56.  The assessor of a judge was attempting to force into a distasteful marriage a lady of high birth whose husband was but recently dead.  At a loss to escape from this high-handed treatment, she resorted to a device no less prudent than daring.  She fled to the holy table, and placed herself under the protection of God against outrage.  What, in the Name of the Trinity Itself, if I may introduce into my panegyric somewhat of the forensic style, ought to have been done, I do not say, by the great Basil, who laid down the law for us all in such matters, but by any one who, though far inferior to him, was a priest?  Ought he not to have allowed her claim, to have taken charge of, and cared for, her; to have raised his hand in defence of the kindness of God and the law which gives honour to the altar?  Ought he not to have been willing to do and suffer anything, rather than take part in any inhuman design against her, and outrage at once the holy table, and the faith in which she had taken sanctuary?  No! said the baffled judge, all ought to yield to my authority, and Christians should betray their own laws.  The suppliant whom he demanded, was at all hazards retained.  Accordingly, in his rage, he at last sent some of the magistrates to search the saint’s bedchamber, with the purpose of dishonouring him, rather than from any necessity.  What!  Search the house of a man so free from passion, whom the angels revere, at whom women do not venture even to look?  And, not content with this, he summoned him, and put him on his defence; and that, in no gentle or kindly manner, but as if he were a convict.  Upon Basil’s appearance, standing, like my Jesus, before the judgment seat of Pilate, he presided at the trial, full of wrath and pride.  Yet the thunderbolts did not fall, and the sword of God still glittered, and waited, while His bow, though bent, was restrained.  Such indeed is the custom of God.

Γυναῖκά τινα τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἐξ ἀνδρὸς οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τὸν βίον ἀπολιπόντος ὁ τοῦ δικαστοῦ σύνεδρος ἐβιάζετο, πρὸς γάμον ἕλκων ἀπαξιοῦσαν. Ἡ δὲ οὐκ ἔχουσα ὅπως διαφύγῃ τὴν τυραννίδα, βουλὴν βουλεύεται οὐ τολμηρὰν μᾶλλον ἢ συνετήν. Τῇ ἱερᾷ τραπέζῃ προσφεύγει, καὶ Θεὸν ποιεῖται προστάτην κατὰ τῆς ἐπηρείας. Τί οὖν ἔδει ποιεῖν, ὦ πρὸς τῆς Τριάδος αὐτῆς! ἵν' εἴπω τι καὶ δικανικῶς μεταξὺ τῶν ἐπαίνων, μὴ ὅτι τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἅπασι νομοθέτην, ἄλλον δέ τινα τῶν πολὺ μετ' ἐκεῖνον, ἱερέα δὲ ὅμως; Οὐκ ἀντιποιεῖσθαι, κατέχειν, κήδεσθαι, χεῖρα ὀρέγειν Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ νόμῳ τῷ τετιμηκότι θυσιαστήρια; Οὐ πάντα δρᾶσαι καὶ παθεῖν ἐθελῆσαι πρότερον ἤ τι βουλεύσασθαι κατ' αὐτῆς ἀπάνθρωπον, καὶ καθυβρίσαι μὲν τὴν ἱερὰν τράπεζαν, καθυβρίσαι δὲ τὴν πίστιν μεθ' ἧς ἱκέτευεν; »Οὐ, φησὶν ὁ καινὸς δικαστής, ἀλλ' ἡττᾶσθαι χρὴ πάντας τῆς ἐμῆς δυναστείας, καὶ προδότας γενέσθαι Χριστιανοὺς τῶν οἰκείων νόμων.« Ὁ μὲν ἐζήτει τὴν ἱκέτιν: ὁ δ' εἴχετο κατὰ κράτος. Ὁ δ' ἐξεμαίνετο καὶ τέλος πέμπει τινὰς τῶν ἐπ' ἐξουσίας τὸν τοῦ ἁγίου κοιτωνίσκον ἐξερευνήσοντας, οὐ κατὰ χρείαν μᾶλλον ἢ ἀτιμίαν. Τί λέγεις; οἶκον ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς, ὃν περιέπουσιν ἄγγελοι, ᾧ καὶ προσβλέπειν ὄκνουσι γυναῖκες; Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν παρεῖναι καὶ ἀπολογεῖσθαι κελεύει: οὐδὲ ἡμέρως καὶ φιλανθρώπως, ἀλλ' ὡς ἕνα τῶν κατακρίτων. Καὶ ὁ μὲν παρῆν: ὁ δὲ προὐκάθητο γέμων θυμοῦ καὶ φρονήματος. Εἱστήκει δέ, οἷον ὁ ἐμὸς Ἰησοῦς, Πιλάτου κρίνοντος. Οἱ κεραυνοὶ δὲ ἠμέλουν, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ μάχαιρα ἐστιλβοῦτο ἔτι καὶ ἀνεβάλλετο: καὶ τὸ τόξον ἐνετείνετο μέν, κατείχετο δέ, τῇ μετανοίᾳ καιρὸν ὑπανοῖγον. Ὅς τις δὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος.