Themestius had a long and prosperous career as an orator, philosopher and propagandist, beginning in AD 350 with his speech to Emperor Constantius II. He remained centre stage in the political and cultural life of Constantinople under Constantius' successors (Julian, Jovian, Velentinian I and Theodosius I). This book includes a selection of Themestius' speeches, grouped either by period or by their reference to a particular sequence of events, with a commentary on the historical background and context in which they were delivered.