25

and he proclaims his two sons emperors. Wishing for them to partake both in literary education and in moral training, he brought from Rome the great Arsenius, who was a deacon of the church there, renowned for wisdom and virtue; and to him he entrusted the boys, having instructed him to treat them not as emperors, but as private citizens and ordinary people, and to flog them, if he should see them being negligent or straying from what was proper, and to treat them as his own children. He deemed Arsenius worthy of great honor and enriched him with money. But he, having taken the boys, 93 would seat them on thrones, while he himself stood and carried out their instruction. And once the emperor, coming upon them suddenly and finding them sitting, but Arsenius standing, was indignant, and having made the boys rise from their thrones, and having seated Arsenius, he thus ordered him to teach them. And from then on they stood by the teacher, while the teacher sat. Once, then, when Arcadius had erred, the teacher inflicted lashes. But he, being angry at him for these, forms a plot against him and planned to kill the man and prepared the assassin. But Arsenius, learning of the plan, secretly withdrew from the palace and, going away to Scetis, undertook the solitary life and became like an angel. And the emperor Theodosius, having made a great search for him, did not find out where on earth he was. But this emperor, falling ill in Milan, departed this life, having governed the empire for seventeen years and five months, having divided it between his two sons, and assigning to Arcadius the new Rome and the eastern part, while allotting to 94 Honorius the older Rome and the western parts. Therefore, each of them ruled the portion assigned to him, and learning that the great Arsenius was living as a monk in Scetis, they sent to him many times asking him to pray for them. And Arcadius also sent privately to the saint, begging him to grant him forgiveness for the plot against him, and he permitted him to take the entire tax revenue of Egypt and use it as he wished. But the great Arsenius did not wish to write back to the emperors, but instructed those sent to him to say to them that "God will forgive you and will cause you to do his will; but for me, who am already dead to the world, money is useless." This emperor Arcadius, having built a city in Thrace, named it Arcadiopolis and he erected the column in Xerolophos and set up his own statue on it. 95 When the patriarch of Constantinople Nectarius died, he brought John of the golden tongue from great Antioch and appointed him patriarch of the new Rome. But being sluggish and excessively weak in judgment, he was dominated by his wife Eudoxia. And she was a rash woman and overcome by the love of money, and for that reason most unjust. Wherefore, being checked in her impulse by the great father and at times even rebuked, she was provoked to anger and hastened to take revenge on the saint. And having also found Theophilus of Alexandria as an accomplice in her wickedness, she persuades Arcadius to decree the exile of the saint. And he was cast out of the church and led away into exile; but the people of the city, some mourned, while others rioted. When the sluggish Arcadius learned this, he quickly sends to recall John, and being brought back again he was restored to the church. But he, being unenslaved, did not cease to move his tongue against those who did wrong. But the empress Eudoxia, applying the teachings about injustice to herself 96 (for her conscience convicted her of being such a person), was enraged and kindled her anger against the great father. And again, to omit the intervening events, she persuades her husband, leading him like one by a halter, to decree the exile of the saint. And he was tyrannically driven from the church and led away to dangerous regions and to the most remote extremities, having experienced many hardships along the way, which from his golden tongue in letters it is possible

25

καὶ ἀναγορεύει τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ βασιλεῖς. θέλων δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐν λόγοις μετασχεῖν αὐτοὺς παιδείας καὶ τῆς ἐν ἤθεσιν, ἐκ Ῥώμης ἤγαγε τὸν μέγαν Ἀρσένιον διάκονον ὄντα τῆς ἐκεῖ ἐκκλησίας, ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ τε καὶ ἀρετῇ περιβόητον· καὶ αὐτῷ τοὺς παῖδας παρέδωκε, μὴ ὡς βασιλεῦσιν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἰδιώταις καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσι προσφέρεσθαι ἐντειλάμενος, καὶ μαστίζειν, εἰ ἀμελοῦντας ὁρῴη ἢ παρεξιόντας τι τοῦ καθήκοντος, καὶ ὡς οἰκείοις τούτοις κεχρῆσθαι παισί. τιμῆς δὲ μεγάλης ἠξίωσε τὸν Ἀρσένιον καὶ χρήμασι κατεπλούτισεν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς παῖδας παραλαβὼν 93 ἐκείνους μὲν ἐπὶ θρόνων ἐκάθιζεν, αὐτὸς δ' ἑστὼς ἐπλήρου τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῖς. καί ποτε ἀθρόον αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιστὰς καὶ τοὺς μὲν καθημένους εὑρών, ἱστάμενον δὲ τὸν Ἀρσένιον, ἠγανάκτησε, καὶ τοὺς μὲν παῖδας τῶν θρόνων ἐξαναστήσας, καθίσας δὲ τὸν Ἀρσένιον, οὕτω διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς διετάξατο. καὶ ἦσαν ἔκτοτε οἱ μὲν παρεστῶτες τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ὁ δὲ διδάσκων καθήμενος. ποτὲ τοίνυν παρασφαλέντι τῷ Ἀρκαδίῳ μάστιγας ἐνέτεινεν ὁ διδάσκαλος. ὁ δὲ μηνιῶν διὰ ταύτας αὐτῷ ἐπιβουλὴν συντίθησι κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ κτεῖναι τὸν ἄνδρα διεμελέτησε καὶ τὸν σφαγέα ἡτοίμαζε. γνοὺς δὲ τὸ μελετώμενον ὁ Ἀρσένιος λάθρᾳ τῶν βασιλείων ὑπανεχώρησε καὶ εἰς τὴν Σκῆτιν ἀπελθὼν τὴν μονήρη ζωὴν ὑπῆλθε καὶ ἰσάγγελος γέγονε. πολλὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ θέμενος ζήτησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος οὐκ ἔγνω ὅποι γῆς ἦν. Νοσήσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος ἐν Μεδιολάνοις μετήλλαξε τὴν ζωήν, ἑπτακαίδεκα ἔτη τὴν βασιλείαν ἰθύνας ἐπὶ πέντε μησί, μερίσας δὲ ταύτην τοῖς δυσὶν υἱέσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ μὲν Ἀρκαδίῳ τὴν νέαν ἀπονείμας Ῥώμην καὶ τὸ ἑῷον τμῆμα, τῷ 94 Ὀνωρίῳ δὲ τὴν πρεσβυτέραν Ῥώμην προσκληρώσας καὶ τὰ ἑσπέρια. Ἦρχεν μὲν οὖν ἑκάτερος τούτων τῆς ἀπονεμηθείσης μοίρας αὐτῷ, καὶ γνόντες ὡς ἐν τῇ Σκήτει μονάζων ὁ μέγας Ἀρσένιος ἦν, πλειστάκις αὐτῷ ἐπεστάλκασιν εὔχεσθαι ἀξιοῦντες ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. ὁ δέ γε Ἀρκάδιος καὶ ἰδίᾳ τῷ ἁγίῳ ἐπέστειλε, παρακαλῶν συγγνώμην νεῖμαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβουλήν, καὶ ἐπέτρεπε λαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὸν τῆς Αἰγύπτου πάσης δασμὸν καὶ χρήσασθαι ὡς αὐτῷ πρὸς βουλῆς. ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἀρσένιος ἀντεπιστεῖλαι μὲν τοῖς αὐτοκράτορσιν οὐκ ἠθέλησε, τοῖς δ' εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποσταλεῖσιν εἰπεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐνετείλατο ὅτι "ὁ θεὸς συγχωρήσει ὑμῖν καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ πράττειν ποιήσει θελήματα· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἤδη νεκρωθέντι τῷ κόσμῳ τὰ χρήματα ἄχρηστα." Οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρκάδιος ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ πόλιν οἰκοδομήσας Ἀρκαδιούπολιν αὐτὴν ἐπωνόμασε καὶ τὸν ἐν Ξηρολόφῳ ἀνήγειρε κίονα καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἀνδριάντα οἰκεῖον ἐνίδρυσε. 95 Τοῦ πατριάρχου δὲ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Νεκταρίου θανόντος τὸν χρυσοῦν τὴν γλῶτταν Ἰωάννην ἐξ Ἀντιοχείας ἀγαγὼν τῆς μεγάλης πατριάρχην τῆς νέας Ῥώμης προβάλλεται. νωθὴς δὲ ὢν καὶ τὴν γνώμην πέρα τοῦ δέοντος μαλθακὸς ὑπὸ τῆς γαμετῆς κατήρχετο Εὐδοξίας. ἡ δὲ ἦν γύναιον ἰταμὸν καὶ χρημάτων ἡττώμενον ἔρωτος, κἀντεῦθεν καὶ ἀδικώτατον. ὅθεν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς ἀνακοπτόμενον τῆς ὁρμῆς ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ ἐπιτιμώμενον ἠρέθιστο εἰς ὀργὴν καὶ ἀμύνασθαι τὸν ἅγιον ἔσπευδεν. εὑροῦσα δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας Θεόφιλον τῆς κακίας αὐτῆς συνεργὸν πείθει τὸν Ἀρκάδιον ὑπερορίαν τοῦ ἁγίου καταψηφίσασθαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβέβλητο καὶ ἀπήγετο ὑπερόριος· ὁ δὲ τῆς πόλεως δῆμος, οἱ μὲν ἐθρήνουν, οἱ δὲ ἐστασίαζον. ὃ γνοὺς ὁ νωθὴς Ἀρκάδιος στέλλει κατὰ τάχος τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀνακαλούμενος καὶ ἐπαναχθεὶς αὖθις ἀπεδόθη τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ὁ δὲ ἀδούλωτος ὢν οὐκ ἐπαύετο κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων τὴν γλῶτταν κινῶν. ἡ δὲ βασιλὶς Εὐδοξία ἑαυτῇ τὰς περὶ ἀδικίας διδα96 σκαλίας προσαρμόττουσα (ἤλεγχε γὰρ αὐτὴν ἡ συνείδησις τοιαύτην οὖσαν) ἐμηνία καὶ τοὺς θυμοὺς ἐξέκαιε κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρός. καὶ πάλιν, ἵνα τὰ ἐν μέσῳ παρῶ, πείθει τὸν γαμέτην, ἕλκουσα τοῦτον ὥσπερ ἐκ φορβειᾶς, ὑπερορίαν τοῦ ἁγίου καταψηφίσασθαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐξώσθη τυραννικῶς καὶ εἰς χώρας ἀπήγετο ἐπικινδύνους καὶ εἰς πορρωτάτω κειμένας ἐσχατιάς, πολλῶν πειραθεὶς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν δυσχερῶν, ἃ τῆς ἐκείνου χρυσέας γλώττης ἐν ἐπιστολαῖς ἔξεστιν