn e)k *persi/dos e)/speude gene/sqai tw=n *(rwmai+kw=n e)qw=n e)nto\s ei)s e)pi/deicin th=s tu/xhs, kai\ th\n *ni/sibin po/lin toi=s *pe/rsais, pa/lai *(rwmai/ois ou)=san kath/koon, e)kdi/dwsin. a)pe/skwpton ou)=n au)to\n w)|dai=s kai\ parw|di/ais kai\ toi=s kaloume/nois famw/ssois, dia\ th\n th=s *nisi/bidos prodosi/an. o( de\ *)iobiano/s, e)k th=s gunaiko\s au)tou= kinhqei\s to\n u(po\ *)adrianou= tou= basile/ws ktisqe/nta nao\n xarie/staton e)s a)poqe/wsin tou= patro\s *trai+anou=, para\ de\ tou= *)ioulianou= katastaqe/nta biblioqh/khn eu)nou/xw| tini\ *qeofi/lw|, kate/flece su\n pa=sin oi(=s ei)=xe bibli/ois, au)tw=n tw=n pallaki/dwn u(faptousw=n meta\ ge/lwtos th\n pura/n. oi( de\ *)antioxei=s h)gana/kthsan kata\ tou= basile/ws kai\ ta\ me\n a)pe/rripton tw=n bibli/wn e)s to\ e)/dafos, w(/ste a)nai/resqai to\n boulo/menon kai\ a)naginw/skein, ta\ de\ toi=s toi/xois proseko/llizon. h)=n de\ toiau=ta: h)/luqes e)k pole/mou, w(s w)/feles au)to/q' o)le/sqai: kai/, *du/spari, ei)=dos a)/riste: kai\ ta\ e(ch=s. kai/, ei) mh\ e)gw/ se labw\n a)po\ me\n fi/la ei(/mata du/sw, xlai=na/n t' h)de\ xitw=na, ta/ t' ai)dw= a)mfikalu/ptei, au)to\n de\ klai/onta qow=s e)pi\ *pe/rsas a)fh/sw. grau=s de/ tis me/gan kai\ kalo\n au)to\n qeasame/nh maqou=sa/ te a)no/hton ei)=nai e)fqe/gcato: o(/son mh=kos kai\ ba/qos h( mwri/a. kai\ a)/llos de\ i)diw/ths a)potolmh/sas, mega/lh| th=| fwnh=| boh/sas e)n tw=| i(ppodromi/w| ge/lwta pare/sxe pa=sin ei)pw\n kena\ kai\ yuxra\ th=| h(liki/a| au)tou=. kai\ e)pra/xqh a)\n a)/topa, ei) mh\ *salou/stio/s tis e)/pause th\n sta/sin. o( de\ *)iobiano\s xeimw=nos o)/ntos w(doipo/rei e)pi\ *kiliki/an kai\ *galati/an kai\ e)n *dadasta/nois a)pe/qane mu/khta pefarmagme/non fagw/n. kata\ de\ th\n h(gemoni/an koino\s kai\ e)leuqe/rios e)/docen ei)=nai. o(/ti e)pi\ *)iobianou= h)=n *)aka/kios e)pi/skopos *kaisarei/as *palaisti/nhs, o(\s li/bellon e)/graye peri\ o)rqodo/cou pi/stews, a)podexo/menos th\n e)n *nikai/a| su/nodon.

Jovian (ruled 363-364). See Thomas Banchich's DIR entry at web address 1, and briefly E.D. Hunt in OCD(4) s.v. The present entry draws on George the Monk, Chronicon 549.20-550.3, and John of Antioch fr.181 FHG (4.606), now 273 Roberto.
[1] For Julian see iota 437. Blockley treats everything in iota 401 from ou(=tos meta\ *)iouliano\n h)=rcen through e)leuqe/rios e)/docen ei)=nai as Eunapius fr. 29.[1].
[2] *)eqw=n appears to be a scribal error for e)qnw=n.
[3] The Greek gives a transliteration of the Latin famosa, which is short for carmina famosa, 'infamous songs'; cf. phi 64.
[4] Perhaps Theophilus’ concubines.
[5] These are not the books from the burned library, which were all destroyed, but rather famosa, some at least of which abused Jovian in Homeric language.
[6] Homer, Iliad 3.428 (Helen to Paris).
[7] Homer, Iliad 3.39 = 13.769 (Hector to Paris).
[8] Homer, Iliad 2.261-263 (Odysseus to Thersites) -- but here with a change in the final noun (to 'Persians' from Homer's 'ships'. The garments are of course Greek, not Roman. (A chlaina is a thick woolen mantle or cloak, and a chiton is a woolen shirt. See chi 320 and chi 335.)
[9] *(hliki/a here probably = h(/likes. See LSJ s.v. h(liki/a II.
[10] This is one of several different stories about his death, for which see the DIR entry (web address 1).
[11] Not alpha 783 but a namesake.

David Whitehead (augmented primary note; more keywords; cosmetics) on 20 May 2004@05:19:39.
David Whitehead (x-ref) on 20 May 2004@09:13:49.
David Whitehead (another keyword) on 3 October 2005@07:35:58.
David Whitehead (more keywords; tweaking) on 13 January 2013@05:20:17.
Catharine Roth (reduced links, coding) on 29 August 2013@22:37:37.
Catharine Roth (added cross-references) on 29 August 2013@22:42:02.
David Whitehead (updated a ref) on 4 August 2014@03:43:46.
Catharine Roth (expanded note) on 28 November 2014@22:01:57.
Aaron Baker (Revised translation. Added Blockley bibliographical entry.) on 30 November 2014@22:09:16.
Aaron Baker on 30 November 2014@22:39:11.
Aaron Baker (Revised translation.) on 30 November 2014@22:42:22.
Aaron Baker (Provided citations to Homeric passages. Tweaked translation.) on 30 November 2014@23:40:08.
Catharine Roth (coded betacode) on 30 November 2014@23:55:56.
Aaron Baker (Added Blockley citation to footnotes.) on 1 December 2014@00:13:21.
Catharine Roth (coding) on 1 December 2014@00:23:00.
Aaron Baker (Added footnote.) on 1 December 2014@09:49:00.
David Whitehead (updated a ref) on 29 January 2015@09:33:10.
Aaron Baker (Removed pg. number from LSJ reference (as I had forgotten I wasn't using latest edition, and I don't know pagination for that).) on 27 March 2015@22:44:44.
Catharine Roth (cosmetics) on 28 March 2015@01:00:48.
David Whitehead (another note; note tweaks elsewhere) on 26 April 2016@10:17:04.

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