7

In a time of drought, with the whole army present, dismounting from his horse, he raised his hands to heaven, saying, "Respect these, O God, which have not shed human blood, and send rain upon the earth," and immediately, they say, a torrential rain fell upon them. Joseph of Israel is also praised, having become the grain-giver of Egypt, both foreseeing the time and managing the time. But I think the divinity would have respected the hands of our emperor even more. For a moderate time defined the reign of Titus, but no small age has known his sovereignty, in all of which he has not been the cause of human gore, nor has the earth held a mortal man stained by his hands. Indeed, perhaps if he had wished, he would not only have drawn down rain from the clouds, but he also would have split a rock and waters would have immediately flowed, and he would have walked through the sea as through solid dry land* the Mosaic armies are fulfilled. He imitated Joseph's grain-giving, but not in the same way nor for shameful gains; for he freely granted most things to those in need, on whom he also forever lavished his mercy.

16

Therefore, he was opening his philanthropic heart to all, but especially to those with paralyzed limbs and maimed bodies, whose tears would certainly have become for him a purifying bath and a cleansing of bodily filth. What was Noah's marvel and distinction? Was it not the salvation of the ark in a worldwide flood? For this man, was not the whole land of the Romans a greater and more precious ark, saved from a cosmic and all-bearing deluge, and having lifted up in multitude the clean animals, its genuine offspring, from the hardships, and not only that, but also bringing in multitudes of the unclean with the clean, and delivering them from the visible, fleshly submersion, and saving them even more from the spiritual one? Do you not see the countless multitude of the Scythians? These he himself freed from the harm expected from their enemies and cleansed them from the defilement of the soul by the bath of baptism; and now they are sheep of Christ, who were formerly wolves, being guided by Christ the first shepherd and chief shepherd to a place of green pasture and salvation, and also dogs in time of trouble, barking against those who move against the Master's inheritance and their own flocks. Are these things not worthy of wonder? Are they not near to those Mosaic signs and wonders, through which God was glorified? But will anyone mourn for the Jews? whom, so great a nation and one clinging fast to the old commandments and claiming the shadow and the letter, he so easily and against all hope and more quickly brought over to grace and truth, persuading the stubborn with words and softening the hard-hearted with gifts, not only scorning the annual tributes, though they were many, but also bestowing manifold gifts in addition.

17

If someone wished to praise these things in detail, would ten tongues have sufficed for him, as many as the poet prayed to possess? I for my part think that not even a hundred, or more than these, would have praised them according to their worth. But these things are so, if one has attempted the difficult, and perhaps even impossible, task of encomium. But for me what is set forth is not a speech of praise, but entirely of laments and wailings; for we have not come to praise, but we have gathered to groan in our words. Yes indeed, we must lament and weep for the emperor. Is it then right for us, O multitude of the Romans, to weep entirely and forever and to have no period of respite from our grief? Not to cast a word of joy upon the soul nor to let some small drop of pleasure drip into the heart, if indeed there is a satiety of all things, as seems to be the case in poetry and in truth? And if of pleasant things, then much more so of painful things. And how could this happen, one might say, or how could we appear forgetful of so great a calamity? If indeed you are at a loss for this,

7

ἐν καιρῷ αὐχμοῦ παρόντος ἅπαντος τοῦ στρατεύματος ἀποβὰς τοῦ ἵππου εἰς οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέτεινεν «αἰδέσθητι ταύ τας» λέξας «θεέ, αἵτινες οὐκ ἔχυσαν αἷμα ἀνθρώπειον, καὶ πέμψον ὑετὸν ἐπὶ γῆς», καὶ παραυτά φασιν ὗσαι ῥαγδαῖον ἐπὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς. ἐπαινεῖται καὶ ὁ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ Ἰωσὴφ σιτοδότης Αἰγύπτου γενόμενος καὶ προϊδὼν τὸν καιρὸν καὶ καταπραγματευσάμενος τὸν καιρόν. τοῦ δὲ ἡμετέρου βασι λέως τὰς χεῖρας κρειττόνως ἂν οἶμαι τὸ θεῖον ᾐδέσθη. τοῦ γὰρ Τίτου τὴν αὐτοκρατορίαν χρόνος διέγραψε μέτριος, αὐτοῦ δὲ τὴν κραταρχίαν αἰὼν ἐγνώρισεν οὐ σμικρός, ἐν ᾧπερ ἅπαντι οὐ λύθρου αἴτιος ἀνθρωπίνου γεγένηται οὐδὲ βρότον ἔσχεν ἡ γῆ παρὰ τῶν ἐκείνου πεπαλαγμένον χειρῶν. τάχα γοῦν οὐχ ὑετὸν μόνον εἴπερ ἐβούλετο καθείλκυσεν ἐκ νεφῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πέτραν διέρρηξε καὶ ὕδατα εὐθὺς διερ ρύησαν καὶ διὰ θαλάσσης ἔβη ὡς διὰ χέρσου στερρᾶς* τὰ Μωσαϊκὰ πληρῶνται στρατεύματα. Ἰωσὴφ δὲ τὴν σιτοδοσίαν ἐμιμήσατο μέν, πλὴν οὐχ οὕτως οὐδ' ἐπ' αἰσχροκερδέσι τοῖς λήμμασι· προῖκα γὰρ τὰ πλείω τοῖς δεομένοις ἀπεχαρίζετο, οἷς καὶ ἐς ἀεὶ τὸν ἔλεον ἐδαψίλευε.

16 Πᾶσι μὲν οὖν ἦν ὑπανοίγων σπλάγχνα φιλάνθρωπα, μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς παρειμένοις τὰ ἄρθρα καὶ λελωβημένοις τὰ σώματα, ὧν τὸ δάκρυον λουτρὸν ἂν ἐκείνῳ πάντως ἐγεγόνει καθάρσιον καὶ σμῆξις ῥύπου σωματικοῦ. τί τοῦ Νῶε τὸ θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἐξαίρετον; οὐ τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἡ διάσωσις ἐν παγκοσμίῳ κατακλυσμῷ; τῷδε οὐ κιβωτὸς μείζων καὶ τιμιω τέρα, ἡ πᾶσα Ῥωμαίων χθών, διασεσωσμένη κοσμικοῦ καὶ παμφόρου τοῦ κλύδωνος, καὶ καθαρὰ ζῶα τὰ γνήσια ταύτης γεννήματα κατὰ πλῆθος ὑπεραραμένη τῶν χαλεπῶν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκαθάρτων πλήθη τοῖς καθαροῖς συνεισάξασα καὶ καταποντισμοῦ μὲν ἐξοίσουσα τοῦ φαινομένου σαρκικοῦ, τὸ πλέον δὲ καὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ διασώσουσα; οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὴν ἄπειρον πληθὺν τῶν Σκυθῶν; τούτους καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐχ θρῶν προσδοκωμένης βλάβης αὐτὸς ἠλευθέρωσε καὶ τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ βαπτίσματος λύμης τῆς ψυχικῆς ἀπεκάθηρε· καὶ νῦν εἰσι Χριστοῦ πρόβατα, λύκοι ὄντες τὸ πρίν, ὑπὸ Χριστῷ τῷ πρώτῳ ποιμένι καὶ ἀρχιποιμένι πρὸς χλόης τόπον καὶ σωτηρίας καθοδηγούμενοι, καὶ κύνες δὲ ἐν καιρῷ τῶν κινου μένων καθυλακτοῦντες κατὰ τῆς τοῦ δεσπότου κληρονομίας καὶ τῶν θρεμμάτων αὐτῶν. ἆρ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα θαύματος ἄξια; ἆρ' οὐκ ἐγγὺς τῶν Μωσαϊκῶν ἐκείνων σημείων τε καὶ τεράτων, δι' ὧν θεὸς ἐδοξάζετο; τὸ δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πενθήσει τις; οὓς ἔθνος τοσοῦτον καὶ ἀπρὶξ ἐνταλμάτων τῶν παλαιῶν ἀντεχόμενον καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς μεταποιούμενον καὶ τοῦ γράμματος οὕτω ῥᾷον καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν πρὸς τὴν χάριν θᾶσσον καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν μετηγάγετο, λόγοις κατα πείσας τοὺς ἀτεράσμονας καὶ δώροις καταμαλθάξας τοὺς σκληρογνώμονας, οὐ τῶν ἐτησίων μόνον φόρων πολλῶν ὄντων καταφρονήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσεπιδοὺς πολλαπλασίονας δωρεάς.

17 Ταῦτα εἴπερ τις ἐξυμνεῖν κατὰ μέρος ἐβούλετο, δέκα ἂν αὐτῷ ἐπήρκεσαν γλῶσσαι, ὅσας ἐπηύξατο πλουτῆσαι ὁ ποιητής; ἔγωγε ἂν οἶμαι οὐδ' ἂν ἑκατὸν ἢ τούτων πλείους οὖσαι κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν εὐφήμησαν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως, εἰ πρὸς ἐγκώμιον ἐχώρησέ τις τὸ δυσκατόρθωτον, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀδύνατον. ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐ λόγος εὐφημίας τὸ προβαλλόμενον, θρήνων δὲ πάντως καὶ ὀδυρμῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἐγκωμιάζειν ἀφίγμεθα, ἀλλὰ στενάζειν τοῖς λόγοις συνεληλύθαμεν. ναὶ γοῦν καὶ θρηνητέον ἡμῖν καὶ δακρυτέον τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἆρ' οὖν, ὦ Ῥωμαίων πληθύς, πάντη καὶ ἐς ἀεὶ [εἰ]δακρύειν θέμις ἡμᾶς καὶ μηδένα χρόνον σχεῖν τοῦ πάθους ἀνακωχήν; μὴ λόγον χαρμονῆς ἐπιβαλεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ μηδ' ἡδονῆς μικράν τινα δρόσον τῇ καρδίᾳ σταλάξασθαι, ἢν πάντων μὲν κόρος ἐστίν, ὡς τῇ ποιήσει καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δοκεῖ; καὶ εἰ τῶν ἡδέων, πολλῷ γε πλέον τῶν λυπηρῶν. καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο, φαίη τις ἄν, ἢ πῶς ἂν πηλίκης συμφορᾶς φανείημεν ἐπι λήσμονες; εἰ πρὸς τοῦτό γε ἀποροίητε,