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having tarried, I was suddenly carried off by my sickness, which was partly already causing pain, and partly threatening. 126.2 And if I must find some comparison for my suffering, I have suffered the same thing as the octopuses, who when torn by force from the rocks are often in danger with their suckers, some of which they leave attached to the rocks, or take something from them. 126.3 So such is my state. And what I would have asked of your goodness, being present, this I have dared to ask even though absent. I found my son Nicobulus greatly distressed by the care of the public post and by his attendance at the station, being a man both weak and unaccustomed to such things, and unable to bear the solitude. 126.4 Be pleased to use him for any other purpose you may like; for he is eager in all things to serve your authority; but from this care, if possible, release him; if for no other reason, then as honoring my nurse, since, having asked for many things concerning many people and having received them, we also need your gentleness for ourselves. 127.TO HELLADIUS 127.1 It is sweet in other ways to greet your Reverence; but to me it is sweeter in my present state. For to be almost despaired of each day makes me cling to you the more, as always gaining a last little extra profit. 127.2 But since I confess the profit, I owe a return gift to the most reverend son Nicobulus from whom the profit comes; and what the poor do, looking to the rich so that they may receive good from them, this I also do, paying my debt to the man through you. 127.3 He needs tranquility, having been accustomed to it all his life; deign to help him toward this. 128.TO PROCOPIUS 128.1 After a long time I address you, you who are for me in place of all and before all, whom you deemed worthy of great things when I was present, and I know that you deem me worthy of the same things though absent. 128.2 And let there be a reward for the bearer of the letter, our son Anthimus, a great one for great services. What is this? To receive your protection, in whatever things he may need it. 128.3 The greatest help to our embassy is also the man himself, from a distinguished military career, perhaps known even to you great men, and the affliction of his body, whose appearance is itself persuasive. 128.4 It is heavy in and of itself, but because it is undeserved it is naturally heavier. Added to these, my exhortation will, I know, more surely achieve what is sought. 129.TO THE SAME 129.1 If my body were not in a bad way, and if I did not have poor hopes for its life, first and greatest of all, I would have gained the benefit of meeting and conversing with you, which has been entirely taken from you by me; and secondly, I would have fulfilled this embassy in person. 129.2 But since I lie completely fettered by my sickness, and have been deprived against my will, I am doing the second best thing: I approach you through this letter and I greet and embrace you, and I dare to ask about our fellow deacon Eugenius, whom I ask for from your magnanimity. 129.3 If, then, his intimacy with the unholy Rhegianus is no crime (for he does not seem to have done any other wrong), for the sake of justice itself, of which you are the arbiter and champion; 129.4 but if you judge this a crime, for the sake of God whom he serves and for my grey hairs, which you know are venerable to many who fear the Lord, grant, I beseech you, this favor both to me and to all the clergy, and make your hopes in God propitious for yourself, by freeing the man from this abuse. 129.5 And you will receive in return no less than what you give (if it is not a great thing to say), my prayers. 130.TO THE SAME 130.1 I am so disposed, if I must write the truth, as to avoid every assembly of bishops, because I have never seen a good end to any synod, nor one that has resulted in a solution to evils rather than an addition to them. 130.2 For there are always contentions and ambitions (but do not suppose me offensive for writing this), and they are beyond description; and one might sooner be accused of wickedness for judging others than put an end to theirs. 130.3 For this reason I have withdrawn into myself and I have considered quiet to be the only safety for my soul. And now I also have my sickness protecting me from

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προσδιατρίψας, ἐξαίφνης ἀπήχθην ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας τὰ μὲν ἤδη λυπούσης, τὰ δὲ ἀπειλούσης. 126.2 Καὶ εἰ δεῖ τινα εἰκασίαν εὑρεῖν τῷ πάθει, ταὐτὸν ἔπαθον τοῖς πολύποσιν, οἳ βίᾳ τῶν πετρῶν ἀποσπώμενοι κινδυνεύουσι καὶ ταῖς κοτύλαις πολλάκις, ὧν τι προσαφιᾶσι ταῖς πέτραις, ἤ τι παρ' αὐτῶν προσλαμ βάνουσι. 126.3 Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἡμέτερον τοιοῦτον. Ἃ δ' ἂν παρὼν ἐδεήθην τῆς σῆς καλοκἀγαθίας, ταῦτα καὶ ἀπὼν ἐθάρρησα. Τὸν υἱὸν Νικόβουλον σφόδρα εὗρον τῇ τοῦ δρόμου φροντίδι καὶ τῇ τῆς μονῆς προσεδρείᾳ στενοχω ρούμενον, ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἀσθενῆ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀήθη καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν οὐ φέροντα. 126.4 Τούτῳ πρὸς ἄλλο μὲν πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν ᾖ σοι φίλον χρήσασθαι θέλησον· καὶ γὰρ πρόθυμος εἰς πάντα ὑπηρετεῖν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ· ταύτης δέ, εἰ δυνατόν, ἐλευθέρωσον τῆς φροντίδος· εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, καὶ ὡς ἡμέτερον τιμῶν νοσοκόμον, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ καὶ περὶ πολλῶν δεηθέντες καὶ τυχόντες χρῄζομεν καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος. 127.Τ ΕΛΛΑ∆ΙΩΙ 127.1 Ἡδὺ μὲν καὶ ἄλλως τὸ προσαγορεύειν τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἥδιον οὕτω διακειμένῳ. Τὸ γὰρ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπογινώσκεσθαι σχεδὸν τὴν ἡμέραν πλέον ἔχεσθαί σου ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀεὶ τὰ τελευταῖα παρακερδαίνοντα. 127.2 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ κέρδος ὁμολογῶ, χρεωστῶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ υἱῷ Νικοβούλῳ παρ' οὗ τὸ κέρδος· ὅπερ δὲ ποιοῦσιν οἱ πένητες πρὸς τοὺς εὐπόρους βλέποντες ἵνα παρ' ἐκείνων εὖ πάθωσι, τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ποιῶ διὰ σοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ διαλύων τὸ χρέος. 127.3 Χρῄζει ἀπραγμο σύνης, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ταύτῃ συνειθισμένος· πρὸς ταύτην αὐτῷ συνάρασθαι καταξίωσον. 128.Τ ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΩΙ 128.1 ∆ιὰ μακροῦ σε προσφθέγγομαι, τὸν ἀντὶ πάντων ἐμοὶ καὶ πρὸ πάντων, ὃν καὶ παρόντα τῶν μεγάλων ἠξίους καὶ ἀπόντα οἶδ' ὅτι τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῖς. 128.2 Μισθὸς δὲ γενέσθω τῷ διακόνῳ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῷ υἱῷ ἡμῶν Ἀνθίμῳ ὑπὲρ μεγάλων μέγας. Τίς οὗτος; τῆς παρὰ σοῦ προστασίας τυχεῖν, ἐν οἷς ἂν δέηται. 128.3 Μέγιστον δὲ εἰς τὴν πρεσβείαν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτὸς ἐξ ἐπιφανοῦς στρατείας, ἴσως καὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις ὑμῖν γνώριμος, καὶ ἡ συμφορὰ τοῦ σώματος αὐτόθεν τὴν ὄψιν πείθουσα. 128.4 Βαρεῖα μὲν καὶ καθ' ἑαυτήν, τῷ παρ' ἀξίαν δὲ ὡς εἰκὸς βαρυτέρα. Τούτοις προστεθεῖσα καὶ ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν παράκλησις οἶδ' ὅτι κατορ θώσει μᾶλλον τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. 129.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 129.1 Εἰ μὲν μὴ πονηρῶς ἡμῖν ἐχρῆτο τὸ σῶμα μηδὲ περὶ τοῦ ζῆν αὐτοῦ πονηρὰς εἴχομεν τὰς ἐλπίδας, πρῶτον μὲν ἂν καὶ μέγιστον ἐκερδάναμεν τὴν σὴν συντυχίαν καὶ συνουσίαν, ἥ σοι παρ' ἡμῶν πάντως ἀφείλετο· δεύτερον δὲ ὡς δι' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ταύτην ἂν ἐπληρώσαμεν τὴν πρεσβείαν. 129.2 Ἐπεὶ δὲ κείμεθα παντελῶς τῇ ἀρρωστίᾳ πεπεδημένοι, καὶ οὐχ ἑκόντες ἐζημιώμεθα, ὃ δεύτερον ἦν ποιοῦμεν, πρόσιμέν σοι διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων καὶ δεξιούμεθα καὶ κατασπαζόμεθα καὶ θαρροῦμεν δεηθῆναι περὶ τοῦ συνδιακόνου ἡμῶν Εὐγενίου, ὃν ἐξαιτούμεθα παρὰ τῆς σῆς μεγαλονοίας. 129.3 Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀδίκημα ἡ πρὸς τὸν ἀνόσιον Ῥηγιανὸν οἰκειότης (οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν ἀδικῶν φαίνεται) δι' αὐτὸ τὸ δίκαιον, οὗ σὺ βρα βευτὴς καὶ προστάτης· 129.4 εἰ δὲ ἀδίκημα τοῦτο κρίνεις, διά γε τὸν Θεὸν ᾧ παρέστηκε καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πολιάν, ἣν αἰδέσιμον οἶδας πολλοῖς τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον, δὸς οὖν, παρακαλῶ, καὶ ἡμῖν καὶ τῷ κλήρῳ παντὶ ταύτην τὴν χάριν, καὶ δεξιὰς σεαυτῷ ποίησον τὰς κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλπίδας, ἐλευθερώσας τῆς ἐπηρείας τὸν ἄνθρωπον. 129.5 Ἀντιλήψῃ δὲ ὧν δίδως οὐκ ἐλάττονα (εἰ μὴ μέγα τοῦτο εἰπεῖν), τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν εὐχάς. 130.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 130.1 Ἔχω μὲν οὕτως, εἰ δεῖ τἀληθὲς γράφειν, ὥστε πάντα σύλλογον φεύγειν ἐπισκόπων, ὅτι μηδεμιᾶς συνόδου τέλος εἶδον χρηστὸν μηδὲ λύσιν κακῶν μᾶλλον ἐσχηκὸς ἢ προσθήκην. 130.2 Ἀεὶ γὰρ φιλονεικίαι καὶ φιλαρχίαι (ἀλλ' ὅπως μή με φορτικὸν ὑπολάβῃς οὕτω γράφοντα), καὶ λόγου κρείττονες· καὶ θᾶττον ἄν τις ἐγκληθείη κακίαν ἑτέροις δικάζων ἢ τὴν ἐκείνων λύσειε. 130.3 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰς ἐμαυτὸν συνεστάλην καὶ μόνην ἀσφάλειαν ψυχῆς τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἐνόμισα. Νῦν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρρωστίαν ἔχω προστα τοῦσαν τῆς