[Sidenote:—­9—­] This is what Dio says about it, but he seems to be telling an untruth, whether voluntarily or involuntarily; I am more inclined to think it is voluntarily.  It surely must be so, for he was not ignorant of the fact that one company of the soldiers had the special name of “The Thunderbolt” (he mentions it in the list along with the rest), [Footnote:  The reference is evidently to Book Fifty-five, chapter 23, but it should be observed that the names, though very possibly having the same sense, are not identical.  The legion is here called [Greek:  keraunobolos] (=Fulminatrix or Fulminata) but in 55, 23 [Greek:  keraunophoros] (= Fulminifera).] and this was due to no other cause (nor is any other reported) save that event which gave rise to the title in this very war,—­an event which enabled the Romans to survive on this occasion and brought destruction upon the barbarians.  It was not Arnouphis, the wizard, for Marcus is not accounted to have taken pleasure in the company of wizards and charms.  But what I have reference to is as follows:  Marcus had a company (and the Roman name for company is “legion”) of soldiers from Melitene.  They were all worshipers of Christ.  Now it is stated that in that battle, when Marcus was in a quandary over having been surrounded and feared the loss of his whole army, the prefect approached him and said that those called Christians can accomplish anything whatever by their prayers, and that among them there chanced to be a whole company of this sect.  Marcus, on hearing this, made an appeal to them to pray to their God.  And when they had prayed, the God immediately gave ear, hurling a thunderbolt upon the enemy and encouraging the Romans with rain.  Marcus was astounded at what happened and honored the Christians by an official decree, while the legion he named “The Thunderbolt.”  It is said also that there is a letter of Marcus extant on this matter.  But the Greeks, though they know that the company was called “Thunderbolt” and bear witness to the fact themselves, make no statement whatever about the reason for the appellation.

[Sidenote:—­10—­] Dio goes on to say that when the rain poured down at first all bent their faces upwards and received it in their mouths.  Then some held their shields and their helmets as pails, and they themselves took fullmouthed draughts of it and gave their horses to drink.  The barbarians making a charge upon them, they drank and fought at the same time; and some who were wounded gulped down together the water and the blood that flowed into their helmets.  The most of them had given so much attention to drinking that they would have suffered some great damage from the enemy’s onset had not a violent hail and numbers of thunderbolts fallen upon the latter’s ranks.  In the same spot one might see water and fire descending from Heaven at the same time:  the one side was being drenched and drinking, the other was being burned with fire and dying.  The fire did not touch the Romans,