resembling something that mutters indistinctly with some anger and vexation; and its voice is deeper rather than sharp. The beast is terribly savage and most cunning, and not easily tamed. It seems to me that when this creature was long ago brought to Boeotian Thebes, and perhaps leaped upon some of those who had flocked to the spectacle and disfigured their faces, Oedipus, considering the outrages against his fellow countrymen to be a terrible thing, slew the beast and from that gained a glorious name. And the myth, adorning him for his bravery, fashions the beast as winged because of its swift leaping, and fits it with the chest of a woman and the body of a lion; of a woman, because of the readiness of its bared chest and its resemblance to the female form; of a lion, because of its wildness, and because for the most part it happens to rest on four feet. The fiction gave the beast the power of speech because of the human-like quality of its voice; and of riddles, because it spoke indistinctly. And it is no wonder; for it is customary for the Greeks to fashion many other things into myth. The same land also produces wild asses, both very large in size and with hides of a strange pattern, with the colors white and black variegated not in a small way; but there are certain bands extending from the spine down to the sides and belly; and there, splitting and winding around each other in certain circumferences, they produce a certain wonderful and strange pattern and variety. But indeed also the phoenix, the much-fabled bird, happens to be found among them. And indeed we know that the psittacus is also brought from there, which is the most talkative of birds and the most imitative of human speech; and also the variegated and speckled birds, which some call Garamantes, taking their name from the nation from which they are most often brought. And many other clearly most extraordinary things grow there, the number of which this account curtails. But also the purest gold is produced there, as if gold-bearing hairs grow naturally from the earth there and lie upon one another, providing a clear indication of its origin; and also the most beautiful and largest fruits, of which the nuts are well-known. Moreover, the entire region of the Homerites as far as the Red Sea yields its fruits twice a year, for which reason they have called the land Arabia Felix. And in general, the whole land toward the rising sun is by far superior to the rest in all respects, and Paradise, being the best and purest part of the entire East, having the most unmixed and beautiful air and being watered by the clearest waters, it is clear that with incomparable preeminence it surpasses all that is under the sun in all things, with the outer sea washing up against it at sunrise. 3.12 That, he says, Athanasius, having come to the western emperor and having won over those in power with him with an abundance of gifts, especially Eustathius, who was a count of the so-called privati and most persuasive with the emperor, received a letter to Constantius saying this: “Athanasius has come to us, demonstrating that the episcopate of Alexandria belongs to him. Let him, therefore, obtain it through you, lest he regain it with my arms.” Constantius, having received the letter and having summoned the bishops for a council, received an opinion from them that it was better not to break into war with his brother than to relieve Alexandria of the weight of Athanasius. Therefore, he permitted him to take back the episcopate, and by letter summoned George to himself. But he arrived in his own country, Cappadocia, and there he lived, managing his own affairs. But Athanasius, now passing through the cities with greater pride, wherever he was among the bishops, challenged them with arguments regarding the homoousion; and that the others did not accept it, but Aetius the governor of Palestine, being accused of fornication and wishing by the

τινος ὀργῆς τε καὶ ἀχθηδόνος ἄσημα ὑποφθεγγομένῃ προσεοικυῖα· βαρυτέρα τε μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ὀξυνομένη. ἄγριόν τέ ἐστι δεινῶς τὸ θηρίον καὶ πανουργότατον, καὶ οὐδὲ ῥᾳδίως τιθασσευόμενον. ταύτης εἰς Θήβας μοι δοκῶ τὰς Βοιωτίας πάλαι κομισθείσης, καί τισιν ἴσως τῶν ἐπὶ θέᾳ συνερρυηκότων ἐφαλομένης καὶ τοῖς προσώποις λυμηναμένης, δεινὸν ποιησάμενος ὁ Οἰδίπους τὰς τῶν ὁμοφύλων λώβας, καταφονεῦσαι τὸ ζῷον καὶ ὄνομα λαμπρὸν ἐκεῖθεν λαβεῖν. καὶ αὐτὸν ὁ μῦθος εἰς ἀνδρείαν κοσμῶν, ὑπόπτερον μὲν τὸ θηρίον ἀναπλάττει διὰ τὸ ὀξέως ἐπιπηδᾶν, στέρνον δὲ γυναικὸς ἐφαρμόττει καὶ τὸ σῶμα λέοντος· γυναικὸς μέν, διὰ τὸ πρόχειρον τῆς γυμνώσεως καὶ πρὸς τὸ γυναικεῖον εἶδος ὁμοιώσεως· λέοντος δέ, διὰ τὸ θηριῶδες, καὶ ὅτι κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον τοῖς τέσσαρσι τυγχάνει ποσὶν ἐρειδόμενον. λόγου δὲ τῷ θηρίῳ μετέδωκεν τὸ πλάσμα διὰ τὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἀνθρωποειδές· αἰνιγματώδους δέ, διὰ τὸ ἄσημα φθέγγεσθαι. καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα σύνηθες τοῖς Ἕλλησι πρὸς τὸ μυθῶδες διαπλάττειν. Ἡ αὐτὴ δὲ χώρα καὶ ὄνους ἀγρίους μεγίστους τε τῷ μεγέθει φέρει καὶ τὴν δορὰν κατὰ τὸ ξενίζον πεποικιλμένους, λευκοῦ σφίσι καὶ μέλανος χρώματος οὐ κατὰ μικρὸν συμποικιλλομένου· ἀλλὰ ζῶναί τινές εἰσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ῥάχεως ἐπὶ τὰς πλευρὰς καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν καθήκουσαι· καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὴ σχιζόμεναι καὶ κατά τινας περιφερείας ἀλλήλαις ἐνελιττόμεναι, θαυμαστήν τινα καὶ ξένην ἀπεργάζονται πλοκὴν καὶ ποικιλίαν. ἀλλά γε δὴ καὶ ὁ φοῖνιξ, τὸ πολυθρύλητον πτηνόν, παρ' αὐτοῖς τυγχάνει γινόμενος. καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τὴν σιτάκην ἐκεῖθεν ἴσμεν κομιζομένην, ὃ τῶν ὀρνέων ἐστὶν λαλίστατον καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης γλώττης μιμητικώτατον· καὶ τοὺς ποικίλους δὲ καὶ καταστιγεῖς ὄρνεις, οὓς γαράμαντας ἐπικαλοῦσί τινες, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθνους οὗ μάλιστα πλεῖστοι κομίζονται τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν θέμενοι. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα διαφανῶς ὑπερφυέστατα φύεται, ὧν τὸ πλῆθος ἡ διήγησις ὑποστέλλεται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ χρυσὸς ἐνταῦθα γεννᾶται καθαρώτατος, χρυσιτίδων οἱονεὶ τριχῶν αὐτοφυῶν τῆς ἐκείνῃ γῆς ἀναδιδομένων καὶ ἐπ' ἀλλήλοις κειμένων καὶ ἐπίδηλον αὐτοῦ τὴν γένεσιν παρεχομένων· καὶ καρποὶ δὲ κάλλιστοί τε καὶ μέγιστοι, ὧν γνώριμα καὶ τὰ κάρυα. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς Ὁμηρίταις κλίμα πᾶν μέχρι τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης δὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἀναδίδωσι τοὺς καρπούς, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τὴν χώραν Ἀραβίαν εὐδαίμονα προσηγόρευσαν. καὶ ὅλως ἡ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον ἅπασα γῆ μακρῷ τῆς ἄλλης ἐν πᾶσι διαφέρει, ὁ δὲ Παράδεισος ἁπάσης τῆς Ἑῴας τὸ κράτιστόν τε καὶ καθαρώτατον ὑπάρχων καὶ τοὺς ἀέρας ἀκραιφνεστάτους καὶ καλλίστους ἔχων καὶ τοῖς διαφανεστάτοις ὕδασι καταρδόμενος, δῆλον ὡς ἀπαραβλήτῳ ὑπεροχῇ τῆς ὑφ' ἡλίῳ πάσης ἐν πᾶσι τὸ κρεῖττον φέρει, τῆς ἔξωθεν θαλάσσης κατ' ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον αὐτῷ παρακλυζομένης. 3.12 Ὅτι, φησίν, Ἀθανάσιος, πρὸς τὸν ἑσπέριον ἀφικόμενος βασιλέα καὶ δώρων τοὺς αὐτῷ παραδυναστεύοντας ὑπαγαγὼν ἀφθονίᾳ, μάλιστα δὲ Εὐστάθιον, ὃς κόμης ἦν τῶν λεγομένων πριουάτων καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ πιθανώτατος, ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς Κωνστάντιον κομίζεται λέγουσαν ὧδε· «Ἀθανάσιος ἧκεν ὡς ἡμᾶς, ἑαυτῷ προσήκειν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἀποδεικνύς. τυγχανέτω τοίνυν διὰ σοῦ ταύτης, ἐπεὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς γε αὐτὴν ἀνακτήσηται ὅπλοις». δεξάμενον δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τὸν Κωνστάντιον καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ βουλῆς συγκαλέσαντα, γνώμην παρ' αὐτῶν λαβεῖν ἄμεινον εἶναι μὴ πόλεμον ἀναρρῆξαι τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ τῆς Ἀθανασίου βαρύτητος τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀπαλλάξαι. διὸ καὶ ἐφιέναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἀναλαβεῖν, καὶ τὸν Γεώργιον δι' ἐπιστολῆς εἰς ἑαυτὸν μεταπέμψασθαι. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδα τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἀφίκετο, κἀκεῖ διῆγεν τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐπισκοπούμενος. ὁ δὲ Ἀθανάσιος, μετὰ μείζονος ἤδη φρονήματος διιὼν τὰς πόλεις, καθ' οὓς γίνοιτο τῶν ἐπισκόπων λόγοις αὐτοὺς ἐξεκαλεῖτο πρὸς τὸ ὁμοούσιον· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους μὴ προσδέχεσθαι, Ἀέτιον δὲ τὸν ἔφορον τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καταγγελλόμενον καὶ βουληθέντα τῇ πρὸς