45

may be harmed. But you will know what comes next. 153.TO BOSPORIUS 153.1 Twice now have I been tripped up by you in this and have been deceived (you know what I mean); and if justly, may the Lord smell a fragrant aroma from you; but if unjustly, may the Lord forgive. 153.2 For it is reasonable for me to speak thus concerning you, since we have been commanded to endure even when wronged. However, just as you are masters of your opinion, so am I of mine. No longer will Gregory the burdensome be burdensome to you. I will withdraw to God, who alone is pure and guileless. I will shrink into myself. 153.3 These things I have legislated for myself; for the proverb allows only fools to stumble twice against the same stone. 154.TO OLYMPIUS 154.1 To us you are a ruler even after your rule (for we judge matters differently than the many), because you possess within yourself every virtue of a ruler. For many of those on high thrones are low in my eyes, as many as their hand makes humble and slaves of their subjects; but many are high and lofty, even if they stand below, as many as virtue places on high and makes worthy of greater offices. 154.2 But what are these things to me? No longer is the great Olympius with us, nor does he bear our rudders; we are gone, we are betrayed, we have become again a second Cappadocia, having been a first because of you. 154.3 And as for the affairs of others, what need is there to speak? But who will tend to your Gregory in his old age and treat his weakness with honors and make more honored the one who, thanks to you, shows philanthropy to many? 154.4 Now, then, may you go on your way with better guidance and escort, leaving behind many tears for us, but carrying with you much wealth from yourselves, and such as not many of the rulers have, namely, good repute and the fortune of being inscribed in the souls of all, on monuments not easily moved. 154.5 And if you should come to us again with a greater and more splendid office (for our longing prophesies this for us), we will certainly offer more perfect thanksgivings to God. 155.TO ASTERIUS 155.1 What is this we are suffering? You have gone, leaving us behind, and we are sick, not even being permitted by envy so much as to utter words of farewell to you. O, the loss and the despitefulness. 155.2 I risk saying something bold: why was it necessary to receive the good, if it was not going to remain? For not one of pleasant things gives so much delight when present, as it distresses when taken away. 155.3 We have been honored by you, we have been glorified, we have enjoyed your rule, we have been filled with your philanthropy. For we have not forgotten these things, nor will we forget them; sooner ourselves than you. 155.4 And what from us to you in return for these things? What else, but the best of what we have? And we have our prayers, by which may you be saved and win approval. And may you appear to us again, if indeed we should obtain so long a term of life. 156.TO THE SAME 156.1 Great among men was Heracles, as the story goes (that I may remind you, a man of letters, of one of your own subjects); but he would not have been so great, if he had not had Iolaus fighting alongside him, especially against the Hydra, that bitter and many-headed beast, whose heads the one cut off, while the other cauterized them, just as you do with the heads of wickedness. 156.2 The Actoriones outdrove many with their chariots, as it seems to Homer; for they were twins both in body and in skill, the one taking the reins, the other the whip, and contributing to one another's victory. 156.3 A pilot saves many sailors, but he would not save them as well if not aided by a good lookout, who both watches the winds and points out the reefs beforehand and becomes, as it were, an eye for the ship. 156.4 Such for us is also your case. For though the governor is splendid in and of himself, you make him more splendid by your cooperation; whom, while praising him for many things, we admire most for this: that while maintaining so much goodwill for public affairs, you make room for friendships, not displaying strictness by harshness of manner, like most of the immoderate, but rather taming the austerity of office with gentleness. 157.TO THEODORE 157.1 Spiritual matters have an end; I will no longer add to your troubles.

45

καταβλάπτηται. Τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς ὑμεῖς εἴσεσθε. 153.Τ ΒΟΣΠΟΡΙΩΙ 153.1 ∆ὶς ἤδη τοῦτο ἐπτέρνισμαι παρ' ὑμῶν καὶ ἠπάτημαι (οἶδας ὃ λέγω)· καὶ εἰ μὲν δικαίως, ὀσφρανθείη Κύριος παρ' ὑμῶν ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας· εἰ δὲ ἀδίκως, συγγνοίη Κύριος. 153.2 Οὕτω γὰρ ἐμὲ περὶ ὑμῶν λέγειν εὔλογον, ἐπειδὴ φέρειν καὶ ἀδικούμενοι προστετάγμεθα. Πλὴν ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς κύριοι τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης, οὕτω κἀγὼ τῆς ἐμῆς. Οὐκέτι βαρὺς ὑμῖν ἔσται Γρηγόριος ὁ βαρύς. Ἀναχωρήσω πρὸς Θεὸν τὸν μόνον καθαρόν τε καὶ ἄδολον. Εἰς ἐμαυτὸν συσταλήσομαι. 153.3 Ταῦτα ἐμαυτῷ νενομοθέτηκα· δὶς γὰρ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν λίθον πταίειν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις μόνοις ἡ παροιμία δίδωσιν. 154.Τ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΩΙ 154.1 Ἡμῖν ἄρχων σὺ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν (κρίνομεν γὰρ ἑτέρως ἢ ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ τὰ πράγματα), ὅτι πᾶσαν ἀρχικὴν ἀρετὴν ἐν σεαυτῷ συλλαβὼν ἔχεις. Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὑψιθρόνων ἐμοὶ κάτω, ὅσους ἡ χεὶρ ποιεῖ ταπεινοὺς καὶ δούλους τῶν ἀρχομένων· πολλοὶ δὲ ὑψηλοὶ καὶ μετέωροι, κἂν ἑστήκασι κάτω, ὅσους ἄνω τίθησιν ἀρετὴ καὶ ποιεῖ μειζόνων ἀρχῶν ἀξίους. 154.2 Ἀλλὰ τί τούτων ἐμοί; Οὐκέτι μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ μέγας Ὀλύμπιος οὐδὲ φέρει τοὺς ἡμετέρους οἴακας· οἰχόμεθα, προδεδόμεθα, γεγόναμεν αὖθις δευτέρα Καππαδοκία, πρώτη παρὰ σοῦ γεγονότες. 154.3 Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τί χρὴ λέγειν; Ἀλλὰ τίς γηροκομήσει τὸν σὸν Γρηγόριον καὶ φαρμακεύσει τὴν ἀσθένειαν ταῖς τιμαῖς καὶ θήσει τιμιώτερον τὸν παρὰ σοῦ πολλοῖς προξενοῦντα φιλάνθρωπον; 154.4 Νῦν μὲν οὖν ἀπίοιτε τὴν ὑμετέραν ὁδὸν σὺν ὁδηγίᾳ καὶ πομπῇ κρείττονι, πολλὰ μὲν δάκρυα καταλιπόντες ἡμῖν, πολὺν δὲ πλοῦτον ἐπικομιζόμενοι παρ' ὑμῶν καὶ οἷον οὐ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀρχόν των, τὴν εὐδοξίαν καὶ τὸ ἀνάγραπτοι τυγχάνειν ἐν ταῖς ἁπάντων ψυχαῖς, στήλαις οὐκ ἐυκινήτοις. 154.5 Εἰ δὲ πάλιν ἡμῖν ἐπισταίητε μετὰ μείζονος καὶ λαμπροτέρας τῆς ἀρχῆς (τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ πόθος ἡμῖν μαντεύεται), τελεώτερα τῷ Θεῷ τὰ χαριστήρια πάντως ἀνοίσομεν. 155.Τ ΑΣΤΕΡΙΩΙ 155.1 Τί τοῦτο πάσχομεν; οἴχεσθε καταλιπόντες ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀρρωστοῦμεν, οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον παρὰ τοῦ φθόνου συγχωρηθέντες, ὅσον ἐφ' ὑμῖν τὰ προπεμπτήρια φθέγ ξασθαι. Ὢ τῆς ζημίας καὶ τῆς ἐπηρείας. 155.2 Κινδυνεύω τι καὶ τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν· τί λαβεῖν ἔδει τὸ ἀγαθόν, εἰ μὴ παραμένειν ἔμελλεν; Οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον εὐφραίνει παρὸν τῶν τερπνῶν οὐδὲ ἕν, ὅσον ἀνιᾷ χωριζόμενον. 155.3 Τετι μήμεθα παρ' ὑμῶν, δεδοξάσμεθα, τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀπηλαύσαμεν, τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐνεφορήθημεν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐπιλελήσμεθα τούτων, οὔτε ἐπιλησόμεθα· πρότερον ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἢ ὑμῶν. 155.4 Τί δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀντὶ τούτων ὑμῖν; Τί δ' ἄλλο γε, ἢ ὧν ἔχομεν τὸ κάλλιστον; ἔχομεν δὲ τὰς εὐχάς, αἷς σώζοισθε καὶ εὐδοκιμοίητε. Καὶ πάλιν ἡμῖν ὀφθείητε, ἂν ἄρα τοσαύτης τύχωμεν τοῦ ζῆν προθεσμίας. 156.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 156.1 Μέγας ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὁ Ἡρακλῆς, ὡς ὁ λόγος (ἵνα σε λόγιον ὄντα καί τινος ἀναμνήσω τῶν σῶν)· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν τοσοῦτος ἦν, εἰ μὴ τὸν Ἰόλαον εἶχε συναγωνιζόμενον, καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ὕδρας μάλιστα, τοῦ πικροῦ τούτου καὶ πολυκεφάλου θηρίου, ἧς ὃ μὲν ἐξέτεμνε τὰς κεφαλάς, ὃ δὲ ἐπέκαιεν, ὥσπερ τὰς τῆς κακίας ὑμεῖς. 156.2 Πολλοὺς παρήλαυνον οἱ Ἀκτορίωνες ἅρμασιν, ὡς Ὁμήρῳ δοκεῖ· δίδυμοι γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ τὰ σώματα καὶ τὴν τέχνην, ὃ μὲν τὰς ἡνίας, ὃ δὲ τὴν μάστιγα μεριζόμενοι καὶ τὸ νικᾶν ἀλλήλοις συνερανίζοντες. 156.3 Πολλοὺς διασῴζει κυβερ νήτης πλωτῆρας, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ὁμοίως διέσῳζε μὴ καλῷ πρωρεῖ βοηθούμενος, ὃς καὶ διαθρεῖ τοὺς ἀνέμους καὶ τὰς ὑφάλους προδείκνυσι καὶ γίνεται τῆς νηὸς οἷόν τις ὀφθαλμός. 156.4 Τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ὑμέτερον. Λαμπρὸν γὰρ ὄντα τὸν ἄρχοντα καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, λαμπρότερον αὐτὸς ἐργάζῃ τῇ συνεργίᾳ· ὃν πολλὰ ἐπαινοῦντες τοῦτο θαυμάζομεν μάλιστα ὅτι τοσαύτην τοῖς δημοσίοις εὔνοιαν σῴζοντες χώραν δίδοτε τοῖς φιλικοῖς, οὐ τραχύτητι τρόπου τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐνδεικνύμενοι, κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν ἀμέτρων, ἡμερότητι δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐστηρὸν τιθασσεύοντες. 157.Τ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΩΙ 157.1 Τὰ μὲν πνευματικὰ πέρας ἔχει· οὐκέτι προσθήσω διοχλεῖν ὑμῖν.