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A terrible speechwriter carried off Cyzicus as the prize for his impiety; and to Theosebius, after his refutations for unspeakable blasphemies, the Church of Sardis was proposed. And I am silent about the Bithynians, and Paphlagonians, and Cilicians, and all whom the evil, carried in a circle, grazed upon. What opportunity for a defense, then, was there at that time? But, I think, it is not possible to lie even if one wishes to. So it is truer than anything that the form of his argument is a contrivance for deceit. And this much on these points. But he, having gone on a little, consider what sort of things he writes. For it is perhaps not useless, before the refutations of his impiety, to reveal a few things about his pride. {EUN.} But I ask you above all, both those who will listen now and those who will read in the future, not to be willing to distinguish the false from the true by the multitude, attaching what is better to the greater portion 29.508; nor indeed to have your understanding obscured by paying attention to dignities, or by giving more credit to the order of those who came before, to close your ears to those who come after. {BAS.} What are you saying? Should we not give more credit to those who came before? Should we not reverence the multitude of Christians both now living and of all who have been since the Gospel was proclaimed? Should we not consider the dignity of those who shone in all sorts of spiritual gifts, to all of whom you have introduced this wicked path of impiety as something hostile and inimical? But should we, having simply closed the eyes of our soul, and banished the memory of every saint from our mind, each of us bring his own heart, empty and swept clean, and submit it to your fallacies and sophistries? You would certainly have grasped a great power, if what the devil did not succeed in by his various devices, it should be yours to obtain by command; if indeed, persuaded by you, we should judge the tradition that has prevailed in all past time by so many saints to be more dishonorable than your impious invention. But it is not enough for him to steal away the thoughts of those who listen now, but he also demands that those who will at some later time engage with his argument should have the same opinion. Oh, the arrogance! To think that his argument will suffice for him even in the future, and that his memory will be kept immortal for time to come. And now he speaks so boldly, who a little later puts on a soft tone to his hearers as one who despises all pride, speaking thus to the judges in the drama. {EUN.} In addition to these things, do not be angry with us, if, having disregarded pride and fear, and having preferred security for the future to present favor and safety, and having judged the appointed threat against the impious to be more terrible than any earthly suffering and temporary death, we set forth the truth naked of every covering. {BAS.} What excess of arrogance does this boast of words not surpass? And to the irony is added also insolence against the judges; if indeed, because they are ill-disposed toward what is good, they are barely restrained from being angry at one who despises arrogance and pride, who prefers security for the future to safety in the present, and who judges the punishment hereafter to be more terrible than temporary death. And what is this? Do not be angry with me, O 29.509 men, for having ascended to the very summit of virtue, and for having surpassed earthly things, and transferred my whole life to heaven. This is a new kind of arrogance. For by the things through which he pretends to despise pride, he raises himself to the utmost conceit. For if the things for which he shows himself to act worthily of pardon are the chief points of the evangelical life, he leaves us to conjecture what sort of person it was fitting to consider him in his achievements. These things, therefore, having as it were the character of his whole purpose, though many things have been passed over in silence, have been said sufficiently, so that from the things in which he lied, we may recognize the father of lies speaking in him; and from his boasts we may be taught with whom he has been condemned, as the Apostle clearly says of one puffed up with pride to

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δεινὸς λογο γράφος ἆθλον τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν Κύζικον ἀπ ηνέγκατο· Θεοσεβίῳ δὲ μετὰ τοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀῤῥήτοις βλασφημίαις ἐλέγχους ἡ Ἐκκλησία Σάρδεων προεπόθη. Καὶ σιωπῶ Βιθυνοὺς, καὶ Παφλαγόνας, καὶ Κίλικας, καὶ πάντας ὅσους ἐν κύκλῳ φερό μενον τὸ κακὸν ἐπενείματο. Ποίας οὖν ἀπολογίας ἔτι καιρὸς ἦν τότε; Ἀλλ', οἶμαι, οὐδὲ βουλομένῳ δυ νατὸν ψεύσασθαι. Ὥστε παντὸς ἀληθέστερον, ὅτι τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ λόγου μηχάνημα αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀπά την ἐστίν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. Ὁ δὲ, μικρὸν προελθὼν, σκέψασθε οἷα γράφει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄχρηστον ἴσως πρὸ τῶν ἐλέγχων τῆς ἀσεβείας ὀλίγα τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν τύφου παραδηλῶσαι. {ΕΥΝ.} Αἰτοῦμαι δὲ πρὸ πάντων ὑμᾶς, τούς τε νῦν ἀκουσομένους καὶ τοὺς εἰς ὕστερον ἐντευξομέ νους, μὴ τῷ πλήθει διακρίνειν ἐθέλειν τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ψεῦδος, τῇ πλείονι μοίρᾳ τὸ κρεῖττον συνάπτον 29.508 τας· μήτε μὴν ἀξιώμασι προσέχοντας ἀμαυ ροῦσθαι τὴν διάνοιαν, ἢ τῇ τάξει τῶν προλαβόν των τὸ πλέον νέμοντας, ἀποφράττειν τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῖς ὑστέροις. {ΒΑΣ.} Τί λέγεις; Μὴ νείμωμεν τὸ πλέον τοῖς προ λαβοῦσι; μὴ αἰδεσθῶμεν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν τε νῦν ὄντων Χριστιανῶν, καὶ τῶν ὅσοι γεγόνασιν ἀφ' οὗ κατηγγέλη τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον; μὴ λογισώμεθα τὸ ἀξί ωμα τῶν ἐν παντοίοις χαρίσμασι διαφανέντων πνευ ματικοῖς, οἷς ἅπασιν ἐχθρὰν καὶ πολεμίαν τὴν πο νηρὰν ὁδὸν ταύτην τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐκαινοτόμησας; ἀλλὰ μύσαντες ἁπαξαπλῶς τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλ μοὺς, καὶ παντὸς ἁγίου μνήμην τῆς διανοίας ὑπερ ορίσαντες, σχολάζουσαν καὶ σεσαρωμένην τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ καρδίαν ἕκαστος ταῖς παραγωγαῖς σου καὶ τοῖς σοφίσμασι φέροντες ὑποθῶμεν; Μεγάλης μέντ' ἂν εἴης τῆς δυναστείας ἐπειλημμένος, εἴπερ ὧν ταῖς ποικίλαις ἑαυτοῦ μεθοδείαις ὁ διάβολος οὐκ ἐπ έτυχε, τούτων σοι τυχεῖν ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος περιέσται· ἐάν περ, πεισθέντες σοι, τὴν ἐν παντὶ τῷ παρελ θόντι χρόνῳ ὑπὸ τοσούτων ἁγίων κεκρατηκυῖαν παράδοσιν ἀτιμοτέραν κρίνωμεν τῆς δυσσεβοῦς ὑμῶν ἐπινοίας. Τῷ δὲ οὐκ ἐξαρκεῖ μόνον τῶν νῦν ἀκουόντων τοὺς λογισμοὺς ὑφελέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀξιοῖ καὶ τοὺς ὕστερόν ποτε συνεσομένους τῷ λόγῳ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχειν γνώμην. Ὢ τῆς ἀλαζονείας! τὸ καὶ εἰς ὕστε ρον οἴεσθαι αὐτῷ διαρκέσειν τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἀθά νατον εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα χρόνον τὴν μνήμην αὐτοῦ φυ λαχθήσεσθαι. Καὶ ταῦτα νῦν ἀπαυθαδιάζεται ὁ μετ' ὀλίγα πρὸς τοὺς ἀκροωμένους διαθρυπτόμενος ὡς τύφου παντὸς ἀμελῶν, οὑτωσὶ λέγων τοῖς ἐν τῷ δρά ματι δικασταῖς. {ΕΥΝ.} Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις μηδὲ ἡμῖν χαλεπαίνειν, εἰ, τύφου μὲν ἀμελήσαντες καὶ φόβου, τῆς δὲ παραυ τίκα χάριτος καὶ ἀσφαλείας τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόν των ἄδειαν προτιμήσαντες, καὶ πάσης ἐπιγείου κα κοπαθείας θανάτου τε προσκαίρου φοβερωτέραν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὡρισμένην ἀπειλὴν εἶναι κρίναν τες, παντὸς ἐπικαλύμματος γυμνὴν ἐκτιθέμεθα τὴν ἀλήθειαν. {ΒΑΣ.} Ποίας ἀλαζονείας ὑπερβολὴν ὁ κόμπος οὗ τος τῶν λόγων οὐχ ὑπεραίρει; Καὶ πρόσεστι τῇ εἰρωνείᾳ καὶ ὕβρις κατὰ τῶν δικαζόντων· εἴπερ τῷ πρὸς τὰ καλὰ δυσχερῶς ἔχειν μόλις κατέχονται χα λεπαίνοντες ἀμελοῦντι μὲν αὐθαδείας καὶ τύφου, τῆς δὲ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἀσφαλείας τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελ λόντων ἄδειαν προτιμῶντι, καὶ τοῦ προσκαίρου θα νάτου φοβερωτέραν κρίνοντι τὴν εἰς ὕστερον κόλασιν. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τί; Μὴ χαλεπαίνετέ μοι, ὦ 29.509 ἄνδρες, πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ἀκρότατον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνελ θόντι, καὶ ὑπερβάντι μὲν τὰ γήϊνα, πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν πολιτείαν εἰς οὐρανὸν μεταθέντι. Καινὸς οὗτος ἀλα ζονείας τρόπος. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ ἀμελεῖν προσποιεῖται τοῦ τύφου, πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην φυσίωσιν ἑαυτὸν ὑπεραί ρει. Εἰ γὰρ ἐφ' οἷς ἐνδείκνυται συγγνώμης ἀξίως πράσσειν, τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας ἐστὶ τὰ κεφά λαια, εἰκάζειν ἀφίησιν ὁποῖόν τινα αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κατωρθωμένοις ἡγεῖσθαι προσῆκε. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὡσανεὶ χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὅλης αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως ἔχοντα, πολλῶν ἀποσιωπηθέντων, ἱκανῶς εἴρηται, ἵνα δι' ὧν μὲν ἐψεύσατο, τὸν πατέρα τοῦ ψεύδους ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντα γνωρίσωμεν· ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἀλαζο νευμάτων τίνι συγκατακέκριται διδαχθῶμεν, σαφῶς τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος τὸν τυφωθέντα εἰς