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having commanded those around him, he inquired more precisely. 75.7 And they again cried out with one accord, and having pointed out the plight of the ship, they pleaded that, with all of us prisoners thrown into the sea, they be transferred to our ship, saying it was an outrage that in so great a misfortune, while we were being saved, they should be in danger at sea and not be preferred over our life. 75.8 To which indeed he also assented at once, ordering the ship to stop, that we be thrown into the sea, and they be transferred into it. 75.9 But while these things were being done, we had moved away no small distance without them noticing; 75.10 for we were being carried by a certain violent and harsh momentum, driven by the waves, so that we were unable to hear not only a shout but not even thunder from there, from where we had left them. 75.11 Therefore, when they saw that we had moved far away, they directed the barbarians with us to wait with a nod only. 75.12 But they, either not understanding for what purpose they were doing this, or even deliberately deceiving them by appearing not to pay any attention at all to what was being done by them, and perhaps taught this more by the ineffable care of God for us, held to their course, taking no account of those behind, but with all haste contriving their own and our salvation in so very violent a surge. 76.1 And when they saw that we had moved far away and their pretext was coming to nothing, and they were held in danger by the waters as their ship was sinking, they brought another plea to the tyrant, to take them into his own ship, but to allow the goods with them, the spoils which they were carrying, to be given to the sea. 76.2 And he was again compliant to this, although the occasion did not permit it but was increasing the despair of all, and the cargo of the former load was sufficiently fulfilling the need of his ship. 76.3 Nevertheless it did not seem expedient, when the barbarians were saved, to leave the captives to the depth of the sea, but having resolved by himself on something supposedly connected with mercy—perhaps driven to this by the madness of avarice, and not shamed by any sympathy concerning their destruction (for how could he, who formerly seemed to revel in unjust murders?)—nevertheless he ordered that they too be transferred with the barbarians, so that he might make the purse of his greed fatter even from these and satisfy his gold-loving madness, even if the undertaking was perhaps burdensome and of irrational boldness. 76.4 And when all were quickly transferred to his ship, that one sank into the waters as the barbarians and the generals themselves watched, being kept by them on the very ship of the tyrant; 76.5 who also related these things to us later, being astonished at the all-seeing and man-loving divine providence. 76.6 For they said there were many more than a thousand souls on that ship, from both the barbarians and the captives who had been brought aboard it in Crete and those added from the aforesaid cause, so that the merchant ship was as far from being submerged as is the measure of one palm. 76.7 But the Lord, the knower of the unseen and examiner of secrets, did not allow this, but when he saw the hearts of all giving up all good hope, and showing their helplessness to him alone who is able to do all things by his will alone, he looked upon them, 76.8 and turning the storm into a gentle breeze, and having smoothed the roughness of the waves into a calm, he saved them from so great a danger, showing to all, and the events all but shouting, how the God of wonders is able to rescue those who call upon him in truth and fear. 77.1 And now after the fifth day of the voyage we put in at the island of Cyprus at the harbor of Paphos, where we were also released for a short time so that the barbarians could go out and wash themselves in the nearby waters; 77.2 setting sail again from there after another day and night, we reached Tripoli, on the very day on which the saving wood of the cross is exalted, when we also from the things at sea just now

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τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν προστάξας ἀκριβέστερον ἀνηρώτα. 75.7 οἱ δὲ πάλιν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐβόων, καὶ τὸ πάθος τῆς νηὸς ὑποδείξαντες ἐπρεσβεύοντο πάντων ἡμῶν τῶν δεσμίων τῇ θαλάσσῃ ῥιφέντων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ναῦν μετασκευασθῆναι, ἐφύβριστον εἶναι λέγοντες ἐν τοσούτῳ κακῷ σωζομένων ἡμῶν ἐκείνους τοῦ κατὰ θάλασσαν γενέσθαι κινδύνου καὶ μὴ προτιμηθῆναι τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς. 75.8 πρὸς ὃ δὴ καὶ κατένευσε παραχρῆμα, ἐπιτρέψας στᾶσαν τὴν ναῦν ἡμᾶς μὲν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ῥιφῆναι, ἐκείνους δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ μετακομισθῆναι. 75.9 ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, ἐλάθομεν οὐκ ὀλίγον ἀποστάντες ἡμεῖς· 75.10 ἐφερόμεθα γὰρ βιαίῳ τινὶ καὶ χαλεπῷ τῷ ὁρμήματι τοῖς κύμασιν ἐλαυνόμενοι, ὡς οὐ μόνον κραυγῆς ἀλλ' οὐδὲ βροντῆς ἐκεῖθεν, ἐξ οὗ κατελίπομεν αὐτούς, δυνάμενοι ἐξακούειν. 75.11 ὡς οὖν εἶδον μακρὰν ἀποστάντας, νεύματι μόνον προσμένειν τοὺς σὺν ἡμῖν βαρβάρους ἐπέτρεπον. 75.12 οἱ δὲ εἴτε μὴ συνιέντες πρὸς ὃ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, εἴτε καὶ ἑκόντες αὐτοὺς παραλογισάμενοι τῷ μηδ' ὅλως φαίνεσθαι προσέχειν τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν πραττομένοις, τάχα δὲ τοῦτο πλέον ὑπὸ τῆς ἀφάτου περὶ ἡμᾶς κηδεμονίας τοῦ θεοῦ διδαχθέντες, εἴχοντο τοῦ πλοός, μηδένα λόγον τῶν κατόπιν ποιούμενοι, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ σπουδῇ τὴν αὐτῶν τε καὶ ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν ἐν οὕτω βιαιοτάτῳ μηχανώμενοι κλύδωνι. 76.1 Ὡς δὲ μακρὰν ἀποστάντας εἶδον ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖνοι καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν τὴν σκῆψιν χωροῦσαν, συνείχοντο δὲ κινδυνεύοντες τοῖς ὕδασι τῆς νηὸς καταδυομένης, ἄλλην τινὰ δέησιν τῷ τυράννῳ προσῆγον, λαβεῖν μὲν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ναῦν, ἐᾶσαι δὲ τοὺς μετ' αὐτῶν, μεθ' ὧν ἐπεφέροντο σκύλων, τῇ θαλάσσῃ δοθῆναι. 76.2 ὁ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο πάλιν ἦν εὐπειθής, καίπερ τοῦ καιροῦ μὴ συγχωροῦντος ἀλλὰ τὴν πάντων ἀπόγνωσιν ἐπιτείνοντος, καὶ τῶν ἀγωγίμων τοῦ πρῴην φόρτου αὐτάρκη τῆς νηὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν χρείαν ἀποπληρούντων. 76.3 πλὴν οὐκ ἔδοξε τοῦτο συμφέρον εἶναι, τῶν βαρβάρων περισωθέντων τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καταλιπεῖν τῷ θαλασσίῳ βυθῷ, ἀλλά τι δῆθεν ἐλέους ἐχόμενον καθ' ἑαυτὸν βουλευσάμενος, τάχα τῇ μανίᾳ τῆς φιλαργυρίας εἰς τοῦτο συνελαθείς, οὐχὶ δὲ συμπαθείᾳ τινὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπωλείας δυσωπηθείς (πῶς γὰρ ὃς ἐφαίνετο πρῴην τοῖς ἀδίκοις φόνοις τρυφῶν), ὅμως καὶ αὐτοὺς μετενέγκαι σὺν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπέταττεν, ἵν' ἔχῃ κἀν τούτοις ἁδρότερον ποιῆσαι τὸ τῆς πλεονεξίας βαλάντιον καὶ τὴν φιλόχρυσον ἀναπλῆσαι λύσσαν, κἂν τάχα φορτικὸν ἦν καὶ τόλμης ἀλόγου τὸ ἐπιχείρημα. 76.4 πάντων δὲ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ναῦν τὸ τάχος μετενεχθέντων, ἔδυ ἐκείνη τοῖς ὕδασι βλεπόντων τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νηῒ τοῦ τυράννου φυλαττομένων αὐτοῖς· 76.5 οἵτινες καὶ ἡμῖν ἐν ὑστέρῳ ταῦτα διηγήσαντο, τὸ παντεπίσκοπον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον ἐκπληττόμενοι τῆς θεϊκῆς προνοίας. 76.6 πολλῷ γὰρ πλείω χιλίων ψυχῶν ἔφασκον εἶναι κατὰ τὴν ναῦν ἐκείνην, ἐκ τε τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τῶν ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ κατ' αὐτὴν εἰσενεχθέντων καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ῥηθείσης προστεθέντων αἰτίας, ὡς τοσοῦτον ἀπέχειν βαπτισθῆναι τὴν ὁλκάδα ὅσον μιᾶς παλαιστῆς τὸ μέτρον ἐστίν. 76.7 οὐ συνεχώρησε δὲ τοῦτο ὁ τῶν ἀφανῶν γνώστης καὶ τῶν κρυφίων ἐξεταστὴς κύριος, ἀλλ' ὡς εἶδε τὰς καρδίας ἁπάντων πάσης μὲν χρηστῆς ἀπειπούσας ἐλπίδος, αὐτῷ δὲ μόνῳ τὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἐμφανιζούσας τῷ πάντα δυναμένῳ μόνῳ τῷ βούλεσθαι, ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπ' αὐτούς, 76.8 καὶ εἰς πραεῖαν μὲν αὔραν τὴν καταιγίδα, εἰς γαλήνην δὲ τὴν τῶν κυμάτων καταστορέσας τραχύτητα, ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοσούτου κινδύνου, πᾶσιν ἐμφαίνων, καὶ μόνον οὐχὶ βοᾶν δεικνύων τὰ πράγματα, ὅπως ῥύεσθαι δύναται ὁ τῶν θαυμασίων θεὸς τοὺς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ φόβῳ ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτόν. 77.1 Ἤδη δὲ μετὰ πέμπτην τοῦ πλοὸς ἡμέραν κατήραμεν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῆς Κύπρου κατὰ τὸν ὅρμον τῆς Πάφου, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἀνεθέντες μικρὸν ὡς ἐξελθεῖν τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ τοῖς παρακειμένοις ὕδασι λούσασθαι· 77.2 πάλιν ἐκεῖθεν ἀναχθέντες μετά γε νυχθήμερον ἄλλο τὴν Τρίπολιν κατελάβομεν, κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν καθ' ἣν ὑψοῦται τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον, ὅτε καὶ ἡμεῖς τῶν κατὰ θάλασσαν ἄρτι