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in a dream I enjoyed the gladness. Therefore, I would not blame it; for even in this it has granted me great things. For you bring me the greatest encouragement even appearing in a dream, or indeed appearing during the day. But I wish to learn from whom I have been deceived, not so that I may exact punishment from the one who deceived me, but so that I may confess my thanks; for I have gained not a little from the deception. But if it seems good to you to grant also the truth to those good tidings, and if nothing more necessary prevents it, grant to yourself the blessing of the saints, and to me your company, which I consider the most lovely of all things. 15 TO PROCLUS, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE We, living in small and very desolate towns, are often vexed even with life itself, worn out by those who approach us and need some assistance; but your Holiness, inhabiting a city, or rather a world containing a sea of [peopl]e, and receiving like rivers those who flow in from all sides, not only makes provision for them, but also for those throughout our whole inhabited world; and if someone should need letters to someone, you do not endure to write simply, as one would in a crowd of affairs, not genuinely, not elegantly, nor accurately, but everything runs together in your letters, both beauty of words and abundance of thoughts and harmony of arrangement and an honor that nourishes those who receive the letters, and the most beautiful of all good things, the modesty of mind that blossoms in your words. Receiving such letters from your Holiness, we greatly admire your apostolic mind, and we see that divine saying fitting you: Our heart is enlarged. You are not straitened in us. For this reason, we beseech the God of all that your Holiness may for the longest time steer these rudders, so that the vessel of the Church may travel with fair winds. We love the most illustrious and most faithful tribune Naucratius both on account of his nobility of character and his great gentleness. But having received the letters of your Holiness, I doubly love and esteem and honor the man. 16 TO NOMUS THE CONSUL. 17 TO DIONYSIUS, COUNT OF THE EAST. Many wish to rule others, but few know how. For the care of men requires, above every art and science, prudence, so that he who cares for them, being adorned with this, may find what must be done; and it also requires moderation and justice, so that what has been found by the former, having been ratified by the latter, may become a reality and not be corrupted by contrary dispositions. For this reason, such a one needs both courage and prudence; for this scatters the opposing phalanx. Your Magnificence, being adorned with these things, has perfected the science of ruling, [and] if the chief of these, piety, were present, - for I cannot bear to be silent, having become your friend, but I shall suggest the most important things, - blame would not have been able to weave even a chance reproach. But concerning this I need a longer discourse. But now I beseech your greatness to make timely use of both your goodness towards your subjects and your care for common affairs, and to support Cyrus, which is more useful to the public revenues than many brilliant and illustrious cities. For it contributes many times more than they do, and it is not just for it to become a by-product of slander, which will very soon be exposed on account of your favor. For our wonderful son Philip has reached the queenly city and will teach the most high authority the sufferings of the city and will certainly receive

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ὀνείρῳ τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἀπέλαυσα. Οὐκ ἂν οὖν αὐτῷ μεμψαίμην· κἀν τούτῳ γάρ μοι μεγάλα κεχάρισται. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ μεγίστην φέρεις παρα ψυχὴν καὶ ὄναρ φαινόμενος, ἤ πού γε δὴ μεθ' ἡμέραν φαντα ζόμενος. Μαθεῖν δὲ ὅλως βούλομαι παρὰ τίνος ἠπάτημαι, οὐχ ἵνα δίκας εἰσπράξωμαι τὸν ἀπατήσαντα, ἀλλ' ἵνα χάριν ὁμο λογήσω· οὐ μικρὰ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἀπάτης κεκέρδηκα. Εἰ δέ σοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἐκείνοις χαρίσασθαι, καὶ μή τι τῶν ἀναγκαιοτέρων κωλύει, χάρισαι μὲν σαυτῷ τῶν ἁγίων τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἐμοὶ δὲ τὴν σὴν συνουσίαν, ἣν ἐρασμιωτά την πάντων ὑπολαμβάνω. 15 ΠΡΟΚΛΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ Ἡμεῖς μὲν σμικρὰς καὶ λίαν ἐρήμους πολίχνας οἰκοῦντες καὶ αὐτὴν πολλάκις τὴν ζωὴν δυσχεραίνομεν, ὑπὸ τῶν προ σιόντων καί τινος ἐπικουρίας δεομένων ἀποκναιόμενοι· ἡ δὲ ὑμετέρα ἁγιότης πόλιν οἰκοῦσα, μᾶλλον δὲ πέλαγος ἀ[νθρώπω]ν ἔχουσαν [οἰκου]μένην, καὶ ποταμῶν δίκην τοὺς ἁπανταχόθεν προσρέοντας εἰσδεχομένην, οὐ μόνον ἐκείνων προμήθειαν ποιεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένην· κἄν τις γραμμάτων πρός τινα δεηθῇ, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς οὕτως, ὡς ἐν ὄχλῳ πραγμάτων ὄντες, ἐπιστέλλειν ἀνέχεσθε, οὐ γνησίως μέν, οὐ γλαφυρῶς δὲ οὐδὲ ἀκρίβως, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὁμοῦ συντρέ χει τοῖς γράμμασι, καὶ κάλλος ὀνομάτων καὶ πλῆθος νοημάτων καὶ τάξεως ἁρμονία καὶ τιμὴ τρέφουσα τοὺς δεχομένους τὰ γράμματα, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων τὸ κάλλιστον, ἡ ἐπανθοῦσα τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ φρονήματος μετριότης. Τοιαύτας δεχόμενοι τῆς ὑμετέρας ἁγιωσύνης ἐπιστολάς, λίαν θαυμάζομεν τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ὑμῶν διάνοιαν, καὶ ὁρῶμεν ὑμῖν ἁρμοττοῦσαν τὴν θεσπεσίαν ἐκείνην φωνήν· Ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν πεπλάτυνται. Οὐ στενοχωρεῖσθε ἐν ἡμῖν . Οὗ δὴ χάριν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν ἱκετεύομεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὑμῶν τὴν ἁγιωσύνην ταῦτα κινεῖν τὰ πηδάλια, ἵν' ἐξ οὐρίων τὸ σκάφος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὁδεύῃ. Τὸν μὲν λαμπρότατον καὶ πιστότατον τριβοῦνον Ναυ κρατιανὸν ἀγαπῶμεν καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν αὐτοῦ καλοκἀγαθίαν καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἡμερότητα. ∆εξάμενος δὲ τῆς σῆς ἁγιωσύνης τὰ γράμματα διπλῶς τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ φιλῶ καὶ ἀγαπῶ καὶ γεραίρω. 16 ΝΟΜΩ ΥΠΑΤΩ. 17 ∆ΙΟΝΥΣΙΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΗΣ. Ἄρχειν ἑτέρων πολλοὶ μὲν ἐθέλουσιν, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἴσασιν. Καὶ δεῖται μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμέλεια ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν τέχνην καὶ ἐπιστήμην φρονήσεως, ἵνα ταύτῃ κοσμούμενος ὁ τούτων ἐπιμελόμενος τὸ πρακτέον εὑρίσκῃ· δεῖται δὲ καὶ σωφροσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης, ἵνα τὸ ὑπ' ἐκείνης εὑρεθὲν, ὑπὸ τούτων κυρωθέν, ἔργον γένηται καὶ μὴ ταῖς ἐναντίαις διαφθαρῇ δια θέσεσιν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας καὶ τῆς φρονήσεως δεῖται ὁ τοιοῦτος· αὕτη γὰρ τὴν ἀντίπαλον διασκεδάννυσι φάλαγγα. Τούτοις ἡ σὴ κοσμουμένη μεγαλοπρέπεια τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν ἐπιστήμην κατώρθωσε, [καί] εἴπερ προσῆν τὸ τούτων κεφάλαιον ἡ εὐσέβεια, -σιγῆσαι γὰρ οὐκ ἀνέχομαι, συνήθης γεγενημένος, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέγιστα εἰσηγήσομαι, -οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσεν ὁ μῶμος τὴν γοῦν τυχοῦσαν λοιδορίαν ὑφῆναι. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτου μακροτέρας μοι δεῖ διαλέξεως. Νῦν δέ σου παρα καλῶ τὸ μέγεθος εἰς καιρὸν χρήσασθαι τῇ τε περὶ τοὺς ἀρχο μένους καλοκἀγαθίᾳ καὶ τῇ περὶ τὰ κοινὰ κηδεμονίᾳ, καὶ στῆσαι τὴν Κῦρον, πολλῶν λαμπρῶν καὶ περιφανῶν πόλεων τοῖς δημοσίοις οὖσαν χρησιμωτέραν. Πολλαπλάσια γὰρ ἐκείνων εἰσ φέρει, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δικαία πάρεργον γενέσθαι συκοφαντίας, ἣ διὰ τὴν χάριν αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα δειχθήσεται. Κατέλαβε γὰρ τὴν βασι λίδα ὁ θαυμάσιος ἡμῶν υἱὸς Φίλιππος καὶ διδάξει τὴν ὑψηλο τάτην ἀρχὴν τῆς πόλεως τὰ παθήματα καὶ λήψεται πάντως