Letter X.—To a Friend.

What flower in spring is so bright, what voices of singing birds are so sweet, what breezes that soothe the calm sea are so light and mild, what glebe is so fragrant to the husbandman—whether it be teeming with green blades, or waving with fruitful ears as is the spring of the soul, lit up with your peaceful beams, from the radiance which shone in your letter, which raised our life from despondency to gladness? For thus, perhaps, it will not be unfitting to adapt the word of the prophet to our present blessings: “In the multitude of the sorrows which I had in my heart, the comforts of God,” by your kindness, “have refreshed my soul,”54    Ps. xciv. 19. like sunbeams, cheering and warming our life nipped by frost. For both reached the highest pitch—the severity of my troubles, I mean, on the one side, and the sweetness of your favours on the other. And if you have so gladdened us, by only sending us the joyful tidings of your coming, that everything changed for us from extremest woe to a bright condition, what will your precious and benign coming, even the sight of it, do? what consolation will the sound of your sweet voice in our ears afford our soul? May this speedily come to pass, by the good help of God, Who giveth respite from pain to the fainting, and rest to the afflicted. But be assured, that when we look at our own case we grieve exceedingly at the present state of things, and men cease not to tear us in pieces55    διαφοροῦντας. This letter is probably written during his exile, (375–8) and to Otreius, the bishop of Melitene. See Letter 14, note.: but when we turn our eyes to your excellence, we own that we have great cause for thankfulness to the dispensation of Divine Providence, that we are able to enjoy in your neighbourhood56    ἐκ γειτόνων. your sweetness and good-will towards us, and feast at will on such food to satiety, if indeed there is such a thing as satiety of blessings like these.

[10] Ὀτρηίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Μελιτηνῆς Ποῖον τοιοῦτον ἄνθος ἐν ἔαρι, τίνες τοιαῦται τῶν ᾠδικῶν ὀρνίθων φωναί, ποία λεπταῖς καὶ προσηνέσι ταῖς αὔραις καταγλυκαίνεται γαληνιάζουσα θάλασσα, τίς ἄρουρα τοῖς γεηπόνοις οὕτως ἡδεῖα, ἢ εὐθηνουμένη ληΐοις ἢ τοῖς καρποῖς ἤδη τῶν ἀσταχύων ὑποκυμαίνουσα, τίς ἐξ ἀμπέλου τοσαύτη χάρις, ὅτε κομῶσα διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος * καὶ τοῖς φύλλοις κατασκιάζει τὴν κάμακα, ὅσον τὸ πνευματικὸν ἔαρ ἐκ τῆς εἰρηνικῆς σου ἀκτῖνος διὰ τῆς ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι λαμπηδόνος τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἐκ κατηφείας ἐφαίδρυνεν; οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν τάχα τὸ προφητικὸν ἁρμόζει, ὅτι Κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αἱ τοῦ θεοῦ παρακλήσεις διὰ τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν εὔφραναν, ἀκτίνων δίκην κεκακωμένην τῇ πάχνῃ τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἐπιθάλπουσαι: ἴση γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἡ ἀκρότης, τῆς τε τραχύτητος λέγω τῶν λυπηρῶν καὶ τῆς γλυκύτητος τῶν σῶν ἀγαθῶν. καὶ εἰ μόνον εὐαγγελισάμενος ἡμῖν τὴν παρουσίαν σου τοσοῦτον ἐφαίδρυνας, ὥστε πάντα ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀλγηδόνος εἰς φαιδρὰν μεταβληθῆναι κατάστασιν, τί ποτε ἄρα ποιήσει καὶ ὀφθεῖσα μόνον ἡ τιμία σου καὶ ἀγαθὴ παρουσία; πόσην δὲ δώσει ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν παράκλησιν ἡ γλυκεῖά σου φωνὴ ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἐνηχήσασα; ἀλλὰ γένοιτο ταῦτα διὰ τάχους κατὰ θεοῦ συνεργίαν τοῦ διδόντος ὀλιγοψύχοις ἄνεσιν καὶ τοῖς συντετριμμένοις ἀνάπαυσιν. ἡμᾶς δὲ γίνωσκε, ἐὰν μὲν εἰς τὸ ἡμέτερον βλέψωμεν, περιαλγεῖν τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ δυσφοροῦντας μὴ παύεσθαι, ἐὰν δὲ πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἀπίδωμεν τιμιότητα, πολλὴν ὁμολογεῖν τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ τοῦ δεσπότου τὴν χάριν, ὅτι ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν ἐκ γειτόνων ἀπολαύειν τῆς γλυκείας σου καὶ ἀγαθῆς προαιρέσεως καὶ ἐμφορεῖσθαι κατ' ἐξουσίαν μέχρι κόρου τῆς τοιαύτης τροφῆς, εἰ δή τις κόρος τῶν τοιούτων ἐστίν.