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of the will, and how ambition conquers want. For this reason I commend to your holiness the most admirable and magnificent Celestiacus, who was once the master of much money and many possessions, but escaped the hands of the barbarians with his freedom alone, and now has as an income for a livelihood the compassion that accords with your love of God. He also has a swarm of cares; for with him are his life's partner, and his children, and servants, who are with him not only out of need, but also out of benevolence; for he does not consider it holy to dismiss those who could not bear to leave him. I ask that through your love of God he may become known also to the well-to-do among the citizens; for I think that, being taught by your holiness and seeing the change in his prosperity, they will imitate your magnanimity, my lord, and will deem him worthy of what aid is in their power, considering what is common to our nature. 37 TO SALUSTIUS THE GOVERNOR. Whenever those who are appointed to rule hold unswervingly the balance of justice and draw up the scale equally, they procure an abundance of all kinds of goods for those who are ruled. And if sufficient understanding is also present, and a vote of benevolence is cast for the one who needs it, manifold good things gush forth for the subjects from the public offices. Having enjoyed these things through your excellency, the people of the Euphrates province, and having experience as their teacher of the good things of your previous rule, danced for joy at the present time, having learned that the rudders of government have been entrusted to your magnificence. And I pray that they may obtain greater goods, and that your excellency may partake of greater glory; and that to your other fine qualities may be added piety, the crown of all good things, so that the praise of those who offer encomia may not be lame. I had hoped also to meet with your magnificence, when I was compelled to spend several days in Hierapolis; and I continually inquired of those arriving whether the symbols of office had been brought to your admirableness. But since the divine and saving festival was pressing, we took possession of the city entrusted to us. But now, having received the letters of your magnificence, and being greatly pleased, we are paying the debt of this address, and we have sent at once, God willing, the most honorable and reverent deacon, the water-diviner, as you ordered. And may the benevolent Lord grant that he may provide a need for the city and for your excellency a reason for good repute. 38 FESTAL. The divine and saving festival has brought to us the sources of God-given goods, the blessing of the cross, immortality, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus which sprouted from the Lord's death, which promises the common resurrection. The festival, offering these things and displaying the generosity of divine grace, wrought spiritual gladness. But the magnitude and multitude of misfortunes surrounding us on all sides has dimmed the joy of the festival, and has mixed wailings and lamentations with the hymns. For such are the offspring of sin. For it has filled our life with pain. Because of it, death is more desirable to us than life; because of it we also dread the life to come, imagining that incorruptible judgment-seat. Let your piety pray, therefore, that we may obtain the divine benevolence, and that this grim and fearful cloud may be dispersed,

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τῆς γνώμης, καὶ ὡς τὴν ἔνδειαν ἡ φιλοτι μία νικᾷ. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο συνίστημί σου τῇ ὁσιότητι τὸν θαυμα σιώτατον καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστατον Κελεστιακόν, πολλῶν μὲν χρημάτων καὶ κτημάτων πάλαι δεσπότην γεγενημένον, μετὰ μόνης δὲ τῆς ἐλευθερίας τῶν βαρβάρων τὰς χεῖρας διαφυ γόντα, καὶ πρόσοδον εἰς ἀφορμὴν βίου νῦν ἔχοντα τῶν κατὰ τὴν σὴν φιλοθεΐαν τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ φροντίδων ἐσμόν· σύνεστι γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ τοῦ βίου κοινωνός, καὶ τὰ παι δία, καὶ θεράποντες, οὐ διὰ χρείαν μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ φιλαν θρωπίαν συνόντες· οὐχ ἡγεῖται γὰρ ὅσιον ἀπολῦσαι τοὺς οὐκ ἀνασχομένους καταλιπεῖν. Τοῦτον καὶ τοῖς εὐποροῦσι τῶν πολιτῶν γνώριμον γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς σῆς φιλοθεΐας παρακαλῶ· οἶμαι γάρ, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος διδασκόμενοι, καὶ τὴν τῆς εὐπραξίας ὁρῶντες μεταβολήν, τὴν σήν, δέσποτα, μεγαλοψυχίαν μιμήσονται, καὶ τῆς δυνατῆς αὐτὸν ἀξιώσουσι θεραπείας, τῆς φύσεως τὸ κοινὸν λογισάμενοι. 37 ΣΑΛΟΥΣΤΙΩ ΑΡΧΟΝΤΙ. Ὅταν οἱ ἄρχειν λαχόντες ἀκλινῶς κατέχωσι τὴν τῆς δίκης τρυτάνην καὶ ἴσως τὴν ἀρτάνην ἀνέλκωσι, παντοδαπῶν ἀγα θῶν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις προξενοῦσι φοράν. Ἂν δὲ δὴ καὶ σύνεσις ἀποχρῶσα προσῇ, καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τῷ ταύτης δεομένῳ προστίθηται ψῆφος, πολλαπλάσια τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχείων ἀναβλυστάνει καλά. Τούτων διὰ τῆς σῆς λαμπρότητος ἀπολαύσαντες Εὐφρατήσιοι, καὶ τὴν πεῖραν διδάσκαλον ἔχοντες τῶν τῆς προτέρας ἀρχῆς ἀγαθῶν, ἐχόρευσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τὴν σὴν μεμαθηκότες μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐγχειρισθῆναι τῆς ἀρχῆς τὰ πηδάλια. Ἐγὼ δὲ μειζόνων αὐτοὺς εὔχομαι τυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τὴν σὴν λαμπρότητα πλείονος εὐκλείας μεταλαχεῖν· προστεθῆναι δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις καλοῖς καὶ τὸν κολο φῶνα τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἵνα μὴ χωλεύῃ τῶν ἐγκωμια ζόντων ὁ ἔπαινος. Ἤλπισα δὲ καὶ συντεύξεσθαί σου τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ, ἡνίκα πλείους ἐν Ἱεραπόλει διαγαγεῖν ἠναγ κάσθην ἡμέρας· καὶ τῶν ἀφικνουμένων διηνεκῶς ἐπυνθανόμην, εἰ ἐκομίσθη σου τῇ θαυμασιότητι τὰ σύμβολα τῆς ἀρχῆς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ θεία καὶ σωτήριος κατήπειξεν ἑορτή, τὴν ἐγχει ρισθεῖσαν ἡμῖν κατελάβομεν πόλιν. Νῦν δὲ τὰ τῆς σῆς μεγα λοπρεπείας δεξάμενοι γράμματα, καὶ λίαν ἡσθέντες, καὶ τὸ τῆς προσρήσεως ἐκτίνομεν χρέος, καὶ τὸν τιμιώτατον καὶ εὐλαβέστατον διάκονον, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, τὸν ὑδροσκόπον ὡς ἐκέλευσας ἀπεστείλαμεν παραυτίκα. Παράσχοι δὲ ὁ φιλάν θρωπος ∆εσπότης πορίσαι αὐτὸν καὶ τῇ πόλει χρείαν καὶ τῇ λαμπρότητί σου πρόφασιν εὐδοξίας. 38 ΕΟΡΤΑΣΤΙΚΗ. Ἡ μὲν θεία καὶ σωτήριος ἑορτὴ τῶν θεοσδότων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν προσενήνοχε τὰς πηγάς, τοῦ σταυροῦ τὴν εὐλογίαν, τὴν ἀθα νασίαν, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ θανάτου βλαστήσασαν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἣ τὴν κοινὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Ταῦτα ἡ ἑορτὴ προσφέρουσα, καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος τὴν φιλοτιμίαν ἐπιδεικνῦσα, τὴν πνευματικὴν εὐφρο σύνην ἐπραγματεύετο. Τῶν δὲ συμφορῶν τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ πλῆθος πάντοθεν ἡμᾶς περιστοιχίζον, τῆς ἑορτῆς τὴν θυμη δίαν ἠμαύρωσε, καὶ οἰμωγὰς καὶ θρήνους ταῖς ὑμνῳδίαις ἀνέμιξε. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κυήματα. Αὕτη γὰρ ὀδύνης τὸν βίον ἡμῶν ἐνέπλησε. ∆ιὰ ταύτην ἐρασμιώτερος ἡμῖν ὁ θάνατος τῆς ζωῆς· διὰ ταύτην καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα πεφρί καμεν βίον, τὸ ἀδέκαστον ἐκεῖνο κριτήριον φανταζόμενοι. Εὐξάσθω τοίνυν ἡ θεοσέβειά σου, τῆς θείας ἡμᾶς φιλανθρω πίας τυχεῖν, καὶ τὸ στυγνὸν τοῦτο καὶ φοβερὸν διαλυθῆναι νέφος,