Panegyric orations

 To run against you from an opposing lot, he endured but the pentathlon was accomplished for you and the pancratium was completed with no one having c

 The votes, i imagine the divine judgment and i refer to the incorruptible tribunal. when i test you in elections, i admire your intelligence and your

 From afar it shines on those landing and extends a hand to those from the sea, escorting them to rome most painlessly. what in addition to these does

 Using it and bending and curving it towards the drooping jaw, i remember the indian's eyebrow at this, how he held it more than a cubit above his head

 And to a rival. let others, then, measure you against and compare you with whomever they wish, but i, though i seem to make a strange and dissimilar c

 In prose, not in meters and poems or perhaps many are present, but they have no account of the matter, as if it were of no account to them. and time

 The hegemony of his father, with kingdoms overthrown and not a few changes having occurred in both, those who, having exchanged their fortune for the

 He took counsel of opposing nations, but by making everything purchasable with gold and royal splendors, from this he gained the goodwill of all, and

 Opened, and flung wide the very gates of the soul, and associated with wicked and corrupt lives. for he did not at once know the whole line of the fam

 To work deeds of injustice for he was angry with those who did wrong and would punish them. but when he began to be sick and his body was wasting awa

 Not a magnificent spirit, not a musical and graceful speech, nothing else of the sort that knows how to beautify the soul and the nature of the body.

 Drives a sphere, and the other the superterrestrial one, so that the one might wind its own zone in a single cycle, and the other in twelve cycles, an

 Defining the virtues by its power, and practicing the higher geometry. for this, as proclus also says, has occupied the middle ground between the indi

 The power of the kingdom came to him, besides these the life of david among the flocks, the pursuit, those many dangers into which he fell but was not

 He locks up the monarchy into a tyranny, having exchanged one evil for another. justice is not quiet, it kindles the coals, it sends the arrow, the wi

 I call it his girdle-and he draws away no small cavalry and infantry force from old rome, he adds to these also the best army of the east, and no smal

 An angel wrought a more manifest victory. i have something more to say than those wonders there the cross was in types and images, a bronze serpent s

 You, o king the more abundantly you pour out benefits upon us, the more you increase by being filled. from this, no one has been left out of such wea

 With the eyes, then poured out and dissolved, but better and higher than all that is visible. but, o emperor—for i repeat the title to you and call it

 You fill the western beacon, neither grudging us your rays nor altering the color of your disk, but the more time increases the distances, the more be

 The rising of the sun, the land upon which it immediately rises, so that, if any of our people wished, having gone there he could, not with geometrica

 I am an unskillful chronicler of your deeds and erring in my timing, and i do not have a nature that strikes out in both directions at once. for you a

 To wish. for you both comprehend the present and conjecture the future and discover the unseen, discerning character from eyebrows and eyelids, so tha

 To speak? -unseemly even in his appearance, made of tin or dipped in bile and altogether counterfeit gold, but since he was in the midst of dangers, t

 With stones lying along each side, so that the conjoined may seem continuous and the well-fitted of one nature. behold for me the heights and beauties

 But here is a distinct hand divided into five rosy branches. but this is a most unerring testimony of that godlike soul. but do you wish to see some t

 Transcending substance and holding the principles of the forms folded together and least of all divided from the one. and you, being such, do you not

 The fountains of good deeds flowed, as if from a sheer rock, having received the impetus for their flowing these proclaimed you by reputation even be

 A guide, so also there an arbiter of the administrations, that i may suit you for both, both speaking your deeds and doing the words of your administr

 P]ortions are deprived of praise, but no one of all men has been suited to all words of praise. but to you so much is granted [against] all in all thi

 To bring to the highest point of keenness, or your soul which was not [shattered by] trials, but also most nobly endured through the magnitude of the

 And they were torn away, and their manner altered their nature [....], and they have remained, and after the separation, being both nourished and fatt

 But the love of art and the care concerning the divine sanctuaries, what demostheneses or the best of the writers could describe and praise? how beau

 Having surpassed in his heroic deeds him and the kings up to you, but in his plans he is recorded as being less than his accomplishments, winning in [

 Less, you have given the first place to reason over passion, and you have established the one like some foundation upon the acropolis, but the other y

 Having considered what is seen, but when i also behold the tomb of the queen, and i behold it often whenever i wish to console some hardship of fortun

 To comprehend in a speech. for to whom could the unattainable be attainable, even if he were rich in the homeric power for speeches, or the herodotan

 Admiring and in return is eager to make an image and someone already having constructed a stele for you inscribed the gentle one. therefore solomon

 Much praise and measured against all of time. how then could i summarize the whole in a few words? i will speak, therefore, a little of your virtues,

 Everyone rejoices and exults with the one who has taken up your encomiums and because i did not weave the words of praise sooner, he is rather vexed

 Gracefulness, the maturity of your thought, the symmetry of your greatness, the quick-wittedness, the stability of your mind, the unmarried life, the

 At once for us the lord and most skilled in command and pleasing to all, o most excellent foresight, o wise consideration, o most noble counsel, o div

 Of virtues? you, beyond any kings who ever were, honored justice and preferred philanthropy, and having attained the height of prudence, you appeared

 Accomplishments? o the arrows from heaven against the barbarians, o the unseen bowshots, o the angelic powers in the air, o the divine armies against

 The greatest part of character. for as many as have become of a civic disposition, if they have descended to this willingly, they seemed both prudent

 Of civil administration and of divine hearing. if therefore, being engaged in one, he also holds to the other, let this for now be a secret to many. b

 Of wise men going to ammon's shrine or being within the delphic tripod suddenly transferred their apparent wisdom to the more divine and greater, how

 We have taken starting points, and yet more absurd, if we render praises to the good and noble men who have died, for what they have said concerning w

 And not many months after the sowing, but immediately reaping the harvest and so that i might say what is from the gospel, the two were running toget

 If we should set about to build him up, this marvelous man, both in nature and in diligence, has received much contribution toward his eloquence from

 For having embraced one of these, they might neglect the rest, or putting ears before mind, they have an unintelligible tongue, or having drawn up spr

 Pleases the petty and the overly artful. therefore, of these enumerated wise men, the one now honored in this discourse wishes to imitate gregory, and

 I knew not only what the greeks knew, nor what the chaldeans or egyptians knew, but i had also condemned them, though not all of them, nor has my refu

 With magnanimity, he who was both namesake and like-minded with the great constantine, and who alone nobly contended against all, and taking his name-

 Regulates the state of the church, no less than moses who constructed the tabernacle below according to the pattern shown to him for whether melodies

 Concerning which things, before his high-priesthood, at a time when he did not even have many resources of money, he constructed brilliantly and accom

 And to impart to others. and perhaps he did not endure the waves of the sea, but in his toils on land he might in some way be compared to paul. and co

 One of two things happening, either god descending into the mind, or the mind ascending to god. but what is the place of god's rest, or by which of al

 Of a voice, nor were you instructed by any of the higher powers, to lay aside the symbols of the priesthood, and to transfer yourself to another life,

 Nothing unpleasant would happen to those handling these things but for you, who happen to be a philosopher, what harm will come from these affairs? j

 Of words but you, o king, will both speak publicly among the armies and bring an impulse with your speech and will rouse them together for the deed.

 May you be crowned on the head with glorious trophies. may you be adorned with deeds of valor against the barbarians, and be escorted by many victorie

 May you rend the sea and stop the river and vanquish amalek. may a cloud, giving shade over your head, take away your burning heat, and a pillar of li

nothing unpleasant would happen to those handling these things; but for you, who happen to be a philosopher, what harm will come from these affairs? just as no harm comes to a pilot from the affairs, but he will turn and turn back the rudders and steer the ship with knowledge. If, therefore, you have straightaway condemned the better course, this would be another matter, beyond both counsel and advice; but if you would wish to follow better reasonings, I do not think you could find finer ones, and you yourself would say so, you who indeed, having sown the first seeds of reason in my soul, yield to me the primacy in all things. You have now, therefore, dearest of all men, from us both the discourse and the advice, the one promised to you long ago and paid as a debt, even if you yourself were not willing to receive what was owed, the other offered to you at the same time out of goodwill and careful consideration. For it is not as if I, sharing in the affair with you, then fear lest I myself be deprived of my share. But to me, who will render my account, whether living or dead? For I myself have provided to many, and if you wish, to all, the starting points for writing, but I do not know if they will be well-disposed towards my work; rather, I fear the opposite, which I would not mention, and I would prefer this rather than to be confused. But if my living character and my writings suffice for me, I have my sufficient encomium, but if not, this too is a gain for me, to lie forgotten under the earth, neither honored beyond what is due, nor reproached for how I have lived; only may God be merciful to me, from whom my better things have come, and to whom alone I have dedicated my life, because to him is the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18 To the emperor Diogenes when he became emperor Now is the day of salvation, now is freedom from evils, now is the strength and reinforcement of the new Rome, now is the unshaken tower of the empire, an unbending wall, a firm pillar, a foundation established on the hands of the Lord. Now the Lord has visited his inheritance and stooped down from heaven and saw, and sent his angel from on high and delivered us from present evils and future terrors and the swirling of clouds and the assault of arrows. Where now are the boasts of the Persians? Where the arrogance of the Medes? Where the watched-for incursion of the Scythians? Where the haughty brow of the Turks and the irresistible attack of the barbarian? Now, as on a scale, all things have become counterbalanced and counterweighted, and the scales have been shifted. now all things are new, and the things of the enemy have been changed, and our own have been transformed. now we have beheld an emperor, belying neither his title nor his appearance, great as a giant, lofty in his arm, mighty in his power, and fearsome unarmed and strong and irresistible when armed, his appearance in truth worthy of rule, but his heart a match for the prophet David. For in you, most divine emperor, all things have come together at once, all that is fearful, all that is splendid, all that is wonderful: a lineage incomparable in its nobility, a homeland the most beautiful of cities, from which come noble natures and unconquered strength and unbearable power against barbarians; a physical nature such that a barbarian could not endure to look upon it, a nature of soul such that we rejoice to see it; an attack against enemies that is irresistible, but toward us calm and shining with gentleness. Diogenes in appearance, godlike in what is hidden; majestic in things of the senses, brilliant in things of the mind, stable in thought, clever in conception, sharp in mind, quick in tongue, both orator and soldier. O what a paradoxical wonder! The separate things, words and weapons, bows and meters, sayings and assaults, wisdom and full armor, you have paradoxically brought together into your one soul. And you wage war with a high arm, but converse freely and roundly with your tongue, and you are like a river and a channel at the same time. For the mind pours forth thoughts like a river, but the tongue gently floods the channel of

οὐδὲν ἂν ἀηδὲς τοῖς μεταχειρίζουσι ταῦτα γένοιτο· σοὶ δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο φιλοσόφῳ τυγχάνοντι, τίς ἐπήρεια παρὰ τῶν πραγμάτων γενήσεται; ὥσπερ οὐδὲ κυβερνήτῃ παρὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ στρέψει καὶ μεταστρέψει τοὺς οἴακας καὶ πηδαλιουχήσει ἐπιστημόνως τὴν ναῦν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν αὐτόθεν τῶν κρειττόνων κατέγνωκας, ἄλλο τοῦτ' ἂν εἴη πρᾶγμα, κρεῖττον συμβουλῆς τε καὶ παραινέσεως· εἰ δ' ἕπεσθαι λόγοις κρείττοσι βούλοιο, οὐκ ἂν οἶμαί σε καλλίοσιν ἐντυχεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἂν ἐρεῖς, ὅς γε δή μοι καὶ τοὺς πρώτους λόγους κατασπείρας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσι πρωτείου παραχωρεῖς. Ἔχεις οὖν ἤδη, φίλτατε πάντων ἀνδρῶν, παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν, τὸν μὲν ἐπηγγελμένον πάλαι σοι καὶ ὡς χρέος ἐκτετισμένον, εἰ καὶ μὴ αὐτὸς τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἐθέλοις λαβεῖν, τὴν δὲ ἀπ' εὐνοίας ἅμα σοι προσενεχθεῖσαν καὶ ἀκριβοῦς διασκέψεως. οὐ γὰρ ὡσπερεὶ κοινωνῶν σοι τοῦ πράγματος, ἔπειτα δέδια μὴ τοῦ μέρους αὐτὸς στερηθήσομαι. ἐμοὶ δὲ τίς ἀποδώσει τὸν λόγον ἢ ζῶντι, ἢ τελευτήσαντι; πολλοῖς μὲν γὰρ αὐτός, εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ ξύμπασι, τὰς τοῦ συγγράφειν ὑπέθηκα ἀφορμάς, οὐκ οἶδα δὲ εἴ μοι περὶ τὸν λόγον εὐγνωμονήσουσι, μᾶλλον δὲ θάτερον δέδοικα, ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι, καὶ μᾶλλόν γε τοῦτο βουλοίμην ἢ συγκεχῦσθαι. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἀρκέσει μοι τὸ ζῶν ἦθος καὶ τὰ συγγράμματα, ἀπέχω τὸ ἀποχρῶν μοι ἐγκώμιον, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλά μοι καὶ τοῦτο κέρδος ἀμνημονεύτῳ κεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν, οὔτε τιμωμένῳ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος, οὔτ' ἐλεγχομένῳ ἐφ' οἷς βεβίωκα· μόνον εἴη μοι θεὸς ἵλεως παρ' οὗ μοι καὶ τὰ κρείττω συμβέβηκε, καὶ ᾧ μόνῳ τὴν ἐμὴν ζωὴν ἀνατέθεικα, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν. 18 Εἰς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ∆ιογένην ὅτε ἐβασίλευσεν Νῦν ἡμέρα σωτήριος, νῦν ἐλευθερία κακώσεων, νῦν τῆς νέας Ῥώμης ἰσχὺς καὶ κραταίωσις, νῦν βασιλείας πύργος ἀκλόνητος, τεῖχος ἀκράδαντον, στῦλος ἄσειστος, θεμέλιος ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ κυρίου ἐστηριγμένος χειρῶν. νῦν ἐπεσκέψατο κύριος τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔκυψεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἐξ ὕψους τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς καὶ παρόντων κακῶν καὶ μελλόντων δεινῶν καὶ συστροφῆς νεφῶν καὶ ἐμβολῆς βελῶν. Ποῦ τὰ Περσῶν αὐχήματα νῦν; ποῦ τὰ Μήδων φρυάγματα; ποῦ ἡ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐποπτευομένη ἐπιδρομή; ποῦ ἡ ἀλαζὼν τῶν Τούρκων ὀφρὺς καὶ ἡ ἀνυπόστατος τοῦ βαρβάρου ὁρμή; Νῦν ὥσπερ ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ ἀντίρροπα πάντα καὶ ἀντίσταθμα γέγονε, καὶ αἱ πλάστιγγες μετετέθησαν. νῦν πάντα καινά, καὶ μετήλλακται μὲν τὰ ἐχθρῶν, μετεσχημάτισται δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα. νῦν τεθεάμεθα βασιλέα, οὔτε τὴν κλῆσιν οὔτε τὸ σχῆμα ψευδόμενον, μέγαν ὡς γίγαντα, ὑψηλὸν τῷ βραχίονι, κραταιὸν τῇ δυνάμει, καὶ ἄοπλον φοβερὸν καὶ ὡπλισμένον ἰσχυρόν τε καὶ ἀνυπόστατον, τὸ μὲν εἶδος τῷ ὄντι τυραννίδος ἄξιον, τὴν δὲ καρδίαν ἀνθάμιλλον τῷ προφήτῃ ∆αυίδ. Ἔν σοι γάρ, θειότατε βασιλεῦ, ἀθρόα πάντα συνέδραμεν, ὅσα φοβερά, ὅσα λαμπρά, ὅσα θαυμάσια· γένος ἀσύγκριτον τὴν εὐγένειαν, πατρὶς ἡ καλλίστη τῶν πόλεων, ἐξ ἧς φύσεις γενναῖαι καὶ ἰσχὺς ἀήττητος καὶ κράτος κατὰ βαρβάρων ἀφόρητον· φύσις σώματος οἵαν οὐκ ἂν ἐπενέγκοι βάρβαρος θεασάμενος, φύσις ψυχῆς οἵαν ἡμεῖς ὁρῶντες γανύμεθα· ὁρμὴ κατὰ μὲν ἐχθρῶν ἀνυπόστατος, πρὸς ἡμᾶς δὲ γαλήνιος καὶ ἥμερον ἐπιλάμπουσα. ∆ιογενὴς τὸ φαινόμενον, θεοειδὴς τὸ κρυπτόμενον· σεμνὸς τὰ πρὸς αἴσθησιν, λαμπρὸς τὰ πρὸς νόησιν, εὐσταθὴς τὸ φρόνημα, εὐφυὴς τὸ ἐνθύμημα, τὸν νοῦν ὀξύς, τὴν γλῶτταν ταχύς, ῥήτωρ καὶ στρατιώτης ὁμοῦ. ὢ τοῦ παραδόξου θαύματος· τὰ διῃρημένα, λόγους καὶ ὅπλα, τόξα καὶ μέτρα, ῥήματα καὶ ὁρμήματα, σοφίαν καὶ πανοπλίαν, εἰς μίαν τὴν σεαυτοῦ παραδόξως ψυχὴν συνήγαγες. καὶ πολεμεῖς μὲν ὑψηλῷ τῷ βραχίονι, ὁμιλεῖς δὲ ἐλευθέρως καὶ στρογγύλως τῇ γλώττῃ, καὶ ἔοικας ποταμῷ ἅμα καὶ ὀχετῷ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ νοῦς ποταμηδὸν ἐπιχεῖ τὰ νοήματα, ἡ δὲ γλῶττα ἠρέμα ἐπικλύζει τὴν ὀχετηγίαν τῶν