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

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 wealth of goodness, but both he who is brilliant in speech and he who is obscure in craft, both he who is skilled in language and he who has not conversed with words, both those near and those far away, all together have drunk from your streams. This is something one would not find, if he searched, to have happened in former times, but if an ambitious nature prepared any of the ancient kings to do good, it confined such virtue to those within the court. But those in the several cities were no less deprived of everything than before, but you the man from the far north has known without seeing, and the man of the east and of the west. And upon all you pour out your benefit abundantly, but especially upon as many as have been zealous for learning and have intensely applied themselves to philosophy; for, emulating all noble things, O king, you have honored this above all, because it is both first and better than the others. And what is more marvelous, is that the soldier has recognized you as a soldier, and the general knows that he knows this one thing, generalship, and the judge calls you a lawgiver, and the orator a Demosthenes, and the philosopher a Plato; for according to the occasions you handle each matter in the best way, so as now to compose your speech well and to use an approved and rousing style, and now a grave one, looking inward, and now loving beauty in words, and now gravity and thoughtfulness in concepts. Thus, then, God fashioned you like a statue from each of the best things and joined you together from opposites, giving you a lofty spirit and a contrite soul, unswerving reason, a most steadfast mind, and the ability to change with the times and a judgment altered for the better, a royal nature and unspeakable moderation. You both adorn your thoughts with your diction and dignify your diction with your mind, you have practiced eloquence, and have loved depth of thought, and have longed for the natures of the sciences, you both keep the scales of justice unwavering and pour out the springs of friendship upon the souls of all, you both preserve the royal magnificence inviolate and guard the moderate character of your soul unadulterated, you alone, to omit the rest, are a foundation of mercy, a stream of compassion, a spring of philanthropy, an abyss of benefactions, a flower of beauty, a comeliness of equity, an image of virtue, an example of profound judgment. With you alone no one could be compared. if, at least, one wishes to look at matters according to reason, but if one should wish to see in comparisons with another how much you surpass the others, he will compare you with the most divine one alone, to whom the title of "most divine," along with his virtues and his fortunes against the barbarians, was fittingly applied. Yet even if you are equals in piety, yet he turned to reverence late, while for you a pious inheritance has come down as it were from your forefathers. And he, having used meekness in part, raised a murderous right hand against some, but you have transgressed the rule of your judgment in no case. And he built the city that bears his name and fortified it with visible walls, but you have shown it more brilliant with better great works and an excess of buildings, letting loose upon it also the river from Eden, so that the flower of the city might not wither. Such are you, O king, adorned with all kinds of virtues, crowned with all kinds of beauties, before all things exulting in learning and crowned with the pure crown of philosophy. 4 Another discourse to the same king O king, without addition and connection, and alone of beings incomparable and unconnected; for let the luminaries depart; for they are warblings of the thoughts and, as it were, images of paradigms. For you are not the sun, such as this perceptible one, which is struck by vapors and covered by clouds, nor a light brought from there and mixed with air and falling upon

σύ, βασιλεῦ· ὅσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπιρρεῖς ἡμῖν τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἀφθόνως, τοσοῦτον αὐξάνεις πληρούμενος. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ οὐδεὶς ἀπολέλειπται τοῦ τοιούτου πλούτου τῆς ἀγαθότητος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τὸν λόγον λαμπρὸς καὶ ὁ τὴν τέχνην ἄσημος καὶ ὁ τὴν γλῶσσαν δεινὸς καὶ ὁ τοῖς λόγοις μὴ προσωμιληκώς, οἵ τε προσεχεῖς καὶ οἱ πόρρω ξύμπαντες ὁμοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν σῶν ναμάτων πεπώκασιν. ὃ οὐδεὶς ἂν εὕροις διερευνώμενος ἐπὶ τῶν πρώην καιρῶν γεγονός, ἀλλ' εἴ τινας τῶν πάλαι βασιλέων φύσις φιλότιμος πρὸς τὸ εὐεργετεῖν παρεσκεύασε, τοῖς ἐντὸς τοῦ βήματος τὴν τοιαύτην ἀρετὴν περιώρισεν. οἱ δ' ἐπὶ τῶν καθέκαστα πόλεων οὐδὲν ἧττον ἢ πρότερον πάντων ἐστέρηνται, ἀλλά σε καὶ ὁ ὑπερβόρειος ἔγνωκε μὴ ἰδὼν καὶ ὁ ἑῷος καὶ ὁ ἑσπέριος. καὶ πᾶσι μὲν ἐγχεῖς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἄφθονον, μάλιστα δὲ ὅσοι περὶ τοὺς λόγους διεσπουδάκασι καὶ τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ συντόνως προσέβησαν· πάντα γὰρ ζηλῶν τὰ καλά, βασιλεῦ, ταύτην ὑπὲρ πάντα τετίμηκας, ὅτι καὶ πρώτη καὶ κρείττων τῶν ἄλλων. Καὶ τό γε θαυμασιώτερον, ὅτι στρατιώτης μέν σε ὡς στρατιώτην ἐγνώρισε, καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῦτο μόνον εἰδέναι ἐπίσταται, τὴν στρατηγικήν, καὶ ὁ δικαστὴς νομοθέτην καλεῖ, καὶ ∆ημοσθένην ὁ ῥήτωρ, καὶ Πλάτωνα ὁ φιλόσοφος· παρὰ γὰρ τοὺς καιροὺς μεταχειρίζῃ ὡς ἄριστα ἕκαστα, ὡς νῦν μὲν εὖ συντιθέναι τὸν λόγον καὶ δοκίμῳ χρῆσθαι καὶ διεγηγερμένῳ τῷ λόγῳ, νῦν δὲ ἐμβριθεῖ καὶ εἴσω συννεύοντι, καὶ νῦν μὲν τὸ ἐν λέξεσι κάλλος ἀγαπᾶν, νῦν δὲ τὸ ἐν νοήμασι σεμνὸν καὶ πεφροντισμένον. ὡς ἄρα σε ἐξ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀρίστων ὡς ἄγαλμα συνέπλασεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων συνήρμοσε, φρόνημα δοὺς ὑψηλὸν καὶ συντετριμμένην ψυχήν, ἀμετάθετον λογισμόν, νοῦν σταθηρότατον, καὶ τὸ ἐν καιροῖς μεταβάλλεσθαι καὶ γνώμην ἀλλοιουμένην τοῖς κρείττοσι, φύσιν βασίλειον καὶ μετριοφροσύνην ἄρρητον. σὺ καὶ τῇ λέξει κοσμεῖς τὰ νοήματα καὶ τὴν λέξιν σεμνύνεις τῷ νῷ, σὺ καὶ καλλιρρημοσύνην ἤσκησας, καὶ νοημάτων βάθος ἠγάπησας, καὶ τὰς τῶν μαθημάτων φύσεις ἐπόθησας, σὺ καὶ τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζυγὰ φυλάττεις ἀρρεπῆ καὶ τὰς τῆς φιλίας πηγὰς ταῖς ἁπάντων ψυχαῖς ἐπιρρεῖς, σὺ καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν συντηρεῖς ἀκαθαίρετον καὶ τὸ μέτριον τῆς ψυχῆς ἰδίωμα διαφυλάττεις ἀνόθευτον, σὺ καὶ μόνος, ἵνα τἆλλα ἐάσω, ἐλέους βάσις, εὐσπλαγχνίας κρουνός, φιλανθρωπίας πηγή, εὐεργεσιῶν ἄβυσσος, καλλονῆς ἄνθος, ἐπιεικείας εὐπρέπεια, ἀρετῆς εἰκών, γνώμης βαθείας παράδειγμα. Σοὶ μόνῳ οὐδεὶς ἂν συγκριθείη. εἴ γε κατὰ λόγον ἐθέλει τις βλέπειν τὰ πράγματα, εἰ δέ σε βούλοιτο ταῖς πρὸς ἕτερον ἐξαιτήσεσιν ἰδεῖν ὁπόσον τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερέχεις, τῷ θειοτάτῳ σε καὶ μόνῳ παραβαλεῖται, ᾧ τὴν τοῦ θειοτάτου κλῆσιν μετὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ αἱ κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων τύχαι προσήρμοσαν. πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἴσοι, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὀψὲ μετέθετο πρὸς τὸ σέβας, σοὶ δ' ἐκ προγόνων ὥσπερ εὐσεβὴς κλῆρος κατενήνεκται. κἀκεῖνος μὲν ἐκ μέρους χρησάμενος τῇ πραότητι ἐπ' ἐνίους φονῶσαν ᾖρε τὴν δεξιάν, σὺ δὲ τὸν τῆς γνώμης κανόνα ἐπ' οὐδενὶ παραβέβηκας. κἀκεῖνος μὲν τὴν ὁμώνυμον πόλιν ᾠκοδομήσατο καὶ τείχεσι τοῖς φαινομένοις ἐπύργωσε, σὺ δὲ λαμπροτέραν ἀπέδειξας κρείττοσι μεγαλουργίαις καὶ οἰκοδομημάτων ὑπερβολῇ, ἐπαφεὶς αὐτῇ καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐδέμ ποταμόν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἄνθος μαραίνοιτο. τοιοῦτος σύ, βασιλεῦ, παντοίαις κοσμούμενος ἀρεταῖς, παντοίοις κάλλεσι στεφανούμενος, πρὸ πάντων καὶ λόγοις ἐπαγαλλόμενος καὶ τῷ ἀκηράτῳ στέφει τῆς φιλοσοφίας καταστεφόμενος. 4 Ἕτερος λόγος πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν βασιλέα Ὦ βασιλεῦ, προσθήκης ἄτερ καὶ συναφῆς καὶ μόνε τῶν ὄντων ἀπαράμιλλε καὶ ἀσύναπτε· οἱ γὰρ φωστῆρες χαιρέτωσαν· τερετίσματα γάρ εἰσι τῶν νοήσεων καὶ οἷον εἰκόνες παραδειγμάτων. οὔτε γὰρ ἥλιος σύ, ὁποῖος οὗτος ὁ αἰσθητὸς ἀτμοῖς βαλλόμενος καὶ νέφεσι καλυπτόμενος, οὔτε φῶς ἐκεῖθεν φερόμενον καὶ ἀέρι κιρνώμενον καὶ ἐμπῖπτον