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trusting in the words of your God-given majesty, I have held the church. But if anyone should also accuse me that I did not administer according to what pleased each one, 174 God himself is my witness, I knew no better way. But since Christ has appointed you as caretaker of his church and of the empire, to direct it according to what is pleasing to him, I say before my Lord Jesus Christ, although I am a sinner, yet in practice I am not aware of having done anything forbidden by the canons of the priesthood. But if some have risen up against me to say such things as amount to human insult and deep vexation, and there are those who believe these things, let them put forward for my deposition whatever of these things they wish, and if I am wronged, I will be justified on that day. For I consider the resignation to be uncanonical, and this is my judgment. But since I am speaking to an emperor who trembles at the judgments of God, if you command, I abandon my own will, and I entrust my affairs to God and to your God-given majesty, so that whatever may seem pleasing to God and salutary for my soul, you may provide as a benefit, and advise, and cooperate with me, and thus an equal reward for your beneficence may be granted by God to your God-given majesty." But this, as was likely, he did not sign, but the former he did sign with his own hand; for it had 'Athanasios, by the mercy of God archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and ecumenical patriarch.' And there was still something else being circulated in a secret letter, which I do not know if it was added later by his supporters, as follows: "even if I do anything contrary to these things, 175 I hold it to be invalid and outside our intention, even if I should write out my resignation myself." Meanwhile, having written these things, he put some of them in a hidden place, having secured them in the aforesaid manner, and he himself sent only that which was for the emperor, since from there was not, as perhaps he also had hoped, the help and support, but rather already those who were to guard him along the road as he departed by night were being sent, and others who were to take over the patriarchate, having realized from this perhaps also the mind of the ruler, that he was testing his affairs in this way, to see if it would be advantageous for him to withdraw, with everything in turmoil (for it was not possible for it to be otherwise), in the dead of night he gives himself to those who were to lead him away. And having come to the sea at the Eugenios gate, they embark on a fishing boat, and having sailed into the harbor of the Horn, they reach the monastery of Cosmidion. And having waited there for the night, he sends his resignation to the emperor, having it word for word thus.

(24) "Since for the sake of the common advantage we were raised to the patriarchal throne and for the peaceful condition and governance of the Christian people, but matters have turned out to the contrary and against our hope and that of those who compelled us, so that from this we were judged by the people to be unworthy and to be dismissed and without discretion, and moreover also as weak and sinful and incapable and not even 176 worthy of such a ministry, for this reason we ourselves also resign from the high priesthood, and if we have been ignorant of anything or have done anything beyond what is proper, we ask for forgiveness, and may the Lord forgive you, and provide what is advantageous, and govern both, and will see a fitting pastor, through the intercessions of the Mother of God." It had by way of signature: 'Athanasios, who was styled archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, ecumenical patriarch.' Such were the letters, such was the resignation of Athanasios. From which one might understand the manifest circumspection of the writer. And for now what does 'thus I thought' mean and again 'I knew no better way, God is my witness?' This, I think, a sinker of a ship might also say, who by his own will and on his own authority exposes the ship to danger, saying, 'I knew no better way.' But someone might have said to him, 'But there were those with whom you might have also taken counsel, for you were appointed to govern not alone but with many.' But for the present he says, 'For I was judged unworthy by the people,' and not by the high priests and the monks of the church; But a rejection by the people, what force could it have for

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λόγοις θαρρήσας τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ βασιλείας σου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκρά τησα. εἰ δ' ἐγκαλοῖ μοι καί τις ὅτι μὴ κατὰ τὸ ἀρέσκον ἑκάστῳ 174 διῴκησα, μάρτυς αὐτὸς θεός, κρεῖττον οὐκ ἐφρόνουν. ἐπεὶ δὲ Χριστὸς τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας σὲ κατέστησε φροντιστήν, ἰθύνειν πρὸς τὸ ἀρέσκον αὐτῷ, ἐνώπιον λέγω τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰ καὶ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, ἀλλὰ πρα κτικῶς οὐκ ἐπίσταμαί τι ἀπεῖργον κατὰ κανόνας ἱερωσύνης. εἰ δέ τινες ἐξηγέρθησαν κατ' ἐμοῦ λέγειν ὅσα εἰς ἀνθρωπίνην ὕβριν φθάνει καὶ παραλύπησιν, καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ πιστεύοντες ταῦτα, θέτω σαν εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὅσα ἐκ τούτων καὶ βούλονται, καὶ εἰ ἀδικηθῶ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ δικαιωθήσομαι. τὴν γὰρ παραίτησιν λογίζο μαι ἀκανόνιστον, καὶ αὕτη μου ἡ διάκρισις. ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς τρέ μοντα τὰ δικαιώματα θεοῦ βασιλέα λαλῶ, εἰ κελεύεις, τὸ θέ λημά μου ἐῶ, καὶ ἀνατίθημι τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ βασιλείᾳ σου τὰ ἐμά, ἵνα ὅπερ αὐτῇ θεάρεστον δόξει καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου σωτήριον, εὐργετήσῃς καὶ συμβουλεύσῃς καὶ συνεργήσῃς μοι, καὶ οὕτω παρὰ θεοῦ χαρισθῇ τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὰ ἴσα τῇ ἐκ θεοῦ βασιλείᾳ σου." ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μέν, κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, οὐχ ὑπέγραψε, τὸ δέ γε πρότερον οἰκειοχείρως ὑπεσημήνατο· εἶχε γὰρ "Ἀθανά σιος ἐλέῳ θεοῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως νέας Ῥώμης καὶ οἰκουμενικὸς πατριάρχης." ἦν δ' ἔτι φερόμενον καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐν κρυπτῷ γράμματι, ὅπερ οὐκ οἶδα εἰ προσετέθη ὕστερον παρὰ τῶν ἐκείνῳ προσκειμένων, ὡς "κἂν εἴ τι ποιήσω παρὰ ταῦτα, 175 ἄστοργον ἔχω καὶ ἔξω τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώμης, κἂν αὐτὴν ἐγχα ράξω μου τὴν παραίτησιν." Τέως ταῦτα γράψας, τὰ μὲν ἐν ἀφανεῖ τίθησι τὸν εἰρημέ νον ἐξασφαλισάμενος τρόπον, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ μόνον ἐξαποστείλας, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖθεν, καθὼς ἴσως καί οἱ ἤλπιστο, ἡ βοήθεια καὶ τὸ ἀντειλῆφθαι, ἀλλ' ἤδη μᾶλλον οἱ νυκτὸς ἐξελευσομένου κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν δεφενδεύσοντες ἀπεστέλ λοντο, καὶ ἄλλοι οἱ τὸ πατριαρχεῖον ἀναδεξόμενοι, γνοὺς ἐντεῦ θεν ἴσως καὶ τὴν τοῦ κρατοῦντος γνώμην, ὡς οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυ τὸν δοκιμάζοντος εἰς συνοῖσον εἰ ἐκσταίη παρακεκινημένων τῶν ὅλων (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐχώρει ἄλλως γίνεσθαι), ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν δί δωσιν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἀπάξουσι. καὶ πρὸς τῇ κατὰ τὰ Εὐγενίου γε γονότες θαλάσσῃ ἁλιάδος τε ἐπιβαίνουσι, καὶ τὸν λιμένα τὸ Κέ ρας εἰσπλεύσαντες τὴν μονὴν τοῦ Κοσμιδίου καταλαμβάνουσι. κἀκεῖ τὴν νύκτα προσμείνας στέλλει πρὸς βασιλέα τὴν αὐτοῦ πα ραίτησιν, ἔχουσαν ἐπὶ λέξεως οὕτως.

(24) "ἐπειδήπερ λυσι τελείας χάριν κοινῆς εἰς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν ἀνήχθημεν θρόνον καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ χριστωνύμου λαοῦ εἰρηναίαν κατάστασιν καὶ κυβέρ νησιν, ἀπέβησαν δὲ τὰ πράγματα εἰς τοὐναντίον καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα τὴν ἡμετέραν καὶ τῶν βιασαμένων ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν κριθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῷ λαῷ ἀδοκίμους καὶ παραιτητέους καὶ ἀδιακρίτους, ἄλ λως τε δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ ἀνίκανοι καὶ οὐδὲ 176 ἄξιοι λειτουργίας τοιαύτης, διὰ τοῦτο παραιτούμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς μετὰ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης, καὶ εἴ τι ἠγνοήσαμεν ἢ καὶ διε πραξάμεθα ἔξω τοῦ πρέποντος, αἰτοῦμεν συγχώρησιν, καὶ ὑμᾶς ὁ κύριος συγχωρήσοι, καὶ τὸ συμφέρον παρέξει, καὶ κυβερνήσει ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ ποιμένα ὄψεται τὸν ἁρμόδιον, πρεσβείαις τῆς θεομήτορος." εἶχε δι' ὑπογραφῆς τὸ "Ἀθανάσιος ὁ χρηματί σας ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως νέας Ῥώμης, οἰκουμε νικὸς πατριάρχης." Ταῦτα τὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, ταῦτα τὰ τῆς παραιτήσεως Ἀθανασίου. οἷς ἐννοήσειέ τις τὸ ἐμφαινόμενον τοῦ γράφοντος ἐμπερίσκεπτον. καὶ τέως τί βούλεται τὸ "οὕτως ἐφρόνουν" καὶ αὖθις "κρεῖττον οὐκ ἐφρόνουν, μάρτυς θεός;" τοῦτο καὶ καταποντιστὴς οἶμαι νηὸς εἴπῃ, ὃς αὐτοβούλως καὶ αὐτονόμως κινδύνῳ περιβάλλει τὴν ναῦν, ὡς κρεῖττον οὐκ ἐφρόνουν. ἀλλ' εἶ πεν ἄν τις πρὸς αὐτὸν "ἀλλ' ἦσαν μεθ' ὧν ἂν καὶ συνεβου λεύσω, ὅτι οὐδὲ μόνος ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῶν κυβερνᾶν ἐτάχθης." ἀλλὰ τὸ παρὸν "ἐκρίθην γὰρ" φησὶ "τῷ λαῷ ἀδόκιμος," καὶ οὐ τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας μοναχοῖς· λαοῦ δ' ἀ ποδοκιμασία τί ἂν ἰσχυρὸν ἔχοι εἰς