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he said, but also of a fragment of the holy bread, having learned later from others, the high priest excommunicated the patriarch in writing, but Neophytos, as one who had co-signed and agreed with him, at that time disdaining them as unlearned, being reconciled later, sending he received forgiveness and forgave in return. And indeed to the small monastery of Aristine, situated somewhere near the monastery of Saint Andrew in Krisei (for there the protovestiarissa Raoulaina gathered, from her own resources cherishing great things) he brought and gave himself.

11. But the emperor, having been freed from such things, with the great 134 transgression concerning the Tomos creeping in, did not deem it right to leave it uncorrected, and he convened synods, and gathered wise men living by the spirit, and by common deliberation ordered the Tomos of his helper (who was Gregory), now left on its own, to be examined. And at first, when they had assembled together with the emperor at the Great Palace, an earthquake suddenly struck and broke up that gathering and deliberation; then they gathered again at the palace of Blachernae and deliberated more carefully. And some arguing and saying some things, others other things for many days, finally, since it was not possible to agree on the correction of the text, they removed the explanation completely, considering it better not to explain the saying at all than by explaining to run a risk

. 12. When these things had happened thus, the emperor was again greatly pained by the division of the Arsenites, and was entirely devoted to seeing if it were possible to reconcile them and unite them with the church. For they had also happened to be in contention among themselves, so that they became two factions, the majority around Hyakinthos, and some wavering with John Tarchaneiotes, being more scrupulous than the others in most things, and because yesterday and the day before those around Hyakinthos were calling on God with fire, calling them fire-worshippers 135 and deciding to be in schism from them even to the point of not speaking. For John, thinking it not only ignorant but also impious to test the things appointed by the scriptures with fire, was in schism both from the church as before, and also in schism from those very ones around Hyakinthos, as he would not consent to whatever they might do. For this reason, being disregarded by the emperor, as was likely, he was exiled and imprisoned in the fortress of Chele. So then, when the church was vacant, the emperor, wishing to test the schismatics to see if he could somehow bring them to peace, sent for and brought down John, and held him in freedom somewhere near the palaces at Blachernae in the old armory, allowing him to be with and converse with those he had as his own companions. And so, intending to bring both together and to ask things conducive to peace, he first made some trial skirmishes with John. And on one occasion, sending Athanasios of Alexandria, who seemed great in the eyes of that very John, so that, as he himself said to the emperor, the emperor might learn and fully inform the patriarch of the matters, sending him, therefore, for these reasons, he communicated what seemed best, at the same time 136 ordering and requesting them both to be of one mind, and thus the schismatics, having been brought together to one mind, should also be brought together in one place, with a common synod being held under the emperor, who himself was extending a right hand, if they should say things that were possible and otherwise expedient, and that peace should be awarded from thence by the good pleasure of God, if they themselves also wished it. For God is in the midst of those who are of one mind, and is the God of peace for those who seek it, both those far and those near, and gives this peace to them, and especially whenever one seeks not his own glory but His. When those around the Alexandrian said these things and more, there was nothing to hear but turnings of riddles and postponements of matters and certain other things, which those who reject the present and hang their hopes on the future are accustomed to use. Meanwhile the emperor, also convening synods, that they, being unable to be at peace with each other, might be at peace with him

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ἔλεγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁγίου κλάσματος ἄρ του, μαθὼν παρ' ἄλλων ἐσύστερον, ἀρχιερεὺς πατριάρχην ἐγ γράφως ἀφώριζε, Νεόφυτον δὲ ὡς συνυπογράψαντα καὶ ὁμογνω μονήσαντά οἱ, ἐκείνοις τότε ὑπερηφανῶν ὡς ἀμαθέσιν, ἐνευ μενιζόμενος ὕστερον, πέμπων ἐλάμβανε τὴν συγχώρησιν καὶ ἀν τισυνεχώρει. καί γε τῷ τοῖς Ἀριστινῆς μονυδρίῳ, ἐχόμενά που κειμένῳ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου τοῦ ἐν τῇ κρίσει μονῆς (ἐκεῖ γὰρ πρωτοβεστιάρισσα Ῥαούλαινα συνῆγεν, ἐξ ἑαυτῆς περιθάλπουσα τὰ μεγάλα) φέρων ἑαυτὸν δίδωσι.

11. Βασιλεὺς δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἀπαλλαγείς, πολλοῦ τοῦ 134 κατὰ τὸν τόμον ὑφέρποντος πλημμελήματος, οὐχ οὕτως ἠξίου ἐᾶν ἀδιόρθωτον, καὶ συνόδους συνεκρότει, καὶ πνεύματι ζῶν τας σοφοὺς συνέλεγε, καὶ κοινῇ σκέψει μονωθέντα τὸν τόμον τοῦ βοηθοῦ (ὁ δ' ἦν Γρηγόριος) προσέταττεν ἐξετάζειν. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν κατὰ τὸ μέγα παλάτιον συνάμα βασιλεῖ συναχθέντων σεισμὸς ἐνσκήψας ἐξαίφνης τὸν σύλλογον ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὴν σκέψιν διέλυεν· εἶτα κατὰ τὰ τῶν Βλαχερνῶν ἀνάκτορα καὶ αὖθις συνήγοντο καὶ ἐπιμελέστερον διεσκέπτοντο. καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις διαφιλονεικοῦντες καὶ λέγοντες, τέλος, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν συμφωνεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ γράμματος διορθώσει, ὑπεξεῖλον τέλεον τὴν ἐξήγησιν, κρεῖττον ἡγησάμενοι μὴ ὅλως τὸ ῥητὸν ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἢ ἐξηγουμένους ἀναρρίπτειν κίνδυνον

. 12. Τούτων δὴ γεγονότων οὕτως, βασιλεὺς καὶ αὖθις πολὺς ἦν ἀλγῶν ἐπὶ τῇ διαστάσει τῶν Ἀρσενιατῶν, καὶ ἅπας ἐγίγνετο εἰ οἷόν τε συμβιβάζειν αὐτοὺς καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑνοῦν. ἔτυχον γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς στασιάσαντες, ὡς δύο μοί ρας γενέσθαι, τοὺς μὲν πλείους ἀμφὶ τὸν Ὑάκινθον, ἐνίους δὲ ἐν τῷ Ταρχανειώτῃ Ἰωάννῃ σαλεύειν, ἀκριβολογουμένους ὑπὲρ ἐκείνους τὰ πλεῖστα, καὶ ὅτι χθὲς καὶ πρὸ τρίτης ἐν πυρὶ ἐκά λουν θεὸν οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ὑάκινθον, πυρσολάτρας ἐκείνους ἀποκα 135 λοῦντας κἀκείνων σχίζεσθαι μέχρι καὶ αὐτῆς προσλαλιᾶς ἐγνωκό τας. καὶ γὰρ ἐν πυρὶ δοκιμάζειν τὰ παρὰ τῶν γραφῶν διω ρισμένα οὐχ ὅπως ἀμαθὲς ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβὲς ὁ Ἰωάννης οἰόμενος ἀπεσχίζετο μὲν καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡς πρότερον, ἀπεσχίζετο δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ὑάκινθον, ὡς μὴ συναινέσων κἂν ὅ τι ποιοῖεν. διὸ δὴ καὶ παρὰ βασιλέως, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, παρορώμε νος τῷ τῆς Χηλῆς φρουρίῳ ἐξορισθεὶς ἐγκαθείργνυτο. τότε τοί νυν τῆς ἐκκλησίας κεχηρωμένης, πειρᾶν ἐθέλων τῶν σχιζομένων ὁ βασιλεὺς εἴ που σφᾶς καὶ δυνηθεὶς εἰρηνεύσειε, πέμψας κατά γει τὸν Ἰωάννην, καί που πλησίον τῶν κατὰ Βλαχέρνας παλατίων ἐν τῷ πάλαι ἁρματοφυλακίῳ ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ κατέχει, ἐνδοὺς ἐκεί νῳ καὶ οἷς ἰδίοις εἶχε συνοῦσι συνεῖναί τε καὶ συνομιλεῖν. καὶ δὴ γνοὺς συνάγειν ἀμφοτέρους καὶ ἐρωτᾶν τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην, πρό τερον ἀκροβολισμοῖς τισὶν ἐπειρᾶτο τοῦ Ἰωάννου. ἐν μιᾷ δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας Ἀθανάσιον πέμψας, μέγαν παρ' ἐκείνῳ δὴ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ δοκοῦντα, ὡς αὐτοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα λέγοντος μανθάνειν τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τῷ πατριάρχῃ τοὺς λόγους πληροφορεῖν, πέμψας οὖν διὰ ταῦτ' ἐκεῖνον διεμηνύετο τὰ δοκοῦντα, ἅμα τε προστάσ 136 σων καὶ ἀξιῶν ὁμονοεῖν σφᾶς ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ οὕτως εἰς ἓν κατὰ γνώμην συναχθέντας τοὺς σχιζομένους συναχθῆναι καὶ κατὰ τό πον, συνόδου κοινῆς ὑπὸ βασιλεῖ γινομένης, ὀρέγοντι καὶ αὐτῷ δεξιάν, εἰ τὰ δυνατὰ καὶ ἄλλως ξυμφέροντα λέγοιεν, βραβευθῆ ναί τε τὴν εἰρήνην ἐντεῦθεν εὐδοκίᾳ θεοῦ, εἰ καὶ αὐτοὶ θέλοιεν. εἶναι γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ καὶ θεὸν τῶν ὁμονοούντων, καὶ ζητοῦσιν εἰ ρήνην ὄντα τῶν μακράν τε καὶ τῶν ἐγγὺς καὶ σφίσι ταύτην διδό ναι, καὶ μᾶλλον ὁπότε τις μὴ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκείνου δόξαν ζητοίη. ταῦτα καὶ πλείω λέγουσι τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας οὐδὲν ἦν ἀκούειν εἰ μὴ στροφὰς αἰνιγμάτων καὶ διωρίας πραγμά των καὶ ἄλλ' ἄττα, οἷς ἄρα οἱ τὸ παρὸν ἀποκρουόμενοι καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον τὰς ἐλπίδας ἀναρτῶντες χρῆσθαι εἰώθασι. τέως δὲ καὶ συνόδους ὁ βασιλεὺς συγκροτῶν, τὸ ἐκείνους, μὴ ἔχοντας εἰρηνεύειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἑαυτῷ εἰρηνεύειν