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that the difficulty of the time surrounds with the greatest suspicions even those who would justly be accused of nothing, if one were to judge rightly, is perhaps not unreasonable; for the difficulty of the time, having touched even the greatest men and those whom it was not just to suffer, naturally attached misfortune to them, but to us suspicion—for we would not say malice; however, the judge of each is the divine eye, which knows how to punish wickedness when they have no means of deception. Thus we are free from such things, even if irreparable harm has befallen some. For his will prevailed over everything standing in the way; and indeed, was there not necessarily danger in opposing it, and was the moment not inopportune. For a king is stronger, when he is angered by an inferior. And these things, then, are to show that we neither strove to hold offices, nor is it just for us to blame anyone for the emperor's anger against certain of the magnates. But perhaps for one there was a failing, and for others a suspicion not for good reasons, and there was also the emperor's will against certain people, compounded with anger; and another, being good, seemed unworthy and was overlooked, being least deserving of it. It was, therefore, their time, as it seemed best to the Almighty, but now, I think, is the time 69 for relief. For behold, the ruler is out of the way, and he who is worthy to rule after him is a youth, as you see; and for this reason, for us who are faithful, there is need of great concern for him, and of frequent care, as they must be vigilant against those within and those without, lest some irreparable harm occur unnoticed. And how it is both good and just to maintain a more faithful service to the sovereign now than before, I will speak without holding anything back. First, that the ruler is fostered with the concerns of a young age and does not secretly undermine anything concerning the things done by his subjects is what draws upon himself the goodwill of all, since they suspect they will suffer nothing, and, with fear absent, not fearing for himself, one will be ready to show the deeds of love; for since the zeal with which one might serve is established by either fear or love, and since we are altogether under necessity to serve, with fear being absent, everything will depend on love; and when a pure and untroubled love is present, there is no one who will neglect what is required for service, so as even to be careless. And this is the first thing; and second, that being ruled by a newly established young master, at a time when the occasion makes his benefaction towards his subjects necessary, though it is not inherently so, we would not seek how we might escape if we were about to suffer ill, but rather we would hope and expect to receive good. And it is possible for each to readily obtain what he wishes, if only he is judged worthy, and the abundance of benefaction will be at hand; for the ruler, being young and under guardians, will not have occasion to give way to his own will—from which often comes error in what is proper, with the pride of a ruler overstepping reason. But it is possible both to approach the guardians immediately and for one speaking to prod them more continuously; therefore, by hoping from this to easily obtain what one desires, how should one not serve the emperor with all ease? And apart from these things, and I pass over most of them in silence, for then there was also the fear that someone, having succeeded, might be deceived, with others appropriating the imperial impulse by means to which it is naturally stolen, and for this reason it was not possible to be zealous in trying to do more than others, since there was no one able to speak to the emperor and testify clearly, and the zeal of the zealous man was in vain, as he was often cheated of and penalized for the credit for what he had done. 71 But now, with matters being carried out under the guardians, it would be well for the zeal of each to be manifest and to be rewarded with better things; for which reason we must be zealous, since there is no cause to fear the emperor, but to fear on behalf of the emperor, as it follows that from this we can expect either good, if he is saved, or ill, if he is not saved. And these things are for you, my fellow soldiers and comrades; but for those whose birth is preeminent and whose offices are distinguished,

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δύσκολον τοῦ καιροῦ περιβάλλειν μεγίσταις ὑποψίαις καὶ τοὺς μηδὲν δικαίως ἂν ἐγκληθη σομένους, εἰ ὀρθῶς τις κρίνοι, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἴσως· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ καιροῦ δυσκολία, ἁψαμένη καὶ τῶν μεγίστων καὶ οἷς οὐκ ἦν παθεῖν ἐκ δικαίου, ἐκεί νοις μὲν συμφοράν, ἡμῖν δὲ ὑποψίανοὐ γὰρ κακίαν εἴποιμενἐκ τοῦ εἰκότος προσῆψε· πλὴν ἑκάστου κριτὴς τὸ θεῖον ὄμμα, ὃς οἶδε καὶ κακίαν κολάζειν μηδὲν ἐχόντων παραλογίζεσθαι. Οὕτως ἡμεῖς ἐλεύθεροι τῶν τοιούτων, ἄν τισι συνέβη καὶ τὰ ἀνήκεστα. Τὸ γὰρ ἐκείνου θέλημα περιῆν παντὸς ἐμποδὼν ἱσταμένου· ᾧ δὴ καὶ προσίστασθαι μὴ καὶ κίνδυνος ἦν ἐξ ἀνάγκης, καὶ ἡ ἀκαιρία προσῆν. Κρείσσων γὰρ βασιλεύς, ὅτ' ὀργίζοιτο χείρονι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὥστε δεῖξαι μήτε τὰ ἀξιώματα σπουδάσαντας σχεῖν, μήτε τῆς ἐπί τινας τῶν μεγιστάνων τοῦ βασιλέως ὀργῆς δικαίως ἔχειν ἡμᾶς αἰτιᾶσθαί τινας. Ἀλλ' ἦν μὲν ἴσως καὶ πταῖσμά τινι, ἦν δ' ἄλλοις καὶ οὐκ ἐπ' ἀγαθοῖς ὑποψία, ἦν δὲ καὶ βασιλέως ἐπί τισι θέλημα θυμῷ συγκρο τούμενον· καὶ ἄλλος, ἀγαθὸς ὤν, ἀδόκιμος ἔδοξε καὶ παρώραται, ἥκιστ' ἄξιος ὤν. Ἦν οὖν ἐκείνων καιρός, οὕτω δόξαν τῷ κρείττονι, ἀλλὰ νῦν, οἶμαι, ἔστι 69 καὶ τῆς ἀνέσεως. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ κρατῶν ἐκποδών, καὶ ὁ ἐξ ἐκείνου ἄξιος ἄρχειν μεῖράξ ἐστιν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλῆς μὲν πιστοῖς οὖσι τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ δεῖ φροντίδος, συχνῆς δὲ τῆς ἐπιμελείας, ὡς ἂν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐντὸς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐκτὸς ἀγρυπνεῖν ὀφείλουσι, μήπως λαθόν τι τῶν ἀνηκέστων γένηται. Ὅπως δὲ καὶ καλῶς ἔχει καὶ δίκαιον πιστοτέραν τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν νῦν ἢ τὸ πρότερον συντηρεῖν τῷ δεσπόζοντι, οὐδὲν ὑποστειλά μενος λέξω. Πρῶτον μὲν τὸ νέαις τῆς ἡλικίας φροντίσιν ἀττάλλειν καὶ μηδὲν ὑπορύττειν τὸν βασιλεύοντα πρὸς τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων πραττόμενα ἐφέλκοντός ἐστιν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν τὴν παρὰ πάντων εὔνοιαν, μηδὲν ὑπονοούντων πείσεσθαι, καί, τοῦ φόβου ἀπόντος, μὴ δειλιῶν τις περὶ ἑαυτῷ ἕτοιμος ἐσεῖται τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐνδείκνυσθαι· τὸ γὰρ σπουδαῖον, ἐφ' ᾧ τις ὑπηρετοίη, ἢ φόβου ἢ μὴν ἀγάπης συνιστώντων καὶ ἡμῖν ἀνάγκης πάντως οὔσης ὑπηρετεῖν, ἀπόντος τοῦ φόβου, τῇ ἀγάπῃ τὸ πᾶν περιστήσεται· παρούσης δὲ καθαρᾶς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ ἀθολώτου, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις καθυφήσει τοῦ πρὸς τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν ἐπιβάλλοντος, ὥστε καὶ ἀμελεῖν. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοῦτο· δεύτερον δὲ καὶ ὅτι ὑπὸ νέῳ καθισταμένῳ δεσπότῃ βασιλευόμενοι, ὅτε καὶ μὴ ἀναγκαίαν τὴν εὐεργεσίαν οὖσαν τὴν ἀπ' ἐκείνου πρὸς τὸ ὑπήκοον ὁ καιρὸς ἀναγκαίαν ποιεῖ, οὐχ ὅπως ἐκφύγοιμεν κακῶς παθεῖν μέλλοντες ζητήσαιμεν, ἀλλ' ὅπως εὖ παθεῖν ἡμῖν γένοιτο ἐλπίζοιμεν ἂν προσδοκῶντες. Ἑτοίμως δὲ καὶ ὧνπερ ἕκαστος θέλει, εἰ μόνον ἄξιος κρίνοιτο, τυχεῖν ἔστι, καὶ τὸ δαψιλὲς τῆς εὐεργεσίας προσέσται· νέος γὰρ ὢν ὁ κρατῶν καὶ ὑπὸ κηδεμόσι τελῶν τῇ μὲν σφετέρᾳ βουλήσει, ὅθεν πολλάκις καὶ τὸ σφάλλεσθαι πρὸς τὸ πρέπον ἐστίν, ἀρχοντικοῦ τύφου τοὺς λογισμοὺς ὑπερβαίνοντος, οὐχ ἕξει χώραν διδόναι. Τοῖς δὲ κηδεμόσιν ἔστι καὶ προσελθεῖν ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμα καὶ νύξαι λέγοντα συνεχέστερον· τῷ γοῦν ἐλπίζειν ἐντεῦθεν ῥᾳδίως τυχεῖν ὧν ἔραταί τις, πῶς οὐ μετὰ ῥᾳστώνης ἁπάσης δουλευτέον τῷ βασιλεῖ; Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων, καὶ σιωπῶ τὰ πλεῖστα, τότε μὲν γὰρ καὶ δέος ἦν μὴ κατορθώσας παρακρουσθῇ τις, ἄλλων τὴν βασιλικὴν ὑποποιουμένων ὁρμὴν τρόποις οἷς ἐκείνη πέφυκε κλέπτεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὔτ' ἦν σπουδάζειν ἐπὶ τῷ μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους πράττειν πειρᾶσθαι, τοῦ δυναμένου λέγειν πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ μαρτυρεῖν καθαρῶς οὐκ ὄντος, καὶ μάταιος ἦν ἡ σπουδὴ τῷ σπουδάζοντι, παραλογιζομένῳ πολλάκις καὶ ζημιουμένῳ τὴν ἐφ' οἷς ἔπραξεν εὐδοκίμησιν. 71 Νῦν δ' ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν κηδεμόνων τῶν πραγμάτων τελουμένων, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι τὴν ἑκάστου σπουδὴν φανερὰν εἶναι καὶ τοῖς ἀμείνοσιν ἀνταμείβεσθαι· διὸ καὶ σπουδαστέον ἡμῖν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔστι τὸ τὸν βασιλέα δεδιέναι, τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως φοβεῖσθαι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἢ εὖ, εἰ σῴζοιτ' ἐκεῖνος, ἢ κακῶς, εἰ μὴ σῴζοιτο, ἡμῖν ἐλπίζειν συμβαίνειν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἐμοὺς συστρα τιώτας ὑμᾶς καὶ συντρόφους· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς οἷς ὑπερέχει τὸ γένος καὶ διαπρέπει τὰ ἀξιώματα,