Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

Later, after eight years, barely, and having given promises that he would in no way associate with the Armenians while living in their land, since the situation in Syria had been ruined, he was received, and there he spent his life. When, therefore, he visited Constantinople, he was then preferred above others to live in the Hodegon monastery. The patriarch Gregory, departing from there, was given to be moved to the metochion of Saint Paul on Latros.

(7) And there he was arguing with the bishops and appealing to the emperor, if, having taken him, one considered wise and honorable, and moreover Orthodox, not only would they dishonor him, but they would also take away his dignity in orthodoxy. And indeed, just as he was, he wrote the explanation regarding the accused points in the *Tomos*, how he would write the beginning and how he thought, and how, if they did not interpret it thus, it was entirely necessary to fall into the opinion of Bekkos. Saying these things, he demanded that they give him assurance in his ortho 124 doxy and, having acknowledged it, receive from him in return the resignation of the throne. This, then, was to them an inescapable labyrinth indeed; for if they should confess him orthodox, the demand for his resignation would appear not only inglorious but also tyrannical. Therefore, for these reasons, they in turn demanded of the emperor that his case be submitted to judgment, and if, from a common examination, he should be found to hold to what is sound in what he wrote, he should once again be patriarch, but if he should be convicted of having fallen into an error of dogma, he should seek pardon in repentance and indeed receive it, and they, having justly dismissed him (for what need of resignation would there be then?), should seek a worthy successor. The emperor accepted the proposal, and indeed sent and made known to Gregory the things being said by his opponents. But he, considering it altogether terrible if even he, who seemed above others, should be convicted of a transgression of dogma, accepted the demand and was ready to come to trial. Wherefore the day was appointed, and the place was appointed; and it was the great palace of the emperor. The judges were appointed, the accusers were prepared; and they were those who had separated from him, both bishops and clergy. All things were ready, 125 and it was only necessary to assemble. When the appointed day arrived and all had to meet at the same place, he, together with those around him, having prepared earlier in the morning, on horseback with his riders, came to the palace, and standing somewhere outside, just as he was, making his arrival known to the emperor, he demanded that both the judges and the accusers meet with all speed. The emperor, however, considering something wiser and deeper, that once the debate had begun, the matter would not proceed correctly at all, as one of two things would happen: either he, having appeared wicked, would remain quiet, or they would be confessed as slanderers, but the scandal would remain once more, since it is the nature of words to fight with words, whereas only facts have the confession of nature, appearing as they are and not as they are said to be, having considered these things, and especially that for those who brought him down, the deed would not turn out to be entirely safe, as they would be brought to censure for the transgression of the one they ordained, and especially because they had also signed a confession of what was precarious, he did not judge the trial to be advantageous. Wherefore, sending a message, he suspended the legal 126 proceeding. For indeed his opponents also cleverly refused the trial, asserting that the arguments would not be advantageous since many would be stirred up, and they persuaded the emperor to send and demand that he provide a letter of resignation. For the examination would not be advantageous, but they would on this account confess him pious, and bear no hesitation, he said, about your opinions, but they were only scandalized because of the writing of Mark, which you yourself have many times already consigned to rejection as composed contrary to the correct common doctrine of the church, and that for these reasons it was just both to obey the emperor advising good things and to depart peacefully. These things were communicated many times, but not

ὕστερον μετὰ χρόνους ὀκτὼ μόλις, καὶ ὑποσχέσεις δοὺς ἦ μὴν μὴ κατά τι Ἀρμενίοις συνέρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐκείνων διά γοντα, ἐπεὶ τὰ κατὰ Συρίαν ἠφάνιστο, προσεδέχθη, κἀνταῦθα τὸ βιοῦν ἀπήντλησεν. ὡς γοῦν ἐπιδημήσας οὗτος τῇ Κων σταντίνου τῷ τότε ὑπὲρ ἄλλους ἐν τοῖς τῶν Ὁδηγῶν κατοικεῖν προυτιμᾶτο, ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν ὁ πατριάρχης Γρηγόριος τῷ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ Λάτρῳ μετοχίῳ μετοικισθεὶς δίδοται.

(7) καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ διαφιλονεικῶν πρὸς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ βασιλέα ἐπι καλούμενος, εἰ λαβόντες αὐτὸν σοφόν τε καὶ ἔντιμον νομιζόμε νον, προσέτι δὲ καὶ ὀρθοδοξοῦντα, οὐχ ὅπως ἀτιμοῖεν ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσαφαιροῖντο τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ ὀρθοδοξίᾳ σέμνωμα. καὶ δὴ καὶ ὡς εἶχε γράφων τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ τόμῳ τῶν κατηγορουμένων ἐπίλυσιν, ὅπως γράψοι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ ὅπως φρονοίη, καὶ ὡς εἰ μὴ οὕτως ἐξηγοῖντο, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα εἰς τὴν τοῦ Βέκκου γνώμην ἐμπίπτειν, ταῦτα λέγων ἠξίου διδόντας αὐτοὺς τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀρθο 124 δόξῳ οἱ βέβαιον καὶ ὁμολογοῦντας ἀντιλαμβάνειν παρ' ἐκείνου τὴν τοῦ θρόνου παραίτησιν. τοῦτο οὖν ἐκείνοις λαβύρινθος ἄντικρυς δυσδιέξιτος· εἰ γὰρ ὁμολογοῖεν ὀρθόδοξον, ἡ ἐπὶ τῇ παραιτήσει ἀξίωσις οὐχ ὅπως ἄδοξος ἀλλὰ καὶ τυραννικὴ κατε φαίνετο. ἀντηξίουν γοῦν διὰ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνοι τὸν βασιλέα κρίσει ἐπιτραπῆναι τὰ κατ' ἐκεῖνον, καὶ εἰ μὲν εὑρεθείη ἀπὸ κοινῆς σκέ ψεως τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἐφ' οἷς ἔγραψεν ἔχων, τελεῖν καὶ αὖθις εἰς πα τριάρχην ἐκεῖνον, εἰ δέ γ' ἐξελεγχθείη ἐμπεσὼν εἰς σφάλμα δο γμάτων, αὐτὸν μὲν ζητεῖν ἐν μετανοίᾳ συγγνώμην καί γε λαμβά νειν, αὐτοὺς δ' ἀφέντας ἐκεῖνον δικαίως (καὶ τίς γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν παραιτήσεως χρεία;) ζητεῖν τὸν ἄξιον. ἐδέξατο τὸν λόγον ὁ βασιλεύς, καί γε πέμψας παρεδήλου τῷ Γρηγορίῳ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀντιδικούντων λεγόμενα. ὁ δὲ καθάπαξ δεινὸν ἡγούμενος εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ δοκῶν ὑπὲρ ἄλλους ἐπὶ τῇ παραβασίᾳ ἁλίσκοιτο δόγμα τος, ἐδέχετο τὴν ἀξίωσιν καὶ ἕτοιμος ἦν ἀπαντᾶν εἰς κρίσιν. ὅθεν καὶ ὥριστο μὲν ἡ ἡμέρα, ὥριστο δ' ὁ τόπος· ὁ δ' ἦν τὸ μέγα τοῦ βασιλέως παλάτιον. ἐτάττοντο οἱ κριταί, οἱ κατηγο ρήσοντες ἡτοιμάζοντο· οἱ δ' ἦσαν οἱ σχισθέντες ἐκείνου, ὅσοι τε τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ ὅσοι τῶν κληρικῶν. τὰ πάντ' εὐτρεπῆ, 125 ἔδει δὲ συνελθεῖν καὶ μόνον. ὡς δ' ἡ κυρία παρέστη καὶ ἀπαν τᾶν ἔδει εἰς ταὐτὸν πάντας, αὐτὸς συνάμα τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν πρωϊαίτερον ἑτοιμασθεὶς ἔφιππος σὺν ἐφίπποις πρὸς τὸ παλάτιον ἀπαντᾷ, καί που ἱστάμενος ἔξω ὡς ἔτυχεν ἔχων, δήλην τῷ βα σιλεῖ τὴν σφετέραν ποιούμενος ἄφιξιν ἀπαντᾶν τὴν ταχίστην καὶ κριτὰς καὶ κατηγόρους ἠξίου. ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεὺς σοφώτερόν τι καὶ βαθύτερον ἐννοῶν, ὡς γεγονυίας τῆς διαλέξεως οὐδὲν ὅλως χωρήσει κατ' ὀρθὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὡς θάτερον ἀμφοῖν γενέσθαι, ἢ ἐκεῖνον φανέντα κακὸν ἡσυχάζειν ἢ ἐκείνους διαβολεῖς ὁμολογεῖν, ἀλλὰ παραμένειν καὶ αὖθις τὸ σκάνδαλον, φύσεως ἐχόντων τῶν λόγων λόγοις μάχεσθαι, ὡς πραγμάτων καὶ μόνων εἶναι τὴν ὁμο λογίαν τῆς φύσεως, ὡς ἔχουσι φαινομένων καὶ μὴ ὡς λέγονται, ταῦτα σκοπήσας, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι τοῖς καταβαλοῦσιν οὐκ εἰς ἀσφαλὲς πάντῃ περισταίη ἂν τὸ πραχθὲν ὡς εἰς ὀβελισμὸν ἀγο μένοις διὰ τὴν τοῦ χειροτονητοῦ παραβασίαν, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἐπισφαλὲς ὁμολογοῦντες ὑπέγραψαν, οὐκ ἔκρινεν εἰς συμ φέρον γενέσθαι τὴν κρίσιν. ὅθεν καὶ πέμψας ἀπήρτα τὴν διαδι 126 κασίαν. καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἀντίθετοι τούτῳ εὐφυῶς ἀπεκρούοντο τὰ τῆς κρίσεως, οὐκ εἰς συμφέρον ἔσεσθαι τοὺς λόγους πολλῶν κινηθέντων διαβεβαιούμενοι, ἔπειθον δὲ βασιλέα πέμπειν καὶ ἀξιοῦν παρέχειν λίβελλον παραιτήσεως. μηδὲ γὰρ εἰς συμφέρον ἔσεσθαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν, αὐτοὺς δ' ἐντεῦθεν ὁμολογεῖν εὐσεβῆ, καὶ μηδένα τὸν δισταγμὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς σαῖς, φησί, φέρειν δόξαις, μό νον δὲ σκανδαλισθῆναι διὰ τὸ τοῦ Μάρκου γράμμα, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺ φθάσας πολλάκις ταῖς ἀποβολαῖς δέδωκας ὡς παρὰ τὸ ὀρθὸν συντεθὲν τῆς κοινῆς δόξης τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα δίκαιον εἶναι βασιλεῖ τε πείθεσθαι τὰ χρηστὰ συμβουλεύοντι καὶ εἰρηνι κῶς ἀπαλλάττειν. ταῦτα πολλάκις διεμηνύετο, ἀλλ' οὐκ