atened, and was loud in his complaints.

12. When these things became known to the emperor, he appointed the
members of his secret council and the chief officers of his army to make
further investigation of the matter. And when the judges appeared to
make light of it, Florentius the son of Nigridianus, who at that time
filled the post of master of the offices,[41] having examined the
writings carefully, and detecting beneath them some vestiges of the tops
of the former words which had been effaced, perceived, as was indeed the
case, that by interpolations of the original letter, matters very
different from any of which Silvanus was author had been written over
them, according to the fancy of the contriver of this forgery.

13. On this the cloud of treachery was dispersed, and the emperor,
informed of the truth by a faithful report, recalled the powers granted
to the prefect, and ordered him to be submitted to an examination.
Nevertheless he was acquitted through the active combination of many of
his friends; while Eusebius, the former treasurer of the emperor's
secret purse, being put to the torture, confessed that these things had
been done with his privity.

14. AEdesius, affirming with obstinate denial that he had never known
anything which had been done in the matter, escaped, being adjudged
innocent. And thus the transaction was brought to an end, and all those
who had been accused in the original information were acquitted; and
Dynamius, as a man of exceeding accomplishments and prudence, was
appointed to govern Etruria with the rank of corrector.

15. While these affairs were proceeding, Silvanus was living at
Agrippina,[42] and having learnt by continual information sent to him
by his friends what Apodemius was doing with the hope of effecting his
ruin; and knowing also how impressible the mind of the feeble emperor
was; began to fear lest in his absence, and without being convicted of
any crime, he might still be treated as a criminal. And so, being placed
in a situation of the greatest difficulty, he began to think of trusting
himself to the good faith of the barbarians.

16. But being dissuaded from this by Laniogaisus, at that time a
tribune, whom we have already spoken of as the only person who was
present with Constans when he was dying, himself serving at that time as
a volunteer; and being assured by Laniogaisus that the Franks, of whom
he himself was a countryman, would put him to death, or else bet