17

as it happened, and while still a youth, he had in himself the first sketches of virtue, like certain shadows and lines not dimly portraying the future; but he had its more precise forms and features as his age advanced forward and his mind acquired a firm stability, when both his reason and his spirit and all things together were seen to be for him towards the better and more perfect.

C. Since he also attended teachers, caring, as was likely, for every sort of education, what need is there to say how much knowledge he collected for himself within a short time? Having practiced most diligently grammar and the rest of the general education, and having reached the summit of rhetoric and the art of speaking, and having listened to philosophy so diligently as to leave no one even close to him. For using a zeal that rivaled his natural talent, he was sufficiently and exceedingly well versed in all subjects; and he made constant use of each of these, which not infrequently contributed to his improvement. But philosophy and its teachings he handled and cherished more greatly, and he placed it before all the others. For since he knew that this was both a knowledge and science of existing things, and was concerned with theory and practice, and discoursed on nature and the cosmos, and simply handed down everything else; to this he gave the greater zeal, and bore it always in his mind; yet not in a random or unreasoning way; but as for its sophistic element, and whatever involves deceit and fallacies, he put it far away and cast it off, while he approved and made his own that which concerns reasonings and doctrines and other (72) logical methods and proofs. For what to him was a false proposition, and the weaving of spurious syllogisms, and such a conclusion, and whatever else true wisdom misuses? For he was far from even saying, or ever caring for such a thing, or finding it tolerable to incline his mind even a little toward anything that others were not well laboring on. Of course, everyone regarded him with wonder, possessing such knowledge, and such virtue, and even more, such modesty and humility; whom none of the things that exist puffed up, nor persuaded to think more highly of himself, not the glory of his family, not his superiority in speech over all, not the height of his virtue, not any other thing at all; but he was so devoted to moderation, that he held this alone as both the dignity and boast of his life, and took more pride in this than if someone had granted him all the glory among men combined.

D. But it was not possible for the admirable man, living thus, to remain hidden, nor for the common good not to become manifest to others; although he did many things daily, in order to flee from empty glory, and not to be caught in the vicissitudes of life, to come in close contact with which he thought a great impediment to virtue. But although he himself both intended and acted thus, nevertheless, he is captured even against his will; summoned to the palace of the then-ruler (and this was Heraclius) with all favor, who appointed him first secretary of the imperial records; whom, as such a man and from such a house, he employed in all matters at hand, and possessed as a minister and collaborator in the noblest affairs. For this man was most intelligent in perceiving what was necessary, most skillful in proposing counsel, and exceptionally ready in composing a speech; in his company both the emperor himself and those around the court were greatly pleased, and they were constantly astonished at the man.

17

τυχών, καί νέος μέν ὤν ἔτι, εἶχεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τά τῆς ἀρετῆς προχαράγματα, οἷον σκιάς τινας καί γραμμάς οὐκ ἀμυδρῶς τό μέλλον εἰκονίζουσας· εἶχε δέ ἀκριβεστέρους τούς ταύτης τύπους καί χαρακτῆρας, τῆς ἡλικίας αὐτῷ προβαινούσης ἐπί τά πρόσω, καί πῆξιν τῆς διανοίας στάσιμον λαμβανούσης· ὅτε καί λόγος καί φρόνημα καί πάντα ὁμοῦ τά πρός τά κρείττω τούτῳ ἑώρα καί τελεώτερα.

Γ´. Ἐπεί δέ οὗτος καί ἐπί διδασκάλους ἐφοίτα, παιδείας, ὡς εἰκός, παντοίας

ἐπιμελούμεος, τί χρή καί λέγειν, ὅσην ἐντός ὀλίγου χρόνου γνῶσιν ἑαυτῷ συνελέξατο; γραμματικήν μέν καί τήν ἄλλην ἐγκύκλιον παίδευσιν ἐξασκήσας ἐπιμελέστατα, ῥητορικῆς δέ καί τῆς ἐν τῷ λέγειν τέχνης ἥκων εἰς τό ἀκρότατον, φιλοσοφίας δέ οὕτω φιλοπόνως ἀκροασάμενος, ὡς μηδένα ἐγγύς αὐτοῦ ἀφεῖναι γενέσθαι καί κατά μικρόν. Σπουδῇ γάρ ἐναμίλλῳ τῇ εὐφυΐᾳ χρησάμενος, ἱκανῶς εἶχεν ἐν πᾶσι μαθήμασι καί περιττῶς· οἷς καί ἑκάστοις μέν συνεχρῆτο, οὐκ ὀλίγα ἔστιν ὅτε τούτῳ πρός τά βελτίω συναιρομένοις. Φιλοσοφίαν δέ καί τούς ἀπ' αὐτῆς λόγους, μειζόνως καί περιεῖπε καί περιέστεργε, καί τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων προέταττεν. Ἐπεί γάρ ᾔδει ταύτην καί γνῶσιν τῶν ὄντων καί ἐπιστήμην, καί περί θεωρίαν καταγινομένην καί πρᾶξιν, καί φύσεως πέρι καί κόσμου διεξιοῦσαν, καί πᾶν ἁπλῶς ἄλλον παραδιδοῦσαν· ταύτῃ καί τήν πλείω σπουδήν ἔνεμε, καί ἐν νῷ διά παντός ἔφερε· πλήν οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν οὐδ' ἀλογίστως· ἀλλά τό μέν σοφιστικόν ταύτης, καί ὅσον ἀπάτης καί παραλογισμῶν ἔχεται, πόῤῥω θείς καί ἀποβαλόμενος, τό δέ περί λόγους καί δόγματα καί λογικάς ἄλλας (72) μεθόδους καί ἀποδείξεις ἐγκρίνας καί οἰκειωσάμενος. Τί γάρ αὐτῷ ψευδής πρότασις, καί πλοκή νόθων συλλογισμῶν, καί τοιοῦτον συμπέρασμα, καί οἷστισιν ἄλλοις ἡ ἀληθής σοφία καταχραίνεται; Ἐκείνῳ γάρ πολλοῦ δέον καί φάναι, ἤ τοιοῦτόν τι ἐμέλησε πώποτε, ἤ περί τι τῶν τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐ καλῶς πονουμένων ἀνεκτόν γέγονε καί μικρόν τήν διάνοιαν ἐπικλῖναι. Ἀμέλει καί διά θαύματος αὐτόν ἅπαντες ἐποιοῦντο οὕτω μέν γνώσεως, οὕτω δέ ἀρετῆς, ἔχοντα οὕτω δέ πλέον μετριοφροσύνης καί ταπεινώσεως· ὅν γε οὐδέν τῶν ὄντων ἐπῆρεν, οὐδέ μεῖζον φρονεῖν ἔπεισεν, οὐ γένους εὔκλεια, οὐ λόγων κατά πάντων ὑπεροχή, οὐκ ἀρετῆς ὕψος, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν πάντων οὐδέν· ἀλλ' οὕτως ἦν τῷ μετρίῳ προσκείμενος, ὡς μόνον τοῦτ' ἔχειν καί σεμνότητα βίου καί καύχημα, καί τούτῳ πλέον φρονεῖν, ἤ εἰ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τις τήν ἐν ἀνθρώποις δόξαν αὐτῷ ἐχαρίζετο.

∆´. Ἀλλά γάρ οὐκ ἦν οὕτω βιοῦντα λαθεῖν τόν θαυμάσιον, οὐδέ μή καί ἐς ἄλλους

ἐκφανές τό κοινόν γενέσθαι ὄφελος· καίτοι πολλά ὁσημέραι ποιοῦντα, ὥστε τήν κενήν ἀποδρᾶναι δόξαν, καί τό μή ἁλῶναι ταῖς τοῦ βίου περιπετείαις· ὧν καί τό γενέσθαι ἐν χρῷ, μέγα πρός ἀρετήν ἐμπόδιονιιᾤετο. Ἀλλ' εἰ καί αὐτός οὕτω καί ἐμελέτα καί ἔπραττεν, ὅμως γοῦν καί ἄκων ἁλίσκεται· πρός τά βασίλεια τοῦτον τοῦ τότε κρατοῦντος (Ἡράκλειος δ' οὗτος ἦν), εὐνοίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ μετακαλεσαμένου, καί ὑπογραφέα πρῶτον τῶν βασιλικῶν ὑπομνημάτων καταστησαμένου· ᾧ καί, οἷα τηλικῷδε ἀνδρί, καί τοσούτου οἴκου, ἐν πᾶσί τε ἐχρῆτο τοῖς ἀνά χεῖρα, καί ὑπουργόν καί συλλήπτορα τῶν καλλίστων ἐκέκτητο. Ἦν γάρ οὗτος συνιδεῖν μέν τό δέον συνετώτατος, βουλήν δ' ὑποθέσθαι κομιδῇ δεξιώτατος, λόγον δέ σχεδιάσαι ἐπιεικῶς προχειρότατος· οὗ τῇ συνουσίᾳ καί βασιλεύς αὐτός καί οἱ περί τά βασίλεια σφόδρα τε ἥδοντα, καί διά παντός ἦσαν τόν ἄνδρα ἐκπεπληγμένοι.