he writes evil things again to the council and the people of Alexandria, inciting the younger men, so that they all might come together and either expel Athanasius48.3 or know that they would be his enemies. He himself, therefore, even before these things arrived, from the time when Syrianus attacked the church, had withdrawn, knowing what was written: “But hide yourself for a very little while, until the wrath passes by,” and the bearer of these letters was a certain Heraclius, a count in rank, preceding a certain George who was sent by the emperor as a spy; for one sent by him could not be a bishop—may it never be!—as the events themselves and the preludes of his entry show. 49.1 So he published the letters publicly, and they showed the great shame of the writer. For since, as the great Hosius wrote, he could not find a plausible pretext for his own change of mind, he devised one much more unbecoming to himself and to those who had 49.2 advised him, for he said: 49.2 “revering the friendship toward my brother of divine and pious memory, I tolerated his arrival among you for a time.” But this shows him to be both false to his promise and ungrateful to his brother after his death. Then he names him of “divine and pious memory,” as if he were worthy of it, he whose command and “friendship he reveres,” as he himself wrote, although, even if he had made the concession on account of the blessed Constans, he ought not to have become ungrateful toward his brother, so that just as he became heir of his empire, so also of his opinion. 50.1 But he deposed Bretanion for being willing to demand what was just, saying: “To whom after the death of brothers does the inheritance belong?” but because of the abominable heresy of the Christ-fighters he neither knows what is just, but also becomes ungrateful toward his brothers; because of which heresy he did not think to keep his father’s opinion whole, but on the one hand he pretends to keep it in what pleases the impious, and on the other hand in what grieves them he does not know how even 50.2 to keep his reverence for his father. 50.2 For he sent the bishop, because of the slander of Eusebius’s party, into Gaul for a time on account of the cruelty of those who were plotting against him—for the blessed Constantine, his brother, made this plain after their father's death, as is shown by his letters—but he was not persuaded by Eusebius’s party to send the bishop they wanted, but he both prevented them when they wanted to and stopped them when they tried with a terrible threat. 51.1 How then, if he wished to keep the ways of his own father, as he writes, did he send first Gregory and now George the treasury-eater? or why is he eager to bring into the church the Arians, whom his father called Porphyrians, and while championing them, he exiles others? And even if his father had seen Arius, yet Arius, by perjuring himself and bursting asunder, dissolved the father’s benevolence; and 51.2 for he too, upon learning this, henceforth condemned him as a heretic. And how, while pretending to care for the ecclesiastical canon, did he contrive to do everything contrary to it? For what canon allows a bishop to be sent from the palace? or what canon allows soldiers to invade churches? Or who has handed down that counts and senseless eunuchs should rule over ecclesiastical affairs and that the judgment of so-called bishops should be declared by an edict? He lies in everything because of the unholy heresy; for it was contrary to his father's opinion that he then 51.3 sent Philagrius as prefect for the second time, and that the present events have happened. And regarding his brother, he does not speak the truth. For even after his death, not once nor twice, but even a third time he wrote to the bishop. And again he promised not to change, but also urged him to be of good courage, so that he should not be disturbed by anyone, but also 51.4 remain in the church with all freedom from care. And he sent commands through Asterius the count and Palladius the notary

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κακὰ γράφει πάλιν τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας παροξύνων τοὺς νεωτέρους, ἵνα πάντες συνελθόντες ἢ διώξωσιν Ἀθα48.3 νάσιον ἢ γινώσκοιεν ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ τυγχάνειν αὐτούς. αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν ταῦτα, ἐξ οὗ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Συριανὸς ἐπῆλθεν, ἀναχωρήσας ἦν εἰδὼς τὸ γεγραμμένον· «ἀλλ' ἀποκρύβηθι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργή», τῶν δὲ γραμμάτων τούτων γίνεται διάκονος Ἡράκλειός τις τῷ ἀξιώματι κόμης προοδεύων τινὸς Γεωργίου τοῦ ἀποστελλομένου παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως κατασκόπου· οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴη ἐπίσκοπος ὁ παρ' ἐκείνου πεμπόμενος, μὴ γένοιτο, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ γενόμενα καὶ τὰ προοίμια τῆς εἰσόδου δείκνυσι. 49.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν γράμματα προὔθηκε δημοσίᾳ καὶ πολλὴν αἰσχύνην ἐδείκνυον τοῦ γράφοντος. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, ὡς ἔγραψεν ὁ μέγας Ὅσιος, οὐχ ηὕρισκε πιθανὴν πρόφασιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μεταβολῆς, ἐπενόησε πολλῷ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀπρεπεστέραν ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς τούτῳ 49.2 συμβουλεύσασιν, ἔφησε γάρ· «τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αἰδούμενος φιλίαν τὸν τῆς θείας καὶ εὐσεβοῦς μνήμης ἐπὶ καιρὸν αὐτῷ τὴν ὡς ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι πάροδον ἠνεσχόμην». τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ψευσάμενον καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν μετὰ θάνατον ἀγνώμονα δείκνυσιν. εἶτα «θείας καὶ εὐσεβοῦς αὐτὸν μνήμης» ὡσπεροῦν καὶ ἔστιν ἄξιον ὀνομάζει, οὗ τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ τὴν «φιλίαν αἰδεῖται», ὡς αὐτὸς ἔγραψε, καίτοι, εἰ καὶ διὰ τὸν μακαρίτην Κώνσταντα συγχωρήσας ἦν, ὤφειλε μὴ ἀκαθήκων περὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν γενέσθαι, ἵν' ὥσπερ τῆς βασιλείας οὕτω καὶ τῆς γνώμης αὐτοῦ κληρονόμος γένηται. 50.1 Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν Βρετανίωνα καθεῖλεν ἐθελήσας τὸ δίκαιον ἀπαιτεῖν λέγων· «τίνι μετὰ θάνατον ἀδελφῶν ἡ κληρονομία γίγνεται;» διὰ δὲ τὴν μυσαρὰν αἵρεσιν τῶν χρι στομάχων οὔτε τὸ δίκαιον οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀκαθήκων γίγνεται· δι' ἣν αἵρεσιν οὐδὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁλόκληρον τὴν γνώμην φυλάττειν ἐνενόησεν, ἀλλ' εἰς μὲν τὸ ἀρέσκον τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τοῦτο τηρεῖν ὑποκρίνεται, εἰς δὲ τὸ λυποῦν ἐκείνους οὐκ οἶδεν οὐδὲ 50.2 τὸ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα σέβας φυλάξαι. ἀπέστειλε μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐκ διαβολῆς τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον εἰς τὰς Γαλλίας ἐπὶ καιρὸν διὰ τὴν τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων ὠμότητα-τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ μακαρίτης Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τούτου ἀδελφὸς μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐδήλωσεν ὡς ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων αὐτοῦ δείκνυται-, οὐκ ἐπείσθη δὲ τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἀποστεῖλαι ὃν ἤθελον ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ θέλοντας ἐκώλυσε καὶ ἐπι χειρήσαντας ἐπέσχε μετὰ δεινῆς ἀπειλῆς. 51.1 Πῶς οὖν, εἰ τὰ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ γεννήτορος, ὡς γράφει, φυλάττειν ἤθελεν, ἀπέστειλε τὸ μὲν πρῶτον Γρηγόριον καὶ νῦν δὲ τὸν ταμειοφάγον Γεώργιον; ἢ διὰ τί τοὺς Ἀρειανούς, οὓς ἐκεῖνος Πορφυριανοὺς ὠνόμασε, τούτους οὗτος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσαγαγεῖν σπου δάζει καὶ τούτων προιστάμενος ἄλλους ἐξορίζει; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑώρακεν Ἄρειον ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐπιορκήσας Ἄρειος καὶ ῥαγεὶς ἔλυσε τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φιλανθρωπίαν· καὶ 51.2 γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μαθὼν ὡς αἱρετικοῦ κατέγνω λοιπόν. πῶς δὲ καὶ προφασιζόμενος φροντίζειν τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ κανόνος πάντα παρὰ τοῦτον ἐπενόησε πράττειν; ποῖος γὰρ κανὼν ἀπὸ παλατίου πέμπεσθαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον; ἢ ποῖος κανὼν στρατιώτας ἐπι βαίνειν ἐκκλησίαις; ἢ τίς παραδέδωκε κόμητας καὶ τοὺς ἀλογίστους σπάδοντας κατάρχειν τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν καὶ διατάγματι τὴν κρίσιν τῶν λεγομένων ἐπισκόπων δηλοῦσθαι; πάντα ψεύδεται διὰ τὴν ἀνόσιον αἵρεσιν· καὶ γὰρ παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τότε 51.3 Φιλάγριον τὸ δεύτερον ἔπεμψεν ἔπαρχον καὶ τὰ νῦν γενόμενα γέγονε. καὶ διὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν δὲ οὐκ ἀληθεύει. καὶ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἐκείνου θάνατον οὐχ ἅπαξ οὐδὲ δεύτερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρίτον ἔγραψε τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. καὶ πάλιν ἐπηγγείλατο μὴ μεταβάλλεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ θαρρεῖν παρεκελεύσατο, ὥστε παρὰ μηδενὸς αὐτὸν ταράττεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ 51.4 μένειν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ πάσης ἀμεριμνίας. καὶ ἐντολὰς δὲ δι' Ἀστερίου κόμητος καὶ Παλλαδίου νοταρίου ἔπεμψε

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