Panegyric orations

 To run against you from an opposing lot, he endured but the pentathlon was accomplished for you and the pancratium was completed with no one having c

 The votes, i imagine the divine judgment and i refer to the incorruptible tribunal. when i test you in elections, i admire your intelligence and your

 From afar it shines on those landing and extends a hand to those from the sea, escorting them to rome most painlessly. what in addition to these does

 Using it and bending and curving it towards the drooping jaw, i remember the indian's eyebrow at this, how he held it more than a cubit above his head

 And to a rival. let others, then, measure you against and compare you with whomever they wish, but i, though i seem to make a strange and dissimilar c

 In prose, not in meters and poems or perhaps many are present, but they have no account of the matter, as if it were of no account to them. and time

 The hegemony of his father, with kingdoms overthrown and not a few changes having occurred in both, those who, having exchanged their fortune for the

 He took counsel of opposing nations, but by making everything purchasable with gold and royal splendors, from this he gained the goodwill of all, and

 Opened, and flung wide the very gates of the soul, and associated with wicked and corrupt lives. for he did not at once know the whole line of the fam

 To work deeds of injustice for he was angry with those who did wrong and would punish them. but when he began to be sick and his body was wasting awa

 Not a magnificent spirit, not a musical and graceful speech, nothing else of the sort that knows how to beautify the soul and the nature of the body.

 Drives a sphere, and the other the superterrestrial one, so that the one might wind its own zone in a single cycle, and the other in twelve cycles, an

 Defining the virtues by its power, and practicing the higher geometry. for this, as proclus also says, has occupied the middle ground between the indi

 The power of the kingdom came to him, besides these the life of david among the flocks, the pursuit, those many dangers into which he fell but was not

 He locks up the monarchy into a tyranny, having exchanged one evil for another. justice is not quiet, it kindles the coals, it sends the arrow, the wi

 I call it his girdle-and he draws away no small cavalry and infantry force from old rome, he adds to these also the best army of the east, and no smal

 An angel wrought a more manifest victory. i have something more to say than those wonders there the cross was in types and images, a bronze serpent s

 You, o king the more abundantly you pour out benefits upon us, the more you increase by being filled. from this, no one has been left out of such wea

 With the eyes, then poured out and dissolved, but better and higher than all that is visible. but, o emperor—for i repeat the title to you and call it

 You fill the western beacon, neither grudging us your rays nor altering the color of your disk, but the more time increases the distances, the more be

 The rising of the sun, the land upon which it immediately rises, so that, if any of our people wished, having gone there he could, not with geometrica

 I am an unskillful chronicler of your deeds and erring in my timing, and i do not have a nature that strikes out in both directions at once. for you a

 To wish. for you both comprehend the present and conjecture the future and discover the unseen, discerning character from eyebrows and eyelids, so tha

 To speak? -unseemly even in his appearance, made of tin or dipped in bile and altogether counterfeit gold, but since he was in the midst of dangers, t

 With stones lying along each side, so that the conjoined may seem continuous and the well-fitted of one nature. behold for me the heights and beauties

 But here is a distinct hand divided into five rosy branches. but this is a most unerring testimony of that godlike soul. but do you wish to see some t

 Transcending substance and holding the principles of the forms folded together and least of all divided from the one. and you, being such, do you not

 The fountains of good deeds flowed, as if from a sheer rock, having received the impetus for their flowing these proclaimed you by reputation even be

 A guide, so also there an arbiter of the administrations, that i may suit you for both, both speaking your deeds and doing the words of your administr

 P]ortions are deprived of praise, but no one of all men has been suited to all words of praise. but to you so much is granted [against] all in all thi

 To bring to the highest point of keenness, or your soul which was not [shattered by] trials, but also most nobly endured through the magnitude of the

 And they were torn away, and their manner altered their nature [....], and they have remained, and after the separation, being both nourished and fatt

 But the love of art and the care concerning the divine sanctuaries, what demostheneses or the best of the writers could describe and praise? how beau

 Having surpassed in his heroic deeds him and the kings up to you, but in his plans he is recorded as being less than his accomplishments, winning in [

 Less, you have given the first place to reason over passion, and you have established the one like some foundation upon the acropolis, but the other y

 Having considered what is seen, but when i also behold the tomb of the queen, and i behold it often whenever i wish to console some hardship of fortun

 To comprehend in a speech. for to whom could the unattainable be attainable, even if he were rich in the homeric power for speeches, or the herodotan

 Admiring and in return is eager to make an image and someone already having constructed a stele for you inscribed the gentle one. therefore solomon

 Much praise and measured against all of time. how then could i summarize the whole in a few words? i will speak, therefore, a little of your virtues,

 Everyone rejoices and exults with the one who has taken up your encomiums and because i did not weave the words of praise sooner, he is rather vexed

 Gracefulness, the maturity of your thought, the symmetry of your greatness, the quick-wittedness, the stability of your mind, the unmarried life, the

 At once for us the lord and most skilled in command and pleasing to all, o most excellent foresight, o wise consideration, o most noble counsel, o div

 Of virtues? you, beyond any kings who ever were, honored justice and preferred philanthropy, and having attained the height of prudence, you appeared

 Accomplishments? o the arrows from heaven against the barbarians, o the unseen bowshots, o the angelic powers in the air, o the divine armies against

 The greatest part of character. for as many as have become of a civic disposition, if they have descended to this willingly, they seemed both prudent

 Of civil administration and of divine hearing. if therefore, being engaged in one, he also holds to the other, let this for now be a secret to many. b

 Of wise men going to ammon's shrine or being within the delphic tripod suddenly transferred their apparent wisdom to the more divine and greater, how

 We have taken starting points, and yet more absurd, if we render praises to the good and noble men who have died, for what they have said concerning w

 And not many months after the sowing, but immediately reaping the harvest and so that i might say what is from the gospel, the two were running toget

 If we should set about to build him up, this marvelous man, both in nature and in diligence, has received much contribution toward his eloquence from

 For having embraced one of these, they might neglect the rest, or putting ears before mind, they have an unintelligible tongue, or having drawn up spr

 Pleases the petty and the overly artful. therefore, of these enumerated wise men, the one now honored in this discourse wishes to imitate gregory, and

 I knew not only what the greeks knew, nor what the chaldeans or egyptians knew, but i had also condemned them, though not all of them, nor has my refu

 With magnanimity, he who was both namesake and like-minded with the great constantine, and who alone nobly contended against all, and taking his name-

 Regulates the state of the church, no less than moses who constructed the tabernacle below according to the pattern shown to him for whether melodies

 Concerning which things, before his high-priesthood, at a time when he did not even have many resources of money, he constructed brilliantly and accom

 And to impart to others. and perhaps he did not endure the waves of the sea, but in his toils on land he might in some way be compared to paul. and co

 One of two things happening, either god descending into the mind, or the mind ascending to god. but what is the place of god's rest, or by which of al

 Of a voice, nor were you instructed by any of the higher powers, to lay aside the symbols of the priesthood, and to transfer yourself to another life,

 Nothing unpleasant would happen to those handling these things but for you, who happen to be a philosopher, what harm will come from these affairs? j

 Of words but you, o king, will both speak publicly among the armies and bring an impulse with your speech and will rouse them together for the deed.

 May you be crowned on the head with glorious trophies. may you be adorned with deeds of valor against the barbarians, and be escorted by many victorie

 May you rend the sea and stop the river and vanquish amalek. may a cloud, giving shade over your head, take away your burning heat, and a pillar of li

an angel wrought a more manifest victory. I have something more to say than those wonders; there the cross was in types and images, a bronze serpent set upon a straight-stretched pillar, and wood sweetening bitter water, and again another piece of iron drawn up from the water, but here it was written by the finger of God in heaven, as long ago for your namesake and king, to whom I compare you, and out of respect for the man I do not place you above him, but grant you equality, honoring here too the emperor; for the God who reigns has signified the same power for both and has made them glorious by the same miraculous deeds. And these, your affairs, O Emperor, are thus, surpassing all the art and genius of orators. But what of our affairs? We are cast aside, we are despised—do not be angry if I say this too—we who are the nurslings of knowledge, the familiars of wisdom, the worshippers of the Muses. One man has struck the enemy with an arrow, or only aimed his spear, and he has the first honors; another has shown good judgment up to a point, and the stream of wealth has flowed to him ungrudgingly. But we proclaim with words, we strike with praises, we serve with what we have, and we scarcely receive a drop of mercy anywhere. But again I will say the same thing, do not be angry at my frankness, O Emperor, it is the offspring of a grieving soul. From where are the Romuli proclaimed, from where the Bruti and Aelii, the Antiochi and Seleuci and Alexandri? Is it not from speeches, not from writings? And those who write, from where were they moved to write? Was it not from the benefits they received? Did not Dionysius give a talent of silver to Helicon of Cyzicus for predicting an eclipse of the sun? And did not the same man pay heed to Plato almost as to a god, as he advanced him in the ethics of philosophy? How many Platos do you think you would now beget, if you wished, how many Homers? And if not such as these, because these men have been removed from all others, yet how many Metrodori, how many Phoebamones? And I do not say this, O Emperor, that you should open the springs of mercy to every writer, so that the worse may not have the same honor as the better, but let the writings be tested by many ears, and to whomever the prize is given, to him let the treasures of your empire be opened. You have, O Emperor, judges of speeches, many of them, Muses incarnate; let these judge our works, and let others divide the lamb joint by joint. For I am ashamed at not being measured by a rule. Keep the rewards of honors, let me be poor again, give me those of praises, let me be called by you a distinguished writer, and again let me be in the lot of the unfortunate. And may the God who made you emperor and glorious himself add to your years, and grant you the kingdom from there which is truly high and indestructible. 3 To the same emperor Greatest Emperor, this visible world, the great creation of God, is filled both by the sun and the choir of stars and earth and sea, which are the greatest parts of the whole, but it is also filled by the shrub and the grass and the small stone and whatever else of these things is of a more humble nature. Thus, therefore, of the praise of your virtues, the leader of wisdom is a part, both the greatest and most wonderful; then another after another contributes to this rational whole; and I too am some small part of your praises, just as a syllable is a word of the whole speech. For this reason I will not speak boastfully, nor, like those skilled in the rhetorical art, will I piece together an encomium for you from external ornaments, but seeing the same in you as in myself, I will thus weave your praise. You, therefore, O Emperor, working the most kingly of virtues from your very power, as if building a tower from earth to heaven, you increase it always with better additions, and you appear more kingly and more magnificent. For having opened the treasuries of wealth and good fortune, you appear to fill both us and them equally. For just as the boundless sea, ever flowing, is by nature ever full, so also

ἄγγελος περιφανεστέραν νίκην εἰργάζετο. ἔχω τι πλέον εἰπεῖν τῶν θαυμασίων ἐκείνων· ἐν τύποις ἐκεῖ καὶ εἰκονίσμασιν ὁ σταυρός, ὄφις χαλκοῦς ἐπ' ἰθυτενοῦς στηλιτευόμενος ἐπιδόχμια, καὶ ξῦλον γλυκαῖνον ὕδωρ πικρόν, καὶ αὖθις ἕτερον σίδηρον ἐξ ὕδατος ἀνιμώμενον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ δακτύλῳ θεοῦ γεγραμμένον ἐν οὐρανῷ ὥς που πάλαι τῷ σοι ὁμωνύμῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ, ᾧ σε καὶ παραβάλλω, καὶ φειδοῖ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὐχ ὑπερτίθεμαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἶσόν σοι δίδωμι, τιμῶν κἀνταῦθα τὸν αὐτοκράτορα· ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν δύναμιν ὑπεσήμηνεν ὁ βασιλεύσας θεὸς καὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς παραδοξοποιΐαις ἐλάμπρυνε. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ σὰ οὕτως, ὦ βασιλεῦ, πᾶσαν τέχνην καὶ μεγαλοφυΐαν ῥητόρων ὑπερεκπίπτοντα. τὰ δ' ἡμέτερα οἷα; ἀπερρίμμεθα, καταπεφρονήμεθα, μὴ κακίσῃς εἰ καὶ τοῦτο φήσω, οἱ τῆς γνώσεως τρόφιμοι, οἱ τῆς σοφίας ἐθάδες, οἱ τῶν μουσῶν θιασῶται. ὁ μέν τις βέλει τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἔπαισεν, ἢ μόνον τὸ δόρυ ἐπετείνατο καὶ τὰς πρώτας ἔχει τιμάς· ἄλλος τὸ εὔγνωμον μέχρι σχήματος ἐνεδείξατο, καὶ τὸ τοῦ πλούτου ῥεῦμα τούτῳ ἔρρευσεν ἄφθονον. ἡμεῖς δὲ λόγοις κηρύττομεν, εὐφημίαις βάλλομεν, οἷς ἔχομεν θεραπεύομεν, καὶ μόγις που ῥανίδα ἐλέους δεχόμεθα. ἀλλὰ πάλιν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐρῶ, μὴ κάκιζε τὴν παρρησίαν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τόκος ἐστὶν ὀδυνωμένης ψυχῆς. πόθεν Ῥωμῦλοι κηρύττονται, πόθεν Βροῦτοι καὶ Αἴλιοι, Ἀντίοχοι τε καὶ Σέλευκοι καὶ Ἀλέξανδροι; οὐκ ἐκ λόγων, οὐκ ἐκ συγγραμμάτων; οἱ δὲ συγγράφοντες πόθεν εἰς συγγραφὰς ἐκινήθησαν; οὐκ ἐξ ὧν εὖ ἔπασχον; οὐχὶ ∆ιόνυσος Ἑλίκῳ τῷ Κυζικηνῷ ἡλίου προειπόντι ἔκλειψιν ἀργυρίου τάλαντον ἐδωρήσατο; ὁ δ' αὐτὸς καὶ Πλάτωνι μικροῦ δεῖν ὡς θεῷ προσεῖχε, τοῖς τῆς φιλοσοφίας τοῦτον ἠθικοῖς προβιβάζοντι; πόσους ἄν μοι δοκῇς, εἴπερ βούλει, ἀπογεννήσειν Πλάτωνας νῦν, πόσους Ὁμήρους; εἰ δὲ μὴ τοιούτους διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἄνδρας πάντων ὑπεξῃρῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ πόσους Μητροδώρους, πόσους Φοιβαμώνας; καὶ οὐ τοῦτο λέγω, βασιλεῦ, παντὶ συγγράφοντι τὰς τοῦ ἐλέους ὑπανοίγειν πηγάς, ἵνα μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς ᾖ τιμῆς ὁ χείρων τῷ κρείττονι, ἀλλὰ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν τὰ συγγράματα ὑπὸ πολλαῖς ἀκοαῖς, καὶ ὅτῳ ἂν δοθῇ τὸ ἐξαίρετον ἐκείνῳ οἱ τῆς σῆς βασιλείας θησαυροὶ ἀνοιγέσθωσαν. Ἔχεις, ὦ βασιλεῦ, κριτὰς λόγων. πολλούς, μούσας αὐτόχρημα, οὗτοι κρινέτωσαν τὰ ἡμέτερα, οἱ δ' ἄλλοι τὸν ἄρνα καθ' ἁρμὸν διαιρείτωσαν. αἰσχύνομαι γὰρ οὐ κανόνι κανονιζόμενος. ἔχε τὰς τῶν τιμῶν ἀμοιβάς, ἔα με καὶ πάλιν πένεσθαι, δίδου τὰς τῶν ἐπαίνων, καλοίμην παρά σοι συγγραφεὺς πρόκριτος, καὶ πάλιν ἐν μοίρᾳ εἴην τῶν δυστυχῶν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύσας σε καὶ λαμπρύνας θεὸς αὐτός σοι καὶ προσθείη τοῖς ἔτεσι, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν βασιλείαν χαρίσαιτο τὴν ὄντως ὑψηλήν τε καὶ ἀκατάλυτον. 3 Τῷ αὐτῷ βασιλεῖ Μέγιστε βασιλεῦ, τὸν ὁρατὸν τοῦτον κόσμον, τὸ μέγα τοῦ θεοῦ δημιούργημα, συμπληροῖ μὲν καὶ ἥλιος καὶ ἀστέρων χορὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ θάλασσα, μέρη μέγιστα τυγχάνοντα τοῦ παντός, συμπληροῖ δὲ καὶ θάμνος καὶ πόα καὶ λίθος βραχὺς καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τούτων πέφυκεν εὐτελέστερον. οὕτω τοιγαροῦν καὶ τῆς τῶν σῶν ἀρετῶν εὐφημίας μέρος μὲν καὶ μέγιστον καὶ θαυμασιώτατον ὁ τῆς σοφίας καθηγεμών· ἔπειτα δὲ ἄλλος ἐπ' ἄλλῳ συντελεῖ πρὸς τὴν λογικὴν ταύτην ὁλότητα· βραχὺ δέ τι κἀγὼ μέρος τῶν σῶν ἐπαίνων εἰμί, ὥσπερ ὅλου λόγου λέξις ἡ συλλαβή. διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ κομπάσας ἐρῶ, οὐδ' ὥσπερ οἱ τὴν ῥητορικὴν τέχνην δεινοὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν κόσμων τὸ ἐγκώμιόν σοι προσερανίσομαι, ἀλλὰ ταὐτόν σε βλέπων ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὕτω σοι τὸν ἔπαινον πλέξομαι. Σὺ τοιγαροῦν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ κράτους τὰς βασιλικωτέρας τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐργαζόμενος, ὥσπερ τινὰ πύργον ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν οἰκοδομῶν, προσθήκαις ἀεὶ κρείττοσιν ἐπαυξάνεις, καὶ μᾶλλον βασιλικώτερος φαίνῃ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστερος. πλούτου γὰρ καὶ εὐτυχίας τοὺς θησαυροὺς ὑπανοίξας, ἐπίσης τε ἡμᾶς κἀκείνους φαίνῃ πληρῶν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄπλετος θάλασσα ἐσαεὶ ῥέουσα πλήρης ἀεὶ πέφυκεν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ