GREGORY RESOLVES TO VISIT HIS SISTER.

It was the ninth month or a little longer after this disaster, and a synod of bishops was gathered at Antioch, in which we also took part. And when we broke up, each to go home before the year was over, then I, [976A] Gregory, felt a desire to visit Macrina. For a long time had elapsed during which visits were prevented by the distraction of the troubles which I underwent, being constantly driven out from my own country by the leaders of heresy. And when I came to reckon the intervening time during which the troubles had prevented us meeting face to face, no less than eight years, or very nearly that period, seemed to have elapsed.

Now when I had accomplished most of the journey and was one day's journey distant, a vision appeared to me in a dream and filled me with anxious anticipations of the future. I seemed to be carrying martyrs' relics in my hands; a light came from them, such as [976B] comes from a clear mirror when it is put facing the sun, so that my eyes were blinded by the brilliance of the rays. The same vision recurred three times that night. I could not clearly understand the riddle of the dream, but I saw trouble for my soul, and I watched carefully so as to judge the vision by events.

When I approached the retreat in which Macrina led her angelic and heavenly life, first of all I asked one of the servants about my brother, whether he were at home. He told us that he had gone out four days ago now, and I understood, which indeed was the case, that he had gone to meet us by another way. Then I asked after the great lady. He said she was very ill, and I was the more eager to hurry on and complete the remainder of the journey, for a certain anxiety and premonitory fear of what was coining stole [976C] in and disquieted me.

Ἔνατος ἦν μετὰ τὸ πάθος τοῦτο μὴν ἢ μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦτο καὶ σύνοδος ἐπισκόπων κατὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχου πόλιν ἠθροίζετο, ἧς καὶ ἡμεῖς μετέσχομεν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἕκαστος ἀπελύθημεν, πρὶν τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν παρελθεῖν, ἐνθύμιον ἐμοὶ τῷ Γρηγορίῳ γίνεται πρὸς αὐτὴν διαβῆναι. Πολὺς γὰρ ἦν ὁ διὰ μέσου χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὰς ἐπισκέψεις αἱ τῶν πειρασμῶν περιστάσεις ἐκώλυσαν, ἃς ὑπέμενον πανταχοῦ τῆς πατρίδος ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς αἱρέσεως ἐπιστατούντων ἐξελαυνόμενος. Καὶ ἀριθμοῦντί μοι τὸν διὰ μέσου χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ τὴν κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς συντυχίαν οἱ πειρασμοὶ διεκώλυσαν, οὐκ ὀλίγον ἐφαίνετο τὸ διάστημα ὀκτὼ μικροῦ δεῖν παραμετρούμενον ἔτεσιν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ διανύσας μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἀπεῖχον ὁδόν, ὄψις τις ἡμῖν ἐξ ἐνυπνίου φανεῖσα φοβερὰς ἐποίει τὰς ἐλπίδας τοῦ μέλλοντος. Ἐδόκουν γὰρ λείψανα μαρτύρων διὰ χειρὸς φέρειν, εἶναι δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν αὐγὴν οἵα ἐκ καθαροῦ γίνεται κατόπτρου, ὅταν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον τεθῇ ἀντιπρόσωπον, ὥστε μοι τὰς ὄψεις πρὸς τὴν μαρμαρυγὴν τῆς λαμπηδόνος ἀμβλύνεσθαι. Καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μοι νυκτὸς εἰς τρὶς γενομένης τῆς τοιαύτης ὄψεως συμβαλεῖν μὲν οὐκ εἶχον καθαρῶς τοῦ ἐνυπνίου τὸ αἴνιγμα, λύπην δέ τινα τῇ ψυχῇ προεώρων καὶ ἐπετήρουν τῇ ἐκβάσει κρῖναι τὴν φαντασίαν. Καὶ δὴ γενόμενος πλησίον τῆς ἐσχατιᾶς, ἐν ᾗ διῆγεν ἐκείνη τὴν ἀγγελικήν τε καὶ ἐπουράνιον κατορθοῦσα ζωήν, ἠρόμην τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τινὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πρῶτον, εἰ παρὼν εἴη: φήσαντος δὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτὸν ἐξωρμηκέναι καὶ τετάρτην ἡμέραν ἄγειν, συνεὶς ὅπερ ἦν, ὅτι δι' ἑτέρας ὁδοῦ γέγονεν αὐτῷ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡ ὁρμή, τότε καὶ περὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐπυνθανόμην: τοῦ δὲ φήσαντος ἐν ἀρρωστίᾳ γεγενῆσθαί τινι σπουδαιότερον εἰχόμην ἐν ἐπείξει τὸ λειπόμενον τῆς ὁδοῦ διανύων: καὶ γάρ μέ τις καὶ φόβος μηνυτὴς τοῦ μέλλοντος ὑποδραμὼν διετάρασσεν.