The Gold Coffin by Ferenc Móra
“The divine Cajus Aurelius Valerius Diocletian is also called Jovius, that is Jupiter. Firstly because his origin goes back to the father of gods, and secondly because he rules over mortals as Jupiter does over immortals. He is the chief emperor, the first augustus, in brief the Lord, the Dominus. Then comes the second augustus, his holiness Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximian, who also bears the name of Herculius. That is because he is the offspring of the divine Heros and where Diocletian has the brain, it is him who is the arm; what Jupiter devises Hercules executes.” ...
“The two augustuses chose the two caesars as their helpers. … Augustus Dicletian shared the eastern part of the Empire with caesar Cajus Valerius Galerius, while Maximian, the augustus of the Western Empire, chose Flavius Valerius Constantius to be caesar next to him. The caesars are adopted sons and son-in-laws of augustuses; therefore they are to be addressed as sacrosanctus, while the divine members of their families are to be turned to as nobilissimus and nobillissima. Adoratio, that is greeting by going down on the knees, is befitting only his divinity, the Dominus. Yet his infinite clemency does not regard it a sin if his companions who are part of his deity are given this opportunity as well. However, the highest decree says that those who are made happy by the gods by being allowed to appear before them have to greet the other holy individuals by bowing the head three times and raising the right arm. However, the nobilissimus must be honoured only with double humility ...”
Translated by Katalin Rácz and Robert Dent
