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And Theodosius the consul said: THEOD. I hope that God preserves my memory, this very word

I say to him, and he will be persuaded. And having greeted one another on these terms, they departed in peace, after

the bishop had given to Abba Maximus a small sum sent to him, and a sticharion and sandals. But while the bishop of Bizye [gave] the sticharion at that very hour, in Rhegium they took away not only the sum given to him, but also whatever else he had from charity, along with the rest of his wretched belongings and clothes.

24. And after the aforesaid men had departed, on the eighth of the month of September

of the present fifteenth indiction, Paul the consul went out again to Abba Maximus in Bizye, carrying a command which contained the following: 15Γ_050 We command your excellency to go to Bizye and to bring Maximus the monk with much honor and flattery, on account of his old age and infirmity, and because he is our ancestor and has become precious to them, and to place him in the holy monastery of Saint Theodore, which is located near Rhegium, and to come and inform us, and we are sending on our behalf two patricians, who are to discuss the matters which have seemed good to us, who love us with their soul and are beloved by us; and to come and announce his arrival to us.

Therefore the same consul, having brought him and placed him in the aforementioned monastery, departed to announce it.

25. And on the next day there went out to him Epiphanius and Troilus the

patricians with much pomp and show, and Theodosius the bishop, and they went up to him in the catechumenon of the church of the same monastery, and when the customary greeting had been made, they sat down, compelling him also to sit. And Troilus, beginning his speech to him, said:

TRO. Our lord commanded us to come to you, and to speak to you the things that seemed good to his God-strengthened might. But tell us first, will you do the command of the emperor, or will you not?

MAX. Maximus said: My lord, let me hear what his pious might has commanded, and I will answer accordingly; for to that which is unknown, what answer can I give?

TRO. Troilus insisted, saying: It is not possible for us to say anything at all, unless you first say whether you will do, or will not do, the command of the emperor.

And when he saw them insisting and looking more bitterly upon his delay, and answering more harshly with 15Γ_052 all those who were with them, who were puffed up by the adornments of their dignities, Abba Maximus answered and said:

MAX. Since you do not deign to tell your servant the things that have seemed good to our lord and emperor, behold, I say with God and the holy angels and all of you as witnesses, that whatever he commands me concerning any matter which is dissolved and perishes with this present age, I will do readily.

And Troilus, immediately rising, said: TRO. Pray for me, I am leaving; for this man does nothing. And when a very great uproar and much disturbance and confusion had arisen,

Theodosius the bishop said to them:

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Καί εἶπε Θεοδόσιος ὁ ὑπατος, ὅτι· ΘΕΟ∆. Ἐλπίζω τοῦ Θεοῦ σώζοντός μοι τήν μνήμην, τοῦτον αὐτῷ τόν λόγον

λέγω, καί πείθεται. Καί ἀσπασάμενοι ἀλλήλους ἐπί τούτοις, ἀπήλθον μετ' εἰρήνης, δεδωκότος

τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τῷ ἀββᾷ Μαξίμῳ πεμφθέν αὐτῷ ποσόν μικρόν καί στιχάριν καί καμάσιν καί τό μέν στιχάριν εὐθέως κατ' αὐτήν τήν ὥραν Βιζύης ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ἐν τῷ Ρηγίῳ δέ οὐ τό δοθέν αὐτῷ ποσόν μόνον, ἀλλά καί ἄλλο εἴ τι δήποτε ἐξ εὐποιίας εἶχε, μετά τῶν λοιπῶν οἰκτρῶν αὐτοῦ πραγμάτων καί ἐσθημάτων ἀφείλαντο.

Κ∆'. Μετά δέ τό ἀπελθεῖν τούς εἰρημένους ἄνδρας, τῇ ὀγδόῃ τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου

μηνός τῆς παρούσης πεντεκαιδεκάτης ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἐξῆλθεν αὖθις Παῦλος ὁ ὕπατος ἐν Βιζύῃ πρός τόν ἀββᾶν Μάξιμον, κέλευσιν ἐπιφερόμενος περιέχουσαν οὕτως· 15Γ_050 Κελεύομεν τῇ σῇ ἐνδοξότητι ἀπελθεῖν ἐν Βιζύῃ καί ἀγαγεῖν Μάξιμον τόν μοναχόν μετά πολλῆς τιμῆς καί κολακείας, διά τε τό γῆρας καί τήν ἀσθένειαν καί τό εἶναι αὐτόν προγονικόν ἡμῶν καί γενόμενον αὐτοῖς τίμιον, καί θέσθαι τοῦτον ἐν τῷ εὐαγεῖ μοναστηρίῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Θεοδώρου, τῷ διακειμένῳ πλησίον τοῦ Ρηγίου, καί ἐλθεῖν καί μηνύσαι ἡμῖν, καί πέμπομεν ἐκ προσώπου ἡμῶν δύο πατρικίους, ὀφείλοντας διαλεχθῆναι τά παραστάντα ἡμῖν, φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ψυχικῶς καί φιλουμένους παρ' ἡμῶν· καί ἐλθεῖν καί ἀναγγεῖλαι ἡμῖν τήν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ.

Ἀγαγών οὖν ὁ αὐτός ὕπατος καί θείς ἐν τῷ προειρημένῳ μοναστηρίῳ, ἀπῆλθε άναγγεῖλαι.

ΚΕ'. Καί τῇ ἐξῆς ἡμέρᾳ ἐξέρχονται πρός αὐτόν Ἐπιφάνιος καί Τρώϊλος οἱ

πατρίκιοι μετά πολλής περιβολῆς καί φαντασίας, καί Θεοδόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, καί ανέρχονται πρός αὐτόν ἐν τῷ κατηχουμενίῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς αὐτῆς μονῆς, καί τοῦ συνήθους ἀσπασμοῦ γενομένου, ἐκάθισαν, βιασάμενοι καί αὐτόν καθίσαι καί ἀπαρξάμενος τοῦ πρός αὐτόν λόγου Τρώϊλος, εἶπεν·

ΤΡΩ. Ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν ἐκέλευσεν ἡμᾶς πρός σε γενέσθαι, καί λαλῆσαι ὑμῖν τά δόξαντα τῷ αὐτοῦ θεοστηρίκτῳ κράτει. Ἀλλ' εἰπέ ἡμῖν πρῶτον, ποιεῖς τήν κέλευσιν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἤ οὐ ποιεῖς;

ΜΑΞ. Μάξιμος εἶπε· ∆έσποτα, ἀκούσω τί ἐκέλευσε τό εὐσεβές αὐτοῦ κράτος, καί δεόντως ἀποκρίνομαι· ἐπεί πρός τό ἀγνοούμενον, ποίαν ἔχω ἀπόκρισιν δοῦναι;

ΤΡΩ. Τρώϊλος ἐπέμενε λέγων· Οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ὅτι λέγομεν τί ποτε, ἐάν μή πρῶτον εἴπῃς εἰ ποιεῖς, ἤ οὐ ποιεῖς τήν κέλευσιν τοῦ βασιλέως.

Καί ὡς οἶδεν αὐτούς ἐνισταμένους καί ἐπί τῇ ἀναβολῇ αὐτοῦ πικρότερον βλέποντας, καί τραχύτερον ἀποκριναμένους μετά 15Γ_052 πάντων τῶν συνόντων αὐτοῖς, καί τῶν ἀξιωμάτων κόσμοις ἐπηρμένων, ἀποκριθείς ὁ ἀββᾶς Μάξιμος, εἶπεν·

ΜΑΞ. Ἐπάν οὐκ ἀνέχεσθε εἰπεῖν τῷ δούλῳ ὑμῶν τά παραστάντα τῷ δεσπότῃ ἡμῶν καί βασιλεῖ, ἰδού λέγω ἀκούοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων, καί πάντων ὑμῶν, ὅτιπερ εἴ τί δήποτε κελεύει μοι περί οἱουδήποτε πράγματος τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ συγκαταλυομένου καί συμφθειρομένου, προθύμως ποιῶ.

Καί εὐθέως ἀναστάς Τρώϊλος, εἶπεν· ΤΡΩ. Εὔξασθέ μοι, ἐγώ ὑπάγω· οὗτος γάρ οὐδέν ποιεῖ. Καί πολλοῦ πάνυ γενομένου θορύβου καί πολλῆς ταραχῆς καί συγχύσεως,

εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Θεοδόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος·