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Come together, devise, take counsel against us. Let those who hate us conquer; let the canons be observed precisely, beginning from us, the most ignorant. 157.2 There is no grudge against precision; but let friendly matters not be hindered. The sons of my most honored son Nicobulus have come to the city to learn shorthand; be willing to see them both in other matters and as your own and as a father (for the canons do not forbid this either), and take care that they may be neighbors to the church. 157.3 For I wish them to be molded in their character toward virtue, by continually meeting with your Perfection. 158.T TO EULALIUS 158.1 Nothing is stronger than truth, as it seems to Esdras and to me; for the virgin Alypiane, being required by us with all precision, as you commanded, to give an account of her own mind, spoke the truth plainly and clearly, confessing her virginity and holding to it more fervently than we expected, and more steadfastly than fervently, I mean with a virginal zeal, but with the responses of old age. 158.2 And the harshness of our questioning proved beneficial in the end; for it showed all the more the firmness of her resolution. Knowing this, therefore, both pray for the girl and cultivate the beginning of salvation which she has received, to the glory of God and of us and of the whole company of the pious. 159.T TO THEODORUS 159.1 One who is my own blood, but your nursling, and a precious possession for God, I bring to your Reverence our most venerable daughter Amazonia the virgin; 159.2 for whom, by respecting her faithfulness and helping the weakness of her body, and for this reason offering a hand and caring for her in all things, you will do a noble deed and one worthy of your Reverence, and I will add, also of our friendship. 160.T TO THE SAME 160.1 For this reason, you and we desire that justice be done for our daughter Eugenia by your Reverence, and that you not overlook her being wronged by her own heirs; 160.2 for she would be wronged, as it seems to me, if she should be deprived of any of those things left to the granddaughter by her grandmother, who also brought her up with all care; and she left her with a few things instead of the many she both promised and hoped for.

161.T TO THE SAME 161.1 What I thought was just, I have written. But if anything else and not these things

has occurred to you (for I am persuaded that what has occurred to you is right), we will accept this also. 161.2 Or we would be doing wrong and transgressing against piety itself, by bringing to you as one who judges justly those who approach us, but no longer abiding by what you decide; which it is the custom for many of the most wretched and uneducated to do. 162.T TO THE SAME 162.1 What has been written to your Reverence by my lords, the most honored bishops, consider this to have been written by us also, and give, I beseech you, a hand to the free women and do not overlook them being tyrannized and thrust aside by the power of the man against whom they have come forward, but render appropriate aid, if indeed you know what they suffer for the reasons they suffer; 162.2 but if you are ignorant, that they suffer this also, that the injustice is not known nor believed by you. But if anyone thinks we are being too meddlesome, as if appropriating a case that does not concern us, let him prove this, and we will be content. 162.3 But now I fear it is not so; for in the first place, the things of Christ are not divided, nor is Christ, nor does love for humanity have boundaries. But if one should even suppose them to be divided, I know two who are burdened in the matter, both your Reverence and us, if what is just should be overlooked. 162.4 For those being judged are under the administration of us both. And there is fear lest the truth be swept away by the plausibility of words. For this reason, both judge with us and judge before us and fight on behalf of our weakness, lest somehow we be reduced to the necessity, although my body is in such a state, of fighting more fervently for the truth with God and with the cooperation of your prayers. 163.T TO THE SAME 163.1 May God grant you to the Churches, for our glory and the benefit of many, being such as you are

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Συνίοιτε, φράσσοισθε, βουλεύοισθε καθ' ἡμῶν. Νικάτωσαν οἱ μισοῦντες ἡμᾶς· φυλαττέσθωσαν ἀκριβῶς οἱ κανόνες, ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἀρξάμενοι τῶν ἀμαθεστάτων. 157.2 Οὐδεὶς ἀκριβείας φθόνος· τὰ φιλικὰ δὲ μὴ κεκωλύσθω. Οἱ τοῦ τιμιωτάτου υἱοῦ Νικοβούλου παῖδες ἥκασιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ταχυγραφεῖν μαθησόμενοι· τούτους τά τε ἄλλα καὶ οἰκείως ἰδεῖν καὶ πατρικῶς θέλησον (οὐ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο κωλύουσιν οἱ κανόνες), καὶ ὅπως ἂν γειτονῶσι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ φρόντισον. 157.3 Βούλομαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ ἦθος τυποῦσθαι πρὸς ἀρετήν, τῇ σῇ τελειότητι συνεχῶς ἐντυγχάνοντας. 158.Τ ΕΥΛΑΛΙΩΙ 158.1 Οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον ἀληθείας, ὡς τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ κἀμοὶ δοκεῖ· ἡ γὰρ παρθένος Ἀλυπιανὴ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀκρίβειαν λόγον ἀπαιτουμένη παρ' ἡμῶν, ὡς προσέταξας, τοῦ οἰκείου φρονήματος, ἐπαρρησιάσατο καθαρῶς τὴν ἀλή θειαν, παρθενίαν ὁμολογοῦσα καὶ ταύτης ἐχομένη θερμό τερον μὲν ἢ ὡς προσεδοκῶμεν, εὐσταθέστερον δὲ ἢ θερμότερον, λέγω ζήλῳ μὲν παρθενικῷ, πολιαῖς δὲ ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσι. 158.2 Καὶ τὸ τραχὺ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ἡμῶν τῷ τέλει χρηστὸν ἐφάνη· τὸ γὰρ στερρὸν τῆς γνώμης μᾶλλον διέδειξε. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδώς, ὑπερεύχου τε τῆς παιδὸς καὶ ἣν ἔλαβεν ἀρχὴν τῆς σωτηρίας γεώργησον, εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ τε καὶ ἡμῶν καὶ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν εὐλαβῶν συντάγ ματος. 159.Τ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΩΙ 159.1 Αἷμα μὲν ἐμόν, θρέμμα δὲ ὑμέτερον, κτῆμα δὲ Θεῷ τῶν τιμίων προσάγω τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ τὴν αἰδεσιμωτάτην θυγατέρα ἡμῶν Ἀμαζονίαν τὴν παρθένον· 159.2 ἧς καὶ τὸ πιστὸν αἰδούμενος καὶ τῇ ἀρρωστίᾳ τοῦ σώματος βοηθῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν πᾶσι χεῖρά τε ὀρέγων καὶ κηδό μενος, πρᾶγμα ποιήσεις ἐλευθέριον καὶ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἄξιον, προσθήσω δέ, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας. 160.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 160.1 Σὺ καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τοῦτο βουλόμεθα τὰ δίκαια γενέσθαι τῇ θυγατρὶ ἡμῶν Εὐγενίᾳ παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν αὐτὴν ἀδικουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς κληρονόμων· 160.2 ἀδικηθείη δ' ἄν, ὡς ἐμοὶ φαίνεται, εἴ τινος στερηθείη τῶν τῇ ἐγγόνῃ παρὰ τῆς τήθης καταλειφθέντων, ἣν καὶ ἀνεθρέψατο κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐπιμέλειαν· καὶ ἀπέλιπεν ἐπ' ὀλίγοις ἀντὶ πολλῶν ὧν ὑπισχνεῖτό τε καὶ ἤλπιζεν.

161.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 161.1 Ἃ δίκαια ᾤμην, ἐπέσταλκα. Εἰ δὲ ἄλλο τι καὶ μὴ ταῦτα

παρέστη (πείθομαι γὰρ ὡς ὀρθῶς παρέστη), καὶ τοῦτο δεξόμεθα. 161.2 Ἢ ἀδικοῖμεν ἂν καὶ παρανομοῖμεν εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὡς μὲν τὰ δίκαια κρίνοντι τοὺς προσιόντας ἡμῖν προσάγοντες, οἷς δ' ἂν δικάσῃς μηκέτι ἐμμένοντες· ὃ τοῖς πολλοῖς ποιεῖν σύνηθες τῶν λίαν ἀθλίων καὶ ἀπαιδεύτων. 162.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 162.1 Ἃ παρὰ τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν τιμιωτάτων ἐπισκόπων ἐπέσταλται πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν, ταῦτα καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπεστάλθαι νομίσας, δός, παρακαλῶ, χεῖρα ταῖς ἐλευθέραις καὶ μὴ περιίδῃς αὐτὰς τυραννουμένας καὶ περιωθουμένας ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς δυναστείας, καθ' οὗ προεληλύθασιν, ἀλλ' ἐπικούρησον τὰ εἰκότα, εἰ μὲν οἶδας ἃ πάσχουσι δι' ἃ πάσχουσιν· 162.2 εἰ δ' ἀγνοεῖς, ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο πάσχουσι, τῷ σοι μὴ γινώσκεσθαι τὴν ἀδικίαν μηδὲ πιστεύεσθαι. Εἰ δέ τις οἴεται περιεργοτέρους εἶναι ἡμᾶς, ὡς οὐδὲν προσήκουσαν δίκην οἰκειουμένους, πειθέτω τοῦτο, καὶ στέρξομεν. 162.3 Νῦν δὲ δέδοικα μὴ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει· μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ μεμέρισται τὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ Χριστὸς οὐδὲ ὅρους ἔχει φιλανθρωπία. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μεμερίσθαι θείη τις, δύο τοὺς ἐν τῷ πράγματι βαρουμένους γινώσκω, τήν τε σὴν εὐλάβειαν καὶ ἡμᾶς, εἰ παροφθείη τὸ δίκαιον. 162.4 Ὑπὸ γὰρ τὴν ἀμφοτέρων οἰκονομίαν οἱ κρινόμενοι. Καὶ δέος μὴ παρασυρῇ λόγων πιθανότητι τὸ ἀληθές. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ συνδίκαζε καὶ προδίκαζε καὶ ὑπερμάχει τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν, μή πως εἰς ἀνάγκην καταστῶμεν, καίπερ οὕτω τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντος, θερμότερον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ συναγωνίζεσθαι μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τῶν σῶν εὐχῶν συνεργίας. 163.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 163.1 Ὁ Θεὸς χαρίσαιτό σε ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις, εἰς δόξαν τε ἡμῶν καὶ πολλῶν ὄφελος, οὕτως ὄντα