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to partake of sleep from his occupation with these things; at which times the grandfather and emperor, being exceedingly vexed, would rebuke the young man more harshly, striking him with reproachful jests, not only in private, but also in the presence of many, both of the senate and of his relatives. So all these things grieved the soul of the young man, who seemed to be so insulted before the eyes of all; but what annoyed him more than the other things was this, that the emperor, calling to witness those present about the supposed perversity of his grandson, would say: "If this fellow should prove useful for any necessary task, I deserve to be stoned while alive, and when dead, to be dug up and handed over to the fire." But amidst these jests, something of this sort also happened to occur. The young emperor once came to pay the customary obeisance to his grandfather; and as he was entering the door of the chamber in which the emperor usually sat, the frame of which was fitted with marble, it happened that the jewel on his head struck against the marble, at which the emperor, being not a little disturbed, and unable to endure it in silence, said in a loud voice, "Do you see how, just as I say, God also, bearing witness from above, has judged you unworthy of the empire, and for this reason has allowed you to strike its symbol against the stone?" This, more bitter than any 1.28 arrow, afflicted and wounded the heart of the young man, and going away to his own house, he lay groaning heavily, belching forth his soul, so to speak poetically. 6. Nevertheless, recovering himself from his great despondency, he decided it was necessary to send an embassy to his grandfather and emperor, at once to appease his anger and render him more gentle, and also wishing to learn the reason for which the emperor was so hostile toward him. So he sends a certain Joseph, one of those known for virtue and philosophy and who was on everyone's lips, who for his part was eager to hide his lamp under a bushel, but was unable, since the Lord's word could by no means fall away, but he came to such prominence that by the common vote of the emperor and the holy synod, and also of the whole senate, he was shown worthy of the ecclesiastical throne of this new Rome, even if he himself, through the exceeding humility and modesty of his character, pushed away the honor, fearing the height of the chair and the greatness of the office. Using him then as an ambassador, he reports through him to the emperor and grandfather the following: "Since all parents are possessed by a certain natural affection for their offspring, it is likely, of course, that they wish to cover over the faults of their children. And if someone recounts many wonderful praises on behalf of his child, he gives no small suspicion to his hearers that the child is not such, but falls short of the praises by a great measure, and that he himself is deceived on account of his 1.29 relationship to him; but if a father attaches even some small blame to his child, they conversely suspect the blame is many times greater, attributing the same cause. With you, the father, therefore being so enraged against me, the child, and pouring forth many and various insults and reproaches daily, and—what is heaviest of all for me and unbearable for me either to hear or to say—often invoking the most terrible things against yourself, if ever I should appear naturally suited for anything useful; and what is yet more bitter than death, that you consider even small incidents, which have happened by chance from circumstance, to be divine signs and revelations of God's will, proving me unworthy of the empire, what Roman will there be who, hearing these things, will not reckon that the father is aware of whole seas of evil in me? and that for this reason a few things are poured out to outsiders, a sample of the hidden multitude of unbearable evils, even for you, the father; whereas even if you were admiring and recounting many praises and glorifying me more than was fitting, it was likely that these same people would suspect the praise, attributing this to your disposition towards your child. These are the things that grieve me and my life

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ὕπνου μεταλαγχάνειν τῇ ἀσχολίᾳ τῇ περὶ ταῦτα· ἐν οἷς ὑπεραχθόμενος ὁ πάππος καὶ βασιλεὺς τραχύτερον ἐπέπληττε τὸν νέον ὀνειδιστικοῖς τοῖς σκώμμασι βάλλων, οὐκ ἰδίᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῶν παρόντων καὶ τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῶν κατὰ γένος προσηκόντων αὐτῷ. πάντα μὲν οὖν ἐλύπει τὴν τοῦ νέου ψυχὴν οὕτως ὑπὸ τοῖς ἁπάντων ὀφθαλμοῖς δοκοῦντος περιυβρίζεσθαι· ὃ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον ἠνία, τοῦτ' ἦν, ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας μαρτυρόμενος τὸ τοῦ ἐγγόνου διάστροφον δῆθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔλεγεν· «εἰ πρός τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων χρήσιμος οὗτος ἀποδειχθῇ, ζῶν μὲν ἄξιος βληθῆναι λίθοις ἐγὼ, ἀποθανὼν δὲ ἀνορυχθῆναι καὶ παραδοθῆναι πυρί.» μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν σκωμμάτων τούτων καί τι τοιοῦτον συνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. ἦλθέ ποτε βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος τὴν συνήθη προσκύνησιν ἀποδώσων τῷ πάππῳ· εἰσιὼν δὲ τοῦ οἰκίσκου τὴν θύραν, ἐν ᾧ καθῆστο συνήθως ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐκ μαρμάρων οὖσαν τὴν φλοιὰν ἡρμοσμένην, συμβέβηκε τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς λίθον τῷ μαρμάρῳ προσαῤῥαχθῆναι, ἐφ' ᾧ διαταραχθεὶς οὐκ ὀλίγον ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ σιγῇ μὴ δυνηθεὶς καρτερῆσαι, «ὁρᾷς», εἶπε μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ, «ὡς, ὅπερ ἐγὼ λέγω, καὶ θεὸς ἐπιμαρτυρόμενος ἄνωθεν ἀνάξιον κέκρικέ σε τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτό σε τὸ σύμβολον αὐτῆς τῇ πέτρᾳ προσαῤῥάξαι παρακεχώρηκε;» τοῦτο παν 1.28 τὸς βέλους πικρότερον ἐλυμήνατο καὶ κατέτρωσε τὰ σπλάγχνα τοῦ νέου, καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀπελθὼν, ἔκειτο βαρέα στενάχων, ψυχὴν ἐρευγόμενος, ποιητικῶς εἰπεῖν. ϛʹ. Ὅμως δ' ἑαυτὸν τῆς πολλῆς ἀθυμίας ἀναλαβὼν, ἔγνω δεῖν πρεσβείᾳ χρήσασθαί τινι πρὸς τὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα, ἅμα μὲν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκμειλιξόμενος τὴν ἐκείνου καὶ πρᾳότερον καταστήσων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐθέλων μαθεῖν, δι' ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἐκπεπολέμωτο. πέμπει δή τινα τῶν ἐπ' ἀρετῇ καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ γνωρίμων καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἁπάντων στόμασι κείμενον Ἰωσὴφ, ὃς ἐφιλονείκησε μὲν, τό γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον, τὸν λύχνον ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον κρύψαι, οὐκ ἠδυνήθη δὲ, τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ λόγου πάντως μὴ δυναμένου διαπεσεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰς τοσοῦτον ἦλθε περιφανείας, ὡς ψήφῳ κοινῇ βασιλέως τε καὶ συνόδου τῆς ἱερᾶς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ συγκλήτου πάσης, τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν θρόνων τῆς νέας ταυτησὶ Ῥώμης ἄξιος ἀποδειχθῆναι, κἂν αὐτὸς τῷ λίαν ταπεινῷ καὶ μετρίῳ τοῦ ἤθους ἀπώσατο τὴν ἀξίαν, τὸ τῆς καθέδρας ὕψος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος εὐλαβηθεὶς τῆς ἀρχῆς. τούτῳ δὴ χρησάμενος πρεσβευτῇ, ἀναφέρει δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πάππῳ τοιάδε· «Τῶν γεγεννηκότων πάντων πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν φυσικῇ τινι κεκρατημένων στοργῇ, εἰκός ἐστι δήπου καὶ τὰ τῶν παίδων ἐλαττώματα συσκιάζειν ἐθέλειν. κἄν τις ὑπὲρ τοῦ παιδὸς πολλούς τινας διεξέλθῃ καὶ θαυμασίους ἐπαίνους, ὑποψίαν οὐ μικρὰν τοῖς ἀκούουσι παρέχει ὡς οὐ τοῦ παιδὸς ὄντος τοιούτου, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ λειπομένου τῶν ἐπαίνων, αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀπατωμένου διὰ τὴν σχέ 1.29 σιν τὴν πρὸς αὐτόν· ἂν δ' ὁ πατὴρ τῷ παιδί τινα καὶ μικρὸν προστρίψηται ψόγον, πάλιν ἐκ διαμέτρου πολλαπλασίονα τὸν ψόγον ὑπονοοῦσι, τὴν ἴσην προστιθέντες αἰτίαν. σοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ πατρὸς κατ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ παιδὸς οὕτως ἐξωργισμένου, καὶ πολλὰς καὶ ποικίλας ὁσημέραι καταχέοντος τὰς λοιδορίας καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη, καὶ, τὸ πάντων ἐμοὶ βαρύτατον καὶ ὃ μήτ' ἀκούειν μήτε λέγειν ἀνεκτὸν ἐμοὶ, κατὰ σεαυτοῦ πολλάκις τὰ δεινότατα ἐπαρωμένου, εἴποτ' ἐγὼ πρός τι τῶν χρησίμων εὐφυῶς ἔχων φανείην· τὸ δ' ἔτι ὂν θανάτου πικρότερον, τὸ καὶ μικρά τινα συμβάματα, ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐκ τοῦ συμπεσόντος γεγενημένα, θεοσημείας καὶ θεοῦ βουλῆς ἀποκαλύψεις ἡγεῖσθαι, ἐμὲ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἄξιον ἀποδεικνύντος, τίς ἔσται Ῥωμαίων, ὃς ταῦτα ἀκούων, οὐ θαλάσσας ὅλας κακῶν ἐμοὶ συνειδέναι λογιεῖται τὸν πατέρα; καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μικρά τινα προχεῖσθαι τοῖς ἔξω, δεῖγμα τοῦ κεκρυμμένου πλήθους τῶν ἀφορήτων κακῶν καὶ σοὶ τῷ πατρί· ὅπου γε καὶ θαυμάζοντός σου καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπαίνους διεξιόντος καὶ πλέον σεμνύνοντος ἢ προσῆκε, τούτους δὲ εἰκὸς ἦν τὸν ἔπαινον ὑποπτεύειν, τῇ πρὸς τὸν παῖδα διαθέσει τοῦτο λογιζομένους. ταῦτ' ἔστιν ἅ με λυπεῖ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν