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Life of St Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza
Mark the Deacon, tr. Hill, 1913
Chapter 50
On the morrow the Empress sendeth for us, and having according to her custom first saluted the holy bishops bade them sit, and saith unto them: ‘By your prayers hath God laid upon me your business, and with his help hath it been done, and ye have seen what means I did use. But if it seem good on the morrow I will send for the quaestor,1 and before your faces I will bid him make according to the signification of your petition a divine rescript in the name of the two Emperors, and, to speak plainly, whatsoever ye say unto him he shall do.’ And the bishops when they heard this also called many blessings upon her, and on her son and the Emperor, and when they had conversed on many other matters profitable to the soul they took their leave and went forth. And on the morrow she sent for the quaestor and for us, and saith unto him: ‘Take this paper and according to its signification draw out a divine rescript.’ And the quaestor, taking the paper, speedily dictated the divine rescript, while we were yet present. And we put it into his mind that he should appoint captains and consulars2 for our defence, and troops under them. But when the divine rescript was complete and signed, we besought the Lady that the matter should be committed into the hands of some man among the nobles. And she bade Amantius seek out a man that was a zealous Christian, to whom it should be committed.
Notes
- quaestor. Perhaps chancellor is the nearest English equivalent to this title.
- consulars. i.e. persons of consular rank, which they received from the Emperor whether they had actually been consuls or not. They were sent to govern the provinces as imperial legates.