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is he condemned? But if he did well, honoring silence before the judges, what is this allotment, that the one is praised for being silent, while for us silence is a cause for slander? What could one devise more unjust than this absurdity, if, when both made their speech after the contests, he says that he himself made his defense in due season, having fallen so far behind the opportune moment, but he blames the one who spoke against his speech as having delayed beyond the opportune time of the contests? Or perhaps it was necessary by his refutation to slander in advance the speech that was about to be delivered; for this, it seems, is left for the 1.1.85 accusation. Why on earth, having foreknown what he was about to write, did he not refute it at the time of that judgment? For that he did not make this defense at the judgment is clear from what he has confessed. For I will again call to mind the same words. 20For we20, he says, 20admit that we were condemned while silent20, and he adds the reason: 20wicked20, he says, 20men20 having obtained the dignity of judging, or rather, as he himself says, 20having forced their way into the 1.1.86 position of judges20. And that he again attests to the fitting time for the defense is clear from other things he said. For the text runs thus: 20But that indeed20, he says, 20not feigning, but being compelled by the mediators at the fitting time and manner I was brought forward to the defense, has been made clear both from the facts themselves and from this man's words20. What then will he say, who everywhere easily twists his argument? Should Basil not have been silent during the contests? Why then was Eunomius speechless during the same contests? But for this man the defense after the contests is timely; how then is the battle against what was said untimely for that man? But most of all, as it seems, the 1.1.87 word of the holy man is true, that under the pretense, indeed, of a defense he constructed his own doctrines according to his own opinion, and he who in truth is a zealot of Phinehas, who destroys with the sword of the word everyone who has committed fornication against the Lord, brought the 1.1.88 sword that is healing for the soul, but destructive of impiety, I mean the refutation of the blasphemy. But if this man is resistant and he who has deadened his own soul through apostasy does not receive the healing, the fault is his who chose the evil; this even pagan philosophy says. Such then is Eunomius both against the truth and against us. And it was possible for us, according to the more ancient law that allows one to retaliate with equal measures against those who began it, to abundantly cast back the reproaches at him and with great ease to lavishly indulge in insults with ambition against the one who has caused grief; for if that man was so well-supplied for insolence and insult against one who gave no entry to blame, how many such words is it likely would be found by those who mock his 1.1.89 solemn life? But since from the beginning we were taught by the disciple of truth to be disciples of the Gospel, we neither strike out an eye for an eye, nor do we exchange a tooth for a tooth, knowing that the evils that occur are naturally resolved by their opposites, and that nothing badly said or done would proceed to an irreparable state, if something better, falling in between, should cut off the continuous 1.1.90 succession of evils. Therefore, the succession of being reviled and insulted is also stopped from its forward course by long-suffering; as if someone were to retaliate insolence with insolence and insult with insult, he will in every way increase it, nourishing the absurdity through similar things. 1.1.91 For this reason, leaving aside all the intervening discourse, being insolence and mockery and insult and jeers, I will hasten the discourse to the examination of the doctrine. But if someone should say that I refrain from insulting because of inexperience in retaliation with similar things, let him consider himself, how great is the ease toward what is worse, spontaneously sliding toward 1.1.92 sin without any effort. For to become evil lies only in the choosing, and often the will alone has sufficed for the perfection of wickedness. And the ease is much greater in transgressions of the tongue. For the remaining sins also

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κατακρίνεται; εἰ δὲ καλῶς ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τῶν δικαζόντων τὴν ἡσυχίαν τι μήσας, τίς ἡ ἀποκλήρωσις τὸν μὲν ἐπαινεῖσθαι σιγῶντα, ἡμῖν δὲ πρὸς διαβολῆς εἶναι τὴν ἡσυχίαν; τί ἄν τις ἀδικώ τερον τῆς ἀτοπίας ταύτης ἐπινοήσειεν, εἰ τῶν δύο μετὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας πεποιημένων τὸν λόγον ἑαυτὸν μὲν κατὰ καιρὸν ἀπο λελογῆσθαι λέγει, τοσοῦτον τοῦ καιροῦ κατόπιν γενόμενον, τὸν δὲ ἀντειπόντα τῷ λόγῳ κακίζει ὡς τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν ἀγώνων καθυστερήσαντα; ἢ τάχα προδιαβαλεῖν ἔδει τῇ ἀντιρρήσει τὸν μέλλοντα ῥηθήσεσθαι λόγον· τοῦτο γάρ, ὡς ἔοικε, τῷ 1.1.85 ἐγκλήματι λείπεται. τί δήποτε προγνούς, ἃ γράφειν ἔμελλε, παρὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως ἐκείνης καιρὸν οὐ διήλεγξεν; ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἐν τῇ κρίσει τὴν ἀπολογίαν ταύτην πεποίηται, φανερόν ἐστι, δι' ὧν ὡμολόγησε. πάλιν γὰρ τῶν αὐτῶν ῥημάτων ἐπι μνησθήσομαι. 20ἡμεῖς γάρ20, φησίν, 20ὅτι σιωπῶντες ἑάλω μεν, ὁμολογοῦμεν20, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν προστίθησι· 20πονη ρῶν20, φησίν, 20ἀνθρώπων20 τὴν τοῦ δικάζειν ἀξίαν λαχόν των, μᾶλλον δέ, ὡς αὐτὸς λέγει, 20εἰς τὴν τῶν δικα 1.1.86 ζόντων χώραν εἰσφρησάντων20. ὅτι δὲ πάλιν τὸν προσ ήκοντα καιρὸν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ προσμαρτυρεῖ, ἐξ ἑτέρων ὧν εἶπε δῆλόν ἐστιν. οὕτω γὰρ ἡ λέξις ἔχει· 20ἀλλ' ὅτι μέν20, φησίν, 20οὐ πλασάμενος, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν μεσιτῶν ἀναγ καζόμενος κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν καὶ τρό πον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπολογίαν προήχθην, ἔκ τε τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν τούτου λόγων γέγονε δῆλον20. τί οὖν ἐρεῖ ὁ πανταχοῦ ῥᾳδίως ἐπιστρέφων τὸν λόγον; οὐκ ἔδει σιωπᾶν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων Βασίλειον; διὰ τί οὖν ἄφωνος ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀγώνων Εὐνόμιος; ἀλλ' εὔκαιρος ἡ μετὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀπολογία τούτῳ· πῶς οὖν ἄκαιρος ἡ πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα μάχη ἐκείνῳ; Ἀλλὰ πάντων μᾶλλον, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀληθὴς τοῦ ὁσίου ὁ 1.1.87 λόγος, ὅτι ἐν προσποιήσει δὴ τῆς ἀπολογίας κατασκευὴν τῶν δογμάτων ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ ὁ κατ' ἀλή θειαν τοῦ Φινεὲς ζηλωτής, ὁ ἐξολοθρεύων ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ λόγου πάντα τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου πορνεύσαντα, τὴν ἰατικὴν μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀναιρετικὴν δὲ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπήγαγε μάχαι 1.1.88 ραν, τὴν ἀντίρρησιν λέγω τῆς βλασφημίας. εἰ δὲ ἀντιτύπως οὗτος ἔχει καὶ τὴν θεραπείαν οὐ δέχεται ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας νεκρώσας, τοῦ ἑλομένου τὸ κακὸν ἡ αἰτία· φησὶ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἔξωθεν λόγος. τοιοῦτος μὲν οὖν κατά τε τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Εὐνόμιος. ἡμῖν δὲ ἐξῆν μὲν κατὰ τὸν ἀρχαιότερον νόμον τὸν συγχωροῦντα τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ὑπάρξαντας ἀφθόνως αὐτὸν ἀντι βάλλειν τοῖς ὀνείδεσι καὶ ἐν πολλῇ τῇ ῥᾳστώνῃ πρὸς τὸν λελυπηκότα φιλοτίμως ταῖς λοιδορίαις ἐνδαψιλεύεσθαι· εἰ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἐκεῖνος εἰς ὕβριν καὶ λοιδορίαν εὐπόρησε κατὰ τοῦ μηδεμίαν εἴσοδον δεδωκότος τῷ μώμῳ, πόσους εἰκὸς εὑρεθῆναι τοιούτους λόγους τοῖς τὸν σεμνὸν αὐτοῦ δια 1.1.89 κωμῳδοῦσι βίον; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ μαθητεύειν ὑπὸ τοῦ μαθητοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπαιδεύθημεν, οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντεκκόπτομεν οὔτε ὀδόντα ὀδόντος ἀνταλλασσό μεθα, εἰδότες ὅτι τὰ πονηρὰ τῶν γινομένων τοῖς ἐναντίοις λύεσθαι πέφυκε καὶ οὐκ ἄν τι τῶν κακῶς λεγομένων ἢ πραττομένων εἰς τὸ ἀνήκεστον προχωρήσειεν, εἴ τι τῶν χρη στοτέρων διὰ μέσου παρεμπεσὸν τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς τῶν κακῶν 1.1.90 ἀκολουθίας ἐκκόψειεν. οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ τοῦ λοιδορεῖσθαι καὶ ὑβρίζειν ἀκολουθία διὰ μακροθυμίας ἵσταται τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω φορᾶς· ὡς εἴ γέ τις ὕβρει τὴν ὕβριν καὶ λοιδορίᾳ τὴν λοιδορίαν ἀμύνοιτο, πλεονάσει πάντως τρέφων διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων τὸ ἄτοπον. 1.1.91 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα τὸν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ λόγον καταλιπών, ὕβριν ὄντα καὶ χλευασμὸν καὶ λοιδορίαν καὶ σκώμματα, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ δόγματος ἐξέτασιν κατεπείξω τὸν λόγον. εἰ δέ τις παραιτεῖσθαί με τὸ λοιδορεῖν δι' ἀπειρίαν τῆς τῶν ὁμοίων ἀντιδόσεως λέγοι, σκεψάσθω ἑαυτόν, ὅση πρὸς τὸ χεῖρόν ἐστιν ἡ εὐκολία δίχα τινὸς πραγματείας αὐτομάτως πρὸς 1.1.92 τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατολισθαίνουσα. τὸ γὰρ γίνεσθαι κακὸν ἐν τῷ προελέσθαι μόνον ἀπόκειται καὶ ἤρκεσε πολλάκις πρὸς τελείωσιν κακίας ἡ βούλησις. πολὺ δὲ πλέον τὸ εὔκολον ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν γλῶσσάν ἐστι πλημμελήμασι. τὰ μὲν γὰρ λοιπὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ