25

of punishments. Therefore, fear none of the threats, even if they gnash their teeth, even if they are drunk with much anger, even if they look murderously, having fallen into the savagery of beasts by their wickedness. For He who has until today snatched you from their various and diverse plots, He will also in the future establish you, as you act courageously, in greater safety; and you yourself will say: The arrows of infants have their blows become, and their tongues have been weakened against them. Which has happened, and will happen; so that you may reap a greater reward, and receive more glorious crowns, and they, being impenitently sick, will be handed over to a greater punishment. For what plot did they leave undone? What kind of machination did they not set in motion, attempting to plot against your firm and genuine soul, devoted to God, or rather, your noble and most courageous soul? They brought you down into the marketplace, you who knew nothing more than the church and your chamber, from the marketplace to the court, from the court to the prison. They sharpened the tongues of false witnesses, they stitched together shameless slander, they committed murders, and caused torrents of blood to flow, and consumed the bodies of the young with fire and sword, they subjected so many and such men to beatings, tortures, and countless punishments, they moved everything, so that they might be able to compel and force you by fear to say the opposite of what you knew. And just like an eagle flying on high, so you, breaking through their nets, ascended to the height of freedom that befits you, not being deceived by them, but also showing them to be slanderers concerning this charge of arson, in which the wretched and miserable men especially seemed to take great pride. Considering, therefore, all the things that have passed, what waves and what a storm did they not work up against you! what a squall and what a surge did it not cause! but in the midst of the raging sea you sailed with calmness; expect soon the harbor also, with many crowns. But since you also wish to learn about us, we are alive, we are healthy, we have been delivered from all sickness. And even if we were sick, a sufficient medicine for our health would be the genuine, and warm, and firm, and unswerving love of your piety. Since, therefore, it brings us no ordinary joy 52.659 to learn continually of your strength and of all your safety, we ask, what you are accustomed to do even without being asked, to write more frequently about your health, and of your whole household, and of your relatives; for you know how we care for both you and all your blessed household. 5. To Paianius. The things that have happened are harsh; but it is necessary to weep not for those who have suffered and stood nobly, but for those who did these things. For just as the hard-to-kill beasts, falling with much fury upon the points of spears, push the swords toward the deeper parts of their entrails; so also do those who dare these transgressions, gather the harsh fire of Gehenna upon their own heads. And if they take pride in what they do, for this reason they are most pitiable, and worthy of more tears, because in this way they prepare for themselves harsher reckonings. Therefore, one must mourn for these continually, but rejoice with those so bitterly slain by them for the prizes, for the crowns laid up in the heavens, and to make this the greatest and clearest proof of the mortal wound of the devil. For if he had not received a mortal one, he would not have breathed out so much through those who obey him. Therefore, considering all these things, my most admirable master, receive the greatest consolation, and write to us continually about your health. For we desire to see and embrace that head so dear to us; but since this is not now possible, I beseech your nobility both to write to us continually about your strength, and to provide much facility in this for those who love us greatly. 2. To Amproukle the deaconess and those with her. The waves, dashing against the rocks, are not able to shake them even a little, but breaking themselves up more by the violence of their rush, they disappear. This also in your case

25

τιμωρίας. Μηδὲν τοίνυν δέδιθι τῶν ἀπειλουμένων, κἂν τοὺς ὀδόντας βρύχωσι, κἂν θυμῷ πολλῷ μεθύωσι, κἂν φόνιον βλέπωσιν, εἰς ἀγριότητα θηρίων ὑπὸ τῆς πονηρίας ἐκπεσόντες. Ὁ γὰρ μέχρι σήμερον ἐξαρπάσας σε τῶν ποικίλων αὐτῶν καὶ διαφόρων ἐπιβουλῶν, οὗτός σε καὶ εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἀνδριζομένην ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστήσει πλείονι· καὶ ἐρεῖς καὶ αὐτή· Βέλος νηπίων ἐγενήθησαν αἱ πληγαὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐξησθένησαν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν. Ὅπερ καὶ γέγονε, καὶ ἔσται· ὥστε καί σε μείζονα καρπώσασθαι τὸν μισθὸν, καὶ λαμπροτέρους στεφάνους λαβεῖν, ἐκείνους τε ἀμετανόητα νοσοῦντας μείζονι παραδοθῆναι κολάσει. Τί γὰρ ἐνέλιπον ἐπιβουλῆς; ποῖον τρόπον μηχανημάτων οὐκ ἐκίνησαν, ἐπιχειροῦντες ἐπιβουλεύειν τῇ στεῤῥᾷ σου καὶ γνησίᾳ Θεῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ γενναίᾳ καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτῃ ψυχῇ; Κατήγαγον εἰς ἀγορὰν, τὴν ἐκκλησίας καὶ θαλάμου πλέον εἰδυῖαν οὐδὲν, ἀπ' ἀγορᾶς εἰς δικαστήριον, ἀπὸ δικαστηρίου εἰς δεσμωτήριον. Ψευδομαρτύρων ἠκόνησαν γλώσσας, συκοφαντίαν ἔῤῥαψαν ἀναίσχυντον, φόνους εἰργάσαντο, καὶ χειμάῤῥους αἱμάτων ῥεῦσαι ἐποίησαν, καὶ πυρὶ καὶ σιδήρῳ σώματα νέων ἀνάλωσαν, ἄνδρας τοσούτους καὶ τοιούτους πληγαῖς, αἰκισμοῖς, μυρίαις τιμωρίαις περιέβαλον, πάντα ἐκίνησαν, ἵνα δυνηθῶσιν ἀναγκάσαι σε καὶ βιάσασθαι τῷ φόβῳ εἰπεῖν τἀναντία ὧν ᾔδεις. Καὶ καθάπερ ἀετὸς ὑψηλὰ πετόμενος, οὕτω διαῤῥήξασα αὐτῶν τὰ δίκτυα, πρὸς τὸ σοὶ πρέπον τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀνέβης ὕψος, οὐ παραλογισθεῖσα παρ' αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συκοφάντας αὐτοὺς ἀποφήνασα ἐπὶ τῷ ἐγκλήματι τούτῳ τοῦ ἐμπρησμοῦ, ἐφ' ᾧ μάλιστα ἐδόκουν μέγα φρονεῖν οἱ ἄθλιοι καὶ ταλαίπωροι. Ἐννοοῦσα τοίνυν τὰ παρελθόντα ἅπαντα, πόσα κύματα, καὶ χειμῶνά σοι οὐκ εἰργάσαντο, πόση ζάλη, καὶ κλυδώνιον οὐκ ἐποίησεν· ἀλλ' ἐν μέσῃ μαινομένῃ θαλάττῃ μετὰ γαλήνης ἔπλευσας· προσδόκα ταχέως καὶ τὸν λιμένα μετὰ πολλῶν τῶν στεφάνων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν βούλει μανθάνειν, ζῶμεν, ὑγιαίνομεν, πάσης ἀπηλλάγμεθα ἀῤῥωστίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἠῤῥωστοῦμεν, ἱκανὸν ἡμῖν φάρμακον εἰς ὑγείαν τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡ γνησία, καὶ θερμὴ, καὶ στεῤῥὰ, καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτος. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἡμῖν εὐφροσύνην 52.659 φέρει τὸ συνεχῶς μανθάνειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ῥώσεώς σου, καὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἁπάσης, παρακαλοῦμεν, ὃ καὶ χωρὶς παρακλήσεως εἴωθας ποιεῖν, συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου παντὸς, καὶ τῶν προσηκόντων σοι· οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως καὶ σὲ καὶ τὸν εὐλογημένον σου οἶκον πάντα μεριμνῶμεν. Εʹ. Παιανίῳ. Χαλεπὰ τὰ γεγενημένα· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν παθόντων καὶ στάντων γενναίως, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν ποιησάντων θρηνεῖν ἀναγκαῖον. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὰ δυσθάνατα τῶν θηρίων πολλῷ τῷ θυμῷ ταῖς ἀκμαῖς τῶν δοράτων ἐμπίπτοντα, πρὸς τὰ βαθύτερα τῶν σπλάγχνων ὠθοῦσι τὰ ξίφη· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ τὰς παρανομίας ταύτας τολμῶντες, τὸ χαλεπὸν τῆς γεέννης πῦρ κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν συνάγουσι κεφαλῆς. Εἰ δὲ ἐγκαλλωπίζονται οἷς ποιοῦσι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστά εἰσιν ἐλεεινοὶ, καὶ πλειόνων ἄξιοι δακρύων, ὅτι καὶ ταύτῃ χαλεπωτέρας ἑαυτοῖς τὰς εὐθύνας κατασκευάζουσι. Τούτους οὖν δεῖ θρηνεῖν διηνεκῶς, τοῖς δὲ πικρῶς οὕτω σφαττομένοις ὑπ' αὐτῶν συνήδεσθαι τῶν βραβείων, τῶν στεφάνων τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀποκειμένων, καὶ ταύτην μεγίστην ποιεῖσθαι καὶ σαφεστάτην ἀπόδειξιν τῆς καιρίας τοῦ διαβόλου πληγῆς. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ καιρίαν αὐτὴν ἐδέξατο, οὐκ ἂν τοσοῦτον ἔπνευσε διὰ τῶν πειθομένων αὐτῷ. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοῶν, δέσποτά μου θαυμασιώτατε, μεγίστην δέχου παράκλησιν, καὶ γράφε συνεχῶς ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν γὰρ ἰδεῖν καὶ περιπτύξασθαι τὴν φίλην ἡμῖν κεφαλήν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο νῦν οὐκ ἔνι, παρακαλῶ σου τὴν εὐγένειαν. αὐτόν τε ἡμῖν συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ῥώσεως τῆς σῆς, καὶ τοῖς σφόδρα ἡμᾶς ἀγαπῶσι πολλὴν εἰς τοῦτο παρασκευάζειν τὴν εὐκολίαν. ʹ. Ἀμπρούκλῃ διακόνῳ καὶ ταῖς σὺν αὐτῇ. Τὰ κύματα, ταῖς πέτραις προσρηγνύμενα, ἐκείνας μὲν οὐδὲ μικρὸν διασαλεῦσαι δύναται, ἑαυτὰ δὲ μειζόνως τῷ ῥαγδαίῳ τῆς ῥύμης διαλύοντα ἀφανίζει. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν