Saint Ambrose praises such sagacity of the Emperor Valentian who died at an early age citing these examples from his life:
"The emperor, hearing that he was talked about throughout Rome as a passionate hunter and a lover of wild beasts - which, in reality he was not - and how this passion was taking the emperor away from his duties of State, immediately ordered that all the wild beasts in his preserve be slain.
Again, upon hearing how certain malicious people spread the rumor that he ate lunch early (wanting by this to present him as being gluttonous), the emperor imposed a strict fast on himself both privately and publicly.
Before the public lunches he was rarely seen to place a morsel of food in his mouth. And again, when his sisters disputed with a certain man over some property, the emperor, even though he had the right to judge the dispute, directed the case to the open court so that he would not be accused of partiality."
Indeed, with great fear, this pious emperor upheld the words of the Lord:
"Woe to him who shall offend [scandalize] one of these little ones" (St. Matthew 18:6).
