16

he considers the errant fantasy of his own soul. 1.1.69 Let him write, if he pleases, another defense of his second defense; for the present one is not a correction of his errors, but rather a construction of the charges. For who does not know that every legal defense looks to the refutation of the charge brought against one? For example, one who is accused of theft or murder or some other offense either denies the act altogether or shifts the blame for the evil to another or, if he can do neither of these, will ask for pardon and mercy from those who have the power of the vote. But in this case, the speech contains neither a denial of the charges brought, nor a shifting of blame to others, nor does it take refuge in mercy, nor does it promise good conduct for the future, but the very crime of which he is accused is strengthened by a more elaborate construction. For the charge brought, as he himself says, is an 20indictment20 of 20impiety20, not bringing an indefinite charge against him, but specifying the very form of the impiety; but the defense constructs the argument that it is necessary to be impious, not refuting the charge, but 1.1.70 confirming the crime. For if the doctrines of piety were obscure, it would perhaps be less dangerous to venture upon innovation; but since the teaching of the right doctrine is firmly established in all the souls of the pious, does he who proclaims things contrary to what is commonly known by all make a defense for the things of which he is accused, or does he rather draw upon himself the wrath of his hearers and stand as a more bitter accuser of himself? 1.1.71 I, for my part, say this. So if, according to the author's argument, there are either hearers of what has been defended or accusers of the things he has dared against piety, let him say either how the accusers will relent or what verdict the judges will render concerning him, when the offense is being prepared beforehand by means of the defense. 1.1.72 But I do not know how these things have crept in from the sequence of the argument, because the defense was not well conducted. For the present task is not to examine how he ought to have defended himself, but whether he has defended himself at all. But let us return to the matter at hand, that he who is vexed by falsehood is so manifestly caught by his own words; he says that he has been 20judged20 and has 20encountered lawless judges20 and that, 20being led through land and sea, he suffered hardship from the sun's flame and dust20; then again, concealing the lie, he drives out the nail with a nail, according to the proverb, correcting this lie with another lie. 1.1.73 For when all knew that he had not uttered a single word in court, he says that he had declined the court of his enemies and was condemned in silence. How could anyone be more clearly refuted, being at variance both with the truth and with himself? When he is accused concerning the title of his work, he adds to the judgment the necessity of a defense; when he is convicted of having said nothing before the judges, he denies the judgment and deems the judges unworthy. 1.1.74 See this vehement champion of the truth, how vigorously he opposes falsehood. Then, being such a man, he dares to call the great Basil 20wicked20 and 20malicious20 and a 20liar20, and in addition to these, 20insolent, ignorant, spurious, uninitiated in divine things20, and he adds to the catalogue of slander also 20madness20 and 20frenzy20 and countless such things, mixing them sporadically throughout his entire work, as if thinking his own bitterness would suffice to counterbalance the testimonies of all men, who are astonished at the name of the great one as at that of one of the ancient saints, and he thinks that he who is invulnerable to blame can be harmed only through slander. The sun is not so low that one throwing 1.1.75 stones or anything else against it can reach it; for what is thrown returns again upon the one who sent it, but the target remains higher than the missile. And if someone slanders the sun as being without light, he has not dimmed the light of its ray by his taunts, but the sun will be the sun even when mocked, but of the slanderer, as the ray without light

16

οἴεται τὴν πεπλανημένην ἑαυτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς φαντασίαν. 1.1.69 Γραφέτω, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ τῆς δευτέρας ἀπολογίας ἀπολογίαν ἄλλην· ἡ γὰρ νῦν οὐ διόρθωσις τῶν ἡμαρτημένων, κατασκευὴ δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἐστί. τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι πᾶσα νόμιμος ἀπολογία πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἐπενεχθέντος ἐγκλήματος ἀναίρεσιν βλέπει; οἷον ὁ κλοπῆς ἢ φόνου ἤ τινος ἑτέρου πλημμελήματος αἰτίαν ἔχων ἢ ἀρνεῖται καθόλου τὴν πρᾶξιν ἢ εἰς ἕτερον μετατίθησι τοῦ κακοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν ἢ εἰ μηδὲν δύναιτο τούτων, συγγνώμην καὶ ἔλεον αἰτήσει παρὰ τῶν κυρίων τῆς ψήφου. ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὔτε ἄρνησιν ὁ λόγος τῶν ἐπενεχθέντων ἔχει οὔτε τὴν εἰς ἑτέρους μετά στασιν οὔτε καταφεύγει πρὸς ἔλεον οὔτε τὴν πρὸς τὸ μέλλον εὐγνωμοσύνην κατεπαγγέλλεται, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ κατηγορούμενον ἔγκλημα διὰ φιλοπονωτέρας κατασκευῆς ἰσχυροποιεῖται. τὸ μὲν γὰρ προφερόμενον, καθὼς αὐτὸς οὗτός φησιν, 20ἀσεβείας20 ἐστὶ 20γραφή20, οὐκ ἀόριστον αὐτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγουσα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ προφέρουσα τῆς ἀσεβείας τὸ εἶδος· ἡ δὲ ἀπολογία τὸ δεῖν ἀσεβεῖν κατασκευάζει, οὐκ ἀναιροῦσα τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ 1.1.70 βεβαιοῦσα τὸ ἔγκλημα. ἀδήλων μὲν γὰρ ὄντων τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμάτων ἧττον ἴσως ἦν ἐπικίνδυνον τὸ κατατολμᾶν τῆς καινότητος· πάσαις δὲ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ψυχαῖς παγίας τῆς τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου διδασκαλίας ἐνυπαρχούσης ὁ τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς κοινῇ παρὰ πάντων ἐγνωσμένοις βοῶν ἆρα ἀπολογεῖται ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐγκαλεῖται, ἢ μᾶλλον ἐφέλκεται καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὀργὴν καὶ πικρότερος ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος 1.1.71 ἵσταται; ἐγὼ μὲν τοῦτό φημι. ὥστε εἴπερ εἰσὶ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ συγγραφέως ἢ ἀκροαταὶ τῶν ἀπολογηθέντων ἢ κατήγοροι τῶν κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτῷ τολμηθέντων, αὐτὸς εἰπάτω ἢ πῶς οἱ κατήγοροι καθυφήσουσιν ἢ τίνα οἱ δικασταὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξοίσουσι, προκατασκευαζομένου διὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας τοῦ πλημμελήματος. 1.1.72 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὐκ οἶδα πῶς παρενέπεσεν ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τοῦ λόγου τῷ μὴ καλῶς προῆχθαι τὴν ἀπο λογίαν. οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ πῶς ἐχρῆν ἀπολογήσασθαι πρόκειται νῦν ἐξετάζειν, ἀλλ' εἰ ἀπολελόγηται ὅλως. πρὸς δὲ τὸ προτεθὲν ἐπανέλθωμεν, ὅτι τοῖς ἰδίοις ἁλίσκεται φανερῶς οὕτως ὁ δυσχεραίνων τὸ ψεῦδος· 20κεκρίσθαι20 λέγει καὶ 20παρανόμων ἐπιτυχεῖν δικαστῶν20 καὶ 20διὰ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἀγόμενος πρὸς ἡλίου τε φλογμὸν καὶ κόνιν κακοπαθῆσαι20· εἶτα πάλιν περιστέλλων τὸ ψεῦδος ἥλῳ τὸν ἧλον κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν ἐκκρούει, ἄλλῳ ψεύδει 1.1.73 τοῦτο τὸ ψεῦδος ἐπανορθούμενος. πάντων γὰρ αὐτῷ συν επισταμένων ὅτι οὐδεμίαν ἔρρηξεν ἐν δικαστηρίῳ φωνήν, παρ ητῆσθαί φησι τὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δικαστήριον καὶ σιγῶν ἁλῶναι. πῶς ἄν τις μᾶλλον ἐξελεγχθείη καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐναντίως ἔχων; ὅταν ἐγκαλῆται περὶ τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς τοῦ λόγου, τῇ κρίσει τὴν ἀνάγκην τῆς ἀπολο γίας προστίθησιν· ὅταν ἐλέγχηται μηδὲν ἐπὶ τῶν δικαζόντων εἰπών, ἀρνεῖται τὴν κρίσιν καὶ ἀπαξιοῖ τοὺς δικάζοντας. 1.1.74 ὁρᾶτε τὸν σφοδρὸν τοῦτον πρόμαχον τῆς ἀληθείας, ὡς ἐρρωμένως πρὸς τὸ ψεῦδος ἀντικαθίσταται. εἶτα τοιοῦτος ὢν 20πονηρὸν20 καὶ 20κακοήθη20 καὶ 20ψεύστην20 τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον ὀνομάζειν τολμᾷ, καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις 20θρασύν, ἀμαθῆ, παρέγγραπτον, τῶν θείων ἀμύητον20, προστίθησι δὲ τῷ καταλόγῳ τῆς λοιδορίας καὶ 20παραπλη ξίαν20 καὶ 20μανίαν20 καὶ μυρία τοιαῦτα σποράδην παντὶ κατα μιγνύων τῷ λόγῳ, ὥσπερ ἐξαρκεῖν οἰόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πικρίαν ἀντίρροπον ταῖς πάντων ἀνθρώπων μαρτυρίαις γενή σεσθαι, οἳ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μεγάλου καθάπερ τινὸς τῶν ἀρχαίων ἁγίων τεθήπασι, καὶ νομίζει τὸν ἄτρωτον τῷ μώμῳ δύνασθαι μόνον διὰ τῆς λοιδορίας λυμήνασθαι. οὐχ οὕτω ταπεινὸς ὁ ἥλιος, ὡς μέχρις ἐκείνου φθάσαι τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ 1.1.75 λίθους ἢ ἄλλο τι βάλλοντα· πάλιν γὰρ ἐπαναστρέφει τὰ βληθέντα κατὰ τοῦ πέμψαντος, ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς μένει τῆς βολῆς ὑψηλότερος. κἄν τις ὡς ἀλαμπῆ διαβάλλῃ τὸν ἥλιον, οὐ τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἐκ τῶν σκωμμάτων ἠμαύρωσεν, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἥλιος ἔσται καὶ σκωπτόμενος ἥλιος, τοῦ δὲ λοιδοροῦντος ὡς ἀφεγγῆ τὴν ἀκτῖνα