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Sergius having suggested that, since he knew him to be easy and tractable in all things; and besides, fearing that he might see him completely torn away from their party, and for this reason he permitted the emperor to act according to his will in a rather clumsy manner. Hence Heraclius, delighting in what had happened as if it were a godsend, confirms the absurdity by written decrees and by the so-called edict; which those who hold the opinions of Severus, having seen it so signified in writings, not only at home and among themselves, but also in taverns and baths, assailed with jeers, uttering these things with unbridled mouth, that “Formerly the Chalcedonians (for so they call us, even though we had rejected the things from them), holding the opinions of Nestorius, have come to their senses and have refrained from thinking wrongly, having been united to us through the one energy into the one nature of Christ; but now, having condemned what is right, they have lost both, confessing neither two nor one nature in Christ.” It was possible then to see confusion and disturbance in the Churches, because both shepherds and flocks acted foolishly, both rulers and ruled; there being no one who understood, nor one who sought the Lord. For who could persuade the many to choose the better things, when those in authority were so disposed, both emperors (81) and high priests, who, instead of any other decrees and laws, legislated impiety, and forced all to submit, and cut the seamless tunic of the Church into many portions, and allowed those who find fault with and slander our affairs to rejoice?

13. But not much time passed, and Sergius the sower of the false doctrine, the many-headed hydra, passes from this life, having stored up for himself there the entire dregs of justice. And Heraclius installs Pyrrhus on his throne, he too being of the opposite party and opinion, and holding the same views as the one who departed. And since Heraclius himself also departed this life after a short time, Constantine his son is established upon the throne; whom Pyrrhus, through the crookedness of his ways, together with that wicked woman Martina who was most opportune for doing evil, killed with poison, and contrary to expectation, he transfers her son, so-named Heraclonas, to the imperial rule; the high priest acting nobly indeed, and in ways worthy of his own gentleness. But the senate, disgusted with Heraclonas, quickly removes him from power, at the same time having driven out the impious Pyrrhus along with the like-minded Martina from the palace; and so for a time the noble one pays this penalty, being driven from throne and city, for having contrived the unjust murder. Then Constans, the son of the murdered Constantine, reigns; he having appointed also Paul as bishop of Byzantium, who also themselves (he also himself) cherished that irrational and monothelete dogma. But we must return again to the affairs of the divine Maximus, whom our account has set for itself as its subject, even if it has turned the narrative to other matters, which it promised at the beginning to mention as being necessary.

14. As therefore to go to Rome on account of the false doctrine prevailing in Constantinople, this holy man chose, as has been shown by me above, first he meets with the bishops in Africa on his way; to whom he also set forth his own arguments, and unleashed a tongue that poured forth divine things like the sea, he established them more firmly in the faith, and how they might escape the grips of their opponents, and evade their sophistical arguments, he thoroughly taught and advised. He knew

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ἐκεῖνον ὑποθεμένου Σεργίου, οἷα εὔκολον εἰδότος περί ἅπαντα καί εὐάγωγον· ἄλλως τε καί ὀῤῥωδήσαντος μή τέλεον ἴδοι τοῦτον τῆς αὐτῶν ἀποσπώμενον συμμορίας, καί διά τοῦτο συγχωρήσαντος τρόπῳ σκαιοτέρῳ πρᾶξαι τόν βασιλέα τά κατά βούλησιν. Ἔνθεν τοι καί ὡς ἑρμαίῳ τῷ γενομένῳ ἡδόμενος Ἡράκλειος, καί ἐγγράφοις τύποις καί τῷ λεγομένῶ ἰδίκτῳ τό ἄτοπον βεβαιοῖ· ὅπερ οἱ τά Σευήρου φρονοῦντες, γράμμασιν οὕτω σεσημασμένον ἑωρακότες, οὐ μόνον οἴκοι καί καθ' ἑαυτούς, ἀλλά καί ἐπί καπηλείων καί βαλανείων, σκώμμασιν ἔβαλλον, ἀθύρῳ ταῦτα φθεγγόμενοι στόματι, ὅτι Πρώην μέν τά Νεστορίου φρονοῦντες οἱ Χαλκηδονῖται (ἡμᾶς οὕτω λέγοντες, κἄν τά παρ' ἐκείνων ἦμεν ἠθετηκότες), ἀνένηψάν τε καί τοῦ κακῶς φρονεῖν ἀπέσχοντο, ἑνωθέντες ἡμῖν διά τῆς μιᾶς ἐνεργείας εἰς τήν μίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ φύσιν· νῦν δέ καταγνόντες τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος, ἀπώλεσαν ἀμφότερα, μήτε δύο, μήτε μίαν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ φύσιν ὁμολογοῦντες. Ἦν οὖν τότε ἰδεῖν σύγχυσιν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις καί ταραχήν, ὅτι καί ποιμένες καί λαοί ἠφρονεύσαντο, καί ἄρχοντες καί ἀρχόμενοι· μή ὄντος τοῦ συνιέντος, μηδέ τοῦ ἐκζητοῦντος τόν Κύριον. Τίς γάρ ἄν τούς πολλούς ἔπεισε τά βέλτιω ἑλέσθαι, οὕτω τῶν προεστώτων διακειμένων, καί βασιλέων (81) καί ἀρχιερέων, ἀντ' ἄλλων τινῶν διαταγμάτων καί νόμων, τήν ἀσέβειαν θεσπιζόντων, καί ὑποκύπτειν πάντας ἀναγκαζόντων, καί τόν ἄτμητον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας χιτῶνα εἰς πολλάς μοίρας τεμνόντων, καί ἐφήδεσθαι διδόντων τοῖς τά ἡμέτερα μωμοσκοποῦσι καί δαβάλλουσιν;

ΙΓ´. Ἀλλά γάρ οὐ πολύ τό ἐν μέσῳ, καί Σέργιος ὁ τῆς κακοδοξίας σπορεύς, ἡ

πολυκέφαλος ὕδρα, τόν τῇδε βίον διέξεισιν, ὅλον ἑαυτῷ τόν τῆς δίκης τρυγίαν ἐκεῖσε ταμιευσάμενος· Πύῤῥον δέ τῷ ἐκείνου θρόνῳ Ἡράκλειος ἐγκαθίστησι, τῆς ἐναντίας ὄντα καί τοῦτον καί μοίρας καί δόξης, καί τά ἴσα τῷ ἀπελθόντι πρεσβεύοντα. Ἐπεί δέ καί αὐτός Ἡράκλειος μετ' ὀλίγον τόν βίον διέστρεψε, Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τούτου υἱός ἐπί τῶν σκήπτρων καθίσταται· ὅν καί Πύῤῥος κατά σκειότητα τρόπων, σύν ἅμα καί Μαρτίνῃ ἐκείνῃ γυναικί φαύλῃ καί πρᾶξαι τό κακόν ἐπικαιροτάτῃ, φαρμάκῳ ἀνελών, παρά δόξαν τόν ἐκείνης υἱόν Ἡρακλωνᾶν οὕτω προσονομαζόμενον, πρός τήν βασιλείαν ἀντιμεθίστησι· καλά γε ὁ ἀρχιερεύς δρῶν, καί τῆς αὐτοῦ πραότητος ἄξια. Ἀλλά τόν Ἡρακλωνᾶν ἡ σύγκλητος μυσαχθεῖσα, θᾶττον μετακινεῖ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐν ταυτῷ καί τόν δυσσεβῆ Πύῤῥον, σύν τῇ ὁμοτρόπῳ Μαρτίνῃ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀπελασάμενοι· καί τέως ὁ γεννάδας ταύτην τίνει τήν δίκην, θρόνου τε καί πόλεως ἐξωσθείς, ἀνθ' οὗ τόν ἄδικον φόνον ἐσκαιωρήσατο. Βασιλεύει δέ τότε Κώνστας, ὁ τοῦ ἀναιρεθέντος Κωνσταντίνου υἱός· προχειρισάμενος οὗτος καί Παῦλον τῆς Βυζαντίδος ἐπίσκοπον, ὑποθάλποντας δή καί αὐτούς (ὑποθάλποντα καί αὐτόν) τό ἀλόγιστον ἐκεῖνο δόγμα καί μονοθέλητον. Ἀλλά γάρ ἐπανιτέον ἡμῖν πάλιν πρός τά τοῦ θείου Μαξίμου, ὅν καί ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ὑπόθεσιν ἐνεστήσατο, εἰ καί περί ἄλλα τήν διήγησιν ἔτρεψεν, ὧν δή καί αὐτῶν ὡς ἀναγκαίων μνησθῆναι ἐν ἀρχῇ καθυπέσχετο.

Ι∆´. Ὡς οὖν τῇῬώμῃ φοιτῆσαι διά τήν ἐπιπολάσασαν τῆ Κωνσταντινουπόλει

κακοδοξίαν, ὁ ἱερός οὗτος ἀνήρ εἵλετο, καθά μοι καί ἀνωτέρω δεδήλωται, πρῶτα μέν τοῖς ἐν Ἀφρικῇ ἐπισκόποις συγγίνεται κατά πάροδον· οἷς καί λόγους προθείς τούς οἰκείου, καί γλῶσσαν τήν τά θεῖα πελαγίζουσαν ἐπαφείς, βεβαιοτέρους τε περί τήν πίστιν καθίστα, καί ὅπως ἄν ἔχοιεν τάς τῶν ἐναντίων διαδιδράσκειν λαβάς, καλόγους αὐτῶν τούς σοφιστικούς ὑπεκβαίνειν, ἐδίδασκε μάλα καί ὑπετίθει. Ἤδει