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they provided also seeds for becoming intimate with God and to be deemed worthy of the life hidden in Christ. From this, many, enjoying that most sweet teaching, departed from the bitter darkness of deceit and attached themselves to the sweet light of truth; so that even some of the glorious and of the senatorial council laid aside all the burdens of life and henceforth became monks. But the king, when he heard these things, filled with the greatest anger and boiling over with rage, immediately set forth a decree that every Christian be forced to renounce piety. Whence he devised and practiced new kinds of tortures against them, and threatened new ways of death. And letters were sent to rulers and governors throughout every land subject to him, declaring punishments against the pious and unjust slaughters. And especially raging furiously against the leaders of the monastic order, he raised an implacable and undeclared war against them. Therefore also many of the faithful were shaken in their mind, while others, being unable to endure the tortures, yielded to his unlawful command. But the leaders and chiefs of the monastic order, some, denouncing his lawlessness, underwent an end through martyrdom and attained unceasing blessedness; but others hid themselves in 14 deserts and mountains, not out of fear of the threatened tortures, but by some more divine dispensation. II When, therefore, such a moonless night of darkness had overtaken the land of the Indians, and the faithful were being persecuted from all sides, and the defenders of impiety were being strengthened, and by the blood and savory smoke of sacrifices even the very air was being polluted, one of the king's men, a chief satrap in rank, in stature of soul, and in size and beauty, and in all other things by which beauty of body and nobility of a courageous soul are naturally characterized, happened to be different from the others. This man, therefore, having heard that impious command, bidding farewell to this vain and downward-dragging glory and luxury, mingled himself with the chosen monks, becoming an exile in desert places, and by fasts and vigils and by diligent study of the divine oracles, having perfectly purified his senses, and his soul, having delivered it from every passionate disposition, he illumined with the light of dispassion. But the king, loving this man very much and holding him in honor, when he heard these things, grieved in his soul at the loss of his friend, but was kindled the more with anger against the monks. and so having sent everywhere in search of him, and having moved every stone, as the saying goes, in order to find him, so after a considerable time those sent to seek him, when they perceived that he had his dwelling in the deserts, 16 after searching and seizing him, they presented him before the king's tribunal. And seeing him, who was once clothed in splendid garments, in such poor and very rough clothing, and him who lived in great luxury now emaciated by the harsh discipline of asceticism, and clearly bearing the marks of the eremitic life, he was filled at once with grief and anger, and, mixing his speech from both, he said to him: O foolish and witless one, for what reason did you exchange shame for honor, and for splendid glory this unseemly appearance? The president of my kingdom and chief general of my dominion, having made yourself a laughingstock for boys, not only having completely forgotten our friendship and confidence, but also having rebelled against nature itself, and not even taking pity on your own children, considering wealth and all the prominence of life as nothing, you have preferred so great a dishonor to what is admired by all.

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παρεῖχον καὶ σπέρματα πρὸς τὸ οἰκείους γενέσθαι Θεῷ καὶ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ κρυπτομένης ἀξιωθῆναι ζωῆς. ἐντεῦθεν πολλοί, τῆς ἡδίστης ἐκείνης διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύοντες, τοῦ μὲν πικροῦ τῆς ἀπάτης ἀφίσταντο σκότους, τῷ δὲ γλυκεῖ τῆς ἀληθείας φωτὶ προσετίθεντο· ὡς καί τινας τῶν ἐνδόξων καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς πάντα ἀποτίθεσθαι τὰ τοῦ βίου βάρη καὶ λοιπὸν γίνεσθαι μοναχούς. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, ὡς ἤκουσε ταῦτα, ὀργῆς ὅτι πλείστης πληρωθεὶς καὶ τῷ θυμῷ ὑπερζέσας, δόγμα αὐτίκα ἐξέθετο, πάντα Χριστιανὸν βιάζεσθαι τοῦ ἐξόμνυσθαι τὴν εὐσέβειαν. ὅθεν καινὰ μὲν κατ' αὐτῶν εἴδη βασάνων ἐπενόει καὶ ἐπετήδευε, καινοὺς δὲ τρόπους θανάτων ἠπείλει. καὶ γράμματα κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑποτελῆ αὐτῷ χώραν ἐπέμπετο ἄρχουσι καὶ ἡγεμόσι, τιμωρίας κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ σφαγὰς ἀδίκους ἀποφαινόμενα. ἐξαιρέτως δὲ κατὰ τῶν τοῦ μοναδικοῦ σχήματος λογάδων θυμομαχῶν, ἄσπονδον ἤγειρε τὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀκήρυκτον πόλεμον. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν πιστῶν τὴν διάνοιαν ἀνεσαλεύοντο, ἄλλοι δέ, τὰς βασάνους μὴ δυνηθέντες ὑπενεγκεῖν, τῷ ἀθεμίτῳ αὐτοῦ εἶκον προστάγματι. οἱ δὲ τοῦ μοναχικοῦ τάγματος ἡγεμόνες καὶ ἀρχηγοί, οἱ μέν, ἐλέγχοντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν, τὸ διὰ μαρτυρίου ὑπήνεγκαν τέλος καὶ τῆς ἀλήκτου ἐπέτυχον μακαριότητος· οἱ δὲ ἐν 14 ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσιν ἀπεκρύπτοντο, οὐ δέει τῶν ἠπειλημένων βασάνων, ἀλλ' οἰκονομίᾳ τινὶ θειοτέρᾳ. ιι Τῆς τοιαύτης οὖν σκοτομήνης τὴν τῶν Ἰνδῶν καταλαβούσης, καὶ τῶν μὲν πιστῶν πάντοθεν ἐλαυνομένων, τῶν δὲ τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπασπιστῶν κρατυνομένων, αἵμασί τε καὶ κνίσαις τῶν θυσιῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ ἀέρος μολυνομένου, εἷς τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀρχισατράπης τὴν ἀξίαν, ψυχῆς παραστήματι, μεγέθει τε καὶ κάλλει, καὶ πᾶσιν ἄλλοις, οἷς ὥρα σώματος καὶ γενναιότης ψυχῆς ἀνδρείας χαρακτηρίζεσθαι πέφυκε, τῶν ἄλλων ἐτύγχανε διαφέρων. τὸ ἀσεβὲς οὖν ἐκεῖνο πρόσταγμα ἀκούσας οὗτος, χαίρειν εἰπὼν τῇ ματαίᾳ ταύτῃ καὶ κάτω συρομένῃ δόξῃ τε καὶ τρυφῇ, ταῖς τῶν μοναχῶν λογάσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐγκατέμιξεν, ὑπερόριος γενόμενος ἐν ἐρήμοις τόποις, νηστείαις τε καὶ ἀγρυπνίαις καὶ τῇ τῶν θείων λογίων ἐπιμελεῖ μελέτῃ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἄριστα ἐκκαθάρας, καὶ τὴν ψυχήν, πάσης ἀπαλλάξας ἐμπαθοῦς σχέσεως, τῷ τῆς ἀπαθείας φωτὶ κατελάμπρυνεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, πάνυ τοῦτον φιλῶν καὶ διὰ τιμῆς ἄγων, ὡς ἤκουσε ταῦτα, ἤλγησε μὲν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ φίλου στερήσει, ἐξεκαύθη δὲ πλέον τῇ κατὰ τῶν μοναζόντων ὀργῇ. καὶ δὴ κατὰ ζήτησιν αὐτοῦ πανταχοῦ ἀποστείλας, καὶ πάντα λίθον κινήσας, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὥστε τοῦτον ἐφευρεῖν, μετὰ οὖν χρόνον ἱκανὸν οἱ εἰς ἐπιζήτησιν αὐτοῦ πεμφθέντες, ὡς ᾔσθοντο ἐν ἐρήμοις αὐτὸν τὰς οἰκήσεις ἔχοντα, 16 διερευνήσαντες καὶ συλλαβόμενοι, τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως παρέστησαν βήματι. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν οὕτω πενιχρᾷ καὶ τραχυτάτῃ ἐσθῆτι τὸν λαμπροῖς ποτε ἱματίοις ἠμφιεσμένον, καὶ τὸν πολλῇ συζῶντα τρυφῇ τεταριχευμένον τῇ σκληρᾷ τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἀγωγῇ, καὶ τοῦ ἐρημικοῦ βίου ἐναργῶς περικείμενον τὰ γνωρίσματα, λύπης ὁμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς ἐπεπλήρωτο, καί, ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τὸν λόγον κεράσας, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ὦ ἀνόητε καὶ φρενοβλαβές, τίνος χάριν ἀντηλλάξω τῆς τιμῆς αἰσχύνην, καὶ τῆς λαμπρᾶς δόξης τὴν ἀσχήμονα ταύτην ἰδέαν; ὁ πρόεδρος τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας καὶ ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς ἐμῆς δυναστείας, παίγνιον μειρακίων σεαυτὸν καταστήσας, οὐ μόνον τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας καὶ παρρησίας μακρὰν λήθην πεποιηκώς, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς κατεξαναστὰς τῆς φύσεως, καὶ μηδὲ τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων οἶκτον λαβών, πλοῦτόν τε καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ βίου περιφάνειαν εἰς οὐδὲν λογισάμενος, τὴν τοσαύτην ἀδοξίαν τῆς περιβλέπτου προέκρινας