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more compliant towards piety, easily impelled, whether it be real or apparent, O noble passion! for each man believes what he wishes.

What should I have done? Tell me, O wisest men. What else would any of you have thought to do, when the church was then still so confined as to be gathering even straw? For narrowness does not give as much power as an opportunity full of breadth does. It was a very great thing to me, even a dog treading my court and revering Christ instead of Heracles. But to him it was something greater; he made his flight for the most shameful reasons into an act of faith, as if suffering for God's sake. He was a scoundrel, but to me a victor. If this is terrible, I know I have often sinned in many such ways. Will you forgive me, men and judges, for this noble sin? He was most wicked, but I honored him as noble. Or shall I say something even bolder? Behold, I offer my untimely and talkative tongue; let him who wishes cut it out mercilessly. And why has it not been cut out? Or does it seem so to you, this tongue which is silent for a long time and will be silent still longer, perhaps paying the penalty for its untimeliness, that it might learn not to be agreeable to all? And what a thing that was; for let it only be added: wickedness is truly irrational. For he whom kindness did not make gentle, what else could he ever do of all things? And of him for whom honor is so great a reproach, what will you say of his character? Is it a great evil? If these things are credible, seek no more; but if they are not true, do not accept what came before either. What could be harder to fight against than these things? So from there the evil man was driven out evilly, or to speak more truly, the evil man was driven out well. But when the eastern emperor, bringing evil to the tribes of barbarians, had Thessalonica as his base of operations, what did that all-wicked dog weave then? Observe again for me: having taken up the rabble host of Egypt—I mean those who tonsured him disgracefully—he runs to the army camp, as if to establish his see for himself by royal command. And from there again, cast out like a dog with much anger and dreadful oaths—for no one yet had their ears ill-disposed against us, but they were still sound—he perishes again to Alexandria, doing this rightly and this alone wisely. For to Peter, whose pen was once double-tongued, easily writing all things contradictory, having a certain mercenary band of the homeless, he attacks and confines the old man, either demanding this throne, which he had hoped for, or saying he would not give up the present one, until he is sent away by the prefect, who feared, as was likely, that the moving flame might be added to the old calamities. And now he seems to be quiet, but I fear lest somewhere the terrible cloud pregnant with hail, driven together by a violent wind, should pour out its hail on those who do not expect it. For wickedness will never think anything peaceful, even if it is restrained for the moment. Such things the dogs of today philosophize—barking dogs, and only this, dogs. What did Diogenes or Antisthenes do like this? What was Crates compared to you? Spit on the walks of Plato; the Stoa is nothing. O Socrates, you hold first place even until now. Shall I utter something more trustworthy than the Pythian oracle? "Of all men Maximus is the wisest." But I am long-suffering, if any mortal is, and I was from the beginning, and I am even more so now, by toils on land, and dangers on the sea, from which I was saved—and great thanks to my fears. These have clearly given me to those above, having risen above all who wander. Nevertheless, not bearing the dishonor at that time and gladly seizing the opportunity, when I perceived that the most wicked man had been shorn, with all our friends pressing, who also kept me within a secret guard, watching my impulses, my goings out, my comings in, and with all our enemies watching the struggle, who thought the cutting of my hair was the end of my sermon— seeing these things, then, and not enduring to bear them, I suffer something of a man (for I will not deny it) who is rather more simple than wise. For, as they say, I immediately strike the stern, not easily learned, mind you; for no one would have noticed. But now a farewell speech has broken forth, which I sent out with the pain of a father's heart. And it was this: "Guard the Trinity, which I have given, a most resourceful father to beloved children, and remember, dearest ones, my labors." But when the people heard this speech, of the uncontrollable shouting

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εὐπειθέστερον πρὸς εὐλάβειαν ῥᾳδίως ὁρμωμένου ἢ οὖσαν ἢ δοκοῦσαν, ὢ χρηστοῦ πάθους· ὃ βούλεται γάρ, τοῦθ' ἕκαστος οἴεται.

Τί χρῆν με ποιεῖν; εἴπατ', ὦ σοφώτατοι. τί δ' ἄν τις ὑμῶν ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι δοκεῖ οὕτως ἔτι στενῆς τε τῆς ἐκκλησίας οὔσης τόθ', ὥστε καὶ καλάμης τι συλλέγειν; ἐξουσίαν γὰρ οὐ τοσαύτην ὁ στενός, ὅσην δίδωσι καιρὸς ὁ πλάτους γέμων. μέγιστον ἦν μοι καὶ πατῶν αὐλὴν κύων ἐμὴν σέβων τε Χριστὸν ἀνθ' Ἡρακλέους. τῷ δ' ἦν τι μεῖζον· τὴν ἐπ' αἰσχίστοις φυγήν πίστιν πεποίηθ' ὡς θεοῦ πάσχων χάριν. μαστιγίας ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ νικηφόρος. εἰ τοῦτο δεινόν, οἶδα πολλὰ πολλάκις τοιαῦθ' ἁμαρτών. ἆρα συγγνώσεσθέ μοι, ἄνδρες δικασταί, τῆς καλῆς ἁμαρτίας; ἦν μὲν κάκιστος, ἀλλ' ἐτίμων ὡς καλόν. Ἦ φθέγξομαί τι καὶ νεανικώτερον; ἰδού, προτείνω τὴν ἄκαιρον καὶ λάλον γλῶσσαν· ὁ θέλων ἀνηλεῶς ἐκτεμνέτω. τί δ' οὐχὶ τέτμητ'; ἢ δοκεῖ σοι καὶ σφόδρα, ἣ μακρὰ σιγᾷ καὶ πλέον σιγήσεται, ἴσως δίκας τίνουσα τῆς ἀκαιρίας, ὡς ἂν μάθῃ μὴ πᾶσιν εἶναι δεξιά; κἀκεῖνο δ' οἷον· προστεθήτω γὰρ μόνον· ὄντως ἀσυλλόγιστον ἡ πονηρία. ὃν γὰρ τὸ χρηστὸν οὐκ ἐποίησ' ἥμερον, τί ἂν δράσειεν ἄλλο τῶν πάντων ποτέ; καὶ οὗ τοσοῦτός ἐστιν ἡ τιμὴ ψόγος, τούτου τί φήσεις τὸν τρόπον; ἦ κακὸν μέγα; ταῦτ' εἰ μέν ἐστι πιστά, μὴ ζήτει πλέον· εἰ δ' οὐκ ἀληθῆ, μηδὲ τὰ πρόσθεν δέχου. τούτων τί ἂν γένοιτο δυσμαχώτερον; οὕτω μὲν ἔνθεν ἠλάθη κακῶς κακός, εἰπεῖν δ' ἀληθὲς μᾶλλον ὡς καλῶς κακός. Ἐπεὶ δὲ φύλοις βαρβάρων κακὸν φέρων βασιλεὺς ἑῷος εἶχεν ὁρμητήριον τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην, τηνικαῦτα τί πλέκει κύων ὁ παγκάκιστος; ἄθρει μοι πάλιν· ἄρας τὸ συρφετῶδες Αἰγύπτου στῖφος- λέγω δὲ τοὺς κείραντας αὐτὸν ἀπρεπῶς- ὡς τὴν καθέδραν βασιλικῷ προστάγματι πήξων ἑαυτῷ τῷ στρατοπέδῳ προστρέχει. κἀκεῖθεν αὖθις ὡς κύων ἀπορριφείς ὀργῇ τε πολλῇ χὠρκίοις φρικώδεσιν- οὔπω γὰρ ἦν τὰ ὦτα διατεθεὶς κακῶς οὐδεὶς καθ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἔτ' εἶχον ὑγιῶς- εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν αὖθις φθείρεται, ὀρθῶς γε ποιῶν τοῦτο καὶ μόνον σοφῶς. Πέτρῳ γάρ, ᾧ δίσχιστος ἡ γραφίς ποτ' ἦν πάντα γράφοντι ῥᾳδίως τἀναντία, μισθοφορικόν τι τῶν ἀνεστίων ἔχων ἐπιφύεται καὶ τὸν γέροντ' ἀποστενοῖ, ἢ τοῦτον αἰτῶν, ὅνπερ ἤλπισε, θρόνον ἢ τοῦ παρόντος μὴ μεθήσεσθαι λέγων, ἕως ὑπάρχου τὴν κινουμένην φλόγα, μὴ ταῖς παλαιαῖς προστεθῇ τι συμφοραῖς, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν δείσαντος ἔξω πέμπεται. καὶ νῦν δοκεῖ μὲν ἠρεμεῖν, δέος δέ μοι, μή που τὸ δεινὸν καὶ χαλάζης ἔγκυον νέφος συνωσθὲν ἐκ βιαίου πνεύματος τοῖς οὐ δοκοῦσι τὴν χάλαζαν ἐκχέῃ. οὐ μή ποτ' ἤρεμον γὰρ ἡ μοχθηρία οὐδὲν φρονήσει, κἂν σχεθῇ παραυτίκα. Τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφοῦσιν οἱ νυνὶ κύνες- κύνες ὑλάκται, τοῦτο καὶ μόνον κύνες. τί ∆ιογένης τοιοῦτον ἢ Ἀντισθένης; τί δαὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ Κράτης; διάπτυε τοὺς περιπάτους Πλάτωνος· οὐδὲν ἡ Στοά. ὦ Σώκρατες, τὰ πρῶτα μέχρι νῦν φέρεις. φθέγξωμ' ἐγώ τι πιστότερον τῆς Πυθίας; «ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων Μάξιμος σοφώτατος.» Ἐγὼ δὲ τληπαθὴς μέν, εἰ καί τις βροτῶν, ἤμην τ' ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, εἰμί τε πλέον τὰ νῦν, πόνοις μὲν ἐκ γῆς, κινδύνοις δὲ ποντίοις, ἐξ ὧν ἐσώθην-καὶ χάρις πολλὴ φόβοις. οὗτοι δεδώκασίν με τοῖς ἄνω σαφῶς πάντων ὑπερκύψαντα τῶν πλανωμένων. ὅμως δὲ τὴν τότ' οὐ φέρων ἀτιμίαν καὶ τῆς ἀφορμῆς ἀσμένως δεδραγμένος, ὡς τὸν κάκιστον ᾐσθόμην κεκαρμένον, πάντων μὲν ἡμῖν τῶν φίλων ἐγκειμένων, οἳ καί με φρουρᾶς εἶχον εἴσω λαθρίου τηροῦντες ὁρμάς, ἐξόδους, ἀναστροφάς, πάντων δ' ὁρώντων τὴν πάλην τῶν δυσμενῶν, οἳ τὴν τομὴν ᾤοντο τοῦ λόγου λύσιν- ταῦτ' οὖν ὁρῶν τε καὶ φέρειν οὐ καρτερῶν ἀνδρός τι πάσχω (καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι) ἁπλουστέρου τι μᾶλλον ἢ σοφωτέρου. πρύμναν γάρ, ὡς λέγουσι, κρούομ' αὐτίκα, οὐκ εὐμαθῶς μέν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις ᾔσθετο. Νῦν δ' ἐξιτήριός τις ἐρράγη λόγος, ὃν ἐξέπεμψα πατρικῶν σπλάγχνων πόνῳ. ὁ δ' ἦν· «φυλάσσεθ', ἣν δέδωκα, τριάδα, τέκνοις ποθεινοῖς εὐπορώτατος πατήρ, καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν μέμνησθε, φίλτατοι, πόνων.» λαὸς δ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον ἤκουσεν λόγον, τῶν δυσκαθέκτων ἐκβοήσαντός