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a neighbor, and not your own lips. This he who has considered everything, not being conscious of it, employed the greater part of his writing in boasts about himself. 1.1.126 Therefore, having passed over all such things, I shall set forth with precision the works of our teacher's cowardice. Therefore, the one arrayed against him in adversarial rank was the emperor himself, and the one serving his impulses was the one who ruled all the empire after him, and those cooperating in 1.1.127 such a desire were all those around him. Let the time also be added to these for a more precise testing and display of the noble confidence of the athlete. What then was the time? The emperor was marching out from Constantinople towards the East, his spirit recently lifted by his successes against the barbarians and deeming nothing worthy to oppose his impulses; and the prefect went before him on his journey, arranging this beforehand instead of any of the other necessities for his rule, that none of those of the faith should remain at his own hearth, but that all these should be driven out from everywhere, and that others in their place, certain men consecrated by their own hands, should be brought in again to the outrage of the divine dispensation. 1.1.128 With such a purpose, therefore, as the dynasty, like some harsh cloud, moved from the Propontis against the churches, and with Bithynia suddenly laid waste, and Galatia swept away with great ease, and with all things in between having proceeded according to their mind, 1.1.129 our own case was now set before them in the succession of evil. What then did the great Basil do at that time, 20the coward20, as this man says, 20and un-daring and cowering before terrible things and entrusting his safety to a hidden little house20? Was he, then, terrified by the assault of evil? Did he, then, take the suffering of those previously captured as a sign for his own safety? Did he, then, accept those who advised yielding for a little while to the rush of evil, and not to throw himself into manifest danger among men thoroughly practiced in bloodshed? Or is every exaggeration of words and every height of thoughts and sayings proved to be somewhere below the truth? 1.1.130 For how could one recount in words such great contempt for terrible things? How could one bring before the eyes that new contest, which one might reasonably say was organized neither by men nor against men, but virtue and the boldness of a Christian competing against a murderous dynasty? 1.1.131 For the prefect summoned him to himself, anticipating the emperor's arrival, having made his office, which was already formidable because of its greatness, more formidable by his unsparing use of punishments, and after those tragedies which he had wrought against the Bithynians, with the Galatians having submitted without a struggle due to their usual pliancy, he thought that our case also would meet him readily for whatever seemed best to him. 1.1.132 His speech became a prelude to the severity of his actions, mixed with threats as well as promises, offering to the one who was persuaded honor from the emperor and the rule of the church, but to the one who resisted, all that bitterness of soul, having acquired the power, devises according to its authority. Such, then, were the things from them. 1.1.133 But our teacher was so far from coming to any state of terror through the things seen or said, that just as some physician or good counselor summoned for the correction of errors, he both urged them to repent for what they had previously dared and for the future to cease their murderous attacks against the servants of the Lord; for their scheming would be of no avail against those who serve only the kingdom of God and His 1.1.134 immortal power. For those wishing to do evil are not able to find any such thing, either said or done, which will grieve the Christian. Confiscation will not touch, he says, the one who possesses faith alone; exile will not frighten the one who walks upon all the earth with the same mind, viewing every land as foreign on account of the temporary nature of his dwelling, and again every land as his own on account of the common 1.1.135 servitude of creation. But to endure blows or hardships or death, when for the sake of

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πέλας καὶ μὴ τὰ σὰ χείλη. ὅπερ ὁ τὰ πάντα περιεσκεμμένος μὴ συνειδὼς τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐν ταῖς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μεγαληγορίαις ἠσχόλησε. 1.1.126 Πάντα τοίνυν ἐγὼ τὰ τοιαῦτα παραδραμὼν τὰ τῆς δειλίας τοῦ διδασκάλου ἡμῶν ἔργα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐκθήσομαι. ἦν τοίνυν ὁ ἀντιτεταγμένος αὐτῷ πρὸς ἀντίπαλον τάξιν βασι λεὺς αὐτός, ὁ δὲ ὑπηρετῶν αὐτοῦ ταῖς ὁρμαῖς ὁ πάσης ἄρχων μετ' ἐκεῖνον τῆς βασιλείας, οἱ συνεργοῦντες δὲ πρὸς 1.1.127 τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιθυμίαν οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν πάντες. προσκείσθω τούτοις καὶ ὁ καιρὸς εἰς ἀκριβεστέραν βάσανον καὶ ἐπίδειξιν τῆς γενναίας τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ πεποιθήσεως. τίς οὖν ἦν ὁ καιρός; ἐξήλαυνε μὲν τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπὶ τὴν ἑῴαν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἄρτι τοῖς κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτῷ κατορ θωθεῖσιν ἐπῃρμένος τὸ φρόνημα καὶ οὐδὲν ἀντιβαίνειν αὐτοῦ ταῖς ὁρμαῖς ἀξιῶν· προηγεῖτο δὲ αὐτοῦ τῆς πορείας ὁ ὕπαρχος ἀντ' ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναγκαίων τοῦτο προδιοικούμενος, τὸ μή τινα τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πίστεως ὄντων μένειν ἐφέστιον, ἀλλὰ τούτους μὲν ἀπελαύνεσθαι πάντας πανταχόθεν, ἑτέρους δὲ ἀντ' ἐκείνων πάλιν αὐτο χειροτονήτους τινὰς ἐπὶ ὕβρει τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας εἰσ 1.1.128 άγεσθαι. μετὰ τοιαύτης οὖν γνώμης καθάπερ νέφους τινὸς χαλεποῦ τῆς δυναστείας ἐκ τῆς Προποντίδος κατὰ τῶν ἐκλησιῶν κινηθείσης καὶ τῆς μὲν Βιθυνίας ἀθρόως ἐρη μωθείσης, Γαλατίας δὲ σὺν πολλῇ τῇ ῥᾳστώνῃ παρασυρείσης καὶ πάντων αὐτοῖς κατὰ νοῦν διὰ μέσου κεχωρηκότων, 1.1.129 προὔκειτο ἤδη τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ τοῦ κακοῦ τὸ ἡμέτερον. τί οὖν ὁ μέγας τότε Βασίλειος 20ὁ δειλός20, ὥς φησιν οὗτος, 20καὶ ἄτολμος καὶ ὑποπτήσσων τὰ φοβερὰ καὶ οἰκίσκῳ λανθάνοντι τὴν σωτηρίαν πιστεύων20; ἆρα κατεπλάγη τὴν τοῦ κακοῦ προσβολήν; ἆρα τὸ πάθος τῶν προεαλωκότων σύμβολον πρὸς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο; ἆρα κατεδέξατο τοὺς εἶξαι πρὸς ὀλίγον τῇ ῥύμῃ τοῦ κακοῦ συμβουλεύοντας μηδὲ εἰς προὖπτον κίνδυνον ἑαυτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων καταγυμνασθέντων τοῖς αἵμασιν; ἢ πᾶσα λόγων ὑπερβολὴ καὶ πᾶν ὕψος νοη μάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων κάτω που τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλέγχεται; 1.1.130 πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις διεξέλθοι τῷ λόγῳ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν φο βερῶν καταφρόνησιν; πῶς ἄν τις ὑπ' ὄψιν ἀγάγοι τὸν καινὸν ἐκεῖνον ἀγῶνα, ὃν οὔτε παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὔτε πρὸς ἀνθρώπους εἰκότως ἄν τις συστῆναι φήσειεν, ἀλλ' ἀρετὴν καὶ παρρησίαν Χριστιανοῦ πρὸς δυναστείαν φονῶσαν ἀντα γωνίζεσθαι; 1.1.131 Ἐκάλει μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν προλαβὼν τὴν τοῦ βασι λέως ἐπιστασίαν ὁ ὕπαρχος ὁ καὶ ἄλλως οὖσαν φοβερὰν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τὴν ἀρχὴν φοβερωτέραν τῇ ἀφειδίᾳ τῶν τιμωριῶν καταστήσας, καὶ μετὰ τὰς τραγῳδίας ἐκείνας, ἃς κατὰ Βιθυνῶν ἐξειργάσατο, Γαλατῶν ὑπὸ τῆς συνήθους εὐκολίας ἀκονιτὶ παραστάντων, ἕτοιμον ᾤετο καὶ τὸ καθ' 1.1.132 ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἀπαντήσεσθαι. τῆς δὲ τῶν ἔργων ἀποτομίας προοίμιον ὁ λόγος ἐγίνετο ἀπειλαῖς ὁμοῦ μεμιγμένος καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι, πεισθέντι μὲν τὴν ἐκ βασιλέως τιμὴν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας προτείνων, ἐνισταμένῳ δὲ πάντα ὅσα πικρία ψυχῆς προσλαβοῦσα τὸ δύνασθαι κατ' ἐξουσίαν βουλεύεται. τὰ μὲν οὖν παρ' ἐκείνων τοιαῦτα. 1.1.133 ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχεν εἰς κατάπληξίν τινα διὰ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἢ λεγομένων ἐλθεῖν, ὥστε καθάπερ τις ἰατρὸς ἢ σύμβουλος ἀγαθὸς εἰς διόρθωσιν πλημμελημάτων παρα κληθεὶς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν προτετολμημένων αὐτοῖς μεταγινώσκειν ἐνεκελεύετο καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν παύσασθαι κατὰ τῶν δού λων τοῦ κυρίου φονῶντας· εἶναι γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐπινοίας πλέον οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῶν μόνην τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείαν καὶ τὸ 1.1.134 ἀθάνατον κράτος θεραπευόντων. μηδὲ γὰρ δύνασθαι τοὺς κακοποιεῖν βουλομένους εὑρεῖν τι τοιοῦτον ὃ λυπήσει τὸν Χριστιανὸν ἢ ῥηθὲν ἢ γινόμενον. δήμευσις οὐχ ἅψεται, φησί, τοῦ μόνην κεκτημένου τὴν πίστιν· ὑπερορισμὸς οὐ φοβήσει τὸν πάσης τῆς γῆς μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ἐπιβατεύοντα καὶ πᾶσαν μὲν ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν διὰ τὸ πρόσκαιρον τῆς ἐνοικήσεως, πᾶσαν δὲ πάλιν ὡς οἰκείαν διὰ τὸ ὁμό 1.1.135 δουλον τῆς κτίσεως βλέποντα. τὸ δὲ πληγὰς ἢ πόνους ἢ θάνατον ὑποστῆναι, ὅταν ὑπὲρ τῆς