39.  He first of all made it plain that his office had been bestowed upon him, not by human favour, but by the gift of God.  This will also be shown by my conduct.  For in what philosophic research did he not, about that time, join with me?  So every one thought that I should run to meet him after what had happened, and show my delight at it (as would, perhaps, have been the case with any one else) and claim a share in his authority, rather than rule beside him, according to the inferences they drew from our friendship.  But, in my exceeding anxiety to avoid the annoyance and jealousy of the time, and specially since his position was still a painful and troubled one, I remained at home, and forcibly restrained my eager desire, while, though he blamed me, Basil accepted my excuse.  And when, on my subsequent arrival, I refused, for the same reason the honour of this chair, and a dignified position80    Dignified position, known later as that of Vicar General.  Thomassin.  Disc. Eccl. I. ii. 7. § 3. among the Presbyters, he kindly refrained from blaming, nay he praised me, preferring to be charged with pride by a small clique, in their ignorance of our policy, rather than do anything contrary to reason and his own resolutions.  And indeed, how could a man have better shown his soul to be superior to all fawning and flattery, and his single object to be the law of right, than by thus treating me, whom he acknowledged as among the first of his friends and associates?

Πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο πᾶσι ποιεῖ φανερόν, ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης χάριτος ἦν αὐτῷ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ δῶρον τὸ δεδομένον: δηλώσει δὲ καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον. Οἷα γάρ μοι φιλοσοφοῦντι περὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον συνεφιλοσόφει! Τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων ἁπάντων οἰομένων καὶ προσδραμεῖσθαί με τῷ γεγονότι καὶ περιχαρήσεσθαι, ὅπερ ἑτέρου καὶ παθεῖν ἴσως ἦν, καὶ συνδιανεμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν μᾶλλον ἢ παραδυναστεύειν, καὶ τῇ φιλίᾳ τοῦτο τεκμαιρομένων: ἐπειδὴ τὸ φορτικὸν φεύγων ἐγώ, καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἅπασιν, εἴπερ ἄλλος τις, καὶ ἅμα τοῦ καιροῦ τὸ ἐπίφθονον, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ὠδινόντων ἔτι καὶ ταρασσομένων, οἴκοι κατέμεινα, βίᾳ χαλινώσας τὸν πόθον, μέμφεται μέν, συγγινώσκει δέ. Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστάντα μέν, τὴν δὲ τῆς καθέδρας τιμὴν οὐ δεξάμενον, τῆς αὐτῆς ἕνεκεν αἰτίας, οὐδὲ τὴν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων προτίμησιν, οὔτε ἐμέμψατο, καὶ προσεπῄνεσεν, εὖ ποιῶν, τῦφον κατηγορηθῆναι μᾶλλον ὑπ' ὀλίγων ἑλόμενος, τῶν ταύτην ἀγνοησάντων τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἤ τι πρᾶξαι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ βουλεύμασιν ἐναντίον. Καίτοι πῶς ἂν μᾶλλον ἔδειξεν ἄνθρωπος πάσης θωπείας καὶ κολακείας κρείττω τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχων καὶ πρὸς ἓν μόνον βλέπων, τὸν τοῦ καλοῦ νόμον, ἢ περὶ ἡμῶν οὕτω διανοηθείς, οὓς ἐν πρώτοις τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φίλων καὶ συνήθων ἐγνώρισεν.