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they say—for surely nothing of his would have escaped you—, you ought not to have hidden it, but to have shared it with us, and in no way would we have been at a loss for a device for the hunt. But that I did not know for a long time that you were planning these things, I am ashamed and blush to say to them, lest they think our friendship to be hypocrisy. For even if it is so—as indeed it is, and you yourself could not deny it from what you have now done to us—, still, for those outsiders who hold even a moderate opinion of us, it is good to hide our troubles. Therefore, I shrink from telling them the truth and how things stand with us; but for the future I am forced to be silent and to bow my head to the ground and to turn aside from and leap away from those I meet. For even if I escape the former condemnation, I must henceforth be judged for falsehood; for they will never be willing to believe me that you also placed Basil among the others for whom it is not right to know your affairs. But of these things I make little account, since this has been pleasant to you; but how shall we bear the remaining shame? For some indict you for madness, others for ambition; and those who are more unsparing in their accusations charge us with both of these things together and add the insolence towards those who honored us, saying that they have suffered justly, even if they had happened to be dishonored more than this by us, because, having passed over so many and so great men, they suddenly raised mere lads of yesterday and the day before, still wallowing in the cares of life—so that for a short time they might knit their brows, and put on dark clothes, and feign a gloomy look—to so great an honor as they never expected to receive even in a dream. And those who have extended their own ascetic practice from their earliest years to extreme old age are among the ruled; but their own children rule over them, having not even heard the laws according to which it is necessary to administer this office. Saying these things and more than these, they continually attack us. And I have nothing to say in defense against these things, but I beg you; for I do not think that you fled this flight simply or rashly and undertook such great enmity towards such great men, but that you came to this with some reasoning and reflection, whence I conjecture that you also have a ready argument for your defense. Tell me if there is any just pretext that we will be able to state to our accusers. For as to the wrongs I myself have suffered from you, I demand no account, not for how you deceived, not for how you betrayed, not for what you enjoyed from us all the time before. For we, so to speak, brought and placed our very soul in your hands; but you used such great cunning against us as if your purpose had been to guard against some enemies. And yet it was right, if you knew this opinion to be beneficial, not to flee its profit; but if harmful, also to release us, whom you always said you preferred above all, from the loss. But you did everything so that we would fall into it, and you had no need of deceit and hypocrisy toward one accustomed to say and do all things guilelessly and simply with you. But nevertheless, as I said, I bring no charge for these things now, nor do I reproach you for the desolation into which you have put us, having cut off those gatherings from which we often reaped no ordinary pleasure and benefit. But all these things I let go and bear silently and meekly; not because you have offended against us meekly, but because I laid this law upon myself from that day on which I cherished your friendship, for whatever ways you might wish to grieve us, never to place you under the necessity of making a defense. Since that you brought no small loss upon us, you yourself also know, if indeed you remember the words both spoken by outsiders about us and those always spoken by us; and these were that it is a great gain for us to be of one mind and to be fortified by our friendship for one another. And all the others were saying that our concord would bring no small benefit to many others as well, but I, a benefit indeed

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φασίν-οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν σε ἔλαθέ τι τῶν ἐκείνου-, οὐκ ἀποκρύψασθαι, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ἀνακοινώσασθαι ἐχρῆν, καὶ πάντως οὐκ ἂν ἠπορήσαμεν πρὸς τὴν ἄγραν μηχανῆς. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι μέν σε οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐκ πολλοῦ ταῦτα βουλευόμενον αἰσχύνομαι καὶ ἐρυθριῶ πρὸς ἐκείνους εἰπεῖν, μήποτε καὶ ὑπόκρισιν τὴν ἡμετέραν εἶναι νομίσωσι φιλίαν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἔστιν-ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν καὶ οὐδ' ἂν αὐτὸς ἀρνηθείης ἐξ ὧν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἔπραξας νῦν-, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔξωθεν καὶ μετρίαν γοῦν περὶ ἡμῶν ἔχοντας δόξαν καλὸν τὰ ἡμέτερα κρύπτειν κακά. Εἰπεῖν μὲν οὖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τἀληθὲς καὶ ὡς ἔχει τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀκνῶ· ἀναγκάζομαι δὲ λοιπὸν σιωπᾶν καὶ κύπτειν εἰς γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας ἐκτρέπεσθαι καὶ ἀποπηδᾶν. Κἂν γὰρ τὴν προτέραν ἐκφύγω κατάγνωσιν, ψεύδους ἀνάγκη με κρίνεσθαι λοιπόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐθελήσουσί μοι πιστεῦσαί ποτε ὅτι καὶ Βασίλειον μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἔταξας οἷς οὐ θέμις εἰδέναι τὰ σά. Ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν οὐ πολύς μοι λόγος, ἐπειδή σοι τοῦτο γέγονεν ἡδύ· τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν πῶς οἴσομεν τὴν αἰσχύνην; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀπονοίας, οἱ δὲ φιλοδοξίας σε γράφονται· ὅσοι δέ εἰσιν ἀφειδέστεροι τῶν αἰτιωμένων ταῦτά τε ἡμῖν ἀμφότερα ἐγκαλοῦσιν ὁμοῦ καὶ προστιθέασι τὴν εἰς τοὺς τετιμηκότας ὕβριν, δίκαια πεπονθέναι λέγοντες αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰ μείζονα τούτων ἀτιμασθέντες ἔτυχον παρ' ἡμῶν ὅτι τοσούτους καὶ τηλικούτους ἀφέντες ἄνδρας, μειράκια χθὲς καὶ πρώην ἔτι ταῖς τοῦ βίου μερίμναις ἐγκαλινδούμενα, ἵνα χρόνον βραχὺν τὰς ὀφρῦς συναγάγωσι καὶ φαιὰ περιβάλλωνται καὶ κατήφειαν ὑποκρίνωνται, ἐξαίφνης εἰς τοσαύτην ἤγαγον τιμὴν ὅσην οὐδὲ ὄναρ λήψεσθαι προσεδόκησαν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας εἰς ἔσχατον γῆρας τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐκτείναντες ἄσκησιν ἐν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις εἰσίν· ἄρχουσι δὲ αὐτῶν οἱ παῖδες αὐτῶν καὶ μηδὲ τοὺς νόμους ἀκηκοότες καθ' οὓς ταύτην δεῖ διοικεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. Ταῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων λέγοντες συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιφύονται. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὅ τι μὲν ἀπολογήσομαι πρὸς ταῦτα οὐκ ἔχω, δέομαι δὲ σοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῇ ταύτην οἶμαί σε φυγεῖν τὴν φυγὴν καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρας οὕτω μεγάλους τοσαύτην ἀναδέξασθαι τὴν ἔχθραν, ἀλλὰ μετά τινος λογισμοῦ καὶ σκέψεως ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν, ὅθεν καὶ λόγον ἕτοιμον εἶναί σοι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν στοχάζομαι. Εἰπὲ εἴ τινα πρόφασιν δικαίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντας δυνησόμεθα λέγειν. Ὧν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἠδίκημαι παρὰ σοῦ, οὐδένα ἀπαιτῶ λόγον, οὐχ ὧν ἠπάτησας, οὐχ ὧν προὔδωκας, οὐχ ὧν ἀπέλαυσας παρ' ἡμῶν ἅπαντα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, φέροντες ἐνεθήκαμέν σου ταῖς χερσί· σὺ δὲ τοσαύτῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐχρήσω τῇ πανουργίᾳ ὅσῃπερ ἂν εἰ πολεμίους σοί τινας φυλάξασθαι προὔκειτο. Καίτοι γε ἐχρῆν, εἰ μὲν ὠφέλιμον ταύτην ᾔδεις οὖσαν τὴν γνώμην, μηδὲ αὐτῆς τὸ κέρδος φυγεῖν· εἰ δὲ ἐπιβλαβῆ, καὶ ἡμᾶς οὓς πάντων ἀεὶ προτιμᾶν ἔλεγες ἀπαλλάξαι τῆς ζημίας. Σὺ δὲ καὶ ὅπως ἐμπεσούμεθα, ἅπαντα ἔπραξας, καὶ δόλου σοι καὶ ὑποκρίσεως ἐδέησεν οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν ἀδόλως καὶ ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν εἰωθότα πρὸς σέ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, ὅπερ ἔφην, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐγκαλῶ νῦν, οὐδὲ ὀνειδίζω τὴν ἐρημίαν εἰς ἣν κατέστησας ἡμᾶς, τὰς συνόδους διακόψας ἐκείνας ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἡδονὴν καὶ ὠφέλειαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐκαρπωσάμεθα πολλάκις. Ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ἀφίημι καὶ φέρω σιγῇ καὶ πράως· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πράως εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπλημμέλησας, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον ἔθηκα ἐμαυτῷ τὸν νόμον ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἧς τὴν φιλίαν ἔστερξα τὴν σὴν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν θέλῃς ἡμᾶς λυπεῖν, μηδέποτέ σε εἰς ἀπολογίας ἀνάγκην καθιστᾶν. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε οὐ μικρὰν τὴν ζημίαν ἡμῖν ἐπήγαγες, οἶσθα καὶ αὐτός, εἴγε μέμνησαι τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ τῶν παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν ὑφ' ἡμῶν λεγομένων ἀεί· ταῦτα δὲ ἦν ὅτι πολὺ κέρδος ἡμῖν ὁμοψύχοις εἶναι καὶ φράττεσθαι τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλίᾳ. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες ἔλεγον καὶ ἑτέροις πολλοῖς οὐ μικρὰν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἡμετέραν οἴσειν ὁμόνοιαν, ἐγὼ δὲ ὠφέλειαν μὲν