History of Armenia

was worthy of divine vision, there was depicted for him openly from heaven a star-like, light-viewing sign of the life-giving Cross, bringing around itself the characters of rays, that "by this you shall conquer"; and he, awakened, by the hope of the holy sign of assistance appearing to him, 5 conquered and drove away the enemy camps; and, anxious for the quick discovery of this, in haste he sent his mother, the blessed Helena, to Jerusalem. And how there, through the fervent request of the holy person, the wood of life was revealed, everyone knows, having learned from his book about the discovery of our salvation.

10 And the king himself came to the pre-designated small city, which was called Byzantium, and having seen the wonderful-looking strength of the place, even if it showed heavy and much labor in the location, he did not fear at all because of the usefulness of the island. For, surrounded from all sides, the place was sea-bound, but [with] a little land-floor path, without the circumnavigations of the waters, which went to the western side of the city. Quickly putting his hand to work, he gave the command to flatten the high-rising hills, which were inside the island, and having built a very splendid city, which according to his own naming he called Constantinople, which translates in Armenian: Constantine's 20 city; which some, according to the Roman dialect, say "Palatin," which translates "royal." But the Byzantium that was built beforehand is a neighborhood at the edge of that city, which until today is called by its name, Byzantium. And from then on the waters of knowledge, as in a royal place, abundant and gushing from the city; as from all 25 sides, the well-learned of the land of the Greeks hasten to make a show there, and until today, multiplied, the waters of his wisdom spread to all sides.

Now, in such a city and in the midst of such a multitude of the learned, was the man Faustus trained to arrange in his history such things, perhaps unpleasant to listeners? Far and away from that! Therefore, I say that the act, which seemed unbelievable to my weak mind, that perhaps someone else, with bold and uninstructed word, having rudely put a hand to his own [work], wrote what he needed according to his will; or, since someone did not find fitting things, he allegorized and damaged [it], and by the name of Faustus tried to cover the errors of his own 35 boldness; and that is shown clearly to all viewers; for there are some among the Greeks, but especially...