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he exhorted to serve you as a most faithful servant. But now, seeing this strange man frequently conversing with you, I fear lest he be of the religion of the Christians, towards which your father is very hostilely disposed; and I will be found responsible for the death-bringing sentence. Therefore, either make known to the king the things concerning him, or else cease conversing with him; but if not, cast me out from your presence, so that I may not be blameworthy, and ask your father to bring another here. But the king's son said to him: Do this before all else, O Zardan. Sit you within the curtain, and listen to his conversation with me; and then I will tell you what must be done. And as Barlaam was about to come in to him, he brought Zardan inside the curtain, and says to the old man: Recapitulate for me the things of your divine teaching, so that it may be more strongly implanted in my heart. And Barlaam, taking up the discourse, spoke many things concerning God and piety towards him, and how one must love him alone with all one's heart, and with all one's soul, and with all one's mind, and to keep his commandments with fear and longing. And that he is the maker of all things both visible and invisible. Upon which he also recalled the 304 fashioning of the first man, both the commandment given to him and its transgression, and the condemnation by the creator for the transgression. Then, in order, he enumerated the good things, from which we have excluded ourselves by disregarding the commandment; and again he recalled the grievous things, how many miserably befell us after their failure. To these things he added the things of loving-kindness, how the Creator, caring for our salvation, sent teachers and prophets proclaiming the incarnation of the Only-Begotten; then also his descent, his incarnation, his benefactions, his miracles, and his sufferings on behalf of us ungrateful ones, the cross, the lance, his voluntary death; finally, our restoration, our recall, our return to the first good; after these things, the kingdom of heaven awaiting the worthy, the torment laid up for the wicked, the unquenchable fire, the unceasing darkness, the immortal worm, and whatever other punishment the slaves of sin have stored up for themselves. Having gone through these things and having concluded his discourse with moral teaching, and having spoken much concerning purity of life, and having condemned the vanity of present things, and having refuted the misery of those who are attached to them, he ended with a prayer. And having prayed for him to have an unchangeable and unswerving confession of the orthodox faith, a blameless life and a most pure conduct, he, having put an end to the prayer, went away again to his lodging. 306 But the king's son, having summoned Zardan and testing his disposition, said: Did you hear what things this babbler says to me, trying to deceive me with his empty persuasions and to deprive me of this delightful gladness and enjoyment, and to worship a strange God? But Zardan said: Why did it seem good to you, O king, to test me your servant? I know that the man's words have sunk deep into your heart; for if this were not so, you would not have conversed with him so gladly and unceasingly. And indeed we are not ignorant of this proclamation; but from the time your father raised an implacable persecution against the Christians, they were driven from hence, and their proclamation fell silent. But if now the doctrine has appeared pleasing to you and you have the strength to undertake its hardship and toil, may your desires be directed toward the good. But what shall I do, being unable even to look such hardship in the face, and with my soul divided by fear of the king in pains and sorrows? What defense shall I make to him, having been negligent toward his commands, and to this man of the

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ὡς οἰκέτην πιστότατον καθυπηρετεῖν σοι παρεκελεύσατο. νυνὶ δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον τὸν ξένον συχνῶς ὁρῶν ὁμιλοῦντά σοι, δέδοικα μή ποτε τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν εἴη θρησκείας, πρὸς ἣν λίαν ἀπεχθῶς ὁ σὸς πατὴρ διάκειται· καὶ τῆς θανατηφόρου εὑρεθήσομαι ὑπεύθυνος ψήφου. εἴτε οὖν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ γνώρισον, εἴτε τοῦ λοιποῦ παῦσαι τούτῳ προσομιλεῖν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔκβαλόν με τοῦ σοῦ προσώπου, ὡς ἂν μὴ μεμπτέος ὦ, καὶ ἄλλον αἴτησαι τὸν πατέρα σου ἀγαγεῖν ἐνταῦθα. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων, ὦ Ζαρδάν, ποίησον. καθέσθητι σὺ ἔνδοθεν τοῦ παραπετάσματος, καὶ ἄκουσον τῆς αὐτοῦ πρός με ὁμιλίας· καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως λαλήσω σοι τί δεῖ ποιῆσαι. Μέλλοντος δὲ τοῦ Βαρλαὰμ εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν, εἰσήγαγε τὸν Ζαρδὰν ἐντὸς τοῦ παραπετάσματος, καὶ λέγει τῷ γέροντι· Ἀνακεφαλαίωσαί μοι τὰ τῆς ἐνθέου σου διδασκαλίας, ὡς ἂν κραταιότερον ἐμφυτευθῇ μου τῇ καρδίᾳ. ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ Βαρλαὰμ πολλὰ περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσεβείας ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸν μόνον δεῖ ἀγαπᾶν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν ἐντολὰς φόβῳ τε καὶ πόθῳ. καὶ ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ποιητὴς ὁρατῶν τε πάντων καὶ ἀοράτων. ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τὴν τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου 304 διάπλασιν ὑπεμίμνησκε, τήν τε δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ἐντολὴν καὶ τὴν ταύτης παράβασιν, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει τοῦ πλάσαντος καταδίκην. εἶτα καθεξῆς τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπηριθμεῖτο, ὧν ἀθετήσαντες τὴν ἐντολὴν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπεκλείσαμεν· καὶ αὖθις ἐμέμνητο τῶν λυπηρῶν, ὅσα μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀποτυχίαν κατέλαβεν ἀθλίως ἡμᾶς. ἐπὶ τούτοις τὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐπῆγεν, ὅπως τῆς ἡμετέρας φροντίζων ὁ ∆ημιουργὸς σωτηρίας διδασκάλους ἀπέστειλε καὶ προφήτας τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς κηρύττοντας σάρκωσιν· ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου κάθοδον, τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν, τὰς εὐεργεσίας, τὰ θαύματα, καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀχαρίστων παθήματα, τὸν σταυρόν, τὴν λόγχην, τὸν ἑκούσιον θάνατον· τέλος, τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν ἡμῶν, τὴν ἀνάκλησιν, τὴν εἰς τὸ πρῶτον ἀγαθὸν ἐπάνοδον· μετὰ ταῦτα, τὴν ἐκδεχομένην τοὺς ἀξίους τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, τὴν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς φαύλοις βάσανον, τὸ μὴ σβεννύμενον πῦρ, τὸ μὴ λῆγον σκότος, τὸν ἀθάνατον σκώληκα, καὶ ὅσην ἄλλην οἱ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δοῦλοι κόλασιν ἑαυτοῖς ἐθησαύρισαν. ταῦτα διεξελθὼν καὶ εἰς ἠθικὴν διδασκαλίαν τὸν λόγον τελέσας, πολλά τε περὶ καθαρότητος βίου διαλεχθείς, καὶ τῆς τῶν παρόντων ματαιότητος καταγνούς, τὴν ἀθλιότητά τε τῶν τούτοις προστετηκότων διελέγξας, εἰς εὐχὴν κατέληξε. καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτον αὐτῷ ἐπευξάμενος καὶ ἀκλινῆ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως, ἀνεπίληπτόν τε τὸν βίον καὶ καθαρωτάτην τὴν πολιτείαν, ὁ μέν, τέλος ἐπιθεὶς τῇ εὐχῇ, πρὸς τὴν ξενίαν αὖθις ἀπῄει. 306 Ὁ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱός, τὸν Ζαρδὰν προσκαλεσάμενος καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ γυμνάζων διάθεσιν, ἔφη· Ἤκουσας ὁποῖά μοι ὁ σπερμολόγος οὗτος διαλέγεται, ἀπατῆσαί με ταῖς κεναῖς αὐτοῦ πιθανολογίαις πειρώμενος καὶ ἀποστερῆσαι τῆς τερπνῆς ταύτης εὐφροσύνης καὶ ἀπολαύσεως, καὶ ξένῳ λατρεῦσαι Θεῷ; ὁ δὲ Ζαρδάν· Τί σοι ἔδοξεν, ἔφη, ὦ βασιλεῦ, πειράζειν με τὸν σὸν οἰκέτην; οἶδα κατὰ βάθος εἰσδῦναί σου τῇ καρδίᾳ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ ἀνδρός· εἰ μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτῷ ἡδέως τε καὶ ἀδιαλείπτως ὡμίλεις. καί γε ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν τουτὶ τὸ κήρυγμα· ἀλλ' ἐξ ὅτου ὁ σὸς πατὴρ διωγμὸν ἄσπονδον κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐξήγειρεν, ἀπηλάθησαν αὐτοὶ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ ἐσίγησε τὸ κήρυγμα αὐτῶν. εἰ δὲ νῦν ἀρεστόν σοι τὸ δόγμα κατεφάνη καὶ τὸ σκληρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπίπονον ἀναδέξασθαι ἰσχύεις, κατευθυνθείη σου τὰ θελήματα εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. ἐγὼ δὲ τί ποιήσω, πρὸς μὲν τὴν τοιαύτην σκληρότητα μηδ' ἀντοφθαλμῆσαι δυνάμενος, τῷ δὲ φόβῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν ὀδύναις καὶ ἀλγηδόσι μεριζόμενος; τί ἀπολογήσομαι αὐτῷ, ἀμελῶς τοῖς αὐτοῦ διατεθεὶς προστάγμασι, καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ τούτῳ τῆς