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with the Isaurian fear besieging us from all sides, of the other evils which the difficulty of the roads is accustomed to produce, of anxiety, of care, of the lack of those who would care for us. But now all these things have been resolved. For having come to Cucusus, we have put off all sickness along with its remains, and are in the most perfect health, and we have been freed from the fear of the Isaurians, as there are many soldiers here, and they are very well arrayed against them; and an abundance of provisions flows to us from all sides, with everyone receiving us with all good-will, although the place is very desolate. But my master Dioscorus happened to be here, who also sent a servant to Caesarea for this very purpose, urging and begging that I prefer no other house to his; and many others did likewise. But I thought it necessary to prefer him to the others, and we were brought to his house. And he himself becomes everything to us, so that I even cry out against him continually because of his great liberality and the abundance which he wishes to provide. On our account, at any rate, he even moved from the place where he was living, so as to care for us in every way, and he is preparing the house for us to be suitable for winter, doing and arranging everything for this purpose, and in general nothing is lacking for our care. And many other stewards and managers, having been commanded by letters from their own masters, are continually present, ready to comfort us in every way. And I have said all these things, and I lamented the former things, and I have spoken of the good things, so that no one may rashly move us from here. For if those who wish to grant us the favor would make us masters of being wherever we wish, and would not again be about to assign us another place which they might choose, accept the favor. But if, raising us from here, they are about to send us to another place—and again a journey, and again a travel away from home—this is extremely difficult for me; first, lest they send us to a more distant or a more difficult place; and second, because traveling is more difficult for me than a thousand exiles. For the difficulty of this journey brought us to the very gates of death. And we are now staying in Cucusus, recovering ourselves with constant rest and quiet, and healing through rest the hardship that has befallen us over a long time, and our crushed bones and our worn-out flesh. And my lady Sabiniana the deaconess also arrived on the same day on which we also arrived, crushed indeed and worn out, being at that age where it is even difficult to move; yet she is youthful in her eagerness and feels none of the painful things. For she said she was ready to go even to Scythia, since such a report prevailed that we were to be taken there. And she is ready, as she says, to no longer return anywhere, but to stay there wherever we may be. And the people of the Church received her very warmly with much eagerness and good-will. And my lord Constantius, the most devout presbyter, would have been here long ago. For he even wrote to me asking that I permit him to come; for without my consent he would not even dare to come, although he very much desires it and, as he says, is not even able to remain there; for he is hiding and concealed; so many evils beset him, as he says. I ask you, therefore, not to do otherwise concerning the place. But if, in turn, you should decide to test their opinion, say nothing on your own initiative, but test where they are inclined according to your understanding; for you are able. And if you see that it is somewhere nearby there in a seaside city, either in Cyzicus, or near Nicomedia, accept this also. But if it is somewhere more distant, or farther than this place, or as far as this one is, do not choose it; since this is very burdensome and most difficult for me. For the time being,

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ἰσαυρικοῦ φόβου πανταχόθεν ἡμᾶς πολιορκοῦντος, τῶν ἄλλων κακῶν ἅπερ ἡ δυσκολία τῶν ὁδῶν τίκτειν εἴωθε, φροντίδος, μερίμνης, ἐρημίας τῶν θεραπευσόντων. Ἀλλὰ νῦν ἅπαντα ταῦτα λέλυται. Εἰς γὰρ τὴν Κουκουσὸν ἐλθόντες, τήν τε ἀρρωστίαν ἅπασαν ἀπεθέμεθα μετὰ τῶν λειψάνων, καί ἐσμεν ἐν ὑγιείᾳ καθαρωτάτῃ, τοῦ τε φόβου τῶν ἰσαύρων ἀπηλλάγημεν, πολλῶν ἐνταῦθα στρατιωτῶν ὄντων, καὶ σφόδρα πρὸς αὐτοὺς παρατεταγμένων· τῶν τε ἐπιτηδείων ἡ ἀφθονία πάντοθεν ἡμῖν ἐπιρρεῖ, πάντων μετὰ πάσης εὐνοίας ἡμᾶς ὑποδεχομένων, καίτοι σφόδρα ἐρημοτάτου ὄντος τοῦ χωρίου. Ἀλλ' ἔτυχεν ὁ δεσπότης μου ∆ιόσκορος ἐνταῦθα ὤν, ὃς καὶ εἰς Καισάρειαν ἀπέστειλεν οἰκέτην εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, παρακαλῶν καὶ δεόμενος μὴ προτιμῆσαι τῆς αὐτοῦ οἰκίας ἑτέραν καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πλείους. Ἀλλ' ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμισα τῶν ἄλλων τοῦτον προτιμῆσαι καὶ κατήχθημεν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάντα ἡμῖν αὐτὸς γίνεται, ὡς καὶ καταβοᾷν αὐτοῦ συνεχῶς διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ δαψίλειαν καὶ τὴν ἀφθονίαν ἣν βούλεται παρέχειν. ∆ι' ἡμᾶς γοῦν καὶ μετέστη χωρίον οἰκῶν, ὥστε παντὶ θεραπεῦσαι τρόπῳ, τήν τε οἰκίαν ἡμῖν κατασκευάζει πρὸς χειμῶνα ἐπιτηδείαν πάντα ποιῶν ὑπὲρ τούτου καὶ πραγματευόμενος, καὶ ὅλως οὐδὲν ἐλλέλειπται θεραπείας ἕνεκεν. Καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πολλοὶ ἐπίτροποι καὶ οἰκονόμοι, παρὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν τῶν ἑαυτῶν κελευσθέντες διὰ γραμμάτων, συνεχῶς παραγίνονται ἕτοιμοι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἡμᾶς ἀναπαῦσαι. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα εἴρηκα, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀπωδυράμην τὰ πρότερα, τὰ δὲ εἶπον τὰ χρηστά, ἵνα μὴ προπετῶς τις ἡμᾶς ἐντεῦθεν ἐγείρῃ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ οἱ βουλόμενοι δοῦναι ἡμῖν τὴν χάριν κυρίους ἡμᾶς ποιοῖεν τοῦ εἶναι ὅπου βουλόμεθα, καὶ μὴ πάλιν ἕτερον ἡμῖν μέλλοιεν ἀποκληροῦν τόπον ὃν ἂν ἐθέλωσι, κατάδεξαι τὴν χάριν. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθεν ἡμᾶς ἀνιστάντες εἰς ἕτερον μέλλοιεν πέμπειν τόπον-καὶ πάλιν ὁδός, καὶ πάλιν ἀποδημία-, ἐμοὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο χαλεπώτατον· πρῶτον μὲν μήποτε εἰς μακρότερον ἢ εἰς χαλεπώτερον ἡμᾶς πέμψωσι χωρίον· ἔπειτα δὲ ὅτι μυρίων ἐξοριῶν ἐμοὶ τὸ ὁδεύειν χαλεπώτερον. Καὶ γὰρ εἰς αὐτὰς ἡμᾶς κατήνεγκε τοῦ θανάτου τὰς πύλας ταύτης τῆς ἀποδημίας ἡ δυσκολία. Καὶ διατρίβομεν νῦν ἐν Κουκουσῷ τῇ διηνεκεῖ καθέδρᾳ καὶ ἡσυχίᾳ ἀνακτώμενοι ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ γενομένην ἡμῖν ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ τὰ συντετριμμένα ἡμῶν ὀστᾶ καὶ τὴν ταλαιπωρηθεῖσαν σάρκα διὰ τῆς ἡσυχίας θεραπεύοντες. Ἀπήντησε δὲ καὶ ἡ κυρία μου Σαβινιανὴ ἡ διάκονος κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν αὐτὴν καθ' ἣν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπηντήσαμεν, συντετριμμένη μὲν καὶ τεταλαιπωρημένη, ἅτε ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἡλικίας οὖσα ἔνθα καὶ κινεῖσθαι δύσκολον· ὅμως δὲ τῇ προθυμίᾳ νεάζουσα καὶ μηδενὸς αἰσθανομένη τῶν λυπηρῶν. Ἑτοίμη γὰρ ἔφησεν εἶναι καὶ εἰς Σκυθίαν ἀπαντήσεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτος ἐκράτει λόγος ὡς ἐκεῖ ἡμῶν ἀπαχθησομένων. Ἑτοίμη δέ ἐστιν, ὥς φησι, μηκέτι ὑποστρέφειν μηδαμοῦ, ἄλλ' ἐκεῖ διατρίβειν ἔνθα ἂν ὦμεν. Σφόδρα δὲ αὐτὴν ὑπεδέξαντο οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τῆς εὐνοίας. Καὶ ὁ κύριος δέ μου Κωνστάντιος, ὁ εὐλαβέστατος πρεσβύτερος, πάλαι ἂν ἐνταῦθα ἦν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπέστειλέν μοι παρακαλῶν ἵνα ἐπιτρέψω αὐτῷ ἐλθεῖν· τῆς γὰρ ἐμῆς γνώμης χωρὶς μηδ' ἂν τολμῆσαι παραγενέσθαι, καίτοι γε σφόδρα ἐπιθυμῶν καί, ὥς φησιν, οὐδὲ αὐτόθι μένειν δυνάμενος· κρύπτεται γὰρ καὶ λανθάνει· τοσαῦτα αὐτὸν συνέχει κακά, καθώς φησι. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν μὴ ἄλλως ποιήσῃς τοῦ τόπου ἕνεκεν. Εἰ δ' αὖ πάλιν δοκιμάσειας ἀποπειρασθῆναι τῆς γνώμης αὐτῶν, αὐτὴν μὲν οἴκοθεν μηδὲν εἴπῃς, δοκίμασον δὲ ποῦ προῄρηνται κατὰ τὴν σύνεσίν σου· δύνασαι γάρ. Κἂν ἴδῃς ὅτι πλησίον αὐτόθι που ἐν παραθαλασσίῳ πόλει, ἢ ἐν Κυζίκῳ, ἢ Νικομηδείας πλησίον, καὶ τοῦτο κατάδεξαι. Εἰ δ' ἄρα μακρότερόν που, ἢ τοῦ τόπου τούτου μακρότερον, ἢ τοσοῦτον ὅσον οὗτος, μὴ ἕλῃ· ἐπεὶ σφόδρα τοῦτό μοι βαρὺ καὶ χαλεπώτατον. Τέως γὰρ