Orationes forenses et acta

 Each one of you has received benefits from him, that having set this forth here with goodwill toward him you might sway the votes, and by showing favo

 Having beset it and stirred herself up to be divinely inspired and worked herself into a bacchic frenzy. now, that the many are deceived by this, i do

 Of her, nor anything else of the things forbidden to me, but which are proclaimed and honored by them. for someone might perhaps excuse him for the fi

 To be enumerated? for divination is for the time being sufficient. but i think, if this had happened before, he would have nobly recorded these things

 Of the difference of theurgies, at the end he adds: one must remove in advance all obstacles to the visitation of the gods and impose a total tranqui

 In these matters i would gladly ask of you, whether it is permitted for a priest to be initiated into such mysteries and to be deemed worthy of such r

 Immediately, therefore, all blushed, or rather, indeed, they shouted with their voices and condemned the leaders of the impiety and named their writin

 Has he discerned? but if indeed the part of the synod has not joined with the senate council nor with the chosen of the nazirites—for this part was no

 Aristotle's theology and the psychogony of plato and the new numbers and the remodeling of doctrines and the expense of the divisible, who of all ever

 What argument is left to you concerning this, or how is it that you dispute with one another over matters of such importance and postpone the decision

 And i gladly admire in you the encomium of the good man in your memorandum. for where he holds on to the whole and bears the burden of common cares, y

 All those, with whom we disagree, have advocated for confusions or divisions. for what do matter and ideas have in common with our doctrines? but sinc

 And of the one who is lifted up and of the one seated on it. know the cherubic and seraphic wings, the perfection of their number, the symbolic coveri

 They have shaken. for if they happened to be uninitiated in our doctrines and completely uninstructed in the mysteries of the spirit, perhaps, having

 For he who receives a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, from the contrary and greater, he who receives an impious man will receive the punishme

 He has despised all things equally, although the law, standing as it were at his ears, cried out: let no one teach or learn profane things. and agai

 He both strung together and vomited up, this twenty-third writing he thinks, or rather he places it between those who were then in every way our own p

 Depicting the madness of nestorian rage. i have left it to you to compare it with the dogmas of the massalians. i brought forth to them from the inner

 The patriarch has acted impiously, clearly and openly. and it is not permitted for any of you who wish, nor for those zealous on his behalf, to defend

 And having brought over certain forces from the west, he stirred them up for war, and they come face to face with each other from both sides. and a fi

 Delaying he is persuaded and is moderate and descends with them. and he dares against two emperors, of whom the one the imperial court held, adorned w

 Being torn apart. but pilate sat judging my divinely-moved emperor, the lord's anointed, who was being considered, not hesitating, not washing his han

 To kill the emperor, unless he came down quickly and bowed his head to him, but he, fearing the tyrannical cruelty and cowering lest he suffer anythin

 An innovative rank and would come to be below. there, then, the morning star raged against the first goodness, but here the evening star has attacked

 Demonic in his life. but again i have turned to you, the judges, and again i ask: has anything been dared by this man or not? you will surely say the

 Then failing to achieve their purpose, they chose to strike and kill. is it not clear to all that, while digging through and breaking into the houses

 Ruin, if he should object saying that he neither urged these things nor wished them, but even punished many of those who dared with all punishments, w

 In the parts on the right, somewhere near the entrance, but you have immediately ascended into heaven on earth itself, as if considering it a terrible

 Disregarding the divine temples, he was destroying them? and he did not cease, piling one on top of another and making them abandoned ruins. for not o

 Leaning together walls collapsed together with their icons and statues. and everything was as if in a great earthquake, the air being darkened, the e

 And the remains of the apostle luke are burned by fire and reduced to dust. i fear that the bodies of martyrs also lay here. i am afraid that some of

 I shall grant you this also. he had no need, it is true, of the burial robes. i admit it, since they had all already decayed. but he did have need of

 Let us not even examine the scene after that, but let these things be considered by him as theaters and hunts. but where the mercy-seat is, and around

 Seeing what was happening was exulting and rejoicing, like of old the whelp of the beast, i mean the one from isauria. but you consider for me what a

 Fire was burning us and the zeal of the lord was consuming us, long ago the man would have perished, or rather, he would not even have had access to t

 To me the macedonian, to the right the spear, at a walk the half-file leader, captain, wheel around. and nothing new nor incredible for one who has

 I pray with the high priest, but the mixture and the sheath which has grown with us turns the mind, being raised aloft, back toward itself. therefore

 He would trace his genealogy from cronus and rhea and from those even further back, i mean hericapaeus and phanes and that orphic night and he traced

 And the same color over all, none of which moved or influenced him? but never to converse even with the more divine words nor to unroll any tablet, th

 The emperor's treasury is not supplied only from mines nor from the recesses of the earth, nor do tributes alone fill it, nor contributions from land

 And to speak of the audacity, or rather—but how could i speak, intertwining things?—and the diligently pursued plot, through which almost everything w

 Granting that you may meet with more benevolent judges above. and then the drink of deposition here will truly appear to you as a purification. and ma

 Suspicious to many. but if he has nothing in common with the one he has chosen to accuse, nor has anything come between them, it is somehow still unac

 They anticipate my tongue, scattering against me the things they did wrong on account of their own greed, and i confidently awaited the court, as one

 To vote against a priest on the spot the penance exceeds all punishment the examination and the penance must proceed canonically. and, as it seems,

 Of the whole age, an unbeliever, so that i may speak truly, to believe against a believer? for this would be far from reason and thought. for where we

 But i, but what might i say about this? he living the life of a private citizen, but i clothed in the high-priestly vestment. and such a man is agains

 With misfortunes and your example, for the sake of argument, let someone come forward as a condemned man to have his neck cut. and let the sword be ha

 Do you receive? for the pardon testifies that the deposition did not seem so even to himself. for if, according to you, it is like a cutting off, what

 Is the cause the comparison of the matter to a beheading? for from this, one absurdity having been granted, these many nonsensical things were consequ

 An evil tale about me for years, leave me to my former wounds, do not card new ones upon me. so may the lord heal you, if indeed there is anything in

 This is the law of accusation and defense, and from this the precise examination of matters is found. but he introduced a new kind of writing into the

 Of voice, for not even this is unworthy of the art, and with a rhythmic turn of the tongue, you perhaps might only approach him, you who indeed gaped

 Has been debarred from studies? but for you in deep old age, what share is there of education? who of all people has known you, as far as i know, afte

 Which they say came into being of their own accord. but these things are not acceptable to you, and for this reason we shall laugh at you again, havin

 Ever, not in courts, not in counsels, not in public, not in private. for this was not even without accusation, but the speech had some defense. from w

 And the nature of fire did not burn, and the steep rock sent forth springs, and the wood here sweetened the bitterness, and there lightened the heavy

 Did he transcend this time? and it is likely, o best one, for christ possessed a nature more free even according to human standards. whether, then, th

 From himself, having allotted a great portion of reason to his soul this man, therefore, having long ago established for himself a little adopted dau

 A contest, but more brilliant was the victory of elpidius, and he went away having overcome the vestarches by all votes and crowning himself with the

 Receiving. when the most compassionate soul heard this supplication, since she also knew the circumstances concerning the bestarches, and that for man

 I will let my tongue go from forbidden deeds. and first i shame myself relating unspeakable and improper things, since i will also become a stumbling

 The amounts owed will be reckoned against each other, and the fine will be reckoned to elpidios in place of the protospatharios's fee, and the protosp

 Having received a seaside property from him, i give back to him in exchange a mainland one as a permanent dwelling by gift. but the kalai property was

 Most complete, not measured by time, not defined by partial successions nor by these alienations or those, but eternal, sufficient for all successions

 Indicating by the documents, which it is also necessary to go through in order. and so that we may make the summaries concise, and not, by going throu

 At that time for the ruler to ratify to her through a gift of a golden bull the property which he had previously granted to the man, not having been i

 But the rest testified that they themselves were not present at such a sale, but had heard from the subscribing witnesses in the confirmatory document

 He marveled at our western setting sun as a morning sunrise, and with the unspeakable pangs of his soul he discerned the ineffable will of god concern

 On both sides the gift is valid for those who received it from there. for the estate was perhaps of the daughters of nicholas’s wife through paternal

 Harmony, who of all could dissolve such a great bond, or rather these wonderful and in reality altogether indissoluble connections? for the first and

 He has made known by an agreement to whom indeed you also entrusted everything under oath and, whatever they themselves should do, you have promised

 Emperor of the romans, doukas. konstantinos, in christ the god faithful emperor of the romans, doukas. ioannes, most humble archbishop of constantinop

a contest, but more brilliant was the victory of Elpidius, and he went away having overcome the vestarches by all votes and crowning himself with the utmost ignorance. These things annoyed the vestarches. And how could they not? And he often uttered the most blood-guilty curses against the suitor; but he did not immediately force a dissolution of the betrothal, giving something also to future time and awaiting the turn of events from it. But when this time also came without changing the soul of Elpidius, but increasing his willful deafness towards education and his commanding and intense disposition towards a life diametrically opposed to it, the matters tending to this seemed to the vestarches to be hopeless, and he tried to guide him by another rein, to abstain from jesters and mimes, and to associate with the most prudent men and those from whom one might profit towards seriousness. But he turned a deaf ear to these things too, and fulfilled nothing but the counsels of his soul. But the vestarches did not again hold a grudge nor did he take revenge, but promoted him with dignities and made him more distinguished, so that he might somehow from this embrace the better life. And first, having asked the emperor, he makes him judge of the veil, then he honors him as law-recorder, and after this as privy secretary, and thus he raises him to the rank of the exactors. And the dignities for him were varied and dissimilar, but his disposition was the same and not out of tune with itself. No short time had passed after this, and a disease seizes the vestarches, which was hurrying him to his death. And he was immediately mindful of a change and had deserted to the life which he had long chosen. And having scorned all things, both what the emperor threatened him with and again what he offered to appease him, and the necessities of kinship and his accustomed life, he strips off with his tunic also his way of life in the world, and puts on a worn cloak instead, and transfers himself to the monastic way of life. And when he had recovered a little from the disease, and when the emperor granted him to ask for whatever he might wish, he asked for this one thing only: for Elpidius to be raised to the eminence of the patriciate. And the emperor, though with difficulty, nevertheless granted it, since our empress and mistress was also then entreating him. This was done, and the vestarches immediately went running to the divine mountain Olympus, to meet with the ascetics there, and to receive some precepts for the ascetic life. And having drawn as much as he could from the spring, he came back again both to look after his own affairs and to make small provision so as to have a carefree life for the remainder. From this point, the Iliad of his woes came upon him; for Elpidius, having taken hold of power and the ability to do whatever he wished, not with a sideways step, but in a straight course, ran out towards the condition opposed to virtue; and he associated with his betrothed as much as with philosophy and letters. The vestarches, therefore, being at a loss what to do, leaving aside the immediate and near things, fled to the last and first anchor, we mean the empress of the Roman race and ruler of almost the entire inhabited world, and he made a supplication to her, not so much instructing as reminding her how many things he had first gifted to Elpidius, and how later, when she was administering the emperor's rule, he had received these as a second gift from her, and how she again had granted to Elpidius the things previously gifted; and how while he had done these things for him, the latter repays him with the opposite, hatred towards him and disobedience, loathing for his betrothed, and the unwillingness to live according to his wishes, but instead to cast books from his hands and to choose in their place a life with the most shameful people, and how on account of this he was disowning him and was dissolving the betrothal. And concerning the dignities, this letter of supplication had stated this, that he did not want these, since the contract was being dissolved, on the basis of which he had been gifted twice, as the account has shown, but if he should contract the marriage alliance with another, he would accept it if one, the finest of the many, were given to him, but if not, he would be glad and not

ἅμιλλα, λαμπροτέρα δὲ ἡ τοῦ Ἐλπιδίου νίκη, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ὅλαις ψήφοις τοῦ βεστάρχου κεκρατηκὼς καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀμαθίαν ἀναδησάμενος. Ταῦτα ἠνία μὲν τὸν βεστάρχην. καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὔ; καὶ τὰς παλαμναιοτάτας ἀρὰς πολλάκις τῷ μνήστορι κατηράσατο· οὐ κατηνάγκασε δὲ εὐθὺς διάλυσιν τῆς μνηστείας ποιήσασθαι, διδόντα τι καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ καὶ τὴν παρ' ἐκείνου ῥοπὴν ἀναμένοντα. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἧκεν οὐ μεταβάλλων τὴν τοῦ Ἐλπιδίου ψυχήν, ἀλλ' ἐπαυξάνων τὸ πρὸς μὲν τὴν παίδευσιν ἐθελόκωφον, πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἐκ διαμέτρου ταύτῃ βίον ἐπιτατικόν τε καὶ σύντονον, ἀπογνωστέα μὲν τὰ πρὸς τοῦτο φέροντα τῷ βεστάρχῃ ἐδόκει, ἐφ' ἑτέραν δὲ αὐτὸν ἡνίαν ἐρρύθμιζε, γελοιαστῶν μὲν καὶ μίμων ἀπέχεσθαι, σωφρονεστάτοις δὲ ἀνδράσι προσομιλεῖν καὶ παρ' ὧν ἄν τις πρὸς σεμνότητα ὄναιτο. τῷ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ἐξεκώφει τὰ ὦτα, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅτι μὴ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπλήρου βουλεύματα. ὁ δὲ βεστάρχης οὐδὲ πάλιν ἐμνησικάκει οὐδὲ ἠμύνετο, ἀλλ' ἀξιώμασι προεβίβαζε καὶ λαμπρότερον ἀπεδείκνυεν, ἵν' εἴ πως ἐντεῦθεν τὸν κρείττονα βίον ἀσπάσοιτο. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αἰτήσας τὸν αὐτοκράτορα κριτὴν τοῦ βήλου ποιεῖ, ἔπειτα θεσμογράφον τιμᾷ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μυστογράφον, καὶ οὕτως ἀνάγει εἰς τοὺς ἐξάκτωρας. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀξιώματα τούτῳ διηλλαγμένα τε καὶ ἀνόμοια, ἡ γνώμη δὲ ἴση καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν οὐκ ἀπᾴδουσα. Χρόνος οὔ τι βραχὺς μετὰ ταῦτα παρεληλύθει, καὶ νόσος αἱρεῖ τὸν βεστάρχην, ἥτις αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἤπειγεν. ὁ δὲ εὐθὺς μεταβολῆς γε ἐμέμνητο καὶ πρὸς ὃν ᾑρεῖτο πάλαι βίον ηὐτομολήκει. καὶ πάντων καταφρονήσας ὧν τε ἠπείλει βασιλεὺς αὐτῷ καὶ αὖθις ἐξευμενίζετο, συγγενικῶν τε ἀναγκαιοτήτων καὶ τῆς συνήθους ζωῆς, συναποδύεται τῷ χιτῶνι καὶ τὴν ἐν κόσμῳ διαγωγὴν καὶ τρίβωνα μεταμπίσχεται καὶ πρὸς τὴν μοναδικὴν διατριβὴν μετατίθεται. ἐπεὶ δέ τι βραχὺ τῆς νόσου ἐράϊσε καὶ ὁπόσα βούλοιτο τοῦ βασιλέως δόντος αἰτήσασθαι, ἓν τοῦτο μόνον ᾐτήσατο τὸν Ἐλπίδιον εἰς τὴν τοῦ πατρικάτου ἀναχθήναι περιωπήν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δυσχερῶς μέν, ἐδίδου δὲ ὅμως, προσλιπαρούσης αὐτὸν τότε καὶ τῆς βασιλίδος ἡμῶν καὶ δεσπότιδος. γέγονε ταῦτα, καὶ ὁ βεστάρχης δρομαῖος εὐθὺς εἰς τὸ θεῖον ὄρος τὸν Ὄλυμπον ᾤχετο, τοῖς ἐκεῖσε ἀσκηταῖς ἐντευξόμενος, καί τινας ὑποθήκας πρὸς τὸν ἀσκητικὸν βίον ληψόμενος. καὶ τῆς πηγῆς ὅσον ἐξῆν ἀρυσάμενος, αὖθις ἐπανελήλυθεν ἐπισκεψόμενός τε τὰ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ μικρὰ φροντίσων ὥστε τὸν λοιπὸν βίον ἔχειν ἀφρόντιδα. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ τῶν κακῶν αὐτῷ προσεγένετο Ἰλιάς· ὁ γάρ τοι Ἐλπίδιος ἐξουσίας ἐπειλημμένος καὶ τοῦ δρᾶν ὅσα καὶ βούλοιτο, οὐ πλαγίῳ ποδί, ἀλλὰ κατ' εὐθὺ φέροντι πρὸς τὴν ἀντικειμένην τῇ ἀρετῇ ἕξιν ἐξέδραμε· τῇ δὲ μνηστῇ τοσαῦτα ὡμίλει ὁπόσα καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ καὶ λόγοις. ἀπορούμενος οὖν ὁ βεστάρχης ὅ τι καὶ δράσειε, τὰ προσεχῆ καὶ ἐγγὺς ἀφεὶς πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην καὶ πρώτην κατέφυγεν ἄγκυραν, τὴν τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ γένους βασιλίδα φαμὲν καὶ πάσης σχεδὸν οἰκουμένης ἐπάρχουσαν, καὶ ἱκετηρίαν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔθετο, οὐ διδάσκουσαν μᾶλλον ἢ ἀναμιμνήσκουσαν ὁπόσα πρῶτα μὲν τῷ Ἐλπιδίῳ δωρήσαιτο, ὅπως τε ὕστερον τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ταύτης διεπούσης ἀρχήν, δευτέραν τε παρ' αὐτῆς ταῦτα εἰλήφει δωρεάν, καὶ αὖθις τῷ Ἐλπιδίῳ τὰ προδεδωρημένα παράσχοιτο, καὶ ὡς ὁ μὲν ταῦτα αὐτῷ πεποιήκει, ὁ δὲ ἀντιδίδωσι τὰ ἐναντία, ἀπέχθειαν μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνηκοΐαν, μῖσος δὲ πρὸς τὴν μνηστήν, καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐθέλειν κατὰ τὰ ἐκείνου θελήματα πολιτεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ χειρῶν μὲν ἀπορριπτεῖν τὰ βιβλία, ἀνθαιρεῖσθαι δὲ τούτων τὴν μετὰ τῶν αἰσχίστων διαγωγήν, καὶ ὡς ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὸν ἀρνοῖτο, καὶ τὴν μνηστείαν διαλύοιτο. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων τοῦτο τὸ ἱκέσιον διειλήφει γράμμα, ὡς οὐ βούλοιτο ταῦτα, διαλυομένου τοῦ συναλλάγματος, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ δεδώρητο δίς, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξεν, ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν πρὸς ἕτερον συναλλάττει τὸ κῆδος, ἀποδέχεσθαι εἰ τῶν πολλῶν ἓν αὐτῷ δοθείη τὸ κάλλιστον, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀσμενίζειν καὶ μὴ