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they called him noble. But he was not only not shamed by these words, but he pressed on even more, demanding the same things as before.

1.3 3. Deceit on our part when he was seized While we were in this state, he constantly pleading and I not consenting, suddenly a rumor arose that disturbed us both. The rumor was that we were about to be brought to the dignity of the priesthood. As for me, as soon as I heard this report, I was seized with both fear and perplexity; with fear, lest I should be caught against my will, and with perplexity, wondering often from where it came to those men to think such a thing about us; for looking into myself, I found nothing I had that was worthy of that honor. But this noble man, coming to me in private and communicating these things to me as to one who had not heard the rumor, begged that here too we should be seen acting and deliberating in the same way as before; for he would readily follow us on whichever of the two paths we should lead, whether it were necessary to flee or to be chosen. Perceiving his eagerness, therefore, and considering that I would bring loss to the whole community of the Church if, on account of my own weakness, I should deprive the flock of Christ of a young man so good and fit for the supervision of the many, I did not reveal to him the opinion I had on these matters, although I had never before endured to keep any of my plans secret from him, but saying that deliberation on these things should be postponed to another time, for the matter was not urgent now, I immediately persuaded him to worry no more about these things and gave him confidence concerning myself that I would be of the same mind, if ever we should happen to suffer such a thing. Not much time passed, and when the one who was to ordain us came and I was in hiding, he, knowing none of these things, was led away as if on another pretext; and he receives the yoke, expecting from what I had promised him that I would certainly follow, or rather thinking that he was following me. For some of those present there, seeing him vexed at his seizure, deceived him by crying out that it would be strange if the one thought by all to be more rash—meaning me—yielded with great gentleness to the judgment of the fathers, while he, who was much more prudent and gentle, should be rash and vainglorious, bucking and leaping away and speaking against it. Yielding to these words, when he heard that I had escaped, he came in to me with great dejection, sat down beside me, and wanted to say something, but being overcome by perplexity and unable to describe in words the violence he had suffered, as soon as he opened his mouth he was prevented from speaking, as his despondency cut off the words before they passed his teeth. Seeing him, therefore, tearful and filled with great agitation, and knowing the cause, I laughed with great pleasure and, holding his right hand, I tried to kiss it and glorified God that my device had a good end, just as I had always prayed. And when he saw that I was overjoyed and cheerful, he realized that he had been deceived by me before, and was all the more stung and vexed.

1.4 4. Accusations from him on account of the deceit And once, having settled down a little from that disturbance of his soul: {BASIL} But even if you have spurned ours, he says, and have no regard for us any longer, for what reason I for my part do not know, you should at least have had regard for your own reputation. But now you have opened everyone's mouths and they all say that you have refused this ministry out of a love for vainglory; and there is no one who will clear you of this charge. For me it is not even tolerable to enter the marketplace, so many are those who approach me and reproach me every day. For whenever they see me appear anywhere in the city, those who are close to us take me aside and subject me to the greater part of the accusation; for knowing his mind,

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γενναῖον ἔλεγον ἐκεῖνον· ὁ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐδυσωπεῖτο τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον ἐνέκειτο, τὰ αὐτὰ ἀπαιτῶν ἅπερ καὶ πρότερον.

1.3 γʹ. Ἀπάτη παρ' ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ συλληφθῆναι αὐτὸν γενομένη Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἡμῶν ὄντων καὶ τοῦ μὲν συνεχῶς ἱκετεύοντος, ἐμοῦ δὲ οὐκ ἐπινεύοντος, ἄφνω τις ἐπιστᾶσα φήμη διετάραξεν ἀμφοτέρους· ἡ δὲ φήμη ἦν, εἰς τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἡμᾶς ἀξίωμα μέλλειν παράγεσθαι. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ἅμα τῷ τὸν λόγον ἀκοῦσαι τοῦτον, δέει τε καὶ ἀπορίᾳ συνειχόμην· δέει μέν, μή ποτε καὶ ἄκων ἁλῶ, ἀπορίᾳ δέ, ζητῶν πολλάκις πόθεν ἐπῆλθε τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐκείνοις ἐνθυμηθῆναί τι τοιοῦτο περὶ ἡμῶν· εἰς γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν ἀφορῶν, οὐδὲν εὕρισκον ἔχοντα τῆς τιμῆς ἄξιον ἐκείνης. Ὁ δὲ γενναῖος οὑτοσὶ προσελθών μοι κατ' ἰδίαν καὶ κοινωσάμενος περὶ τούτων ὡς ἀνηκόῳ γε ὄντι τῆς φήμης, ἐδεῖτο κἀνταῦθα καὶ πράττοντας καὶ βουλευομένους ὀφθῆναι τὰ αὐτὰ καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον· ἕψεσθαι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἑτοίμως ἡμῖν καθ' ὁποτέραν ἂν ἡγώμεθα τῶν ὁδῶν, εἴτε φυγεῖν, εἴτε ἑλέσθαι δέοι. Αἰσθόμενος τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τῆς προθυμίας ἐγὼ καὶ ζημίαν ἡγησάμενος οἴσειν παντὶ τῷ κοινῷ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, εἰ νέον οὕτως ἀγαθὸν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἐπιστασίαν ἐπιτήδειον ἀποστεροίην τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀγέλην διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ, οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψα τὴν γνώμην ἣν εἶχον περὶ τούτων ἐκείνῳ, καίτοι γε μηδέποτε πρότερον ἀνασχόμενος λαθεῖν τι τῶν βουλευμάτων αὐτὸν τῶν ἐμῶν, ἀλλ' εἰπὼν δεῖν τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων βουλὴν εἰς ἕτερον ἀναβάλλεσθαι καιρόν, οὐ γὰρ νῦν τοῦτο κατεπείγειν, ἔπεισά τε εὐθέως μηδὲν ὑπὲρ τούτων φροντίζειν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ παρέσχον θαρρεῖν ὡς ὁμογνωμονήσοντος, εἴ ποτε συμβαίη τοιοῦτό τι παθεῖν. Χρόνου δὲ παρελθόντος οὐ πολλοῦ καὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἡμᾶς χειροτονήσειν ἐλθόντος καὶ κρυπτομένου μου, μηδὲν τούτων εἰδώς, ἄγεται μὲν ὡς ἐφ' ἑτέρᾳ προφάσει· δέχεται δὲ τὸν ζυγόν, ἐλπίζων ἐξ ὧν ὑπεσχημένος ἤμην αὐτῷ καὶ ἡμᾶς πάντως ἕψεσθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ νομίζων ἡμῖν ἀκολουθεῖν. Καὶ γάρ τινες τῶν ἐκεῖ παρόντων, ἀσχάλλοντα πρὸς τὴν σύλληψιν ὁρῶντες, ἠπάτησαν βοῶντες ὡς ἄτοπον εἴη τὸν μὲν θρασύτερον εἶναι δοκοῦντα παρὰ πᾶσιν-ἐμὲ λέγοντες-μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιεικείας εἶξαι τῇ τῶν πατέρων κρίσει, ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν πολὺ συνετώτερον καὶ ἐπιεικέστερον θρασύνεσθαι καὶ κενοδοξεῖν σκιρτῶντα καὶ ἀποπηδῶντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα. Τούτοις εἴξας τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσεν ὅτι διέφυγον, εἰσελθὼν πρός με μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατηφείας, καθέζεται πλησίον καὶ ἐβούλετο μέν τι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀπορίας κατεχόμενος καὶ λόγῳ παραστῆσαι τὴν βίαν ἣν ὑπέμεινεν οὐκ ἔχων, ἅμα τῷ χᾶναι ἐκωλύετο φθέγξασθαι, τῆς ἀθυμίας πρὶν ἢ τοὺς ὀδόντας ὑπερβῆναι διακοπτούσης τὸν λόγον. Ὁρῶν τοίνυν ἐγὼ περίδακρυν ὄντα καὶ πολλῆς πεπληρωμένον τῆς ταραχῆς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰδώς, ἐγέλων τε ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν κατέχων ἐβιαζόμην καταφιλεῖν καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐδόξαζον ὅτι μοι τὰ τῆς μηχανῆς τέλος εἶχε καλὸν καὶ οἷον ηὐχόμην ἀεί. Ὡς δὲ εἶδε περιχαρῆ τε ὄντα καὶ φαιδρόν, καὶ πρότερον ἠπατημένος ὑφ' ἡμῶν ᾔσθετο, μᾶλλον ἐδάκνετο καὶ ἐδυσχέραινε. 1.4 δʹ. Ἐγκλήματα παρ' ἐκείνου τῆς ἀπάτης ἕνεκεν Καί ποτε μικρὸν ἀπ' ἐκείνου καταστὰς τοῦ θορύβου τῆς ψυχῆς· {ΒΑΣ.} Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον, φησί, διέπτυσας καὶ λόγον ἡμῶν ἔχεις οὐδένα λοιπόν, ὡς ἔγωγε οὐκ οἶδα ἀνθ' ὅτου, τῆς γοῦν ὑπολήψεως ἔδει σε φροντίσαι τῆς σῆς. Νῦν δὲ τὰ πάντων ἠνέῳξας στόματα καὶ δόξης σε ἐρῶντα κενῆς τὴν λειτουργίαν ταύτην παρῃτῆσθαι λέγουσιν ἅπαντες· ὁ δὲ ἐξαιρησόμενός σε τῆς κατηγορίας ταύτης οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐδὲ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβαλεῖν ἀνεκτόν, τοσοῦτοι οἱ προσιόντες ἡμῖν καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐγκαλοῦντες ἡμέραν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωσι φανέντα που τῆς πόλεως, λαβόντες κατὰ μόνας ὅσοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς οἰκείως ἔχουσι, τῷ πλείονί με τῆς κατηγορίας ὑποβάλλουσι μέρει· Εἰδότα γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην,