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and of the chief priests as much as they could; but to withdraw without openly 161 stating the reasons, lest the undertaking also be considered in vain. But the things being done were indeed fruitless for both, for those sending the message and for him who was keeping quiet, by the opinion of the ones that they could not tear him away from there, no matter what they might say, and by his not setting down the reasons for his withdrawal in explicit terms, by which a remedy might often have been found. But as time was being wasted, the drama reached the emperor also and it immediately seemed grievous when it was heard; and he shared what was done by the patriarch with the chief priests around him and sought what should be done. For some, therefore, there was an exhortation to treat the withdrawal with the utmost concern, both because of the unusualness of the matter and the custom of peace and the not seeming to readily reject the first one and seek another, and before all these things was the entreaty of Emperor Michael, who was earnestly afraid lest the reasons for the withdrawal should fall upon him; for his conscience was an unwavering judge, and he was not ignorant of what was causing pain, even if the other did not speak openly, putting forth only a silent grief and contempt. There, at any rate, of the hierarchs gathered from wherever, there was an inquiry and deliberation about these things. And finally they sent those with John of Nicomedia—for he happened then also to be the patriarch waiting at the monastery of Saint Diomedes—to announce to him the things from the synod, which was summoning him and which seemed to consider the withdrawal a grievous matter, and which was ready to learn the reasons if he would state them, but also to reproach him that he had acted improperly, but, perhaps carried away by grief, had done what was not according to what was reasonable, which he should have declared to those assembled and asked them to correct, being a patriarch and holding the canons of the fathers in the highest regard; for where is the refuting, where the exhorting, where the rebuking, if this should be necessary? For the time being, however, they also wished to learn the reasons again, as they were ready to remedy them, if they could. And these things were what was to be said to him; and it had been commanded to those who would deliver the message that, if he were calmed, he should also promise to return; but if not, then they themselves should compel him to do one of two things, either to return again and take up the affairs of the church, 163 or indeed, if he did not wish, to give a letter of resignation; for it was not good for the church to be without a shepherd. Those with the bishop of Nicomedia, having received these letters, proceeded to Nicaea, to accomplish with haste what had been commanded. And when, having departed, they arrived at the monastery in which he was dwelling, approaching the patriarch as they were, they spoke of the command from the synod. But he, saying that the time for giving reasons had passed for them, and that it was fitting to withdraw from affairs in silence—for it was not possible to cure the incurable—, was wholly set on resigning. And they, as they had often appealed to him so that they might overcome his opinion, were at a loss to do or accomplish anything, so they revealed that which they had to do in secret; and when they asked for his resignation, he immediately resigned. But when it had to be composed and was being composed, with the bishop of Heraclea dictating, the addition of "unworthy of the priesthood" for the reasonableness of the resignation both angered the man, and there was a disturbance. And: "Why, not being content," he said, "with a resignation in word or indeed also in deed, do you also wish to entangle us with reasons that are not good? We willingly withdraw from affairs, caring nothing for them, whatever may happen." Thus then, having been repulsed by him being sternly sent away, having quickly covered the distance between, they went to the emperor and the synod; and they reported what was said to the patriarch, and finally, inserting the details of the resignation, they confirmed that his opinion was unchangeable; and that they would have surer proof, if, some men having been sent, he himself should immediately grant them to take up the staff and the candlestick. Which indeed also happened, and he allowed them to take them, if they wished. The emperor, upon these things, no longer considering it tolerable to wait, and having considered his own earnest request as a sufficient defense for the patriarch against what was to come, and especially since also the

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καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καθ' ὅσον ἰσχύοιεν· τὸ δ' ἀναχωρεῖν μὴ προφανῶς 161 τὰς αἰτίας λέγοντι, μὴ καὶ μάταιον νομισθῇ τὸ ἐγχείρημα. Ἦν δὲ ἄρα καὶ ἀμφοτέροις ἀνήνυτα τὰ πραττόμενα, τοῖς τ' ἐπιστέλλουσι καὶ τῷ ἡσυχά ζοντι, δοκήσει τῶν μὲν τοῦ μὴ ἔχειν ἀποσπᾶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκεῖνον, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοιεν, τοῦ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς ἱστᾶν τὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως αἴτια, ἐφ' ᾧ πολλάκις καὶ θεραπεία γένοιτο. Τριβομένου δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ, φθάνει καὶ ἐς βασιλέα τὸ δρᾶμα καὶ βαρὺ αὐτίκα δοκεῖ ἀκουσθέν· καὶ ὃς τοῖς ἀμφ' αὑτὸν ἀρχιερεῦσι τὸ πραχθὲν τῷ πατριάρχῃ κοινοῦται καὶ τὸ ποιητέον ζητεῖ. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν προτροπὴ ἦν ἐπὶ τὸ διὰ πλείστου τιθέναι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν τό τε τοῦ πράγματος ἄηθες καὶ ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης συνήθεια καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐξ ἑτοίμου δόξαι ἀποπροσποιεῖσθαι τὸν πρῶτον καὶ ζητεῖν ἕτερον, πρὸ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως παράκλησις Μιχαήλ, λιπαρῶς δεδιότος μὴ ἐφ' αὑτῷ τὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως γένοιτο αἴτια· τὸ γὰρ συνειδὸς ἀρρεπὲς κριτήριον ἦν, καὶ τὸ λυποῦν οὐκ ἠγνόει, κἂν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔλεγε φανερῶς, λύπην μόνην κωφὴν καὶ καταφρόνησιν προβαλ λόμενος. Ἐκεῖσε γοῦν τῶν ὁπουδήποτε συναχθέντων ἱεραρχῶν, ζήτησις ἦν περὶ τούτων καὶ σκέψις. Καὶ τέλος πέμπουσι τοὺς περὶ τὸν Νικομηδείας Ἰωάννηνἔτυχε γὰρ τότε καὶ πατριάρχης τῇ μονῇ τοῦ Ἁγίου ∆ιομήδους προσμένων, ἀγγελοῦντας μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου, μετα καλουμένης αὐτὸν καὶ βαρεῖαν δοκούσης ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν, ἑτοίμου τ' οὔσης πρὸς τὸ μαθεῖν εἰπόντος τὰ αἴτια, πλὴν δὲ καὶ ὀνειδιοῦντας ὡς οὐ δεόντως διαπράξοιτο, ἀλλά, συναρπασθεὶς ἴσως ἐξ ὀδύνης, τὸ μὴ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ποιήσειεν, ἣν ἔδει συναχθεῖσι δηλοῦν καὶ διορθοῦν ἀξιοῦν, πατριάρχην ὄντα καὶ τοὺς τῶν πατέρων κανόνας διὰ πλείστου τιθέμενον· ποῦ γὰρ τὸ ἐλέγχειν, ποῦ τὸ παρακαλεῖν, ποῦ τὸ ἐπιτιμᾶν, εἰ καὶ τούτου δεήσειε; Τέως δὲ καὶ ὡς θέλοιεν πάλιν μαθεῖν τὰς αἰτίας, ὡς καὶ θεραπεύειν, εἰ δύναιντο, ἕτοιμοι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἦσαν τὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον· προστέτακτο δὲ τοῖς ἀπαγγελοῦσιν ὡς, εἰ μὲν πραΰνοιτο, καὶ ἐπανήξειν ὑπόσχοιτο· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς ἀναγ κάζειν δυοῖν θάτερον ἐκτελεῖν, ἢ ἐπανελθεῖν πάλιν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας 163 ἀναλαβεῖν, ἢ μήν, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο, διδόναι λίβελλον παραιτήσεως· μηδὲ γὰρ καλὸν εἶναι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀποίμαντον. Ταύτας οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Νικομηδείας δεξάμενοι τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐπὶ Νικαίας ἐχώρουν, σπουδῇ τὰ προστεταγμένα ἐπιτελέσοντες. Ὡς δ' ἐξελθόντες ἐπέστησαν τῇ ἐν ᾗ κατῴκει μονῇ, προσ ελθόντες τῷ πατριάρχῃ καθὼς εἶχον, τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου κελεύσεως ἔλεγον. Ὁ δέ, τὸν μὲν τῆς αἰτίας καιρὸν αὐτοῖς παρῳχηκέναι φήσας, πρέπειν δὲ σιγῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξίστασθαιμηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι θεραπεύειν τὰ ἀνι άτρευτα, ὅλος ἦν πρὸς τῷ παραιτεῖσθαι. Οἱ δ' ὡς πολλάκις προσβαλόντες ἐφ' ᾧ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης κρατήσειαν, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ τοῦ πράττειν τι καὶ ἀνύειν ἐγένοντο, ὅπερ εἶχον δι' ἀπορρήτων πράττειν, ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐξέφαινον· καὶ ἐξαιτούντων ἐκείνων παραίτησιν, εὐθὺς παρῃτεῖτο. Ὡς δ' ἔδει συντάτ τεσθαι ταύτην καὶ συνετάττετο, τοῦ Ἡρακλείας ὑπαγορεύοντος, τὸ ἀνάξιος προστεθὲν τῆς ἱερωσύνης εἰς τὸ τῆς παραιτήσεως εὔλογον ἠγρίαινέ τε τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ταραχὴ ἦν. Καί· «Τί δ' οὐκ ἀρκούμενοι, ἔλεγε, τῇ ἐκ λόγων ἢ μὴν καὶ πράξεως παραιτήσει, καὶ αἰτίαις οὐκ ἀγαθαῖς συμπλέκειν ἡμᾶς βούλεσθε; Ἑκόντες ἐξιστάμεθα τῶν πραγμάτων, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν μέλον, κἂν ὅ τι γένηται.» Οὕτω τοίνυν ἀποκρουσθέντες ἐμβριθῶς ἀποπεμπομένου, διὰ ταχέων τὸ μεταξὺ διανύσαντες, πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα καὶ τὴν σύνοδον ἀπαντῶσι· καὶ ἀπαγγέλλουσι μὲν τὰ τῷ πατριάρχῃ λεχθέντα, τέλος δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς παραιτή σεως παρενείροντες ἀμετάθετον τὴν ἐκείνου γνώμην διεβεβαίουν· ἀπο λήψεσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν πεῖραν ἀσφαλεστέραν, εἰ, τινῶν σταλέντων, τὴν βακτη ρίαν καὶ τὸ λαμπαδοῦχον ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὸς εὐθέως παράσχοι. Ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε, καὶ παρεχώρει λαμβάνειν, εἰ βούλοιντο. Ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκέτ' ἀνεκτὸν ἡγούμενος ἀναμένειν, εἰς ἱκανὴν ἀπολογίαν τῷ πατριάρχῃ τῶν ἐπιγενησομένων καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ λιπαρὰν νομίσας ἀξίωσιν, ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ τοῦ