10

7. A farewell to my un-friends. Fellow priests, I have scarcely died from envy.

East and west will cease, and my envy to enemies, to friends; I have departed; speak well of me. But I will utter a certain farewell to all. If you find another in my place, honor him. Our revered Spirit, whom I advocate. But now I am no longer the no-man's-land of the battle. 1025

8. To those who envy. Trinity, save me; and again I call, Trinity. For by proclaiming

you, I bought envy. People, laws, altar, steps, thrones, and sermons advocating true doctrines. How these things, and what are these things? And whence flowing with the streams of my mighty God's Spirit, nourishing a foreign people well, Then, having my flesh wasted away by many struggles, I departed? O watchmen, applaud. He who watered is dead, and those who hunger for the word. If you will grant any recompense for these things, my Christ, may you grant a great one; but if not, thanks for them also. 1026

9. To the same. I have departed, I have come, I am coming; a mixture of trembling and joy

possesses me; I examine my own depth, lest I owe something, my Christ; but I am coming as a creature pursued in life, especially by enemies and friends, fellow-priests, opponents. To fall into your hands is more to be chosen, than to struggle here in the wrestlings of envy. For I have no hope for any good things. But to die with the most wicked is a great gain. Farewell, glut your bellies, be proud in your dreams; for you will rejoice for a short time. I too took part in the error; but I am gone. 1027

10. To the priests of Constantinople, and to the city itself. O

you who offer bloodless sacrifices, priests, and worshipers of the great unity in Trinity; O laws, O emperors glorying in piety, O famous seat of great Constantine, younger Rome, so much excelling other cities, as the starry heaven excels the earth; shall I call upon you, noble ones, for what envy has done to me? how it has cast me far from my sacred children, after I had struggled for a long time, a light-bringer with heavenly doctrines, and pouring forth a stream from the rock. What justice is it, that toil and terror should be mine, when the city was first being carved out in piety, 1028 but that another should gladden his heart upon my toils, suddenly raised to a foreign throne, where God and God's good servants placed me? These things are a hateful sickness, these are the servants of God, who wage mournful strife against each other; Christ, Lord, they do not intend these things as friendly to me. For I did not become a bold warrior of a single party, nor did I wish to put anything before Christ. My fault is that I erred in nothing similar to others, nor do I go along like a small ship with the cargo. So also I am hated by the light-minded, who have unholily surrendered this pulpit to friends who are gods of the moment. But let the depth of oblivion hide these things. But I, having departed from here, will delight in tranquility, 1029 gladly fleeing all at once—palaces, and cities, and priests—as I longed to do before, when God called me both in nightly dreams, and in the difficult terrors of the chilly sea. For this reason, laughing aloud, I have escaped envy, and from a great storm, I have cast my cable in a steady harbor, where, raising my spirit with the pure thoughts of my mind, I will offer silence also, as formerly I offered speech. This is the word of Gregory, whom the land of the Cappadocians nourished, who stripped off all things for Christ. 1166

12. On himself and concerning bishops. Perhaps indeed it was necessary, as one who is mistreated, to endure

being formed by the commands of the one who suffered, and having suffered thus, to hold fast to the word, so that, if we have contended more fully, we may also hope for a more perfect reward. For of whom the toil is perfect, more perfect; but of whom it is not perfect, the prize is also lacking. But lest

10

Ζʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς ἀφίλους ἐξιτήριον. Οἱ συνθύται, τέθνηκα τῷ φθόνῳ μόγις.

Ἑῴα λήξει καὶ δύσις, φθόνος τ' ἐμὸς Ἐχθροῖς, φίλοις· ἀπῆλθον· εὐφημήσατε. Πλὴν ἐξιτήριόν τι πᾶσι φθέγξομαι. Ἂν ἄλλον εὕρητ' ἀντ' ἐμοῦ, τιμήσατε. Τὸ σεπτὸν ἡμῖν Πνεῦμα, τῷ συνηγορῶ. Νῦν δ' οὐκέτ' εἰμὶ τῆς μάχης μεταίχμιον. 1025

Ηʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς φθονοῦντας. Τριὰς, σάου με· καὶ πάλιν καλῶ, Τριάς. Σὲ γὰρ

προφαίνων ἠμπολησάμην φθόνον. Λαὸς, νόμοι, τράπεζα, βήματα, θρόνοι, Λόγοι τ' ἀληθῶν δογμάτων συνήγοροι. Πῶς ταῦτα, καὶ τί ταῦτα; καὶ πόθεν ῥέων Ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ μου τοῦ κρατίστου Πνεύματος Ῥοαῖς, ξένον τε λαὸν ἐντρέφων καλῶς, Ἔπειτα σάρκας ἐκτακεὶς ἀθλήμασι Πολλοῖς ἀπῆλθον; ὦ σκοποὶ, κροτήσατε. Τέθνηχ' ὅ τ' ἄρδων, οἵ τε πεινῶντες λόγον. Εἰ μέν τι τούτων ἀντιδώσεις, Χριστέ μου, Μέγ' ἀντιδοίης· εἰ δὲ μὴ, καὶ τῶν χάρις. 1026

Θʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς αὐτούς. Μετῆλθον, ἦλθον, ἔρχομαι· μίξις μ' ἔχει Τρόμου χαρᾶς

τε· τοὐμὸν ἐτάζω βάθος, Μήτι χρεωστῶ, Χριστέ μου· πλὴν ἔρχομαι Ζῶον διωχθὲν ἐν βίῳ, μάλιστα δὴ Ἐχθροῖς φίλοις τε, συνθύταις, ἀντιστάταις. Τὰς σὰς πεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας αἱρετώτερον, Ἢ τῇδε μοχθεῖν τοῖς φθόνου παλαίσμασι. Τῶν μὲν καλῶν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐλπίζειν ἔχω. Τοῖς δ' αὖ κακίστοις συνθανεῖν κέρδος μέγα Χαίροιτε, γαστρίζοισθε, τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις Μεγαφρονεῖτε· μικρὰ γὰρ χαρήσετε. Κἀγὼ μετέσχον τῆς πλάνης· ἀλλ' οἴχομαι. 1027

Ιʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἱερέας, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν. Ὦ

θυσίας πέμποντες ἀναιμάκτους, ἱερῆες, Καὶ μεγάλης μονάδος λάτριες ἐν Τριάδι· Ὦ νόμοι, ὦ βασιλῆες ἐπ' εὐσεβίῃ κομόωντες, Ὦ Κωνσταντίνου κλεινὸν ἕδος μεγάλου, Ὁπλοτέρη Ῥώμη, τόσσον προφέρουσα πολήων, Ὁσσάτιον γαίης οὐρανὸς ἀστερόεις· Ὑμέας εὐγενέας ἐπιβώσομαι, οἷά μ' ἔοργεν Ὁ φθόνος; ὡς ἱερῶν τῆλε βάλεν τεκέων, ∆ηρὸν ἀεθλεύσαντα, φαεσφόρον οὐρανίοισι ∆όγμασι, καὶ πέτρης ἐκπροχέοντα ῥόον. Ποία δίκη, μόχθον μὲν ἐμοὶ καὶ δεῖμα γενέσθαι, Ἄστεος εὐσεβίῃ πρῶτα χαρασσομένου, 1028 Ἄλλον δ' αὖ μόχθοισιν ἐμοῖς ἔπι θυμὸν ἰαίνειν, Ἀρθέντ' ἐξαπίνης θῶκον ἐπ' ἀλλότριον, Οὗ με Θεός τ' ἐπέβησε, Θεοῦ τ' ἀγαθοὶ θεράποντες; Ταῦτα νόσος στυγερὴ, ταῦτα Θεοῦ θέραπες, Οἳ δῆριν στονόεσσαν ἐπ' ἀλλήλοισιν ἔχοντες, Χριστὲ ἄναξ, οὔ μοι ταῦτα νοοῦσι φίλα. Οὐ γὰρ ἴης γενόμην μοίρης θρασὺς ἀσπιδιώτης, Οὐδ' ἔθελον Χριστοῦ ἄλλο τι πρόσθε φέρειν. Ἁμπλακίη δ' ὅτι μηδὲν ὁμοίϊον ἤμπλακον ἄλλοις, Μηδ' ὡς νηῦς ὀλίγη φορτίδι συμφέρομαι. Ὣς καὶ κουφονόοισιν ἀπέχθομαι, οἵ ῥ' ἀνέηκαν Βῆμα τόδ' οὐχ ὁσίως καιροθέοισι φίλοις. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν λήθης κεύθοι βυθός. Αὐτὰρ ἔγωγε Ἔνθεν ἀφορμηθεὶς, τέρψομαι ἀτρεμίῃ, 1029 Πάνθ' ἄμυδις, βασίλεια, καὶ ἄστεα, καὶ ἱερῆας Ἀσπασίως προφυγὼν, ὡς πόθεον τοπάρος, Εὖτε Θεός μ' ἐκάλεσσε καὶ ἐννυχίοισιν ὀνείροις, Καὶ πόντου κρυεροῦ δείμασιν ἀργαλέοις. Τοὔνεκα καγχαλόων φθόνον ἔκφυγον, ἐκ μεγάλου δὲ Χείματος, ἐν σταθερῷ πεῖσμα βάλον λιμένι, Ἔνθα νόου καθαροῖσι νοήμασι θυμὸν ἀείρων, Θύσω καὶ σιγὴν, ὡς τοπάροιθε λόγον. Οὗτος Γρηγορίοιο λόγος, τὸν θρέψατο γαῖα Καππαδοκῶν, Χριστῷ πάντ' ἀποδυσάμενον. 1166

ΙΒʹ. Εἰς ἑαυτὸν καὶ περὶ ἐπισκόπων. Ἴσως μὲν ἐχρῆν, ὡς κακούμενον φέρειν

Ταῖς τοῦ παθόντος ἐντολαῖς τυπούμενον, Οὕτω παθόντα καρτερεῖν καὶ τὸν λόγον, Ὡς, ἂν πλείως ὦμεν ἠγωνισμένοι, Καὶ μισθὸν ἐλπίζωμεν ἐντελέστερον. Ὧν γὰρ τέλειος μόχθος, ἐντελέστερος· Ὧν δ' οὐ τέλειος, καὶ τὸ ἆθλον ἐλλιπές. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ