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The critic Dionysius says of Lysias the rhetor that his artlessness was exceedingly artful.

181. To Saturninus 181.1 Although the height of your office is unapproachable, yet friendship is humane, through which we have dared to bring this appeal to you. 181.2 To all the good things you have done for us, add this also: deign to see with pleasure our most learned son Eudoxius, a man worthy of your virtue in both life and word, and in other respects, and to deem him worthy of your protection in whatever matters he might need your goodness. 181.3 And we in turn shall give our prayers, by which alone it is possible for us to repay our benefactors. 182. To Gregory 182.1 20Woe is me, for my sojourning is prolonged20; and in short, our affairs are in war and faction, and the peace which we received from the holy Fathers we have not kept. 182.2 This, then, I know that you yourself will restore by the power of the Spirit who bears both you and yours. 182.3 But let no one bear false witness against us, I beg, nor against the lord bishops, that they proclaimed another bishop for us against our will; for we are not so cast off by them, nor are they so hostile toward us. 182.4 But after much entreaty on account of my own deadness, and at the same time fearing the burden of the neglected Church, I asked this favor from them, which is neither contrary to the canons and gives us relief, that a shepherd be given to the Church, who has been given through your prayers, worthy of your piety; whom I also place into your hands, I mean the most revered Eulalius, the most God-beloved bishop, in whose hands I would find my rest. 182.5 But if anyone thinks that another ought not to be ordained while a bishop is living, let him know that he does not prevail against us here either; for it is clear to all that we were appointed not to Nazianzus, but to Sasima, even if for a short time, out of respect for our father and for those who supplicated, we accepted the charge as strangers. 183. To Theodore 183.1 Envy, which no one has easily escaped, has held some sway even among us. Behold, even we Cappadocians are in faction, so to speak,—an evil unheard of and unbelieved before, 20that no flesh should glory in the presence of God20;—but let us all know that we are human, and not readily condemn others. 183.2 But there is some gain for me even from the calamity (if I may speak paradoxically), and truly we are gathering roses from thorns, as the proverb says. 183.3 For my part, having never before met your Reverence face to face, nor spoken through letters, but being illumined only by the report concerning you, I have now come to the necessity of intercourse through letters, and great thanks to the one who granted this. 183.4 Therefore, we shall omit writing to the other bishops about the things you wrote, for it is not yet time for this, and at the same time our illness makes us more reluctant to do this; but what we write to you, we write to them also through you. 183.5 Let my lord and most God-beloved bishop Helladius cease meddling in our affairs; for he seeks these things not in a spiritual, but a contentious manner, nor with canonical precision, but for the satisfaction of anger, as is clear from the occasion and from many of the things irrationally set in motion with this; for it is necessary to speak thus and not to cause pain. 183.6 For if my body were in such a state that I could preside over the Church of Nazianzus, to which I was appointed in the beginning and not to Sasima, as some incorrectly persuade you, I would not be so wretched nor so ignorant of the divine ordinances as either to neglect the Church or to pursue the ease of this life before the rewards laid up for those who labor according to God and work the talent entrusted to them. 183.7 For what benefit to me are the many labors and the great hopes, if I have deliberated badly concerning the greatest things? But since my body is also ill, which is clear to all, and I feared no burden from this withdrawal for the reason I stated; and I saw the Church clinging to us, but being harmed concerning

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Λυσίου τοῦ ῥήτορός φησιν ὁ κριτικὸς ∆ιονύσιος, ὅτι τὸ ἄτεχνον αὐτοῦ λίαν ἔντεχνον ἦν.

181.Τ ΣΑΤΟΡΝΙΝΩΙ 181.1 Εἰ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὕψος ἀπρόσιτον, ἀλλὰ φιλάν θρωπον ἡ φιλία, δι' ἣν ἐθαρρήσαμεν ταύτην σοι προσα γαγεῖν τὴν παράκλησιν. 181.2 Πᾶσιν οἷς εὖ πεποίηκας ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοῦτο πρόσθες· τὸν λογιώτατον υἱὸν ἡμῶν Εὐδόξιον, ἄνδρα καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς ἄξιον, καὶ τἄλλα ἡδέως ἰδεῖν καταξίωσον καὶ τῆς παρὰ σεαυτοῦ προστασίας ἀξιῶσαι περὶ ὧν ἂν δέηται τῆς σῆς καλοκἀ γαθίας. 181.3 Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀντιδώσομεν τὰς εὐχάς, ᾧ μόνῳ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν τοὺς εὐεργέτας ἀμείβεσθαι. 182.Τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩΙ 182.1 20Οἴμοι ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη20· καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ στάσει τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ἣν παρελάβομεν παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων εἰρήνην οὐκ ἐτηρήσαμεν. 182.2 Ταύτην μὲν οὖν οἶδ' ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀποκα ταστήσεις ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ σέ τε καὶ τὰ σὰ φέροντος Πνεύματος. 182.3 Ἡμῶν δὲ μηδεὶς καταψευδέσθω, παρα καλῶ, μηδὲ τῶν κυρίων τῶν ἐπισκόπων, ὅτι ἀκόντων ἡμῶν ἄλλον ἐπεκήρυξαν ἡμῖν ἐπίσκοπον· οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς ἀπερρίμμεθα, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔχουσι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπεχθῶς. 182.4 Ἀλλὰ πολλὰ δεηθεὶς διὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ νέκρωσιν, καὶ ἅμα τὸ βάρος φοβηθεὶς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀμελουμένης, ταύτην ᾔτησα παρ' αὐτῶν χάριν, οὔτε κανόσιν ἐναντιουμένην, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀναψύχουσαν, δοθῆναι τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ποιμένα, ὃς καὶ δέδοται ταῖς σαῖς εὐχαῖς, ἄξιος τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας· ὃν καὶ εἰς χεῖράς σου τίθημι, τὸν αἰδεσιμώτατον Εὐλάλιον λέγω, τὸν θεοφιλέσ τατον ἐπίσκοπον, οὗ καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐναποψύξαιμι. 182.5 Εἰ δέ τις οἴεται μὴ χρῆναι ζῶντος ἐπισκόπου ἄλλον χειροτονεῖν, ἴστω μηδ' ἐνταῦθα κρατῶν ἡμῶν· πᾶσι γὰρ δῆλον ὅτι μὴ Ναζιανζοῦ, Σασίμων δὲ προεβλήθημεν, εἰ καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον, αἰδοῖ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῶν ἱκετευσάντων, ὡς ξένοι τὴν προστασίαν κατεδεξάμεθα. 183.Τ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΩΙ 183.1 Ἔσχε τι καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ φθόνος, ὃν οὐδεὶς ῥᾳδίως διέφυγεν. Ἰδοὺ καὶ Καππαδόκαι στασιάζομεν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, -τὸ μὴ πρότερον ἀκουσθὲν μηδὲ πιστευθὲν κακόν, 20ὅπως μὴ καυχήσηται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ20· -ἀλλ' εἰδῶμεν ἅπαντες ὄντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ μὴ προχείρως ἑτέρων καταγινώσκωμεν. 183.2 Ἀλλ' ἐμοί τι κέρδος καὶ παρὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς (εἰ δεῖ παραδόξως εἰπεῖν), καὶ ὄντως ῥόδα ἐξ ἀκανθῶν, ὡς ἡ παροιμία, συλλέγομεν. 183.3 Ἐγὼ γοῦν οὔπω πρότερον οὔτε κατ' ὄψιν συντετυχηκὼς τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, οὔτε διὰ γραμμάτων ὡμιληκώς, ἀλλὰ τῇ περὶ σοῦ φήμῃ μόνῃ καταυγαζόμενος, νῦν καὶ εἰς ἀνάγκην ἦλθον τῆς διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ἐντεύξεως καὶ χάρις πολλὴ τῷ τοῦτο χαρισαμένῳ. 183.4 Τὸ μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπισκόποις περὶ ὧν ἐπέστειλας γράφειν, οὔπω γὰρ τούτου καιρός, παραλείψομεν καὶ ἅμα ἡ ἀρρωστία ὀκνηροτέρους ἡμᾶς πρὸς τοῦτο καθίστησιν· ἃ δέ σοι γράφομεν, κἀκείνοις διὰ σοῦ γράφομεν. 183.5 Παυσάσθω περιεργαζόμενος τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ κύριός μου καὶ θεοφιλέστατος Ἑλλάδιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος· οὐ πνευματικῇ γάρ, ἀλλὰ ἐριστικῇ ταῦτα ζητεῖ περιόδῳ, οὐδὲ ἀκριβείᾳ κανόνων, ἀλλ' ὀργῆς ἐκπληρώσει, ὡς δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ πολλῶν τῶν σὺν τούτῳ κεκινημένων ἔξω τοῦ λόγου· χρὴ γὰρ οὕτω λέγειν καὶ μὴ λυπεῖν. 183.6 Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἰ μὲν τοῦ σώματος οὕτως εἶχον ὡς Ἐκκλησίας δύνασθαι προστατεῖν Ναζιανζοῦ, ᾗ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπεκηρύχθην ἀλλὰ μὴ Σασίμοις, ὥς τινες ὑμᾶς πείθουσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς, οὐχ οὕτως ἤμην ἄθλιος οὐδὲ τῶν θείων διατάξεων ἀμαθὴς ὡς ἢ τῆς Ἐκκλη σίας ὑπεριδεῖν ἢ τὴν τοῦ βίου ῥᾳστώνην μεταδιώκειν, πρὸ τῶν ἀποκειμένων μισθῶν τοῖς κάμνουσι κατὰ Θεὸν καὶ τὸ πιστευθὲν τάλαντον ἀπεργαζομένοις. 183.7 Τί γάρ μοι τῶν πολλῶν πόνων ὄφελος καὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἐλπίδων, περὶ τῶν μεγίστων βουλευσαμένῳ κακῶς; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα κακῶς ἔχει μοι, ὃ πᾶσι δῆλόν ἐστι, καὶ βάρος οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς ὑποχωρήσεως ἔδεισα ταύτης δι' ἣν εἶπον αἰτίαν· καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἑώρων ἐχομένην ἡμῶν, βλαπ τομένην δὲ περὶ