When the Tetrachy that Diocletian engineered predictably degenerated into a squabble for total control, Diocletian's former co-emperor of the West, Maximian, tried to persuade Diocletian to "un-retire" and end the civil war. Diocletian, as the first Emperor to voluntarily abdicate, was enjoying his peace, and famously told Maximian's messenger, "If you could show the cabbage that I planted with my own hands to your emperor, he definitely wouldn’t dare suggest that I replace the peace and happiness of this place with the storms of a never-satisfied greed."
What if it had been a bad year for cabbages, and Diocletian decided to try to salvage the fruits of all of his hard work and regain power?
What if it had been a bad year for cabbages, and Diocletian decided to try to salvage the fruits of all of his hard work and regain power?