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insulting for the sake of honor us who are fickle and ready for such things. 48.5 But I will declare my position as it is, and do not be angry with me at all. For I will speak what I uttered at the very time of the event, not so much boiling with anger or astounded at what happened, that my reason was stolen away and I was ignorant of what I said. 48.6 “I will neither acquire weapons, nor will I learn tactics, which I did not learn before, when it seemed to be more the season for it, when all were arming themselves and raging (you know the infirmities of the weak), nor will I withstand the martial Anthimus, though he is an unseasonable warrior, being myself unarmed and unwarlike and better suited for receiving wounds. 48.7 But you yourself wage war on him, if this is what you want (for necessities often make warriors of the weak), or seek for those who will fight, when he seizes your mules, guarding the narrow passes and, like that Amalek, barring the way for Israel. But to us, in exchange for all things, give peace. 48.8 For why must we fight over suckling animals and birds, and these belonging to others, as if for souls and canons? And why deprive the metropolis of the illustrious Sasima, or expose and uncover the secret of my mind, when it ought to be concealed?” 48.9 But you, be a man and be strong and draw all things to your own glory, as the rivers draw the winter torrents, preferring neither friendship nor familiarity to what is noble and to piety, nor caring what sort of person you will seem for doing these things, but being of a single spirit. 48.10 But we shall gain only this from your friendship: not to trust friends, and to hold nothing more precious than God. 49.T TO THE SAME 49.1 You accuse us of idleness and sloth, because we have not taken possession of your Sasima, nor are we acting in an episcopal manner, nor, like food thrown to dogs in their midst, are we arming you against each other; but to me the greatest action is inaction. 49.2 And so that you may know one of my virtues, I am so zealous for inaction that I believe it to be a law for all to have this magnanimity. 49.3 And if everyone imitated us, there would be no trouble for the Churches, nor would the faith be dragged away, being a weapon for the private contentions of each. 50.T TO THE SAME 50.1 How hotly and colt-like you leap in your letters! And it is no wonder that, having just now tasted glory, you wish to show us what kind of glory you are finding, so that you may thus dignify yourself the more, like painters who paint the Seasons. 50.2 But for me to narrate everything, the affairs of the bishops and of the letter at which you are vexed, from where we began and how far we proceeded and where we concluded, seems to be too long for a letter and the work of a history rather than of a defense. 50.3 But to put it briefly, the most noble Anthimus arrived with some bishops, either as if to visit my father (for this was the appearance), or being eager for the things for which he was eager. 50.4 And after making many attempts concerning many things—the parishes, Sasima, Limnae, our ordination—by granting favours, asking, threatening, justifying himself, blaming, praising, drawing circles for himself, as though it were necessary for us to look only to him and to the new metropolis, it being greater. 50.5 “Why do you circumscribe our city, when we also make the Church, as being truly and from of old the mother of Churches?” In the end, he went away unsuccessful, after much blustering, and accusing us of Basilism, as of Philippism. 50.6 Do we seem to you to be doing wrong in this? I think not. But consider also the matter of the letter, how it fared at the hands of us insolent men. They formulated a synodical summons to us; and when I objected and called it an insult, they then requested, as a second-best option, that you be invited through me to deliberate on these matters. 50.7 This I undertook, so that the first course should not be taken, putting the whole matter in your hands, whether you wish to gather them, and where, and when; which was the act of one who honours, not of one who insults. And since in this too we do no wrong, state what is left. But if you must learn this from me, I will read to you that of Anthimus

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διὰ τιμὴν ὑβρίζων τοὺς κούφους ἡμᾶς καὶ προχείρους πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα. 48.5 Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ ἐμὸν ὡς ἔχει δηλώσω, καί μοι μηδὲν ὀργισθῇς. Ἐρῶ γὰρ ἃ καὶ παρ' αὐτὰ τοῦ πάθους ἀπεφθεγξάμην, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἢ τῷ θυμῷ ζέσας ἢ τῷ γεγονότι καταπλαγείς, ὥστε κλαπῆναι τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ ἀγνοεῖν ἅπερ ἔλεγον. 48.6 «Οὔτε ὅπλα κτήσομαι, οὔτε τὰ τακτικὰ μαθήσομαι, ἃ μὴ πρότερον ἔμαθον, ἡνίκα καιρὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον ἐδόκει, πάντων ὁπλιζομένων καὶ μαινομένων (οἶσθα τὰ τῶν ἀσθενῶν ἀρρωστήματα), οὔτε τὸν ἀρήιον Ἄνθιμον ὑποσ τήσομαι, καίπερ ἄωρον ὄντα πολεμιστήν, ψιλός τ' ὢν καὶ ἀπόλεμος καὶ πρὸς τὰ τραύματα ἐπιτηδειότερος. 48.7 Ἀλλ' ἐκείνῳ μὲν αὐτὸς πολέμει, εἰ τοῦτό σοι φίλον (καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς πολλάκις αἱ χρεῖαι ποιοῦσι πολεμιστάς), ἢ ζήτει τοὺς πολεμήσοντας, ὅταν σου τῶν ἡμιόνων λαμβάνηται, τὰ στενὰ τηρῶν καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀμαλὴκ ἐκεῖνος εἵργων τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἡμῖν δ' ἀντὶ πάντων δοῦναι τὴν ἡσυχίαν. 48.8 Τί γὰρ δεῖ μάχεσθαι περὶ γαλαθηνῶν καὶ ὀρνίθων, καὶ τοῦτο ἀλλοτρίων, ὡς δὴ περὶ ψυχῶν καὶ κανόνων; Τί δὲ τῶν λαμπρῶν Σασίμων ἀποστερεῖν τὴν μητρόπολιν, ἢ γυμνοῦν καὶ ἀνακαλύπτειν τὸ τῆς γνώμης ἀπόρρητον, συγκρύπτειν δέον;» 48.9 Ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ἀνδρίζου καὶ κραταιοῦ καὶ πάντα ἕλκε πρὸς τὴν σεαυτοῦ δόξαν, ὥσπερ οἱ ποταμοὶ τοὺς χειμάρρους, μήτε φιλίαν μήτε συνήθειαν τοῦ καλοῦ προτιμῶν καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας μήτε τοῦ ποῖός τις εἶναι δόξεις ἐκ τοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖν φροντίζων, ἀλλ' ἑνὸς ὢν τοῦ πνεύματος. 48.10 Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦτο μόνον κερδανοῦμεν τῆς σῆς φιλίας, τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν φίλοις μήτε τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιεῖσθαί τι προτι μότερον. 49.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 49.1 Ἐγκαλεῖς ἡμῖν ἀργίαν καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν, ὅτι μὴ τὰ σὰ Σάσιμα κατειλήφαμεν μηδ' ἐπισκοπικῶς κινούμεθα μηδ', ὥσπερ κυσὶ βρῶμα ῥιφὲν ἐν μέσῳ, κατ' ἀλλήλων ὑμᾶς ὁπλίζομεν· ἐμοὶ δὲ μεγίστη πρᾶξίς ἐστιν ἡ ἀπραξία. 49.2 Καὶ ἵν' εἰδῇς τι τῶν ἐμῶν καλῶν, τοσοῦτον τῇ ἀπραγ μοσύνῃ φιλοτιμοῦμαι, ὥστ' οἴεσθαι καὶ νόμος εἶναι πᾶσι τῆς περὶ τοῦτο μεγαλοψυχίας. 49.3 Καὶ ὡς εἰ πάντες ἡμᾶς ἐμιμοῦντο, οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν πρᾶγμα ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις οὐδ' ἂν ἡ πίστις παρεσύρετο, τῶν ἰδίων ἑκάστῳ φιλονεικιῶν ὅπλον τυγχάνουσα. 50.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 50.1 Ὡς θερμὸν ἐξάλλῃ καὶ πωλικὸν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι· καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν ἄρτι σε δόξης γευόμενον ἡμῖν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βούλεσθαι ἥντινα δόξαν εὑρίσκεις, ἵν' οὕτω σεαυτὸν μᾶλλον σεμνοποιῇς, ὥσπερ τῶν γραφέων οἱ τὰς ὥρας γράφοντες. 50.2 Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν πάντα ἐκδιηγεῖσθαι, τὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἐφ' ᾗ σὺ δυσχεραίνεις, ὅθεν τ' ἠρξάμεθα καὶ ὅπη προέβημεν καὶ εἰς ὃ κατελήξαμεν, μακρότερον ἢ κατ' ἐπιστολὴν εἶναι φαίνεται καὶ οὐκ ἀπολογίας μᾶλλον ἔργον ἢ ἱστορίας. 50.3 Ὡς δὲ συντόμως δηλῶσαι, ἧκεν ὁ γενναιότατος Ἄνθιμος μετά τινων ἐπισκόπων, εἴτε ὡς τὸν πατέρα ἐπισκεψόμενος τὸν ἐμὸν (καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἔδοξεν), εἴτε σπουδάζων ἅπερ ἐσπούδασε. 50.4 Πολλὴν δὲ καὶ περὶ πολλῶν πεῖραν καθείς, τῶν παροικιῶν, Σασίμων, Λιμνῶν, τῆς ἡμετέρας χειροτονίας, χαρισάμενος, αἰτήσας, ἀπει λήσας, δικαιολογησάμενος, ψέξας, ἐγκωμιάσας, κύκλους ἑαυτῷ περιγράψας, ὡς δέον πρὸς αὐτὸν μόνον ὁρᾶν ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν νέαν μητρόπολιν, μείζονα οὖσαν. 50.5 «Τί περιγράφεις εἴσω τὴν ἡμετέραν πόλιν, ἡμῶν ποιουμένων καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς ὄντως Ἐκκλησιῶν μητέρα καὶ ἄνωθεν;» Τέλος, ἀπῆλθεν ἄπρακτος, πολλὰ περιπνεύσας, καὶ βασιλισμὸν ἡμῖν, ὡς φιλιππισμόν, ἐγκαλέσας. 50.6 Μὴ τοῦτο ἀδικεῖν σοι δοκοῦμεν; Οὐκ οἶμαι. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ὅπως ἔσχε παρὰ τῶν ὑβριστῶν ἡμῶν. Κλῆσιν συνοδικὴν ἐτύπωσαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς· ἐμοῦ δ' ἀντιλέ γοντος καὶ ὕβριν φάσκοντος, ἀλλὰ τό γε δεύτερον ἠξίουν δι' ἐμοῦ παρακληθῆναι ὑμᾶς περὶ τούτων βουλευσομένους. 50.7 Τοῦτο ὑπέστην, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πρότερον γένηται, τὸ πᾶν ἐφ' ὑμῖν ποιούμενος, εἰ βούλεσθε συναγαγεῖν αὐτούς, καὶ ὅπου, καὶ πηνίκα· ὅπερ τιμῶντος ἦν, οὐχ ὑβρίζοντος. Ἐπειδὴ δ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀδικοῦμεν, εἰπὲ τὸ λειπόμενον. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦτο μαθεῖν ὑμᾶς, αὐτὴν ὑμῖν ἀναγνώ σομαι τὴν Ἀνθίμου