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being moved in his soul, commanded the man to be brought in more quickly. Therefore, when Barlaam entered and gave him the appropriate greeting, he allowed him to be seated, and, after the tutor had withdrawn, Joasaph says to the old man: Show me the precious stone, about which my tutor recounted that you say certain great and wondrous things. And Barlaam began his discourse with him thus: It is not just, O king, for me to say anything falsely and thoughtlessly to your surpassing glory; for all the things declared to you 68 by me are true and beyond dispute. But, unless I first receive proof of your prudence, it is not right to reveal the mystery to you. For my Master says: 'A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it; and other fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away; and other fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it; and other fell on the good ground, and yielded a hundredfold crop.' If, therefore, I find in your heart fruitful and good soil, I will not hesitate to plant the divine seed in you and to reveal the great mystery; but if it is rocky and thorny, and a path trodden by anyone who wishes, it is better not to cast this saving seed at all and give it to be snatched by the birds and beasts, before which I am commanded not to cast the pearls at all. But I am persuaded of better things concerning you, things that accompany salvation, that you will see the priceless stone, and by the splendor of its light you yourself will be deemed worthy to become light, and you will bear fruit a hundredfold. For on your account I undertook the task and traveled a long road, to show you what you have never seen and to teach you what you have not heard. And Joasaph said to him: For my part, venerable elder, with a certain longing and an unrestrainable 70 desire I seek to hear some new and good word, and a fire has been kindled within my heart, terribly burning me and urging me to learn certain necessary discussions; but until now I have not happened upon a man able to fully inform me about these things. But if I chance upon someone wise and knowledgeable, and I hear a word of salvation, I will not give it up to birds, I think, nor to beasts, nor indeed will I appear rocky, as you said, nor thorny, but I will both receive it with a good disposition and keep it with understanding. But you, if you know any such thing, do not hide it from me, but announce it to me. For when I heard that you had arrived from a distant land, my soul was pleased, and I became hopeful of obtaining through you what is longed for. For this reason I also brought you in to me more quickly and received you kindly, as one of my companions and peers, if indeed I shall not be cheated of my hope. And Barlaam said: You have done this well and worthily of your royal magnificence, because you did not pay attention to my apparent meanness, but had regard for the hidden hope. For there was a certain great and glorious king, and it happened, as he was passing by in a gold-inlaid chariot and with the bodyguard befitting a king, that two men met him, dressed in tattered and filthy garments, with wasted faces and very pale; and the king knew that they had worn out their poor flesh by the mortification of the body and by the sweat of their ascetic practice. Therefore when he saw them, he immediately leaped down from his chariot and, falling on the ground, prostrated himself 72, and rising up he embraced them, kissing them most affectionately. But his magnates and rulers were displeased at this, thinking that he had done things unworthy of the royal glory; but not daring to rebuke him to his face, the legitimate

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γενόμενος τὴν ψυχήν, ἐκέλευσε θᾶττον εἰσαγαγεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα. Ὡς οὖν εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Βαρλαάμ, καὶ δέδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν πρέπουσαν εἰρήνην, ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτὸν καθεσθῆναι, καί, τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ ὑποχωρήσαντος, λέγει ὁ Ἰωάσαφ τῷ γέροντι· Ὑπόδειξον μοι τὸν πολύτιμον λίθον, περὶ οὗ μεγάλα τινὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ λέγειν σε ὁ ἐμὸς παιδαγωγὸς διηγήσατο. ὁ δὲ Βαρλαὰμ οὕτως ἀπήρξατο τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλέξεως· Οὐ δίκαιον ἐστιν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ψευδῶς τι καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως πρὸς τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς σῆς δόξης λέγειν με· πάντα γὰρ τὰ δηλωθέντα σοι 68 παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀληθῆ εἰσι καὶ ἀναμφίλεκτα. ἀλλ', εἰ μὴ πρότερον δοκιμὴν τῆς σῆς λάβω φρονήσεως, οὐ θέμις τὸ μυστήριον φανερῶσαί σοι. φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐμὸς ∆εσπότης· Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτόν, ἃ μὲν ἔπεσε παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθε τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτά· ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσε παρὰ τὰ πετρώδη, ὅπου οὐκ εἶχε γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐβλάστησε, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη, καί, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν, ἐξηράνθη· ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτά· ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν ἑκατοστεύοντα. εἰ μὲν οὖν γῆν εὕρω ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καρποφόρον καὶ ἀγαθήν, οὐκ ὀκνήσω τὸν θεῖον σπόρον ἐμφυτεῦσαί σοι καὶ φανερῶσαι τὸ μέγα μυστήριον· εἰ δὲ πετρώδης αὕτη καὶ ἀκανθώδης ἐστί, καὶ ὁδὸς πατουμένη τῷ βουλομένῳ παντί, κρεῖττον μηδόλως τοῦτον δὴ τὸν σωτήριον καταβαλεῖν σπόρον καὶ εἰς διαρπαγὴν αὐτὸν θεῖναι τοῖς πετεινοῖς καὶ θηρίοις, ὧν ἔμπροσθεν ὅλως μὴ βαλεῖν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἐντέταλμαι. ἀλλὰ πέπεισμαι περὶ σοῦ τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ἐχόμενα σωτηρίας, ὅτι καὶ τὸν λίθον ὄψει τὸν ἀτίμητον, καὶ τῇ αἴγλῃ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ φῶς καὶ αὐτὸς ἀξιωθήσῃ γενέσθαι, καὶ καρπὸν ἐνέγκῃς ἑκατοστεύοντα. διὰ σὲ γὰρ ἔργον ἐθέμην καὶ μακρὰν διήνυσα ὁδόν, τοῦ ὑποδεῖξαί σοι ἃ οὐχ ἑώρακας πώποτε καὶ διδάξαι ἃ οὐκ ἀκήκοας. Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰωάσαφ· Ἐγὼ μέν, πρεσβύτα τίμιε, πόθῳ τινὶ καὶ ἔρωτι ἀκατα 70 σχετῷ ζητῶ λόγον ἀκοῦσαι καινόν τινα καὶ ἀγαθόν, καὶ πῦρ ἔνδοθεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἐκκέκαυται δεινῶς φλέγον με καὶ παρορμῶν μαθεῖν ἀναγκαίας τινὰς συζητήσεις· οὐκ ἔτυχον δὲ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἀνθρώπου δυναμένου πληροφορῆσαί με περὶ τούτων. εἰ δὲ τύχω σοφοῦ τινος καὶ ἐπιστήμονος, καὶ ἀκούσω λόγον σωτηρίας, οὔτε πετεινοῖς, ὡς οἶμαι, τοῦτον ἐκδώσω, οὔτε θηρίοις, οὔτε μὴν πετρώδης φανήσομαι, ὡς ἔφης, οὔτε ἀκανθώδης, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐγνωμόνως δέξομαι καὶ εἰδημόνως τηρήσω. σὺ δέ, εἴ τι τοιοῦτον ἐπίστασαι, μὴ διακρύψῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀνάγγειλόν μοι. ὡς γὰρ ἤκουσα ἐκ μακρᾶς ἀφικέσθαι σε γῆς, ἥσθη μου ἡ ψυχή, καὶ εὔελπις ἐγενόμην διὰ σοῦ τοῦ ποθουμένου ἐπιτυχεῖν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ θᾶττον εἰσήγαγόν σε πρός με καὶ προσηνῶς ἐδεξάμην, ὥσπερ τινὰ τῶν συνήθων μοι καὶ ἡλικιωτῶν, εἴπερ οὐ ψευσθήσομαι τῆς ἐλπίδος. καὶ ὁ Βαρλαὰμ ἔφη· Καλῶς ἐποίησας τοῦτο καὶ ἀξίως τῆς σῆς βασιλικῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας, ὅτι μὴ τῇ φαινομένῃ προσέσχες εὐτελείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῆς κεκρυμμένης ἐγένου ἐλπίδος. Ἦν γάρ τις βασιλεὺς μέγας καὶ ἔνδοξος, καὶ ἐγένετο, διερχομένου αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἅρματος χρυσοκολλήτου καὶ τῆς βασιλεῖ πρεπούσης δορυφορίας, ὑπαντῆσαι δύο ἄνδρας, διερρωγότα μὲν ἠμφιεσμένους καὶ ῥερυπωμένα, ἐκτετηκότας δὲ τὰ πρόσωπα καὶ λίαν κατωχριωμένους· ἦν δὲ γινώσκων τούτους ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ὑπωπιασμῷ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἱδρῶσι τὸ σαρκίον ἐκδεδαπανηκότας. ὡς οὖν εἶδεν αὐτούς, καταπηδήσας εὐθὺς τοῦ ἅρματος καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν πεσών, προσ 72 εκύνησε, καὶ ἀναστὰς περιεπλάκη αὐτοῖς προσφιλέστατα κατασπαζόμενος. οἱ δὲ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄρχοντες ἐδυσχέραναν ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ἀνάξια τῆς βασιλικῆς δόξης πεποιηκέναι αὐτὸν νομίζοντες· μὴ τολμῶντες δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐλέγχειν, τὸν γνήσιον