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of those present. Therefore, the wonders of the man, because of which we especially consider our loss to be unbearable, would not be contained within the measure of a letter, and besides, it is untimely to bring forth a discourse on the multitude of his great deeds, with our soul so collapsed in grief. For what of his is such that it could either fall from our memory, or be thought worthy of being passed over in silence? For it is impossible to say everything all at once, but to speak in part, I fear, might involve a betrayal of the truth. A man is gone, who most clearly surpassed all his contemporaries in all human goods combined, support of his fatherland, ornament of the Churches, pillar and ground of the truth, bulwark of the faith in Christ, a security to his own, most formidable to his opponents, guardian of ancestral ordinances, an enemy of innovation; showing in himself the ancient form of the Church, as from some sacred icon, shaping the form of the Church under him according to the ancient constitution, so that those who associated with him seemed to have associated with those who, two hundred years ago and more, shone forth like luminaries. Thus the man brought forth nothing of his own or any invention of a more recent mind, but, according to the blessing of Moses, he knew how to bring forth from the inner chambers of his heart's good treasures things old of old, and old things because of new. For this reason he was deemed worthy of precedence in the assemblies of his peers not according to his age, but he was above all in the antiquity of his wisdom, reaping the primacy by common consent. And how great the gain of such a way of life, no one would need to inquire, looking to you. For you alone of whom we know, or at least very few, in such a storm and tempest of affairs, have lived a life free from waves under his guidance. For the squall of heretical spirits did not touch you, bringing drownings and shipwrecks to easily overturned souls. And may it never touch you, O Lord of all, who to your servant Gregory, the one who from the beginning laid the foundation of the Church, gave the grace of the longest-lasting tranquility. Which do not you betray in the present time, nor by immoderate lamentations and by making yourselves vulnerable to sorrows, surrender the opportune moments for necessary things to those lying in wait. But if you must mourn at all (which indeed I say you should not, lest in this we become like those who have no hope), you, if you please, like some mourning chorus having put your own leader before you, bewail what has happened more melodiously with him. 28.2 And yet, even if the man had not reached extreme old age, yet for the sake of the time of his oversight of you, he had no lack of life, and he partook of the body only so much as to show the endurance of his soul in its pains. Perhaps one of you might suppose that time is an increase of sympathy and an addition of affection, not an occasion of satiety for those who have experienced it, so that, the longer the time you have experienced his benefaction, the more you feel the loss; and to the devout, even the shadow of a righteous body is worth everything. And may many of you be of this mind (for I myself do not say that one should be neglectful of the man), but I advise you to bear the grief in a human way. Since whatever can be said by those bewailing the loss does not escape me either. A tongue is silent that once flooded the ears like rivers, and a depth of heart, hitherto comprehensible to no one, has flown away and is gone, weaker than dreams, at least as far as men are concerned. Who could foresee the future more keenly than he? Who, with so steadfast and firm a character of soul, was able to deal with matters faster than lightning? O city, already overtaken by many sufferings, yet by none so harmed in the very vital parts of your life. Now your most beautiful ornament has faded; the Church has closed its eyes and the festivals are gloomy and the sacred council longs for its leader, and the mystical oracles await their interpreter, the children their father, the

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παρόντων. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς θαύματα, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ μάλιστα τὴν ζημίαν ἡμῖν ἀφόρητον ὑπάρχειν λογιζόμεθα, οὔτ' ἂν ἐπιστολῆς μέτρον ὑποδέξαιτο, καὶ ἄλλως ἄωρον ἀνδραγαθημάτων πλήθει τὸν λόγον προσάγειν, οὕτω συμ πεπτωκυίας τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ λύπῃ. Τί γὰρ τῶν ἐκείνου τοιοῦτον οἷον ἢ τῆς μνήμης ἡμῶν ἐκπεσεῖν, ἢ σιωπᾶσθαι ἄξιον νομισθῆναι; Πάντα μὲν γὰρ ἀθρόως εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν ἀμήχανον, τὸ δὲ ἐκ μέρους λέγειν δέδοικα μὴ προδοσίαν ἔχῃ τῆς ἀληθείας. Οἴχεται ἀνὴρ διαφανέ στατα δὴ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ὑπερενεγκὼν ἀγαθοῖς, ἔρεισμα πατρίδος, Ἐκκλησιῶν κόσμος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας, στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως, οἰκείοις ἀσφάλεια, δυσμαχώτατος τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, φύλαξ πατρῴων θεσμῶν, νεωτερο ποιίας ἐχθρός· ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνὺς τὸ παλαιὸν τῆς Ἐκκλη σίας σχῆμα, οἷον ἀπό τινος ἱεροπρεποῦς εἰκόνος, τῆς ἀρχαίας καταστάσεως τὸ εἶδος τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν Ἐκκλησίας διαμορφῶν, ὥστε τοὺς αὐτῷ συγγενομένους τοῖς πρὸ διακοσίων ἐτῶν καὶ ἐπέκεινα φωστήρων τρόπον ἐκλάμψασι συγγεγονέναι δοκεῖν. Οὕτως οὐδὲν οἴκοθεν οὐδὲ νεωτέρας φρενὸς εὕρημα προέφερεν ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλά, κατὰ τὴν Μω σέως εὐλογίαν, ᾔδει προκομίζειν ἐκ τῶν ἀδύτων τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν θησαυρῶν παλαιὰ παλαιῶν καὶ παλαιὰ ἀπὸ προσώπου νέων. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ τῆς προτι μήσεως οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐν τοῖς συλλόγοις τῶν ὁμοτί μων ἠξιοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ πάντας ἦν τῷ τῆς σοφίας ἀρχαίῳ, ἐκ κοινῆς συγχωρήσεως τὸ πρωτεῖον καρπούμενος. Ὅσον δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγωγῆς τὸ κέρδος οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐπιζητήσειε, πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀποβλέπων. Μόνοι γὰρ ὧν ἴσμεν, ἢ κομιδῇ γε ἐν ὀλίγοις, ἐν χειμῶνι τοσούτῳ καὶ λαίλαπι πραγμάτων ἀκύμαντον τῇ ἐκείνου κυβερνήσει τὴν ζωὴν διηγάγετε. Οὐ γὰρ ἥψατο ὑμῶν αἱρετικῶν πνευμάτων ζάλη, καταποντισ μοὺς ἐπάγουσα καὶ ναυάγια ταῖς εὐπεριτρέπτοις ψυχαῖς. Μήτε δὲ ἅψαιτό ποτε, ὦ ∆έσποτα τῶν ἁπάντων, ὃς τῷ σῷ θεράποντι Γρηγορίῳ, τῷ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πηξαμένῳ τὴν κρηπῖδα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἐπὶ μήκιστον ἀταραξίας τὴν χάριν ἔδωκας. Ἣν μὴ προδῶτε ὑμεῖς ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ, μηδὲ θρήνων ἀμετρίᾳ καὶ τῷ ἐκδότους ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς λυπηροῖς ποιῆσαι τοὺς τῶν ἀναγκαίων καιροὺς τοῖς ἐφεδ ρεύουσι πρόησθε. Ἀλλ' εἰ δεῖ πάντως θρηνεῖν (ὥσπερ οὖν οὔ φημι, ἵνα μὴ ὁμοιωθῶμεν ἐν τούτῳ τοῖς μὴ ἔχουσιν ἐλπίδα), ὑμεῖς, εἰ δοκεῖ, οἷόν τις χορὸς πενθήρης τὸν κορυφαῖον ἑαυτῶν προστησάμενοι, ἐμμελέστερον μετ' ἐκείνου τὸ συμβὰν ἀποκλαύσατε. 28.2 Καίτοιγε εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐπ' ἐσχάτου γήρως ἤλαυνεν ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλ' οὖν τοῦ γε χρόνου ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπιστασίας οὐκ ἐνδεῶς εἶχε τοῦ βίου, τοῦ τε σώματος τοσοῦτον μετεῖχεν ὅσον τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ καρτερὸν ἐν ταῖς ἀλγηδόσιν αὐτοῦ δεικνύναι. Τυχὸν δ' ἄν τις ὑμῶν ὑπολάβοι ὅτι καὶ ὁ χρόνος αὔξησις συμπαθείας καὶ προσθήκη φίλτρου, οὐχὶ ἀφορμὴ κόρου τοῖς πειραθεῖσιν γίνεται, ὥστε, ὅσῳ ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ τῆς εὐεργεσίας πεπείρασθε, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον τῆς ἀπολείψεως ἐπαισθάνεσθε· σώματος δὲ δικαίου καὶ σκιὰ τοῦ παντὸς ἀξία τοῖς εὐλαβέσι. Καὶ εἴη γε πολλοὺς ὑμῶν ἐπὶ ταύτης εἶναι τῆς διανοίας (οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀμελῶς ἔχειν τοῦ ἀνδρός φημι χρῆναι), ἀλλ' ἀνθρωπίνως συμβουλεύω τὸ λυπηρὸν διαφέρειν. Ἐπεὶ ὅσα γέ ἐστιν εἰπεῖν ἀποκλαιομένους τὴν ζημίαν οὐδὲ ἐμὲ αὐτὸν δια φεύγει. Σιωπᾷ μὲν γλῶττα ποταμοῖς ἴσα τὰς ἀκοὰς ἐπι κλύζουσα, καρδίας δὲ βάθος, οὐδενὶ τέως καταληπτόν, ὀνείρων ἀσθενέστερον, ὅσα γε πρὸς ἀνθρώπους, διιπτά μενον οἴχεται. Τίς ὀξύτερον ἐκείνου προϊδέσθαι τὸ μέλλον; Τίς ἐν οὕτω σταθερῷ καὶ παγίῳ τῆς ψυχῆς ἤθει ἀστραπῆς τάχιον τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπελθεῖν ἱκανός; Ὦ πόλις πολλοῖς μὲν ἤδη προειλημμένη πάθεσιν, ὑπ' οὐδενός γε μὴν οὕτως εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ καίρια τοῦ βίου ζημιωθεῖσα. Νῦν ἀπήνθηκέ σοι κόσμος ὁ κάλλιστος· Ἐκκλησία δὲ μέμυκε καὶ σκυθρω πάζουσι πανηγύρεις καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν συνέδριον τὸν κορυφαῖον ἐπιποθεῖ, λόγοι δὲ μυστικοὶ τὸν ἐξηγητὴν ἀναμένουσιν, οἱ παῖδες τὸν πατέρα, οἱ