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of these sacred rites. At any rate, having gathered there under faithful overseers, so that no one of those not in communion with them might enter unnoticed, they held their assemblies, and the emperor, by sending frequently, gave the impression that he held their affairs in great concern, they themselves, growing bolder, brought their thought back to what had long ago been accomplished at Chalcedon, as the account has it, over the body of the fair virgin and martyr Euphemia, and they too wished to show that their affairs were connected to divine approval by means of the holy body of a long-dead corpse, and at the same time as showing this, as they hoped, they demanded that the others pay heed to them and be persuaded, whatever they might say or do. The emperor was persuaded by these things, and he gave them the body of the Damascene and divine father John when they asked for it, 41 but so that no fraud might be perpetrated regarding the expected miracles, or indeed that it might be suspected that a fraud was perpetrated, (for they wanted to entrust their affairs to tomes that would be placed upon the body) the emperor immediately ordered that another, larger reliquary be prepared, to hold both the body and the reliquary in which the body was, and that this be of such a kind as to be secured with both locks and seals, so that not even the most skillful craftsman after the manner of Daedalus would be able to tamper with it in any way. He, however, presented himself as ready, if the tome placed at the feet were taken up into the hands of the saint, to do what was written without question. While these things were being done, therefore, they for their part were preparing with fasts and all sorts of prayers and were occupied with all-night hymnody, the emperor, whether on his own initiative or because someone else reminded him, became suspicious, as it seemed, concerning himself, lest they might be led to dispute about the empire itself and the inquiry concerning it (for it was said that they were seeking these things), and having become dishonored by this, he suddenly took back his agreements, and sending a message, as the potsherd, they say, had turned, he prevented the undertaking, checking the tendency of the many to suspicion, saying to them that if indeed we deem it right not to entrust matters to our own 42 thoughts but to seek counsel from God (for this is also right), the signs have of necessity ceased from of old, since piety has been spread far and wide, but we have the writings of the fathers, by which we are also guided to accomplish things according to the pleasure of God; for when the rich man sought for someone to rise from the dead and teach his brothers, it was said that they have Moses and the prophets, as they are sufficient to persuade and to teach. So when the Arsenites were thus thwarted in their undertaking, the emperor, while inclining more to the party of Joseph as being more straightforward, did not reject the Arsenites altogether; for the multitude that was with them made him take care of them all the more.

14. Therefore, having decided to walk the middle path, so as neither to annoy these men, and to accept the others by allowing what was sought by them to come to pass (and these things were certainly the, so to speak, reformation of the church), he selected as patriarch George from Cyprus, a man educated in letters and bearing the seal of Patriarch Joseph, holding the dignity of *protoapostolarios* at the palace, and in this, seeming to favor the Josephites because of 43 the seal, but hoping greatly to appease the Arsenites and bring them to peace by not allowing things to happen in the church according to the arrangements made by Joseph, not taking into account at all those men as hierarchs nor their vote for the one who would be patriarch, but judging it not seemly and proper to elevate someone again without a vote. Therefore, intending to set up someone for the office at the opportune moment, having chosen some of the notable men, and these one by one, he both shared his counsel with them, assuring them how it was and that it was safe for them hereafter, and at the same time he considered their concession as a vote. On these terms, having also accepted the opinion of Athanasius, or rather Andronicus, of Sardis, whom the emperor in writing appointed as father, he thereby smoothed over the matter of his inaccessibility to the patriarchate, as he was very artful in these things, so that he himself

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τούτοις τῶν ἱερῶν τελετῶν. ὡς γοῦν ἐκεῖσε συναχθέντες ὑπ' ὀπτῆρσι πιστοῖς, ὡς μὴ λαθών τις εἰσίοι τῶν σφίσιν ἀκοινωνήτων, τὰς συνάξεις ἐτέλουν, καὶ συ χνάκις πέμπων ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐν φροντίσι μεγά λαις ἔχειν παρεῖχε δόκησιν, αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ πλέον θαρσήσαντες πρὸς τὰ ἐν Χαλκηδόνι πάλαι τελεσθέντα, ὡς ὁ λόγος αἱρεῖ, ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς καλλιπαρθένου καὶ μάρτυρος Εὐφημίας σώματι ἀνάγουσι τὴν ἐνθύμησιν, καί γε καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ σώματι ἁγίῳ πάλαι κατατε θνεῶτος νεκρῷ τὰ καθ' αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀρεσκείας ἐξημμένα θείας δει κνύειν ἤθελον, καὶ ἅμα τῷ δεῖξαι, ὡς ἤλπιζον, σφίσι προσσχεῖν ἠξίουν τοὺς ἄλλους καὶ πείθεσθαι, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοιέν τε καὶ πράτ τοιεν. πείθεται τούτοις ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ σῶμα μὲν τὸ τοῦ ∆α μασκηνοῦ καὶ θείου πατρὸς Ἰωάννου αὐτοῖς αἰτήσασι δίδωσιν, 41 ὡς ἂν δὲ μή τι καὶ ῥᾳδιουργηθείη ἐπὶ τοῖς προσδοκωμένοις τέρα σιν ἢ μὴν καὶ ὑποπτευθείη ῥᾳδιουργηθέν, (τόμοις γὰρ ἐπιτεθη σομένοις τῷ σώματι τὰ καθ' αὐτοὺς ἐπιτρέπειν ἠβούλοντο) ἐξ αὐτῆς βασιλεὺς προστάσσει ἐπισκευασθῆναι μὲν ἑτέραν μείζονα θήκην, καὶ σῶμα καὶ θήκην αὐτὴν ἐν ᾗ τὸ σῶμα χωρήσουσαν, οὕτω δὲ ταύτην οἵαν τ' εἶναι ἀσφαλισθῆναι καὶ κλεισὶ καὶ σφρα γῖσιν ὡς μηδὲ τὸν ἐντεχνότατον κατὰ ∆αίδαλον παρεγχειρεῖν μηδ' ὁτιοῦν δύνασθαι. αὑτὸν μέντοι παρεῖχεν ἕτοιμον, εἰ προσ ληφθείη ταῖς τοῦ ἁγίου χερσὶν ὁ τόμος πρὸς ποσὶ τεθείς, τὰ γε γραμμένα πράττειν ἀναμφιβόλως. ἐν ὅσῳ μὲν οὖν ταῦτ' ἐπράτ τετο, κἀκεῖνοι νηστείαις καὶ προσευχαῖς παντοίαις προετελοῦντο καὶ παννυχίσιν ὑμνῳδίαις ἐσχόλαζον, ὁ βασιλεύς, κἂν αὐτὸς ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ κἂν ἄλλου γε ὑπομνήσαντος, περὶ ἑαυτῷ, ὡς ἔδοξεν, ὑπονοήσας, μήπως καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ τῇ περὶ ταύτης ζητήσει (καὶ ταῦτα γὰρ ἐλέγετο ζητεῖν ἐκείνους) ἀμφισβητεῖν προαχθεῖεν, καί γ' ἐπὶ τοῦτ' ἀδοξήσας ἀναλαμβάνει τε τὰς ὁμο λογίας ἐξαίφνης, καὶ πέμψας, ὀστράκου φασὶ μεταπεσόντος, διακωλύει τοὐγχείρημα, τὸ τῶν πολλῶν καχυπονόητον ἀναστέλ λων, εἰπὼν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡς εἴπερ μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν ἐννοίαις ἡμετέ 42 ραις τὰ πράγματα ἀξιοῖμεν ἀλλὰ τὴν θεόθεν ζητεῖν συμβουλὴν (καὶ γὰρ οὕτω καὶ ἄξιον), ἀργεῖν μὲν ἀνάγκῃ ἐκ παλαιοῦ τὰ ση μεῖα, τῆς εὐσεβείας πλατυνθείσης, ἔχειν δὲ τὰς γραφὰς τῶν πα τέρων, ἐξ ὧν καὶ χειραγωγουμένους τὰ κατ' ἀρέσκειαν τοῦ θείου τελεῖν· τοῦ γὰρ πλουσίου ζητοῦντος ἐξαναστῆναί τινα καὶ διδά ξαι τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἔχειν ἐκείνους Μωσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας λελέχθαι, ὡς αὐτῶν ἱκανῶν ὄντων πείθειν τε καὶ διδάσκειν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐκκρουσθέντων τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως τῶν Ἀρσενιατῶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς μᾶλλον τῷ μέρει τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὡς εὐθυτέρῳ προσκείμε νος οὐδὲ τοὺς Ἀρσενιάτας καθάπαξ ἀπεδοκίμαζε· τὸ γὰρ περὶ ἐκείνους πλῆθος παρεῖχε καὶ σφῶν ἐπὶ μᾶλλον φροντίζειν.

14. Τῷ τοι καὶ τὴν μέσην ἐγνωκὼς βαδίζειν, ὡς μήτ' ἀ νιᾶν τούτους, κἀκείνους δέχεσθαι τῷ τὰ ζητούμενα παρ' ἐκείνων συγχωρεῖν γίγνεσθαι (τὰ δ' ἦσαν πάντως ἡ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡς εἰ πεῖν μεταποίησις), ἐκλέγεται μὲν εἰς πατριάρχην τὸν ἐκ Κύπρου Γεώργιον, ἄνδρα λόγοις ἐντραφέντα καὶ σφραγῖδα τοῦ πατριάρ χου Ἰωσὴφ φέροντα, τὸ τοῦ πρωτοαποστολαρίου εἰς ἀνακτόρων ἐπιφερόμενον σέμνωμα, κἀν τούτῳ δὲ δόξας Ἰωσηφίτας μὲν ἐκ 43 τῆς σφραγῖδος ὑποποιούμενος, Ἀρσενιάτας δὲ τῷ μὴ κατὰ τὰ διατεταγμένα τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ συγχωρεῖν γίνεσθαι καὶ λίαν ἐξευμενίζειν εἰς εἰρήνην ἐλπίζων, ἀρχιερεῖς μὲν ἐκείνους καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ πατριαρχεύσοντι ψῆφον μηδ' ἴκταρ εἰς νοῦν βάλλων, ἀψηφίστως δὲ πάλιν ἀνάγειν μὴ εὐπρεπὲς δοκιμά ζων καὶ εὔσχημον. μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν τῇ πράξει καὶ εἰς καιρὸν προ στησόμενον, τινὰς τῶν δοκούντων ἐκλεξάμενος, καὶ τούτους καθ' ἕνα, ἅμα μὲν αὐτοῖς τὴν βουλὴν ἐκοινοῦτο, πληροφορῶν ὡς εἶχε καὶ τὸ σφίσιν ἐσαῦθις ἀκίνδυνον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὡς ψῆφον τὴν ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἐκχώρησιν ἐλογίζετο. ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀπὸ Σάρδεων Ἀθανασίου εἴτ' οὖν Ἀνδρονίκου γνώμην δεξάμενος, ὃνδὴ καὶ εἰς πατέρα ἔταττε γράφων ὁ βασιλεύς, κἀντεῦθεν τὸ τῆς ἀπεντεύξεως τῆς πατριαρχείας ἐκείνου τὰ πολλὰ τεχνιτεύοντος ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμάλιζεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν