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Having learned thus from the scriptural oracles, on which we were nourished before our mind was formed, thus leading both citizens and strangers, I was already a husbandman among the wealthy, even if my harvest was not gathered all at once. For some I was just taming from the thorns; others were being leveled, on others seed was cast, others were in milk, for others the shoot was above ground, others were turning green, others were being bound into sheaves, others were ripening, others were white for the harvest; some one had a threshing-floor, and others a friendly heap; some were being winnowed, others were inside the granaries, and others were bread, the end of the farming— bread not now feeding the farmer who toiled, but those who shed no sweat. I wished to stop my account here and say nothing of things unworthy of mention. But now the course of events does not allow me; some of them turned out favorably, but others I do not know what I should say or to what fate I should assign them. †who he was, † I praise. While we were in this state, an emperor suddenly appeared from Macedonia, having checked a cloud of barbarians, numerous in multitude and whetted in boldness; a man not bad in faith towards God, so as to win over the simpler natures, and wonderfully devoted to the Trinity (for this is a matter of the heart and the principle of all things, of those who stand securely on a firm foundation); but not so great in the zeal of his spirit as to balance the present with the past, by atoning at the right time for the errors of the time; or equal in zeal, but not equal in, what should I say? Courage or rashness? You teach me. Perhaps it is better to call it 'foresight'. For he considered it lawful not to compel, but to persuade, and this was more to our advantage and theirs, whom we would bring to God— for what is involuntary, overcome by force, like an arrow held by the string and hands, or a stream confined on all sides in a channel, when opportunity allows, disdains the force. But what is voluntary is secure for all time, bound by the unbreakable bonds of desire— Considering these things, it seems to me that he, for the time being, suppressed fear and drew all men gently, setting forth 'willingness' as the unwritten law of persuasion. When, therefore, he arrived, a welcome man to the thrice-welcoming— the honors he paid me at our first meeting, the most benevolent things he said and heard, what need is there for me to say? For it is full of shame, if being so great I should seem to take pride in such great things, I for whom this alone is precious, God. But the end of it was: 'God,' he says, 'gives the church through us to you and to your labors'—a voice incredible before it came to pass. For so was the city firmly held, its great and terrible zeal, so that not even if some unpleasant thing should happen would they yield, but would hold on to what they controlled; and if they were forced, they would unleash their heavy wrath upon us, whom it is easiest to overcome. He said this; but a throbbing mixed with trembling and pleasure seized me. O my Christ, who by what you have suffered call us to suffer, you were then the rewarder of my labors, and now be for me the comforter of my troubles. The moment was at hand. And a sword-bearing army held the church, secretly drawn up. But the whole populace advanced against us, swelling up, like the sand of the seas or a snowstorm or the movements of waves, mixed with anger and prayers, with anger against us, and with prayers to the emperor. Full were the marketplaces, streets, squares, every place, the second and third stories with men, women, infants, the very old, stooping down; toil, groaning, tears, gnashing of teeth, the image of a city taken by storm. But I, the noble one and general, and this in a sick and weakened state, with this little flesh of mine breathing faintly, between the general and the army, looking up, went on, using hope as my helper, until I stood in the church, I know not how. And that is also worth mentioning; for to many then it seemed to be beyond description, to those for whom nothing of what is seen is simple, in the greatest turning points of seasons. But I cannot disbelieve those who speak, although I am, if anyone is, resistant to strange things. For to oppose all things equally is worse than to be willing to believe all things readily. For the one is frivolity, the other is rashness. What then was the marvel? O book, may you proclaim through life, so that such a grace may not be hidden from those who come after. It was dawn, but night held the whole city, a cloud having covered the circle of the sun, least of all

14

Οὕτω μαθόντες ἐκ γραφικῶν θεσπισμάτων, οἷς ἐτράφημεν πρὶν συναχθῆναι φρένα, οὕτως ἄγοντες καὶ πολίτας καὶ ξένους, ἤδη γεωργῶν ἦμεν ἐν τοῖς πλουσίοις, εἰ καὶ συνακτὸν οὐχ ὁμοῦ τοὐμὸν θέρος. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἄρτι τῶν ἀκανθῶν ἡμέρουν· οἱ δ' ὡμαλίζονθ', οἷς δ' ἐβάλλετο σπόρος, οἱ δ' ἐν γάλακτι, τῶν δ' ὑπὲρ γῆς ἡ φυή, οἱ δ' ἐχλόαζον, οἱ δ' ἐδεσμοῦντο στάχυς, οἱ δ' ἡδρύνοντο, οἱ δὲ λευκοὶ πρὸς θέρος· ἅλως τιν' εἶχε, τοὺς δὲ θημών τις φίλος· οἱ δ' ἐκρίνοντο, οἱ δὲ σιτώνων ἔσω, οἱ δ' ἦσαν ἄρτος, τῆς γεωργίας πέρας- ἄρτος γεωργὸν τὸν καμόντα μὴ τρέφων νῦν, τοὺς δὲ μηδὲν ἐκχέαντας ἰκμάδος. Ἐβουλόμην ἐνταῦθα στῆσαι τὸν λόγον καὶ μηδὲν εἰπεῖν τῶν ἀναξίων λόγου. νῦν δ' οὐκ ἐᾷ με τὰ πρόσω τῶν πραγμάτων· ὧν τὰ μὲν ἦλθε δεξιῶς, τὰ δ' ἀγνοῶ, τί χρὴ λέγειν με καὶ τίνι μοίρᾳ προσνέμειν. †τίς ἦν, † ἐπαινῶ. τοῦτον ἐχόντων τὸν τρόπον ἡμῶν ἐφίστατ' ἀθρόως αὐτοκράτωρ ἐκ τῆς Μακεδνῆς βαρβάρων στήσας νέφος πλήθει τε πολλῷ καὶ θράσει τεθηγμένων· ἄνθρωπος οὐ κακὸς μὲν εἰς πίστιν θεοῦ ὅσον κρατῆσαι τὰς ἁπλουστέρας φύσεις, καὶ τῆς τριάδος ὑπερφυῶς ἡττώμενος (σπλάγχνων γὰρ οὗτός ἐστι καὶ πάντων λόγος, στερρᾶς ἐφ' ἕδρας ἀσφαλῶς βεβηκότων)· οὐ μὴν τοσοῦτος τῇ ζέσει τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς ἀντισῶσαι τοῖς παρελθοῦσιν τὰ νῦν καιρῷ τὰ καιροῦ πταίσματ' ἐξιώμενος· ἢ τὴν ζέσιν μὲν ἶσος, οὐκ ἶσος δέ γε, τί φῶ; τὸ θάρσος ἢ θράσος; διδάξατε. ἴσως δ' ἄμεινον τὸ «προμήθειαν» καλεῖν. οὐ γὰρ κατείργειν, ἀλλὰ πείθειν ἔννομον εἶναι νομίζων, καὶ πρὸς ἡμῶν τι πλέον αὐτῶν τ' ἐκείνων, οὓς θεῷ προσάξομεν- τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀκούσιον κρατούμενον βίᾳ, ὥσπερ βέλος νευρᾷ τε καὶ χερσὶν δεθέν ἢ ῥεῦμ' ἐν ὁλκῷ πάντοθεν στενούμενον, καιροῦ διδόντος τὴν βίαν περιφρονεῖ. τὸ δ' ἑκούσιον βέβαιον εἰς πάντα χρόνον δεσμοῖς ἀλύτοις τῶν πόθων ἐσφιγμένον- ταῦτ' ἐννοῶν ἔμοιγε τὸν φόβον δοκεῖ τέως κατασχὼν πάντας ἕλκειν ἡμέρως προθεὶς τὸ βούλεσθ' ἄγραφον πειθοῦς νόμον. Ὡς δ' οὖν ἐπέστη ἄσμενος τρισασμένοις- ἃ μὲν τετίμηκέν με τῇ πρώτῃ θέᾳ, οἷς τ' εἶπεν οἷς τ' ἤκουσεν εὐμενέστατα, τί χρὴ λέγειν με; καὶ γὰρ αἰσχύνης γέμον, εἰ τηλίκος ὢν φρονεῖν δοκοίην τηλίκοις, ᾧ τίμιον τοῦτ' ἔστι καὶ μόνον, θεός. τὸ δ' οὖν πέρας· «δίδωσι», φησί, «τὸν νεών θεὸς δι' ἡμῶν σοί τε καὶ τοῖς σοῖς πόνοις» - φωνὴν ἄπιστον πρὶν προελθεῖν εἰς τέλος. οὕτως γὰρ ἦσαν ἡ πόλις κατὰ κράτος ἑστῶτες, ἡ πολλή τε καὶ δεινὴ ζέσις, ὡς μηδ' ἄν, εἴ τι τῶν ἀηδῶν συμπέσοι, εἴξοντες, ἀλλ' ἕξοντες, ὧνπερ ἐκράτουν· εἰ δ' ἐκβιάζοιντ', ἀλλὰ τὸν βαρὺν χόλον ἡμῖν ἐπαφήσοντες, ὧν ῥᾷστον κρατεῖν. Ὁ μὲν τόδ' εἶπεν· ἐμὲ δὲ συμμιγὴς τρόμῳ παλμός τις εἶχεν ἡδονῆς. ὦ Χριστέ μου, ὃς οἷς πέπονθας εἰς τὸ πάσχειν ἐκκαλῇ, σὺ καὶ τότ' ἦσθα τῶν ἐμῶν πόνων βραβεύς, καὶ νῦν γενοῦ μοι τῶν κακῶν παρήγορος. Παρῆν ὁ καιρός. τὸν νεὼν δ' εἶχε στρατός ξιφηφόρος, λαθραῖος ἐκτεταγμένος. ὁ δ' ἀντεπῄει δῆμος οἰδαίνων ἅπας, ψάμμος θαλασσῶν ἢ νιφὰς ἢ κυμάτων κινήματ', ὀργῇ καὶ λιταῖς μεμιγμένος, ὀργῇ καθ' ἡμῶν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ κράτος λιταῖς. πλήρεις ἀγοραί, δρόμοι, πλατεῖαι, πᾶς τόπος, διώροφα, τριώροφα νευόντων κάτω ἀνδρῶν, γυναικῶν, νηπίων, παλαιτάτων· πόνος, στεναγμός, δάκρυα, βρυχήματα, εἰκὼν ἁλόντος ἄστεος κατὰ κράτος. Ἐγὼ δ' ὁ γεννάδας τε καὶ στρατηλάτης, καὶ ταῦτ' ἐν ἀρρωστοῦντι καὶ λελυμένῳ, μικρὰ πνέοντι τῷδέ μου τῷ σαρκίῳ, μέσος στρατηγοῦ καὶ στρατοῦ, βλέπων ἄνω, ᾔειν βοηθῷ χρώμενος τῇ ἐλπίδι, ἕως κατέστην εἰς νεών, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως. Κἀκεῖνο δ' εἰπεῖν ἄξιον· πολλοῖς τε γάρ ἔδοξεν εἶναι τῶν τότε κρεῖσσον λόγου, οἷς οὐδὲν ἁπλοῦν ἐστι τῶν ὁρωμένων, ἐν ταῖς μεγίσταις τὸ πλέον καιρῶν ῥοπαῖς. ἐγὼ δ' ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς λέγουσιν οὐκ ἔχω, καίτοι προσάντης τοῖς ξένοις εἴπερ τις ὤν. τοῦ γὰρ προχείρως πάντα πιστεύειν θέλειν χεῖρον τὸ πᾶσιν ἀντιτείνειν ἐξ ἴσης. τὸ μὲν γάρ ἐστι κουφότης, τὸ δὲ θράσος. τί οὖν τὸ θαῦμ'· ὦ βίβλε, κηρύσσοις βίῳ, τοῦ μὴ λαθεῖν τοὺς ὕστερον τόσην χάριν. Ἦν ὄρθρος, ἡ δ' ἐπεῖχε νὺξ ὅλην πόλιν νέφους ὑποδραμόντος ἡλίου κύκλον, ἥκιστα