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16. And why should I speak in detail of the things said then? which, even as a whole subject

having undertaken, I would scarcely be able to go through them all to the end; so long and varied and elaborate is the explanation of these things. Therefore it is possible for those who go through that very composition written by the saint, to learn from it more accurately, both the saint's inquiry and reply in all things with intelligence and most opportune reasoning, and Pyrrhus' incoherent and contradictory, or rather, to say, illogical and senseless arguments in his propositions; who, having given up on everything, puts, as they say, an ox upon his tongue, and acknowledges the weakness of his own argument; which, although he shaped it into many and varied forms, and twisted it from every side, he still could not make it agree with anything he wished. Indeed, he even begs pardon for what he did, immediately renouncing in writing his own monothelite doctrine, and giving libelli to the one of Rome; and he was received by him most gladly, as you might say. But the senseless and exceedingly foolish man, as if nothing new had happened to him, in Ravenna returned like a dog to his own vomit. When this came to the ears of the divine Maximus, and to the aforementioned president himself, in a common assembly they passed the vote against him, like a rotten and completely incurable limb, completely cutting off and casting out the wretched man. But he, even having suffered thus, did not cease from his shamelessness, nor from being more arrogant; but with a bolder impulse, he leaps again upon the throne in Constantinople, and as a prize for his impiety, receives the high priesthood a second time.

17. Since he did not fail to know the one responsible, who he was (and how could he, when it was so brightly shining

to all and blazing the message in the open?), he eagerly commands the holy man to be brought to the palace; thinking that if he could overcome this one, he would overcome all the others. With him also was his disciple Anastasius, along with his namesake and like-minded companion, who was also called the apocrisiarius of the Church in Rome; but not only them, but also the most divine Martin with several bishops of the West, he quickly brought to Byzantium; being embittered towards them, as was likely, (88) because of their opposing opinion. But the things concerning the hierarch Martin, and all the outrages the impious one had committed against him, having washed him with countless insults and torments, O unholy hands! having punished the innocent one, and finally condemning him to a very long exile (Cherson was the place of his exile), having done the same, of course, to his bishops; but for these things I have no leisure now to relate how they were done, as I hasten to the affairs of the divine Maximus; and perhaps many will now speak of those things, or have already spoken of them, I think, honoring the man, and venerating his way of life; but as for us, let the account proceed to its purpose.

18. When, therefore, this holy man was seized by the hands of murderers, and

all were looking towards him; let us see with what kind of greetings they first receive him, and with what sort of judgment these fine lawgivers conduct his case. For as soon as he landed at Byzantium, having been brought by ship, those sent by the emperor came to him, men showing much bitterness in their soul from their appearance alone; who, seizing the holy man shamelessly, while he was barefoot and without a cloak, dragged him violently along the road and led him away, with his disciple following, and groaning at what was being done; whom, having led him away, to a certain

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Ιστ´. Καί τί ἄν τά καθ' ἕκαστα λέγοιμι τῶν τότε ῥηθέντων; ἅ καί ὑπόθεσιν ὅλην

ἐνστησάμενος, μόλις ἄν δυνηθείην πᾶσιν εἰς τέλος ἐπεξελθεῖν· οὕτω μακρᾶς οὔσης καί ποικίλης καί περινενοημένης, τῆς τούτων ἐπεξηγήσεως. Οὐκοῦν ἔξεστιν, ἐκεῖνο αὐτό τό πονηθέν σύνταγμα τῷ ἁγίῳ διεξελθοῦσιν, ἐκ τοῦδε καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβέστερον, καί τοῦ ἁγίου τήν μετά συνέσεως καί λογισμῶν ἐπικαιροτάτων πεῦσιν ἐν ἅπασι καί ἀπόκρισιν, καί τοῦ Πύῤῥου τόν ἐν προτάσεσιν ἀσυνάρτητον καί μαχόμενον, ἤ μᾶλλον ἀσυλλόγιστον εἰπεῖν καί ἀνότητον· ὅς καί τοῖς ὅλοις ἀπειρηκώς, βοῦν ἐπί γλώσσης, ὅ φασι, τίθεται, καί τοῦ οἰκείου λόγου καταγινώσκει ἀσθένειαν· ὅν καίτοι εἰς πολλά μορφώσας καί ποικίλας, καί πανταχόθεν ἑλίξας, οὐκ ἔσχεν ὅμως πρός τι τῶν κατά βούλησιν αὐτῷ συναιρόμενον. Ἀμέλει καί συγγνώμην ἐφ' οἶς ἔδρασεν ἐξαιτεῖται, δόγμα παρευθύς τό οἰκεῖον καί μονοθέλητον, ἐγγράφως ἐξομοσάμενος, δούς καί τῷῬώμης λιβέλλους· καί ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πῶς ἄν εἴποις δεχθείς ἀσμενέστατα. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἄφρων καί ἰσχυρῶς ἀνόητος, ὥσπερ οὐδενός ἐπ' αὐτόν καινοῦ γεγονότος, ἐνῬαβέννῃ κύων ἐπί τόν ἴδιον ἀνέτρεχεν ἔμετον. Ὅσπερ καί εἰς ὦτα τῷ θείῳ Μαξίμῳ πεσόν, καί αὐτῷ τῷ εἰρημένῳ προέδρῳ, κοινῇ συνελεύσει τήν κατ' αὐτοῦ ψῆφον ἐκφέρουσιν, ὥς τι μέλος σεσηπός καί συνόλως ἀνίατον, τέλεον ἐκκόψαντες τόν ἄθλιον καί ἀποβαλ(λ)όμενοι. Ὁ δέ, καί οὕτω παθών, οὐδ' οὕτως ἔληγεν ἀναιδείας, οὐδέ τοῦ μεῖζον κατωφρυῶσθαι· ἀλλ' ὁρμῇ αὐθαδεστέρᾳ, τῷ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει καί αὖθις θρόνῳ ἐπιπηδᾷ, καί ἆθλον ἀσεβείας, τήν ἀρχιερωσύνην λαμβάνει δεύτερον.

ΙΖ´. Ἐπεί δέ καί τόν αἴτιον, ὅστις ἐστίν, οὐκ ἠγνόει(καί πῶς γάρ ἄν οὕτω λάμποντα

πᾶσι καί ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τόν λόγον πυρσεύοντα;), σπουδῇ τόν ὅσιον εἰσαχθῆναι προστάττει πρός τά βασίλεια· οἰόμενος ὡς εἰ τούτου κρατήσοι, καί πάντων τῶν ἄλλων ἔσται κρατῶν. Σύν αὐτῷ δέ καί τόν τούτου μαθητήν Ἀναστάσιον, μεθ' ἅμα τοῦ ὁμωνύμου τούτου καί ὁμότροπου, ὅς καί ἀποκρισιάριος τῆς κατάῬώμην Ἐκκλησίας ἐλέγετο· οὐ μήν ἀλλά καί Μαρτῖνον τόν θειότατον σύν ἐπισκόποις τῶν ἑσπερίων πλείοσι, θᾶττον ἐν Βυζαντίδι παρίστησι· τούτοις, οἷα εἰκός, (88) διά τό τῆς γνώμης ἀντίξοον ἐμπικραινόμενος. Ἀλλά τά μέν κατά τόν ἱεράρχην Μαρτῖνον, καί ὅσα πρός τοῦτον πεπαρῳνήκει ὁ δυσσεβής, μυρίαις αὐτόν πλύνας ταῖς ὕβρεσι καί αἰκίαις, ὤ χειρῶν ἀνοσίων! τόν ἀθῶον τιμωρησάμενος, καί τό τελευταῖον ὑπερορίᾳ μακροτάτῃ καταδικάσας (Χερσών δ' ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ τῆς ὑπερορίας τόπος), τά ἴσα δηλαδή καί τοῖς αὐτοῦ δράσας ἐπισκόποις· ἀλλά ταῦτα μέν οὐ σχολή τέως ἐμοί καθά ἐπράχθη διεξελθεῖν, πρός τά τοῦ θείου Μαξίμου ἐπειγομένῳ· πολλοί δέ ἴσως ἐκεῖνα, οἱ μέν ἤδη ἐροῦσιν, οἱ δέ καί εἰρήκασιν, οἶμαι, τόν ἄνδρα τιμῶντες, καί τούτου τήν πολιτείαν σεμνύνοντες· ἡμῖν δ' ὡς ὁ λόγος ἔχει, τά τοῦ σκοποῦ διίτω.

ΙΗ´. Ὡς οὖν λοιπόν ὁ ἱερός οὗτος ἀνήρ χερσίν ἦν φονώντων συνειλημμένος, καί

πρός αὐτόν ἦσαν ἅπαντες ἐνορῶντες· ἴδωμεν ποίοις πρῶτον αὐτόν δεξιοῦνται τοῖς ἀπαντήμασι, καί ποταπῇ κρίσει τά κατ' αὐτόν οἱ καλοί οὗτοι διεξάγουσι θεσμοθέται. Ἅμα γάρ τῷ προσοκεῖλαι τῇ Βυζαντίδι διά πλοίου ἤδη ἀναχθέντα, ἤκουσι πρός αὐτόν οἱ παρά βασιλέως ἀποσταλέντες, ἄνδρες ἀπό μόνης τῆς ὄψεως πολλήν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τήν πικρίαν ἐμφαίνοντες· οἵ καί ἀναίδην τοῦ ὁσίου λαβόμενοι, ἀνυποδήτου καί δίχα ὄντος περικαλύμματος, εἷλκον βίᾳ τήν ὁδόν καί ἀπῆγον, συνεπομένου καί τοῦ μαθητοῦ, καί τοῖς δρωμένοις ἐπιστενάζοντος· ὅν δή καί ἀπαγαγόντες, πρός τι