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and I am veiled. But read those things and you will no longer say these things, even if you are ten thousand times determined to be despondent. Since you also informed us about Heracleides the bishop, it is possible for him, if he should wish, to give up his post and be rid of everything; for nothing else remains. But even if I accomplished nothing great, yet I indicated to my lady Pentadia to show all diligence, if she might devise some comfort for the trouble. And you said you had dared to tell me the painful things because you were ordered by him. What sort of daring is this? Have I not stopped saying, nor will I stop, that sin alone is the one painful thing? All other things are dust and smoke. For what is so grievous about living in a prison and wearing a chain? What is grievous about suffering ill, when suffering ill becomes the basis for so great a profit? What is grievous about exile? What about confiscation? These are words empty of terrible realities, mere words of grief. For if you speak of death, you speak of the debt of nature which one must endure in any case, even with no one inflicting it; if you speak of exile, you say nothing other than to see the country and many cities; if you speak of the confiscation of property, you speak of freedom and of being unencumbered. 9.5 Do not neglect Bishop Maruthas, tending to him as far as it is in your power, so that he may be drawn up from the pit. For I need him especially on account of the matters in Persia. And learn from him, if it becomes possible for you, what has been accomplished there through him and for what reason he has come, and let us know if you have delivered the two letters I sent to him; and if he should wish to write to us, we will write to him again; but if he should not wish to, if only he might indicate to your Piety if anything more has happened there and if he is going to accomplish anything when he goes down again. For it was for this reason that I was eager to meet with him. But let all things be done by you; even if all are carried headlong, fulfill your own part. For your reward will be complete. Therefore, make him very much your own, as is possible. I beseech you, do not pass over what I am about to say, but show great diligence concerning it. The Marsian monks, the Goths, where Bishop Sarapion was always hidden, have informed me that Moduarius the deacon came announcing that Unilas the bishop, that wonderful man whom I formerly ordained and sent to Gothia, having accomplished many great things, has fallen asleep; and he came bearing letters from the king of the Goths, asking that a bishop be sent to them. Therefore, since I see nothing else contributing to the correction of the threatened disaster than delay and postponement—for it is not possible for them to sail to the Bosphorus now, nor to those parts—, persuade them to put it off for the time being on account of the winter; but do not just pass over this; for it is a very great accomplishment. For there are two things which especially grieve me if they should happen, which may they not: that it should be done by these men, who work so many evils and from whom it is not right, and that just anyone should be appointed. For that they are not eager to appoint someone noble, you yourself know. And if this should happen, which may it not, you know what follows. In order, then, that none of these things may happen, make every effort without noise; if it is possible also for Moduarius to slip away to us secretly, the greatest things would be accomplished. But if it is not possible, let what is possible be done from the available resources. For what happens with money and happened with the widow, this also happens with affairs. For just as she, by putting in two obols, surpassed all those who put in more, having emptied her whole substance, so also those who strive in affairs with all their strength have fulfilled the whole, at least as far as it depended on them, even if nothing more comes of it, and they have their reward complete. I have many thanks for Bishop Hilary; for he wrote to me asking to be permitted to go to his own see and set things right there and to come back again. Since, therefore, his presence is of great benefit—for indeed

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καὶ ἐγκαλύπτομαι. Πλὴν ἀνάγνωθι ἐκείνας καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ταῦτα ἐρεῖς, κἂν μυριάκις φιλονεικῇς ἀθυμεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ περὶ Ἡρακλείδου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἡμῖν ἐδήλωσας, ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ, εἰ βουληθείη, δοῦναι ἔκστασιν καὶ πάντων ἀπαλλαγῆναι· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο λείπεται. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ καὶ μηδὲν μέγα ἤνυον, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐδήλωσα τῇ κυρίᾳ μου Πενταδίᾳ ὥστε πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι, εἴ τινα ἐπινοήσειε τῷ κακῷ παραμυθίαν. Ἔφης δὲ τετολμηκέναι δηλῶσαί μοι τὰ λυπηρὰ διὰ τὸ παρ' ἐκείνου κελευσθῆναι. Ποία τόλμα τοῦτο; Οὔτε ἐπαυσάμην λέγων, οὔτε παύσομαι ὅτι ἓν λυπηρὸν ἁμαρτία μόνον; τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα κόνις καὶ καπνός. Τί γὰρ βαρὺ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῆσαι καὶ ἅλυσιν περικεῖσθαι; Τί δὲ βαρὺ πάσχειν κακῶς, ὅταν τοσαύτης ἐμπορίας τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς ὑπόθεσις γένηται; Τί δὲ ἐξορία βαρύ; Τί δὲ δήμευσις; Ῥήματα ταῦτά ἐστι δεινῶν πραγμάτων ἔρημα, ῥήματα λύπης ψιλά. Ἄν τε γὰρ θάνατον εἴπῃς, τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὄφλημα λέγεις ὃ πάντως ὑπομεῖναι δεῖ καὶ μηδενὸς ἐπάγοντος· ἄν τε ἐξορίαν εἴπῃς, οὐδὲν ἕτερον λέγεις ἢ χώραν καὶ τὰς πολλὰς πόλεις ὁρᾶν· ἄν τε χρημάτων δήμευσιν εἴπῃς, ἐλευθερίαν λέγεις καὶ τὸ εὔλυτον εἶναι. 9.5 Μαρουθᾶν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον μὴ διαλείπῃς, τό γε εἰς σὲ ἧκον θεραπεύουσα, ὥστε ἀνιμήσασθαι τοῦ βαράθρου. Μάλιστα γὰρ αὐτοῦ δέομαι διὰ τὰ ἐν Περσίδι. Καὶ μάθε παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἂν δυνατόν σοι γένηται, τί τε κατώρθωται ἐκεῖσε δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν παραγέγονε, καὶ δήλωσον ἡμῖν εἰ τὰς δύο ἐπιστολὰς ἃς ἔπεμψα αὐτῷ ἀπέδωκας· κἂν μὲν βουληθείη ἡμῖν ἐπιστεῖλαι, πάλιν ἐπιστελοῦμεν αὐτῷ· ἂν δὲ μὴ βουληθείη, κἂν τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ σου δηλώσῃ εἴ τι γέγονεν αὐτόθι πλέον καὶ εἰ μέλλοι τι κατορθοῦν πάλιν κατιών. Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐσπούδαζον αὐτῷ συγγενέσθαι. Πλὴν πάντα τὰ παρὰ σοῦ γενέσθω· κἂν πάντες κατακέφαλα φέρωνται, τὰ σαυτῆς πλήρου. Ὁ γὰρ μισθός σου ἔσται ἀπηρτισμένος. Πάνυ οὖν αὐτὸν οἰκείωσαι καὶ ὡς ἐγχωρεῖ. Παρακαλῶ, τοῦτο ὃ μέλλω λέγειν μὴ παραδράμῃς, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπίδειξαι σπουδήν. Ἐδήλωσάν μοι οἱ μονάζοντες οἱ Μαρσεῖς, οἱ Γότθοι, ἔνθα ἀεὶ ἐκρύπτετο Σαραπίων ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὅτι Μοδουάριος ἦλθεν ὁ διάκονος ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι Οὐνίλας ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος ὃν πρώην ἐχειροτόνησα καὶ ἔπεμψα εἰς Γοτθίαν πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα κατορθώσας ἐκοιμήθη· καὶ ἦλθε φέρων γράμματα τοῦ ῥηγὸς τῶν Γότθων ἀξιοῦντα πεμφθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐπίσκοπον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐδὲν ἄλλο ὁρῶ πρὸς τὴν ἀπειλουμένην καταστροφὴν συντελοῦν εἰς διόρθωσιν, ἢ μέλλησιν καὶ ἀναβολὴν-οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν αὐτοῖς πλεῦσαι εἰς τὸν Βόσπορον νῦν, οὐδὲ εἰς τὰ μέρη ἐκεῖνα-, ὑπερθέσθαι τέως αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα παρασκεύασον· ἀλλὰ μὴ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸ παραδράμῃς· κατόρθωμα γάρ ἐστι μέγιστον. ∆ύο γάρ ἐστιν ἃ μάλιστά με λυπεῖ εἰ γένοιτο, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, τό τε παρὰ τούτων μέλλειν γίνεσθαι, τῶν τοσαῦτα κακὰ ἐργαζομένων καὶ παρ' ὧν οὐ θέμις, τό τε ἁπλῶς τινα γενέσθαι. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ σπουδάζουσί τινα γενναῖον ποιῆσαι, οἶσθα καὶ αὐτή. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο γένοιτο, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπίστασαι. Ἵν' οὖν μηδὲν τούτων γένηται, πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ποίησαι ἀψοφητί· εἰ δυνατὸν καὶ λανθανόντως τὸν Μοδουάριον πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκδραμεῖν, μέγιστα ἂν ἠνύετο. Εἰ δὲ μὴ δυνατὸν, ἐκ τῶν ἐγχωρούντων τὰ δυνατὰ γινέσθω. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων γίνεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς χήρας συνέβη, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη δύο ὀβολοὺς καταβαλοῦσα πάντας ὑπερηκόντισε τοὺς πλείονα καταβαλόντας τὴν οὐσίαν πᾶσαν κενώσασα, οὕτω καὶ οἱ εἰς τὰ πράγματα πάσῃ δυνάμει σπουδάζοντες τὸ πᾶν ἐπλήρωσαν τό γε εἰς αὐτοὺς ἧκον, κἂν μηδὲν γένηται πλέον, καὶ τὸν μισθὸν ἀπηρτισμένον ἔχουσιν. Ἱλαρίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ πολλὰς ἔχω χάριτας· ἔγραψε γάρ μοι ἀξιῶν ἐπιτραπῆναι ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ διορθῶσαι τὰ αὐτόθι καὶ πάλιν παραγενέσθαι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὰ ὠφελεῖ ἡ παρουσία αὐτοῦ-καὶ γὰρ