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to be brought to his senses by a vision, seeing a flock of doves shining with a certain indescribable beauty, and to have heard someone saying, “These are the doves of Alexander, which he has treated as a joke.” Which of these things would one marvel at before the other? that the man was not shamed by the vote of the dignitaries, and was not carried away by the testimonies of the prominent men; or rather, to marvel at the wealth hidden among the coals, for which the testimony of the right judgment from God immediately followed through the vision of the orator? For to me, each of these seems to be such in itself, as to have a rivalry with each other; and to be preeminent among nearly all things remembered for being marvelous. For to have resisted the impulse of the prominent men, became the clearest sign of his 46.940 unchangeable and lofty mind; by which all things seen in the world were regarded in the same way, whether it inclined towards the greater and more illustrious, or towards the humble and obscure; and bestowing preference on virtue alone, and judging only a life in wickedness to be rejectable, he saw as nothing all things that in this life are judged worthy of either some zeal or dishonor. This indeed he shows that he did at that time. For seeking to find the one pleasing and worthy to God, he did not think to accept wealth and dignity and the distinctions of this world as credible for testimony, none of which the divine word enumerated in the catalogues of good things. Therefore, not only this is worthy of praise and wonder, that he did not yield to the zealous efforts of those in power; but also through what followed, he surpassed himself. For the one who only rejected the unworthy vote, but did not add what was lacking for the need, prevented the evil, but did not do the good. But he who, in addition to not agreeing with the worse, also discovered the good, through both perfected the good, neither allowing passage to the evil, and bringing the good into action; so that in both respects the benefaction of the great Gregory occurred in the city, both in his correcting what was being wrongly done by them through ignorance, and in his revealing through himself the good hidden among them.

And when all things had proceeded according to the mind of the great man with the alliance of the Holy Spirit, it would not be inopportune to also narrate a side-event of the journey, so that through all things the grace accompanying the man might be shown. For since it was manifest to all that this before all things was the earnest care of the man, to look to all things for the consolation of those in need; whether two men from the Hebrews, looking to gain, or devising some blame against the man, as one easily disposed to being deceived, they lay in wait for his return. And one of them, pretending to be dead, stretched out on his back, lay forth beside the main road; while the other, supposedly wailing over the one lying there, feigned the cries of mourners, and he cried out to the great man as he was passing by, saying that this wretched man, suddenly seized by death, lay naked and unprepared for burial. He therefore begged the great man not to overlook his pious soul, but, taking some pity on his poverty, to provide from what he had the final adornment to be placed on the body. The one, saying these and similar things, was supplicating; but he, without any delay, throwing his own cloak upon the one lying there, continued on his journey. But when he had passed by, and those who had played this trick on him were by themselves, that deceiver, changing his feigned lament into laughter, urged the one lying there to get up, 46.941 exulting with pleasure at the gain that had come to them from the deception. But he remained in the same position, hearing none of the things being said. And when the other used a louder voice, and at the same time roused him with his foot, the one lying there did not hear the voice any more, nor did he feel the kick; but he remained similarly stretched out in position. For he was dead at the same time as the cloak was thrown upon him, according to

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ὄψεως σωφρονισθῆναι, ἰδόντα περιστερῶν ἀγέλην ἀμηχάνῳ τινὶ διαλάμπουσαν κάλλει, καί τινος ἀκηκοέναι λέγοντος, Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰς περιστερὰς εἶναι ταύτας, ἃς ἐν γέλωτι ἐκεῖνος πεποίηται. Τί τούτων ἄν τις πρὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου θαυμάσειε; τὸ μὴ δυσ ωπηθῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα τῶν ἀξιωμάτων τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ μὴ συναρπασθῆναι πρὸς τὰς μαρτυρίας τῶν προεχόντων· ἢ μᾶλλον τὸ θαυμάσαι τὸν ἐγκεκρυμ μένον τοῖς ἄνθραξι πλοῦτον, ᾧ παραχρῆμα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ τῆς ὀρθῆς κρίσεως μαρτυρία διὰ τῆς τοῦ ῥήτορος ἐπηκολούθησεν ὄψεως; Ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τούτων ἑκάτερον τοιοῦτον εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὡς πρὸς ἄλληλα μὲν ἔχειν τὴν ἅμιλλαν· πάντων δὲ μικροῦ δεῖν τῶν ἐπὶ θαύματι μνημονευομένων πρωτεύειν. Τό τε γὰρ ἀντιβῆναι τῇ τῶν προεχόντων ὁρμῇ, τῆς 46.940 ἀτρέπτου καὶ ὑψηλῆς διανοίας ἐναργέστατον ἐγίνετο γνώρισμα· ᾧ πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον φαινόμενα ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ καθεωρᾶτο, εἴτε πρὸς τὸ μεῖζόν τε καὶ περιφανέστερον, εἴτε καὶ πρὸς τὸ ταπεινόν τε καὶ ἀφανὲς οἰκείως εἶχε· μόνῃ δὲ νέμων τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν προτίμησιν, καὶ μόνην τὴν ἐν κακίᾳ ζωὴν κρίνων ἀπόβλητον, ἀντ' οὐδενὸς ἑώρα τὰ πάντα, ὅσα κατὰ τὸν βίον ἢ σπουδῆς τινος, ἢ ἀτιμίας ἄξια κρίνεται. Ὃ δὴ καὶ τότε πεποιηκὼς ἐπιδείκνυται. Ζητῶν γὰρ τὸν τῷ Θεῷ κεχαρισμένον καὶ ἄξιον εὑρεῖν, οὐκ ἀξιό πιστον εἰς μαρτυρίαν ᾠήθη πλοῦτον παραλαβεῖν καὶ ἀξίωμα, καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον περιφανείας, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν καταλόγοις ὁ θεῖος ἀπηριθμήσατο λόγος. Οὐ τοῦτο μόνον τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἐπαίνου τε καὶ θαύματος ἄξιον, τὸ μὴ προέσθαι τὰς τῶν δυναστευόντων σπουδάς· ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐφ εξῆς αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ὑπερβάλλειν. Ὁ γὰρ μόνον τὴν ἀναξίαν ἀπωσάμενος ψῆφον, μὴ προσθεὶς δὲ τῇ χρείᾳ τὸ λεῖπον, τὸ μὲν κακὸν ἐκώλυσε, τὸ δὲ ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἐποίησεν. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς τῷ μὴ συνθέσθαι τῷ χείρονι καὶ τὸ καλὸν ἐξευρὼν, δι' ἀμφοτέρων ἐτελείωσε τὸ ἀγαθὸν, οὔτε τῷ κακῷ συγχωρήσας τὴν πάροδον, καὶ τὸ καλὸν προσαγαγὼν εἰς ἐνέργειαν· ὡς κατὰ ἀμ φότερα γενέσθαι τὴν εὐεργεσίαν τοῦ μεγάλου Γρηγορίου ἐν τῇ πόλει, τό τε κατὰ ἄγνοιαν παρ' αὐτῶν πλημμελούμενον ἐπιστρέψαντος, καὶ τὸ κεκρυμμένον παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀγαθὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ φανερώσαντος.

Πάντων δὲ κατὰ γνώμην τοῦ μεγάλου προκεχωρηκότων τῇ συμμαχίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, οὐκ ἄκαιρον ἂν εἴη, καὶ τὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ πάρεργον διηγήσασθαι, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων ἡ συμπαροῦσα τῷ ἀνδρὶ χάρις ἐπεδείκνυτο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἅπασι πρόδηλον ἦν, ὅτι τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐσπούδαστο τὸ πάντα πρὸς τὴν τῶν δεομένων παραμυθίαν βλέπειν· εἴτε πρὸς κέρδος ὁρῶντες ἐκ τῶν Ἑβραίων δύο τινὲς, εἴτε τινὰ μῶμον κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπινοοῦντες, ὡς εὐκόλως πρὸς τὸ ἐξαπατᾶσθαι διακειμένου, παραφυλάσσουσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπάνοδον. Καὶ τούτων ὁ μὲν, τεθνάναι δόξας, ἐν ὑπτίῳ τεταμένος τῷ σχήματι, κατὰ τὸ πλάγιον τῆς λεωφόρου προέκειτο· ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ἐπικωκύων δῆθεν τῷ κειμένῳ τὰς τῶν θρηνούντων φωνὰς ὑπεκρίνατο, καὶ παριόντα τὸν μέγαν ἐπεβοᾶτο, λέγων, ἀθρόως συσχεθέντα θανάτῳ τὸν δείλαιον τοῦτον, γυμνὸν κεῖ σθαι καὶ πρὸς ταφὴν ἀπαράσκευον. Ἐδεῖτο τοίνυν τοῦ μεγάλου μὴ περιιδεῖν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὴν ὁσίαν ψυχὴν, ἀλλ' οἶκτόν τινα τῆς πενίας λαβόντα παρασχεῖν ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων τὸν ἔσχατον κόσμον ἐπιβληθῆναι τῷ σώ ματι. Ὁ μὲν ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγων, ἱκέτευεν· ὁ δὲ μελλήσας οὐδὲν, τὴν περικειμένην αὐτῷ διπλοΐδα ἐπιβαλὼν τῷ κειμένῳ, τοῦ πρόσω τῆς ὁδοιπορίας εἴχετο. Ἐπεὶ δὲ διαβάντος ἐκείνου, ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν ἦσαν οἱ ταῦτα κατ' αὐτοῦ παίξαντες, μεταβαλὼν ὁ ἀπα τεὼν ἐκεῖνος τὸν ἐσχηματισμένον θρῆνον εἰς γέλωτα, διανίστασθαι τῷ κειμένῳ παρεκελεύετο, ὑφ' ἡδονῆς τῷ ἐκ τῆς ἀπάτης αὐτοῖς προσγενομένῳ κέρδει ἐπι 46.941 καγχάζων. Ὁ δὲ ἦν ἐν ὁμοίῳ τῷ σχήματι μηδενὸς ἀκούων τῶν λεγομένων. Τοῦ δὲ γεγωνοτέρᾳ τῇ φωνῇ κεχρημένου, καὶ ἅμα τῷ ποδὶ διεγείροντος, οὐδὲν μᾶλ λον ὁ κείμενος, οὔτε τῆς φωνῆς ἐπήκουεν, οὔτε τῆς πληγῆς ἐπῃσθάνετο· ἀλλ' ἦν ὁμοίως ἐκτεταμένος τῷ σχήματι. Νεκρὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁμοῦ τῇ ἐπιβολῇ τοῦ ἱμα τίου, κατὰ