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we were inside the portico, we saw a river of fire flowing into the church; for the choir of virgins carrying wax torches by hand went in procession one after another into the entrance of the church, 6.11 completely illuminated by the torches. And having gone inside and rejoiced with the people and wept with them (for it was possible to experience both these things by seeing the two passions in the crowd), I at once ceased from my prayers and I dashed off this letter to your Holiness, hurrying as much as possible, because I was compelled by thirst to attend to the care of my body after the letter.

7.t To Hierius the Governor

7.1 There is a certain law of ours which legislates to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice, but of these, as it seems, only the one part of the legislation is active among us; for the scarcity of those who prosper is great, so that we cannot easily find with whom to share in good things, 7.2 but of those who fare otherwise there is a great abundance. I begin with this prelude because of the unfortunate tragedy, which some evil demon has enacted among those once genuine. A certain young man of noble birth, Synesius is his name, not outside my family, in the prime of his life, having scarcely yet begun to live, is in great danger; whom God alone has the strength to rescue, and after God, you, who have been entrusted with the verdict concerning death 7.3 and life. An involuntary misfortune has occurred; for who would be unfortunate willingly? And now those who have brought this capital charge against him have made his misfortune a crime. 7.4 But I will try by my own letters to entreat them to put aside their anger, and I ask that your favor, along with justice, be with us, so that your love for humanity might overcome the misery of the young man, devising every means, by which the young man will be out of danger, having conquered the evil demon against him through your alliance. 7.5 I have said in summary all that I wish; but to suggest in detail how what is sought might be accomplished, would be neither my place to say nor yours to be taught.

8.t To Antiochianus

8.1 On the point for which the king of the Macedonians is most admired by the wise—for he is admired not so much for his Median trophies nor his tales of India and the Ocean, as for saying that he had his treasure in his friends—I too dare in this respect to set myself against his marvels, and it is more fitting for me to say such a thing, that I am rich in friendship and I surpass with such a possession perhaps even him 8.2 who boasted of this. For what sort of friend did he have, such as you are to me, in everything competing with yourself in every form of virtue? 8.3 For surely no one would charge me with flattery for saying these things, looking both at my age and at your life; for my gray hair is now past the season for flattery, and old age is unsuited to fawning, and for you, even if I were ever in the prime for flattering, the praise would not fall under the suspicion of flattery, since your life demonstrates the praise before my 8.4 words. But since it is a mark of those who are truly rich to know how to use what they have, and the best use of one's possessions is to set forth in common for one's friends what one has, and my friend, bound to me above all others with all sincerity, is my most beloved son Alexander, I ask you to show him my treasure, and not only to show it but also to provide it generously for him to enjoy, by taking care 8.5 of him

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ἔνδοθεν ἐγενόμεθα τοῦ περιστῴου, ὁρῶμεν ῥύακα πυρὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσρέοντα· ὁ γὰρ τῶν παρθένων χορὸς τὰς ἐκ κηροῦ λαμπάδας διὰ χειρὸς φέρουσαι στοιχηδὸν ἀλλήλαις κατὰ τὴν εἴσοδον τῆς ἐκκλησίας προῄεσαν, 6.11 τοῖς πυρσοῖς διόλου καταλαμπόμεναι. ἐντὸς δὲ γενόμενος καὶ συνησθεὶς τῷ λαῷ καὶ συνδακρύσας (ταῦτα γὰρ ἦν ἀμφότερα πάσχειν τῷ κἀν τῷ πλήθει βλέπειν τὰ δύο πάθη), ὁμοῦ τε τῶν εὐχῶν ἐπαυσάμην καὶ ταύτην τῇ ὁσιότητί σου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν διεχάραξα, ἐπισπεύδων ὡς οἷόν τε, τῷ τῇ δίψῃ καταναγκάζεσθαι προσασχοληθῆναι μετὰ τὸ γράμμα τῇ θεραπείᾳ τοῦ σώματος.

7.τ Ἱερίῳ ἡγεμόνι

7.1 Νόμος τίς ἐστιν ἡμέτερος κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων νομοθετῶν καὶ

συγχαίρειν τοῖς χαίρουσιν, ἀλλὰ τούτων, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸ ἕτερον ἐφ' ἡμῶν τῆς νομοθεσίας ἐνεργόν ἐστι μόνον· πολλὴ γὰρ τῶν εὐθηνούντων ἡ σπάνις, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν εὑρεῖν ῥᾳδίως, τίσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν συμμετάσχωμεν, τῶν 7.2 δ' ὡς ἑτέρως πραττόντων ἀφθονία πολλή. ταῦτα προοιμιάζομαι διὰ τὴν δυστυχῆ τραγῳδίαν, ἣν πονηρός τις δαίμων ἐν τοῖς πάλαι γνησίοις ἐδραματούργησεν. νέος τις τῶν εὐπατριδῶν, Συνέσιος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ ἐμοῦ γένους, ἐν ἀκμῇ τῆς ἡλικίας, οὔπω σχεδὸν τοῦ ζῆν ἀρξάμενος ἐν μεγάλοις κινδύνοις ἐστίν· ὃν ἐξελέσθαι μόνος ὁ θεὸς ἰσχὺν ἔχει, καὶ μετὰ τὸν θεὸν σὺ ὁ τὴν περὶ θανάτου 7.3 καὶ ζωῆς ψῆφον πεπιστευμένος. δυστύχημα γέγονεν ἀκούσιον· τίς δ' ἂν ἑκὼν δυστυχήσειε; καὶ νῦν ἔγκλημα τὴν δυστυχίαν πεποίηνται οἱ κατ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιθανάτιον ταύ7.4 την δίκην συστήσαντες. ἀλλ' ἐκείνους μὲν ἰδίοις γράμμασι καθυρεῖναι τῆς ὀργῆς δυσωπῆσαι πειράσομαι, τὸ δὲ σὸν εὐμενὲς μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν γενέσθαι παρακαλῶ, ὅπως ἂν τὴν ἀθλιότητα τοῦ νέου ἡ σὴ φιλανθρωπία νικήσειε, πᾶσαν μηχανὴν ἐξευροῦσα, δι' ἧς ἔξω κινδύνων ἔσται ὁ νέος, τὸν πονηρὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ δαίμονα διὰ τῆς σῆς συμμαχίας 7.5 νικήσας. πάντα εἶπον ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ἃ βούλομαι· τὸ δὲ καθ' ἕκαστον ὑποτείνεσθαι ὅπως ἂν κατορθωθείη τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, οὔτε ἐμὸν ἂν εἴη τὸ λέγειν οὔτε σὸν τὸ διδάσκεσθαι.

8.τ Ἀντιοχιανῷ

8.1 Ἐφ' ᾧ μάλιστα παρὰ τῶν σοφῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Μακεδόνων

θαυμάζεταιθαυμάζεται γὰρ οὐ τοσοῦτον τοῖς Μηδικοῖς τροπαίοις οὐδὲ τοῖς Ἰνδικοῖς τε καὶ περὶ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν διηγήμασιν, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ εἰπεῖν τὸν θησαυρὸν ἐν τοῖς φίλοις ἔχειν, τολμῶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ τοῖς ἐκείνου θαύμασιν ἐμαυτὸν ἀντεπᾶραι, καί μοι προσήκει τὸν τοιοῦτον μᾶλλον λόγον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι [δὲ] πλουτῶ τῇ φιλίᾳ καὶ ὑπεραίρω τῷ τοιούτῳ κτήματι τάχα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον 8.2 τὸν ἐπὶ τούτῳ μεγαλαυχούμενον. τίς γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τοιοῦτος φίλος, οἷος ἐμοὶ σύ, διὰ πάντων ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς εἴδει 8.3 πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἁμιλλώμενος; πάντως γὰρ οὐκ ἄν τις ἐμοὶ ταῦτα λέγοντι κολακείαν ἐπικαλέσειε, πρός τε τὴν ἡλικίαν τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸν σὸν βίον βλέπων· ἔξωρός τε γὰρ ἤδη πρὸς κολακείαν ἡ πολιά, καὶ τὸ γῆρας εἰς θωπείαν ἀνεπιτήδειον, σοί τε, καὶ εἰ ἐν ὥρᾳ τοῦ κολακεύειν ἤμην ποτέ, ὁ ἔπαινος πρὸς ὑπόληψιν κολακείας οὐκ ἂν κατέπιπτε, τοῦ βίου πρὸ τῶν 8.4 λόγων δεικνύντος τὸν ἔπαινον. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν καλῶς πλουτούντων ἴδιον τὸ εἰδέναι κεχρῆσθαι οἷς ἔχουσιν, ἀρίστη δὲ χρῆσις τῶν παρόντων τὸ κοινὰ προτιθέναι τοῖς φίλοις ἃ ἔχουσι, φίλος δέ μοι πάντων μάλιστα διὰ πάσης γνησιότητος συνηρμοσμένος ὁ ποθεινότατος υἱὸς Ἀλέξανδρος, παρακλήθητι δεῖξαι αὐτῷ τὸν ἐμὸν θησαυρόν, καὶ μὴ δεῖξαι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ δαψιλῶς παρασχεῖν ἐμφορηθῆναι, τῷ προστῆναι 8.5 αὐτοῦ