22. Arrivals of Diogenes and of Syrianus.

After a period of six and twenty months, when Montanus had gone away, there came Diogenes the Notary70    [August, 355 a.d. See Hist. Aceph. iii. Fest. Ind. xxv., xxvii.] Notaries were the immediate attendants on magistrates, whose judgments, &c., they recorded and promulgated. Their office was analogous in the Imperial Court. vid. Gothofred in Cod. Theod. VI. x. Ammian. Marcell. tom. 3. P. 464. ed. Erfurt, 1808. Pancirol. Notit. p. 143. Hofman in voc. Schari enumerates with references the civil officers, &c., to whom they were attached in Dissert. 1, de Notariis Ecclesiæ, p. 49.; but he brought me no letter, nor did we see each other, nor did he charge me with any commands as from you. Moreover when the General Syrianus entered Alexandria71    [Jan. 5, 356.], seeing that certain reports were spread abroad by the Arians, who declared that matters would now be as they wished, I enquired whether he had brought any letters on the subject of these statements of theirs. I confess that I asked for letters containing your commands. And when he said that he had brought none, I requested that Syrianus himself, or Maximus the Prefect of Egypt, would write to me concerning this matter. Which request I made, because your Grace has written to me, desiring that I would not suffer myself to be alarmed by any one, nor attend to those who wished to frighten me, but that I would continue to reside in the Churches without fear. It was Palladius, the Master of the Palace, and Asterius, formerly Duke of Armenia, who brought me this letter. Permit me to read a copy of it. It is as follows:

22 Μοντάνου τοίνυν ἀποδημήσαντος, ἦλθε ∆ιογένης ὁ νοτάριος μετὰ ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι μῆνας· καὶ οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐπιστολὴν ἀπεδίδου, οὔτε ἑωράκαμεν ἀλλήλους, οὔτε ὡς προστάξεως οὔσης ἐνετείλατό μοι· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε Συριανὸς ὁ στρατηλάτης εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἐθρυλεῖτό τινα, καὶ ἅπερ ἐβούλοντο, ἐπηγγέλλοντο γίνεσθαι, ἠρώτων εἰ γράμματα ἔχει περὶ ὧν θρυλοῦσι· γράμματα γὰρ ἀπῄτουν, ὁμολογῶ, τῆς προστάξεως. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μὴ ἔχειν ἔλεγεν, ἠξίουν κἂν αὐτὸν Συριανὸν ἢ τὸν ἔπαρχον τῆς Αἰγύπτου Μάξιμον γράψαι μοι περὶ τούτου. Τοῦτο δὲ οὕτως ἀπῄτουν, ἐπειδὴ γράψασά μοι ἦν ἡ σὴ φιλανθρωπία, ὥστε παρὰ μηδενός με ταράττεσθαι, μηδὲ ἀνέχεσθαι τῶν θελόντων ἡμᾶς πτοεῖν, ἀλλὰ μένειν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἀμερίμνως. Οἱ μὲν οὖν κομίσαντες τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιστολήν εἰσι Παλλάδιος, ὁ γενόμενος τοῦ παλατίου μάγιστρος, καὶ Ἀστέριος ὁ γενόμενος δοὺξ Ἀρμενίας. Τὸ δὲ ἀντίγραφον τῆς ἐπιστολῆς συγχώρησον ἀναγνῶναί με· ἔστι γὰρ τοῦτο·