cut short, and a bitter spirit and a confused word and hands groping for the sword in vain and wrath rushing at the memory of drunkenness? For what deed or wealth-loving favor, and what pledge both of word and of deed did the Lord who does all things for our benefit pass over or allow to be postponed, wishing to soften their uncompliant nature by the restraint of reasoning, by the promise of gifts, by persuasion first and by reason second? And what lyre of the tongue did He not stir, tuned from the music within Him, by which often even wild beasts are persuaded, and the common insolence is tamed which one, having a wealth of ten thousand Orpheuses, could not soften? For it is more difficult to draw a man than to soften wild beasts. Nevertheless, through the judgment of the worse part, the barbarian mind prevailed, having the evil victory; for the one sought to cleanse his darkened<s> mind from hostile deeds, but the other, on the contrary, became a double Ethiopian. But when at last, like a fox he entered upon his deceits, clothed in evil faithlessness, outwardly fashioning an appearance as if for peace, but inwardly raging so as to steal the battle, he came to the wall as if for agreements, to conceal his deceit with sworn arts, and for him bows and battle were prepared, but for us, gifts and words for peace, what came upon us was not the barbarian's deceit but our own kindred sin; nevertheless, much of the suffering must be passed over in silence; for a suffering knows how to grieve even when spoken of. But now I will go to the trophies of the more recent battle, and again my words, having the good fortune of your prayer as an ally, as to a familiar and calm passage, lead the speaking merchant-ship to you. O you who do all things so that you never pass by a barren soul, but <also> always sowing and begetting children for God daily and remaining a virgin and remaining more a mother—for especially now you alone are in travail with all and all the earth and the City are swaddled for you, this city having been saved by God through you, hail, general of practical vigilance; for you, standing from a ready heart, spoke while saying nothing, and your stance immediately became a fall for the enemies. Hail, general of armed tears that set on fire the barbarian insolence; for as much as you spread the streams from your eyes, so much do you check the streams of blood; for seeing our thorny filth from the fruitless villainy of evils already being pressed toward burning and destruction, you forestall the fire, on the one hand, as it is kindled for the timber, and on the other hand, for the trees, the cutting which has been set, and opening the springs of your eyes you water the dry lands and quench the flame, and you transformed the fruitless hearts to bear fruit from a strange rain. For you knew, you knew, as one cultivating minds, that it is not possible for a heart to be fruitful, unless it is first cleansed like a vine, then should pour forth abundant tears and so at last call forth the unripe grapes; but not even this is a complete fruitfulness until the shoot, having received the sun <***> and nothing unripe be found on the vine. but the warmth of your faith forced us to bear ripe fruits, even before the usual unripe grapes appeared. But from these starting points of my words I wish to relate to you the recent battle, but from the resounding fear I shrink back and am forced to say nothing as I wish; nevertheless the word, the icon-painter of all things, may it fit these things too together with skilled measures, as a practical calligrapher of every deed. The throbbing squall of the enemy came upon us, like measureless waves, spitting out the sand of the barbarians; for the evil blast of all Thrace raised up against us a storm joined together from many clouds, of necessity in summer; But when at last near your merchant ship the boiling of the wind approached<s> and everywhere danger was prepared—for the whole circuit of the vessel was being submerged, you yourself standing by all the sailors, and stretching your neck upward intently, you exhorted all so that the expedition not drag along sin, being a useless thing, but that each man cast out from his heart the burdens of superfluous cargoes, lest somehow, dragged down by the terrible weight, the ship of the world might forfeit life. and doing these things for sleepless days—for every night too had the work of a day—you alone so much

συγκεκομμένη καὶ πνεῦμα πικρὸν καὶ πεφυρμένος λόγος καὶ χεῖρες εἰκῇ ψηλαφῶσαι τὸ ξίφος καὶ θυμὸς ᾄττων εἰς ἀνάμνησιν μέθης; ποῖον γὰρ ἔργον ἢ φιλόπλουτον χάριν, πίστιν δὲ ποίαν καὶ λόγου καὶ πράγματος ὁ πάντα πράττων συμφερόντως δεσπότης παρῆκεν ἢ μεθῆκεν εἰς ὑπερθέσεις θέλων μαλάξαι τὴν ἀσύνθετον φύσιν σχέσει λογισμῶν, δωρεῶν ὑποσχέσει, πειθοῖ τὰ πρῶτα καὶ λόγῳ τὰ δεύτερα; ποίαν δὲ γλώττης οὐκ ἐκίνησεν λύραν ἐκ τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ μουσικῆς ἡρμοσμένην, ᾗ πείθεται μὲν πολλάκις καὶ θηρία, πραΰνεται δὲ καὶ τὸ δημῶδες θράσος ὃ μυρίων τις εὐπορήσας Ὀρφέων οὐκ ἂν μαλάξοι; καὶ γὰρ ἐργωδέστερον ἄνθρωπον ἕλξαι τοῦ μαλάξαι θηρία. ὅμως ἐνίκα τῇ κρίσει τοῦ χείρονος ὁ βάρβαρος νοῦς τὴν κακὴν νίκην ἔχων· ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰς μελανθεί<σ>ας φρένας ἔργων φιλέχθρων ἐκκαθαίρειν ἠξίου, ὁ δ' αὖ γε διπλοῦς Αἰθίοψ ἐγίνετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ λοιπὸν ὡς ἀλώπηξ τοὺς δόλους ὑπῆλθεν ἐνδὺς τὴν κακὴν ἀπιστίαν, ἔξω μὲν ὄψιν ὡς πρὸς εἰρήνην πλάσας ἔσω δὲ λυττῶν ὥστε κλέψαι τὴν μάχην, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος ἦλθεν ὡς εἰς συμβάσεις τέχναις ἐνόρκοις συγκαλύψαι τὸν δόλον, καὶ τῷ μὲν εὐτρέπιστο τόξα καὶ μάχη ἡμῖν δὲ δῶρα καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην λόγοι, μετῆλθεν ἡμᾶς οὐχ ὁ βάρβαρος δόλος ἀλλ' ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς συγγενὴς ἁμαρτία· ὅμως τὰ πολλὰ τοῦ πάθους σιγητέον· λυπεῖν γὰρ οἶδε καὶ λαλούμενον πάθος. ἀλλ' εἶμι λοιπὸν πρὸς τὰ τῆς νεωτέρας μάχης τρόπαια, καὶ πάλιν δὲ συμμάχου τῆς σῆς προσευχῆς εὐποροῦντες οἱ λόγοι ὡς πρὸς συνήθη καὶ φιλεύδιον πόρον ἄγουσι πρὸς σὲ τὴν λαλοῦσαν ὁλκάδα. ὦ πάντα πράττων ὥστε μὴ στεῖράν ποτε ψυχὴν παρελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ <καὶ> σπείρων ἀεὶ καὶ τεκνοποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ παρθενεύων καὶ πλέον μήτηρ μένων μάλιστα γὰρ νῦν πάντας ὠδίνεις μόνος καὶ πᾶσά σοι γῆ σπαργανοῦται καὶ Πόλις, ταύτης δι' ὑμῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ σεσωσμένης, χαῖρε, στρατηγὲ πρακτικῆς ἀγρυπνίας· σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἑστὼς ἐξ ἑτοίμου καρδίας μηδὲν λαλῶν ἔφραζες, ἡ δὲ σὴ στάσις πτῶσις κατ' ἐχθρῶν εὐθέως ἐγίνετο. χαῖρε, στρατηγὲ τῶν ἐνόπλων δακρύων τῶν πυρπολούντων τὸ θράσος τὸ βάρβαρον· ὅσον γὰρ ἁπλοῖς τὰς ῥοὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων, τοσοῦτον εἴργεις τὰς ῥοὰς τῶν αἱμάτων· ὁρῶν γὰρ ἡμῶν τοὺς ἀκανθώδεις ῥύπους ἐκ τῆς ἀκάρπου τῶν κακῶν κακουργίας πρὸς καῦσιν ἤδη καὶ φθορὰν ἠπειγμένους, φθάνεις τὸ πῦρ μὲν ὡς πρὸς ὕλην ἡμμένον πρὸς δ' αὖ τὰ δένδρα τὴν τομὴν τεθειμένην, πηγὰς δὲ τῶν σῶν ἐξανοίξας ὀμμάτων ἄρδεις τὰ χέρσα καὶ δροσίζεις τὴν φλόγα, καὶ τὰς ἀκάρπους καρδίας μετειργάσω καρποὺς ἐνεγκεῖν ἐξ ἐπομβρίας ξένης. ᾔδεις γάρ, ᾔδεις, ὡς γεωργῶν τὰς φρένας, ὡς οὐκ ἔνεστιν εὐφορῆσαι καρδίαν, εἰ μὴ καθαρθῇ πρῶτον ἀμπέλου δίκην, ἔπειτα πυκνὸν ἐκχέοι τὸ δάκρυον οὕτω τε λοιπὸν ἐκκαλοῖ τοὺς ὄμφακας· πλὴν οὐδὲ ταύτης ἐντελὴς εὐκαρπία ἕως ὁ βλαστὸς προσλαβὼν τὸν ἥλιον <***> καὶ μηδὲν ὠμὸν εὑρεθῇ τῆς ἀμπέλου. ἡμᾶς δὲ τῆς σῆς πίστεως ἡ θερμότης καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι τοὺς συνήθεις ὄμφακας καρποὺς ἐνεγκεῖν ὡρίμους ἠνάγκασε. θέλω δὲ τούτων τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῶν λόγων ὡς τὴν ἔναγχος ἱστορῆσαί σοι μάχην, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐναύλου τοῦ φόβου συστέλλομαι καὶ μηδὲν εἰπεῖν ὡς θέλω βιάζομαι· ὅμως ὁ πάντων εἰκονογράφος λόγος καὶ ταῦτα μέτροις τεχνικοῖς συναρμόσοι, ὡς παντὸς ἔργου πρακτικὸς καλλιγράφος. ἡ μὲν ζάλη σφύζουσα τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπῆλθεν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἄμετρα κύματα, τὴν ψάμμον ἐκπτύσασα τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων· τὸ γὰρ κακὸν φύσημα τῆς Θρᾴκης ὅλης χειμῶνα πολλῶν ἐκ νεφῶν συνημμένον ἤγειρεν ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐν θέρει· ἐπεὶ δὲ λοιπὸν πλησίον τῆς ὁλκάδος τῆς σῆς προ<σ>ῆλθεν ἡ ζέσις τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ πανταχοῦ κίνδυνος ἦν ἠρτυμένος πᾶν γὰρ τὸ κύκλον τοῦ σκάφους ἐβάπτετο, αὐτὸς παριστὰς τοῖς ἐπιπλώταις ὅλοις ἄνω τε ποιῶν ἐκτενῶς τὸν αὐχένα πᾶσιν παρῄνεις ὥστε τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἄχρηστον ὄντα μὴ παρέλκειν τὸν στόλον, ἀλλ' ἐκβαλεῖν ἕκαστον ἐκ τῆς καρδίας τὰ τῶν περιττῶν φορτίων βαρήματα, μή πως κατασπασθεῖσα τῷ δεινῷ βάρει ἡ κοσμικὴ ναῦς ζημιώσῃ τὸν βίον. καὶ ταῦτα πράττων εἰς ἀΰπνους ἡμέρας καὶ πᾶσα γὰρ νὺξ ἔργον εἶχεν ἡμέρας, μόνος τοσοῦτον