Panegyric orations

 To run against you from an opposing lot, he endured but the pentathlon was accomplished for you and the pancratium was completed with no one having c

 The votes, i imagine the divine judgment and i refer to the incorruptible tribunal. when i test you in elections, i admire your intelligence and your

 From afar it shines on those landing and extends a hand to those from the sea, escorting them to rome most painlessly. what in addition to these does

 Using it and bending and curving it towards the drooping jaw, i remember the indian's eyebrow at this, how he held it more than a cubit above his head

 And to a rival. let others, then, measure you against and compare you with whomever they wish, but i, though i seem to make a strange and dissimilar c

 In prose, not in meters and poems or perhaps many are present, but they have no account of the matter, as if it were of no account to them. and time

 The hegemony of his father, with kingdoms overthrown and not a few changes having occurred in both, those who, having exchanged their fortune for the

 He took counsel of opposing nations, but by making everything purchasable with gold and royal splendors, from this he gained the goodwill of all, and

 Opened, and flung wide the very gates of the soul, and associated with wicked and corrupt lives. for he did not at once know the whole line of the fam

 To work deeds of injustice for he was angry with those who did wrong and would punish them. but when he began to be sick and his body was wasting awa

 Not a magnificent spirit, not a musical and graceful speech, nothing else of the sort that knows how to beautify the soul and the nature of the body.

 Drives a sphere, and the other the superterrestrial one, so that the one might wind its own zone in a single cycle, and the other in twelve cycles, an

 Defining the virtues by its power, and practicing the higher geometry. for this, as proclus also says, has occupied the middle ground between the indi

 The power of the kingdom came to him, besides these the life of david among the flocks, the pursuit, those many dangers into which he fell but was not

 He locks up the monarchy into a tyranny, having exchanged one evil for another. justice is not quiet, it kindles the coals, it sends the arrow, the wi

 I call it his girdle-and he draws away no small cavalry and infantry force from old rome, he adds to these also the best army of the east, and no smal

 An angel wrought a more manifest victory. i have something more to say than those wonders there the cross was in types and images, a bronze serpent s

 You, o king the more abundantly you pour out benefits upon us, the more you increase by being filled. from this, no one has been left out of such wea

 With the eyes, then poured out and dissolved, but better and higher than all that is visible. but, o emperor—for i repeat the title to you and call it

 You fill the western beacon, neither grudging us your rays nor altering the color of your disk, but the more time increases the distances, the more be

 The rising of the sun, the land upon which it immediately rises, so that, if any of our people wished, having gone there he could, not with geometrica

 I am an unskillful chronicler of your deeds and erring in my timing, and i do not have a nature that strikes out in both directions at once. for you a

 To wish. for you both comprehend the present and conjecture the future and discover the unseen, discerning character from eyebrows and eyelids, so tha

 To speak? -unseemly even in his appearance, made of tin or dipped in bile and altogether counterfeit gold, but since he was in the midst of dangers, t

 With stones lying along each side, so that the conjoined may seem continuous and the well-fitted of one nature. behold for me the heights and beauties

 But here is a distinct hand divided into five rosy branches. but this is a most unerring testimony of that godlike soul. but do you wish to see some t

 Transcending substance and holding the principles of the forms folded together and least of all divided from the one. and you, being such, do you not

 The fountains of good deeds flowed, as if from a sheer rock, having received the impetus for their flowing these proclaimed you by reputation even be

 A guide, so also there an arbiter of the administrations, that i may suit you for both, both speaking your deeds and doing the words of your administr

 P]ortions are deprived of praise, but no one of all men has been suited to all words of praise. but to you so much is granted [against] all in all thi

 To bring to the highest point of keenness, or your soul which was not [shattered by] trials, but also most nobly endured through the magnitude of the

 And they were torn away, and their manner altered their nature [....], and they have remained, and after the separation, being both nourished and fatt

 But the love of art and the care concerning the divine sanctuaries, what demostheneses or the best of the writers could describe and praise? how beau

 Having surpassed in his heroic deeds him and the kings up to you, but in his plans he is recorded as being less than his accomplishments, winning in [

 Less, you have given the first place to reason over passion, and you have established the one like some foundation upon the acropolis, but the other y

 Having considered what is seen, but when i also behold the tomb of the queen, and i behold it often whenever i wish to console some hardship of fortun

 To comprehend in a speech. for to whom could the unattainable be attainable, even if he were rich in the homeric power for speeches, or the herodotan

 Admiring and in return is eager to make an image and someone already having constructed a stele for you inscribed the gentle one. therefore solomon

 Much praise and measured against all of time. how then could i summarize the whole in a few words? i will speak, therefore, a little of your virtues,

 Everyone rejoices and exults with the one who has taken up your encomiums and because i did not weave the words of praise sooner, he is rather vexed

 Gracefulness, the maturity of your thought, the symmetry of your greatness, the quick-wittedness, the stability of your mind, the unmarried life, the

 At once for us the lord and most skilled in command and pleasing to all, o most excellent foresight, o wise consideration, o most noble counsel, o div

 Of virtues? you, beyond any kings who ever were, honored justice and preferred philanthropy, and having attained the height of prudence, you appeared

 Accomplishments? o the arrows from heaven against the barbarians, o the unseen bowshots, o the angelic powers in the air, o the divine armies against

 The greatest part of character. for as many as have become of a civic disposition, if they have descended to this willingly, they seemed both prudent

 Of civil administration and of divine hearing. if therefore, being engaged in one, he also holds to the other, let this for now be a secret to many. b

 Of wise men going to ammon's shrine or being within the delphic tripod suddenly transferred their apparent wisdom to the more divine and greater, how

 We have taken starting points, and yet more absurd, if we render praises to the good and noble men who have died, for what they have said concerning w

 And not many months after the sowing, but immediately reaping the harvest and so that i might say what is from the gospel, the two were running toget

 If we should set about to build him up, this marvelous man, both in nature and in diligence, has received much contribution toward his eloquence from

 For having embraced one of these, they might neglect the rest, or putting ears before mind, they have an unintelligible tongue, or having drawn up spr

 Pleases the petty and the overly artful. therefore, of these enumerated wise men, the one now honored in this discourse wishes to imitate gregory, and

 I knew not only what the greeks knew, nor what the chaldeans or egyptians knew, but i had also condemned them, though not all of them, nor has my refu

 With magnanimity, he who was both namesake and like-minded with the great constantine, and who alone nobly contended against all, and taking his name-

 Regulates the state of the church, no less than moses who constructed the tabernacle below according to the pattern shown to him for whether melodies

 Concerning which things, before his high-priesthood, at a time when he did not even have many resources of money, he constructed brilliantly and accom

 And to impart to others. and perhaps he did not endure the waves of the sea, but in his toils on land he might in some way be compared to paul. and co

 One of two things happening, either god descending into the mind, or the mind ascending to god. but what is the place of god's rest, or by which of al

 Of a voice, nor were you instructed by any of the higher powers, to lay aside the symbols of the priesthood, and to transfer yourself to another life,

 Nothing unpleasant would happen to those handling these things but for you, who happen to be a philosopher, what harm will come from these affairs? j

 Of words but you, o king, will both speak publicly among the armies and bring an impulse with your speech and will rouse them together for the deed.

 May you be crowned on the head with glorious trophies. may you be adorned with deeds of valor against the barbarians, and be escorted by many victorie

 May you rend the sea and stop the river and vanquish amalek. may a cloud, giving shade over your head, take away your burning heat, and a pillar of li

admiring and in return is eager to make an image; and someone already having constructed a stele for you inscribed "the gentle one." Therefore Solomon will no longer be admired alone for his sagacity and knowledge, nor will David be celebrated for his meekness; for they now have you as their rival, falling short not even a little in their exceptional qualities. But, O city-protecting, scepter-bearing, and incomparable one, may you receive my oration, even if it falls far short of your worth, but lacking nothing in goodwill and eagerness, and may you benefit from your hopes in God. "Bend your bow and prosper and reign," placing every foe and enemy under your feet, fearing none of the terrible things, thinking nothing of contrary fate; for trusting in the mercy of the Most High you shall never be shaken. 9 To the same. You seem to me, most divine emperor, like an abundant spring gushing up from below from the flanks of the earth; for just as one who continuously draws from it seems to take something diminishing the flow, but leaves it undiminished, always being filled with an equal stream, so also he who brings praises and encomia to your virtues seems to take away something of yours with his praises, but he takes away nothing at all, but it always stands, or rather, the circle of your virtues dances around, as if no one had taken from it or praised it. And the greatest thing is that you always flow on with both your innate and acquired goods and you overwhelm the one praising you, and he has not been able to escape. But if he should run up to the east and recount for you the trophies there, the west pulls him back and contends with greater deeds of valor, as if pulling him towards itself with its hands; and if he should flee to the northern part, the opposing inhabited world again overpowers him, and all things conquer and are conquered at once, and the victor is nowhere and the vanquished unclear. I wish to give to the east the first prize for its successes, but the barbarians in the west, utterly destroyed by your plans and struggles, pull me away from such a thought and judgment. Again, as I adjust to the setting sun, the eastern part holds me back, being distinguished by its many deeds of valor and stratagems. Mesopotamia was in the middle, so to speak, of barbaric streams, and the river pouring them forth was no less than the Euphrates and Tigris, but now the one has grown cold, and the others have dried up, and the place is watered only by its usual streams. Persia was a receptacle of nations of myriad men, strange both in their names and in their appearances, making a sport of the fine things of the Romans and overrunning us, whenever they wished, but now they have not considered what terrible thing they will do to us, but they fear what they will suffer and have been subdued by your power. Forts of the barbarians in the west were taken by our armies, but God has added these also to you. Rome, once the greatest and elder, was envious of the newer one and lit some torches against it too, but arriving swiftly you extinguished these also and preserved your city as if it were an eye. [...] the entire dominion, to speak of it, unconquered by the barbaric spirits of the nations [....] throwing [......................] with other terrible [glan]ces. You alone, O emperor, wear the diadem with confidence, you have been crowned with victories, you have also been adorned with the double-cloak of justice and beautified with the grace of meekness, a judge among judges, a lawgiver among lawgivers, glorious in your high lineage, distinguished and renowned in the issue of your loins, pre-eminent in your root—for who is like it?—illustrious in your branches, just towards men, holy towards God, simple in appearance, magnificent in what is hidden, I have nothing greater for comparison, but better and of a perfect nature, so that all and in all things you alone and above all have conquered and prevailed not only over barbarians, but also over words themselves. 10 To the same. The time for public speaking is short, most divine emperor, but the account of your

θαυμάζων καὶ ἀμειβόμενος εἰκονουργεῖν προθυμεῖται· καὶ στήλην τις ἤδη κατασκευάσας σοι ἐπέγραψε τὸν μειλίχιον. Τοιγαροῦν οὐκέτι μόνος ἐπ' ἀγχινοίᾳ καὶ γνώσει θαυμασθήσεται Σολομὼν οὐδ' ἐπὶ πραότητι ∆αυὶδ διαβοηθήσεται· ἔχουσι γὰρ ἤδη σὲ τὸν ἀνθάμιλλον μηδὲ βραχὺ τοῖς ἐξαιρέτοις τούτων λειπόμενον. Ἀλλ', ὦ πολιοῦχε σκηπτοῦχε καὶ ἀπαράμιλλε, δέχοιο τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον, εἰ καὶ τῆς ἀξίας πολὺ λειπόμενον, ἀλλ' οὖν γε τὴς εὐνοίας καὶ προθυμίας μηδὲν ἐνδέοντα, καὶ ὄναιο τῶν πρὸς θεὸν ἐλπίδων. "ἔντειναί τε καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε", πάντα τιθεὶς ὑπὸ πόδας ἐχθρὸν καὶ πολέμιον, μηδὲν τῶν δεινῶν ὑφορώμενος, μηδὲν τὸν τῆς ἐναντίας μοίρας διανοούμενος· ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἐλέει πεποιθὼς τοῦ ὑψίστου οὐ σαλευθήση ποτέ. 9 Τῷ αὐτῷ Ἔοικάς μοι, θειότατε βασιλεῦ, ἀφθόνῳ πηγῇ κάτωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν λαγόνων ἀναβλυζούσῃ τῆς γῆς· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπ' ἐκείνης ὁ συνεχῶς ἀρδευόμενος δοκεῖ μέν τι λαβεῖν ἀπομειῶσαν τοῦ ῥεύματος, ἀμειαγώγητον δὲ ταύτην ἀφίησι τοῦ ἴσου πληρουμένην νάματος ἀεί, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ ταῖς σαῖς ἀρεταῖς προσάγων εὐφημίας τε καὶ ἐγκώμια δοκεῖ μέν τι τῶν σῶν ὑφελεῖν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ἀφαιρεῖται δὲ οὐδοτιοῦν, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν ἀεί, μᾶλλον δὲ περιχορεύει ὁ κύκλος τῶν σῶν ἀρετῶν ὥσπερ μηδενὸς διελόντος ἢ ἐπαινέσαντος. τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ὅτι ἐπιρρέεις ἀεὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐμφύτοις ἀγαθοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐπικτήτοις καὶ ἐπικλύζεις τὸν ἐπαινέτην, ὁ δὲ διαφυγεῖν οὐ δεδύνηται. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν εἰς ἀνατολὰς ἀναδράμοι καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε ἱστορήσει σοι τρόπαια, ἡ ἑσπέρα τοῦτον ἀντισπᾷ καὶ ἀντι[μ]ερίζεται μείζοσιν ἀριστεύμασιν, οἷα δὴ χερσὶν ἐφελκομένη πρὸς ἑαυτήν· ἂν [δὲ] πρὸς τὸ ἀρκτῷον ἀποφεύξηται μέρος, ἡ ἀντίρροπος οἰκουμένη τοῦτον αὖθις χειροῦται, καὶ νικῶσι πάντα ὁμοῦ καὶ νικῶνται, καὶ τὸ κρατοῦν οὐδαμοῦ καὶ τὸ νικώμενον ἄδηλον. Βούλομαι δοῦναι τῇ ἀνατολῇ τὰ τῶν κατορθωμάτων πρωτεῖα, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας βάρβαροι ἄρδην ἀπολωλότες τοῖς σοῖς βουλεύμασι καὶ ἀγωνίσμασιν ἀφέλκουσί με τῆς τοιαύτης ἐννοίας καὶ κρίσεως. πάλιν πρὸς δύντα μεθαρμοζόμενον ἥλιον ἐπέχει τὸ ἑῷον μέρος πολλοῖς ἀριστεύμασι διαπρέπον καὶ στρατηγήμασι. ἦν ἡ μέση τῶν ποταμῶν μέση βαρβαρικῶν ὡς εἰπεῖν ῥευμάτων καὶ ὁ προχέων ταῦτα ποταμὸς οὐδὲν ἐλάττων Εὐφράτου καὶ Τίγριδος, ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ μὲν ἀπέψυκται, τὰ δὲ ἐξήρανται, τὸ δὲ χωρίον τοῖς συνήθεσι μόνοις ἄρδεται νάμασιν. ἦν ἡ Περσὶς ἐθνῶν μυριάνδρων ὑποδοχὴ ἀλλοκότων καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ τοῖς σχήμασι, παιδιὰν τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ποιούντων καλὰ καὶ ἐπιτρεχόντων ἡμῶν, ὁπότε καὶ βούλοιντο, ἀλλά γε νῦν οὐχ ὅ τι ποιήσουσι δεινὸν ἡμῖν ἐντεθύμηνται, ἀλλ' ὅ τι πείσονται δεδίασι καὶ τῷ σῷ κράτει ὑπέστρωνται. ἑάλωσαν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας φρούρια βαρβάρων στρατεύμασιν, ἀλλὰ προστέθεικέ σοι καὶ ταῦτα θεός. ἡ μεγίστη ποτὲ Ῥώμη καὶ πρεσβυτέρα πρὸς τὴν νεωτέραν διεβασκήνατο καί τινας ἐξανῆψε καὶ ταύτῃ πυ[ρσ]ούς, ἀλλὰ φθάσας ὀξέως καὶ τούτους ἀπέσβεσας καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ ὀφθαλμὸν τὴν σὴν διετήρησας πόλιν. [...] σύμπασαν ἡγεμονίαν εἰπεῖν ἀνάλωτον ἐθνικοῖς πνεύμασι βαρβαρικοῖς [....]άζης ἐμβαλ[......................]αικίας β[λέμμ]ασιν ἄλλοις δεινόν. σὺ μόνος, βασιλεῦ, θαρρούντως τῷ διαδήματι χρῷ, ταῖς νίκαις γε ἐστεφάνωσαι, σὺ καὶ τῇ τῆς δικαιοσύνης διπλοΐδι κατακεκόσμησαι καὶ τῇ τῆς πραότητος χάριτι κατηγλάϊσαι δικαστὴς ἐν δικάζουσι, νομοθέτης ἐν νομοθέταις, τὰ τοῦ ἄνω γένους λαμπρός, τὰ ἐκ τῆς σῆς ὀσφύος ἐπίσημός τε καὶ περιβόητος, τῇ ῥίζᾳ διαπρεπής-τίς γὰρ αὐτῇ παραπλήσιος; -τοῖς κλάδοις διαφανής, τὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαιος, τὰ πρὸς θεὸν ὅσιος, λιτὸς τὸ φαινόμενον, μεγαλοπρεπὴς τὸ κρυπτόμενον, τὸ μεῖζον οὐκ ἔχω τὸ συγκρινόμενον, κρεῖττον ἀλλὰ καὶ τε[λείας] φύσεως, ὡς πάντας καὶ πᾶσι καὶ μόνος καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντας νικήσας καὶ κρατήσας οὐ βαρβάρων μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λόγων αὐτῶν. 10 Τῷ αὐτῷ Ὁ μὲν χρόνος τῆς δημηγορίας βραχύς, θειότατε βασιλεῦ, ὁ δὲ λόγος τῆς σῆς