Inter ipsa enim exordia procinctus Parthici disponendi, nuntiatum est Constantinopolim terrae pulsu vibratam: quod horum periti minus laetum esse pronuntiabant aliena pervadere molienti rectori.
Amidst the very initial stages of preparing for the campaign against the Parthians, news arrived that an earthquake had struck Constantinople. Experts in the field believed that this was an unfavorable sign for a leader who was intending to invade foreign territories.