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and we imagine, seeing you continually, or rather perpetually, with the eyes of love, and proclaiming your reverence to all. We therefore beseech you also to remember us perpetually, and to keep the love which from the beginning you showed toward us flourishing even now, and to pray with much earnestness for our lowliness, and to write whenever it is possible, and to make known the things concerning your health; so that even while sitting in the wilderness, we may reap much comfort, enjoying from so great a distance the help of your prayers. 24. To Hesychius. You for your part ask to receive forgiveness for not having come, putting forward your illness as an excuse. But I both crown and proclaim you for the intention, from which you have also come, and you have nothing less with us than those who came, according to the principle of love. And God is able to deliver you from the illness that holds you, and to bring you back to perfect health, so that we may also enjoy a meeting with you face to face. For indeed we greatly desire to see you and embrace you,52.626 and to kiss the head so dear to us. But as long as both your nobility's illness and the season of the year prevent this, we will not cease continually writing to your honor, and procuring for ourselves the pleasure from this. 25. To Elpidius the bishop. We for our part wished to write continually to your reverence, and you yourself know this, most honored master; but since this is taken away from us by no one continually visiting us—for both the desolation of this place, and the fear of robbers intensifying it, and finally also the season of the year walling up the roads, makes Cucusus inaccessible to all—but whenever we may find letter-bearers, we fulfill our desire, bestowing the greatest favors on ourselves. Which indeed we have now done through my most honored lords, the presbyters, both rendering the due salutation to your piety, and exhorting you also, whenever it is possible, to write to us, and to make known the things concerning your health. For you are not unaware, my most honored and most reverend master, how it is always very important for us to learn about this. For even if we have been settled at the very extremities of our inhabited world, nevertheless we are not able to forget your genuine and warm, sincere and guileless love, but wherever we may go, we go about carrying it, reaping from it the greatest comfort. 20. To Magnus the bishop. Even if you yourself have not written to us, although my lords the presbyters have come, yet we, remembering your friendship from of old, and admiring the gentleness of your character, and the courage of your soul, and knowing also the affection which you always showed toward us, have first hastened with letters to your excellency, and we acknowledge our thanks to you for the disposition which you show toward us; for this has not escaped our notice, although we are situated at so great a distance; we beseech you therefore, whenever it is possible, to write to us continually, and to announce the good news concerning your health. For whenever we hear that our ardent lovers, and noble men, so roused, being both sober and watchful concerning the care of the Churches, are in good health, we reap much comfort from this also. Knowing these things therefore, my most honored and most reverend master, do not hesitate to continually make these things known to us. For thus, even if we should be carried off to the very extremities of the inhabited world, we will reap much comfort, continually enjoying this consolation. 27. To Domnus the bishop. Both for sending the most honored presbyter to visit us, and for writing, I have many thanks for your reverence, most honored master. For both are of genuine love and a warm disposition, Because of this, even while staying in the wilderness, we have received52.627 much comfort from this. For to have such men as such ardent lovers brings no ordinary comfort to those who are loved. And

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καὶ φανταζόμεθα, τοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης ὀφθαλμοῖς συνεχῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ διηνεκῶς σε βλέποντες, καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνακηρύττοντές σου τὴν εὐλάβειαν. Παρακαλοῦμεν δὴ καὶ αὐτὸν μεμνῆσθαι ἡμῶν διηνεκῶς, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξω, ταύτην καὶ νῦν ἀκμάζουσαν διατηρεῖν, καὶ εὔχεσθαι μετὰ πολλῆς ἐκτενείας ὑπὲρ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς δηλοῦν· ἵνα καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καθήμενοι, πολλὴν καρπωσώμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν, τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν εὐχῶν σου συμμαχίας ἐκ τοσούτου ἀπολαύοντες διαστήματος. Κ∆ʹ. Ἡσυχίῳ. Αὐτὸς μὲν συγγνώμης ἀξιοῖς τυχεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ παραγενέσθαι, τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν προβαλλόμενος. Ἐγὼ δέ σε καὶ στεφανῶ καὶ ἀνακηρύττω τῆς γνώμης, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ παραγέγονας, καὶ τῶν ἐλθόντων οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχεις παρ' ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον. Ἱκανὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τῆς κατεχούσης σε ἀπαλλάξαι ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν ὑγείαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, ἵνα σου καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἀπολαύσωμεν συντυχίας. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐπιθυμοῦμέν σε ἰδεῖν καὶ περιπτύξα52.626 σθαι, καὶ τὴν φίλην ἡμῖν φιλῆσαι κεφαλήν. Ἕως δ' ἂν ταῦτα τό τε ἀῤῥωστεῖν σου τὴν εὐγένειαν καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα διακωλύῃ, οὐ παυσόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλοντές σου τῇ τιμιότητι, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς πραγματευόμενοι ἡδονήν. ΚΕʹ. Ἐλπιδίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐβουλόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ τῇ σῇ, καὶ οἶσθα τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παραιρεῖται τὸ μηδένα συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιχωριάζειν ἥ τε γὰρ ἐρημία τοῦ χωρίου τούτου, ὅ τε τῶν λῃστῶν φόβος ταύτην ἐπιτείνων, λοιπὸν δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀποτειχίζουσα, πᾶσιν ἄβατον ποιεῖ τὴν Κουκουσὸν, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἂν ἐπιτύχωμεν γραμματηφόρων, πληροῦμεν ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενοι. Ὃ δὲ καὶ νῦν πεποιήκαμεν διὰ τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν τιμιωτάτων πρεσβυτέρων, τήν τε ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδόντες πρόσρησιν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου, καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας δηλοῦν τῆς σῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοεῖς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, ὅπως ἡμῖν περισπούδαστον ἀεὶ περὶ ταύτης μανθάνειν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀπῳκίσθημεν τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῆς ἀγάπης σου τῆς γνησίας καὶ θερμῆς, τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς καὶ ἀδόλου ἐπιλαθέσθαι οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀπίωμεν, περιφέροντες αὐτὴν ἄπιμεν, μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμενοι τὴν παραμυθίαν. Κʹ. Μάγνῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν οὐκ ἐπέσταλκας, καίτοι τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν πρεσβυτέρων παραγενομένων, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τῆς τε ἄνωθέν σου φιλίας μεμνημένοι, καὶ τὴν τῶν τρόπων σου θαυμάζοντες ἐπιείκειαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνδρείαν, εἰδότες δὲ καὶ τὸ φίλτρον, ὃ ἀεὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξω, πρότεροι τοῖς πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν ἐπεπηδήσαμεν γράμμασι, χάριτάς τέ σοι ὁμολογοῦμεν τῆς διαθέσεως, ἣν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπιδείκνυσαι· οὐ γὰρ ἔλαθεν ἡμᾶς τοῦτο, καίτοι γε ἐκ τοσούτου καθημένους διαστήματος· παρακαλοῦμεν οὖν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, γράφειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς εὐαγγελίζεσθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούσωμεν τοὺς σφοδροὺς ἡμῶν ἐραστὰς, καὶ γενναίους, οὕτω διεγηγερμένους, νήφοντάς τε καὶ ἐγρηγορότας περὶ τὴν τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πρόνοιαν, ἐν ὑγιείᾳ διάγειν, πολλὴν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, μὴ κατόκνει συνεχῶς ταῦτα ἡμῖν δηλοῦν. Οὕτω γὰρ, κἂν πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀπενεχθῶμεν τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς, πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν, ταύτης συνεχῶς ἀπολαύοντες τῆς παραμυθίας. ΚΖʹ. ∆όμνῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Καὶ τοῦ πέμψαι τὸν τιμιώτατον πρεσβύτερον εἰς ἐπίσκηψιν ἡμετέραν, καὶ τοῦ γράψαι πολλὰς ἔχω χάριτας τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ τῇ σῇ, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε. Ἀμφότερα γὰρ γνησίας ἀγάπης καὶ θερμῆς διαθέσεως, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ διατρίβοντες, πολλὴν ἐντεῦ52.627 θεν ἐδεξάμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Τὸ γὰρ τοιούτους ἄνδρας οὕτω σφοδροὺς ἐραστὰς ἔχειν, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν φέρει τοῖς ἀγαπωμένοις παραμυθίαν. Καὶ