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of orphans whose tears are still warm, I mean my niece and her children who, being sons of a good father who labored much for emperors in arms, not without renown but even very illustriously, and who served you, the rulers, much (if you have heard of a certain Nicobulus), are now in danger of suffering the most grievous things. 196.5 For after the surrender of their friends and those oaths which they underwent for the investigation, they are now again attempting to treat the orphans despitefully. 197.T TO GREGORY OF NYSSA 197.1 Although I was setting out to you with all speed and had reached as far as Euphemias, the synod which you are holding there for the holy martyrs detained me, both because it was not possible for me to take part in it on account of my illness, and because I would have otherwise been a burden by my unseasonable arrival. 197.2 I set out both to visit you after so long a time, and to admire you for the fortitude and philosophy which you practice (for so I learn) on the occasion of the departure of our holy and blessed sister, 197.3 as a good and perfect man, and one who stands near to God and who knows, more than all men, things divine and things human, 197.4 and who judges that which is most grievous to others in such circumstances to be most light, namely, to have lived with such a woman, and to send such a one on her way and lay her up in the safe mansions, ²⁰like a shock of corn gathered in its season²⁰, to use the words of holy Scripture, who had a share in the pleasant things of life, but escaped the painful things by the measure of her age, and who, before having to mourn for you, was honored by you with a noble burial and with the rites due to such persons. 197.5 But know well that I myself also long for my departure, if not like you (for that is a great thing to say), yet immediately after you. But what can one do against the law of God which has long prevailed, which now has my Theosebia (for I call her mine who lived according to God, since spiritual kinship is stronger than that of the body); Theosebia, the boast of the Church, the ornament of Christ, the profit of our generation, the confidence of women; Theosebia, the most comely and most radiant in such beauty of her sisters; 197.6 Theosebia, the truly holy and the wife of a priest and his equal in honor and worthy of the great mysteries; Theosebia, whom even the future age will receive as enshrined on immortal pillars, in the souls of all who have known her now and of those who shall know her hereafter? 197.7 And do not wonder if I call upon her so often; for I delight even in the memory of the blessed one. This is from me both a long funeral oration for her in brief, and a word of comfort for you, though you are able to comfort others in such things because of your philosophy in all matters. 197.8 But our meeting (since we long for this too) has now been taken from us for the reason I mentioned, but we pray together for ourselves, if we are still above the earth, and the common end which we are approaching does not separate us. Wherefore it is necessary for us to bear all things, as men who will neither be pleased nor pained for very long. 198.T TO NEMESIUS 198.1 Some praise Pythagoras the Samian because, when it was necessary for him to sacrifice (since otherwise he did not approve of sacrificing), he discharged the sacrifice with a clay ox; for he said that it was not right to purify the dead with dead things, so calling bodies. 198.2 It is good for you also to imitate him in this for my sake, O admirable one, - since levying a fine has been forbidden to you and you alone of rulers, or with very few, have established fear in your subjects without loss, -not to fine Valentinianus, who is yours and ours (for we are interceding on behalf of a kinsman) but only so much as to utter the words, fashioning the fine, but to hold back the loss. 198.3 For indeed he is not paying the penalty for his own negligence, if one may make bold to say this. If, then, we persuade you as a judge, that is best; but if not, we will take refuge in the friend and will say to your Eloquence what someone is said to have written to his friend: 198.4 "As for so-and-so, if he is doing no wrong, release him for the sake of justice; but if he is doing wrong, release him for our sake." But in any case release him, considering this among other things, that the common good is in no way

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ὀρφανῶν ἔτι θερμῶν ἐν τοῖς δάκρυσι, τήν τε ἀδελφιδῆν τὴν ἐμὴν λέγω καὶ τοὺς ταύτης παῖδας οἵ, πατρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γεγονότες καὶ πολλὰ μὲν βασιλεῦσι καμόντος ἐν ὅπλοις οὐκ ἀνωνύμως, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν λαμπρῶς, πολλὰ δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑμῖν ὑπουργήσαντος (εἴ τινα Νικόβουλον ἀκούεις), κινδυνεύουσι νῦν πάσχειν τὰ χαλεπώτατα. 196.5 Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τῶν φίλων ἔκδοσιν καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἐκείνους, οὓς ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξετάσει ὑπέστησαν, νῦν πάλιν ἐπηρεάζειν ἐπιχειροῦσι τοῖς ὀρφανοῖς. 197.Τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩΙ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ 197.1 Ὡρμημένον με πρὸς ὑμᾶς κατὰ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν καὶ μέχρις Εὐφημιάδος γενόμενον ἐπέσχεν ἡ σύνοδος ἣν αὐτόθι τελεῖτε τοῖς ἁγίοις μάρτυσι, καὶ τὸ μὴ μετασχεῖν ταύτης οἷόν τε εἶναι διὰ τὴν ἀρρωστίαν, καὶ ἄλλως βαρὺν ἂν γενέσθαι τῇ ἀκαιρίᾳ. 197.2 Ὥρμησα δὲ ὁμοῦ μὲν ἐπισκεψόμενος ὑμᾶς οὕτω διὰ μακροῦ, ὁμοῦ δὲ θαυμασό μενός σε τῆς καρτερίας καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἣν φιλοσοφεῖς (πυνθάνομαι γὰρ) ἐπὶ τῇ μεταστάσει τῆς ἁγίας ἀδελφῆς ἡμῶν καὶ μακαρίας, 197.3 ὡς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός τε καὶ τέλειος καὶ Θεῷ παριστάμενος καὶ πάντων μᾶλλον εἰδὼς τά τε θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, 197.4 καὶ ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοις βαρύτατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, τοῦτο κουφότατον κρίνων, τὸ τοιαύτῃ μὲν συζῆσαι, τοιαύτην δὲ παραπέμψαι καὶ εἰς τὰς ἀσφαλεῖς ἀποθέσθαι μονάς, 20ὥσπερ θημωνιὰν ἅλωνος κατὰ καιρὸν συγκομισθεῖσαν20, ἵν' εἴπω τὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, καὶ τῶν μὲν τερπνῶν τοῦ βίου μετασ χοῦσαν, τὰ δὲ λυπηρὰ διαφυγοῦσαν τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ πρὶν ἐπὶ σοὶ πενθῆσαι παρὰ σοῦ τιμηθεῖσαν τῇ καλῇ κηδείᾳ καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὀφειλομένῃ. 197.5 Ποθῶ δὲ καὶ αὐτός, εὖ ἴσθι, τὴν μετάστασιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ καθ' ὑμᾶς (πολὺ γὰρ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν), ἀλλ' εὐθὺς μεθ' ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ παθεῖν πρὸς Θεοῦ νόμον πάλαι κεκρατηκότα, ὃς ἔχει Θεοσεβίαν τὴν ἐμὴν (ἐμὴν γὰρ ὀνομάζω τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ζήσασαν, ἐπειδὴ κρείττων ἡ πνευματικὴ συγγένεια τῆς σωματικῆς)· Θεοσεβίαν, τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καύχημα, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καλλώπισμα, τὸ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς γενεᾶς ὄφελος, τὴν γυναικῶν παρρησίαν· Θεοσεβίαν, τὴν ἐν τοσούτῳ κάλλει τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὐπρεπεστάτην καὶ διαφα νεστάτην· 197.6 Θεοσεβίαν, τὴν ὄντως ἱερὰν καὶ ἱερέως σύζυγον καὶ ὁμότιμον καὶ τῶν μεγάλων μυστηρίων ἀξίαν· Θεοσεβίαν, ἣν καὶ ὁ μέλλων ὑπολήψεται χρόνος ἐν στήλαις ἀθανάτοις κειμένην, ταῖς ἁπάντων ψυχαῖς τῶν τε νῦν ἐγνωκότων καὶ τῶν ὕστερον εἰσομένων; 197.7 Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ πολλάκις ταύτην ἀνακαλῶ· ἐντρυφῶ γὰρ καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς μακαρίας. Οὗτος ἐκείνῃ τε παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιτάφιος ἐν βραχεῖ πολὺς καὶ σοὶ παρακλητικὸς λόγος, καίπερ ἄλλους τὰ τοιαῦτα παρακαλεῖν δυναμένῳ διὰ τὴν ἐν πᾶσι φιλοσοφίαν. 197.8 Τὴν δὲ συντυχίαν (ἐπεὶ καὶ ταύτην ποθοῦμεν) νῦν μὲν ἀφῃρήμεθα δι' ἣν εἶπον αἰτίαν, συνευχόμεθα δὲ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἂν ἔτι ὑπὲρ γῆς ὦμεν, καὶ μὴ τὸ κοινὸν ἡμᾶς διαζεύξῃ τέλος ᾧ πλησιάζομεν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντα φέρειν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, ὡς οὔτε ἡσθησομένοις οὔτε ἀνιασομένοις μακρότερα. 198.Τ ΝΕΜΕΣΙΩΙ 198.1 Ἐπαινοῦσί τινες Πυθαγόραν τὸν Σάμιον ὅτι, θῦσαι δεῆσαν αὐτῷ (ἐπειδή γε ἄλλως οὐκ ἐπῄνει τὸ θύειν), πηλίνῳ βοῒ τὴν θυσίαν ἀφωσιώσατο· μηδὲ γὰρ χρῆναι νεκρὰ νεκροῖς καθαίρειν, οὕτω λέγων τὰ σώματα. 198.2 Τοῦ τόν μοι καὶ αὐτὸς μιμήσασθαι καλῶς ἔχεις, ὦ θαυμάσιε, - ἐπειδή γε τὸ προστιμᾶν ἀπηγόρευταί σοι καὶ μόνος ἀρχόντων ἢ κομιδῇ σὺν ὀλίγοις ἀζήμιον ἐνίδρυσας τοῖς ἀρχομένοις τὸν φόβον, -μηδὲ Οὐαλεντινιανὸν ζημιῶσαι τὸν σὸν καὶ ἡμέτερον (ὑπὲρ συγγενοῦς γὰρ πρεσβεύομεν) ἀλλ' ὅσον φθέγξασθαι πλάσαντα τὴν προστίμησιν, ἐπισχεῖν τὴν ζημίαν. 198.3 Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας ὑπέχει δίκην, εἰ δεῖ θαρρήσαντας τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὡς δικαστὴν πείθομεν, τοῦτο ἄριστον· εἰ δὲ μή, πρὸς τὸν φίλον καταφευξόμεθα καὶ τοῦτο φθεγξόμεθα πρὸς τὴν σὴν λογιότητα ὅπερ λέγεται πρὸς ἑαυτοῦ φίλον γεγρα φέναι τις ὅτι· 198.4 «Τὸν δεῖνα, εἰ μὲν οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖ, διὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἄφες· εἰ δὲ ἀδικεῖ, ἡμῖν ἄφες.» Πάντως δὲ ἄφες, ἐκεῖνο πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐνθυμηθεὶς ὅτι τὸ μὲν κοινὸν οὐδὲν