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ready for mercy, but also from those who choose the opposite. So pitiable is the drama of his sufferings. 20 TO PROCLUS, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And indeed by other letters I brought to the right hand of your holiness our most magnificent son Philip and I supplicated that he might enjoy your providence; but the most God-beloved and most holy man of God, the lord James, has ordered me to add a second letter to the first, charging me to add this also to the letters and to inform your holiness, that he too through us asks this favor. He is beloved of God for his excess of virtue and is surely admired by the people of God, and especially by your holiness, who formerly both encouraged him by letters and crowned him with many praises. Therefore, for the sake of this sacred head, most dear to God, let him enjoy your care and let his dignity be saved for our city. 21 TO AREOBINDAS THE PATRICIAN. 22 TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF ANCYRA. If the nature of men had kept the divine laws, it would have enjoyed lasting and enduring goods. But since we have turned aside from the straight path and have despised the divine commandments, we have necessarily been allotted a painful life, so that by investigating the causes of our griefs, and finding sin to be their mother, we might flee it as an enemy, and embrace the divine laws. For this reason, not only do some men fall from good fortune, but also cities and nations lose their prosperity and fall into extreme misfortune. This indeed is what the former Libya has suffered, now called Africa; for being full of all good things, it has suddenly become destitute of them. Men plunder and carry it away, having nothing civilized, but living with cruelty and savagery; for which reason, most of the most God-beloved bishops have chosen a foreign land instead of their homeland, having as consolation their hope in God and for the supply of the body's necessary needs the hands of God-loving men. One of these is the most God-beloved bishop, the lord Florentius, who is hurrying to reach the greatest city, and makes his journey through [the city of] your holiness; and I know that he will come to anchor in a harbor that is both well-anchored, with a good entrance, and sheltered from the wind, and full of all kinds of good things. And having enjoyed his company for a short time, I benefited from † and greetings of your [rev]erence †, which I value highly, and I hasten to send at the same time, both deriving gladness from it, and stirring up the worthy elder to prayers on my behalf. 23 TO AERIUS THE SOPHIST. Long ago the Athenians bewailed the Sicilian disasters; but the present age has produced those of Libya and Carthage. But these are more grievous and much harsher. Barbarian cruelty and insolence have brought them about. Of these sufferings the most noble Maximianus has also become a part, and by recounting his sufferings as in a tragedy he stings his hearers and channels a stream of tears. The most God-beloved and most holy bishop, the lord Juvenalius, has testified to the truth of the things said by him, having put his testimony in writing. Let him then enjoy the hospitality of Alcinous, since he too has escaped many raging seas. For the shipwrecks of the mainland are also grievous.

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προχείρων εἰς ἔλεον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τῶν τἀναντία προαιρουμένων. Οὕτως ἐλεεινὸν τῶν τούτου παθημάτων τὸ δρᾶμα. 20 ΠΡΟΚΛΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ. Καὶ δι' ἑτέρων μὲν γραμμάτων τῇ σῆς ἁγιότητος προσήγαγον δεξιᾷ τὸν μεγαλοπρεπέστατον ἡμῶν υἱὸν Φίλιππον καὶ τῆς σῆς αὐτὸν ἀπολαῦσαι προμηθείας ἱκέτευσα· προσθεῖναι δὲ τῇ προτέρᾳ δευτέραν ἐπιστολὴν ὁ θεοφιλέστατος καὶ ἁγιώτατος προσέταξεν ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ κῦρις Ἰάκωβος, παρεγγυή σας καὶ τοῦτο προσθεῖναι τοῖς γράμμασι καὶ διδάξαι σου τὴν ἁγιωσύνην, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς δι' ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν αἰτεῖ. Ὁ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑπερβολὴν ἀξιέραστος καὶ τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ δήπουθεν ἀξιάγαστος, διαφερόντως δὲ τῇ σῇ ὁσιότητι, ἣ καὶ γράμμασι πρώην αὐτὸν ἐψυχαγώγησε καὶ πολλαῖς ἐταινίωσεν εὐφημίαις. ∆ιὰ ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ φιλτάτην τῷ Θεῷ κεφαλὴν ἀπολαυσάτω τῆς ὑμετέρας κηδεμονίας καὶ σωθήτω τῇ πόλει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ τὸ σχῆμα. 21 ΑΡΕΟΒΙΝ∆Α ΠΑΤΡΙΚΙΩ. 22 ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ [ΑΝ]ΚΥΡ[ΑΣ]. Εἰ τοὺς θείους ἐφύλαττε νόμους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, μονίμων ἂν καὶ διαρκῶν ἀπήλαυσεν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς εὐθείας ἐξετράπημεν τρίβου καὶ τῶν θείων κατεφρονή σαμεν ἐντολῶν, ἀναγκαίως ὀδυνηρῷ προσεκληρώθημεν βίῳ, ἵνα τῶν λυπηρῶν τὰς αἰτίας ἀνερευνῶντες, καὶ μητέρα τούτων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εὑρίσκοντες, φεύγωμεν μὲν ταύτην ὡς πολεμίαν, τοὺς δὲ θείους ἀσπαζώμεθα νόμους. Τούτου δὴ χάριν οὐ μόνον τινὲς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῆς εὐκληρίας ἐκπίπτουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη τὴν εὐπραξίαν ἀποβάλλουσι καὶ εἰς ἐσχά την μεταπίπτουσι δυσκληρίαν. Τοῦτο δὴ πέπονθε καὶ ἡ πάλαι Λιβύη, νῦν δὲ Ἀφρικὴ καλουμένη· πάντων γὰρ οὖσα πλήρης τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἔρημος τούτων ἐξαπίνης ἐγένετο. Ἄγουσι δὲ ταύτην καὶ φέρουσιν ἄνδρες ἥμερον μὲν οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, ὠμό τητι δὲ καὶ θηριωδίᾳ συζῶντες· οὗ δὴ χάριν οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων τὴν ξένην ἀντὶ τῆς πατρίδος προεί λοντο, παραψυχὴν ἔχοντες τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα καὶ πρόσοδον τῆς ἀναγκαίας τοῦ σώματος χρείας τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν τὰς χεῖρας. Εἷς τούτων ἐστὶν ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος, ὁ κύριος Φλωρέντιος, ὃς τὴν μεγίστην μὲν πόλιν καταλαβεῖν ἐπείγεται, διὰ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἁγιότητος τὴν πορείαν ποιεῖται· καὶ οἶδ' ὅτι λιμένι προσορμισθήσεται εὐόρμῳ τε καὶ εὐστόμῳ καὶ ἀπηνέμῳ καὶ πλήρει παντοδαπῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον τῆς συνουσίας ἀπολαύσας, ἀπωνάμην † καὶ τῆς σῆς [σεμ]νό τητος προσρήσεις †, ἣν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῦμαι, καὶ ἅμα πέμπειν ἐπείγομαι, καὶ θυμηδίαν ἐξ αὐτῆς ποριζόμενος, καὶ εἰς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ εὐχὰς τὸν ἀξιόχρεων πρεσβύτην διεγείρων. 23 ΑΕΡΙΩ ΣΟΦΙΣΤΗ. Πάλαι μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι τὰς σικελικὰς ἀπωδύροντο συμφοράς· τὰς δὲ Λιβύης καὶ Καρχηδόνος ὁ παρὼν ἐβλάστησε χρόνος. Ἀνιαρότεραι δὲ αὗται καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτεραι. Βαρβαρικὴ αὐτὰς ὠμότης καὶ θρασύτης ἐπήνεγκεν. Τούτων καὶ ὁ εὐγενέσ τατος γεγένηται Μαξιμιανός, καὶ τραγῳδῶν τὰ παθήματα κεντεῖ τοὺς ἀκούοντας καὶ τῶν δακρύων ὀχετεύει τὴν λιβάδα. Μεμαρτύρηκε δὲ τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις ἀλήθειαν ὁ θεοφι λέστατος καὶ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος, ὁ κῦρις Ἰουβενάλιος, γράμ μασι τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐνθείς. Ἀπολαυσάτω τοίνυν τῆς Ἀλκινόου φιλοξενίας, ἐπεὶ καὶ οὗτος πολλὰς τρικυμίας διέφυγε. Χαλεπὰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἠπείρου ναυάγια.