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that they may terrify, but that they may teach not to be terrified; thinking this, I also made my letter somewhat harsher. 218.5 For many are the exercises of philosophy; and thanks be to God, that I found you not unphilosophical nor of base matter, but gentle enough and of our own school, because of which you both write kindly and desire a meeting. 218.6 If then you would grant us this, you do better, and we will receive you, be assured, with a father's eyes; but if the winter hinders you, for the time being we will greet you with advice. 218.7 Prefer nothing now, either, to friendship and concord with your brother Sacerdos (believe me), nor think what has happened to be anything other than a trial of the evil one, who is envious of your philosophy. 218.8 But strive nobly and manfully against the first trial, so that he may not make a second and third struggle and others in succession, but depart defeated and ashamed. For we know his tricks, having learned this over a long time, and by our struggles against him. 219.T TO HELLADIUS 219.1 The words I shall speak to you I shall speak out of good will, so that it would be right for me to ask to be heard first of all; but if not, at least to be forgiven for my advice. 219.2 Not many approve of your action, that concerning our most honorable brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos, as having occurred more from the slander of some than from your own judgment, who perhaps are ignorant of the sequence of events, but seeing the end result itself, do not praise it. 219.3 These things, then, you yourself would know. For it is not for us to meddle in your affairs, you who also lay down laws for others on what must be done. But we ask your goodness, first, to grant to the man all the care of the things he was in charge of; for it is not so easy for someone to be a philosopher, even if he is the most patient and philosophical, as to bear being deprived of so many labors and so great a habit. 219.4 If not, then secondly, to arrange the care of the poor as you wish, through those whom you yourself may approve, but to place the care of the monastery and of the brothers upon him; and not to grieve him with the innovation, and to grieve even more those who hold to their custom and cannot bear the dismemberment, as it were, of a single body. For some of them, coming to us, lamented this. 219.5 If, then, the man seems to you to have something venerable in himself, as is indeed worthy, reverence him for his own sake, and his gray hair, and his toils, and the others which he endured according to God, showing a piety older than his years, and those for the care of the poor and the leadership of the brothers. 219.6 But if this seems small to you, at least do not by any means dishonor us and our embassy; and before all else, put aside your anger and grief toward him, yes, I beg you, and like a father, make him your own son; 219.7 if he has grieved you in any way, which I do not think, forgiving this for our sake, and saying or writing nothing about him that is unworthy of him or of your gentleness; and if anything has been written, annulling it. 219.8 And do not make public the grief, which it is better to hide than to make known to outsiders, so that among other things you may teach him to be long-suffering by your example. 220.T TO THE SAME 220.1 Of the things you wrote, some are very gentle and kind, but of others I do not know what to say, except that they are grievous to us, and quite reasonably so, as I persuade myself. 220.2 For if our brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos is justly accused, which I do not think, it is grievous. For how could it not be? That so much piety and so many labors should be so quickly undone? 220.3 Or if this is slander concocted by those who envy him, this too is distressing, that he whose way of life is joined with yours should be alienated by insults. 220.4 Therefore, accept this opinion which I have deemed best and most expedient in the present circumstances; I have sent the brother himself to you, or rather I have sent him forth, as he was eager to go, to heal what is grievous by himself and to teach everything with truth. 220.5 For concerning

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ἵνα πτοήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πτοεῖσθαι διδάξωσι· τοῦτο κἀγὼ διανοηθείς, τραχυτέραν πως καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐποιησάμην. 218.5 Πολλὰ γὰρ τὰ φιλοσοφίας γυμνάσματα· καὶ τῷ Θεῷ χάρις, ὅτι σε μὴ ἀφιλόσοφον εὗρον μηδὲ τῆς ὕλης, ἀλλ' ἥμερον ἱκανῶς καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐλῆς, ὑφ' ἧς καὶ γράφεις ἐπιεικῶς καὶ τὴν συντυχίαν ποθεῖς. 218.6 Εἰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ταύτην ἡμῖν χαρίζοιο, κρεῖττον ποιεῖς καί σε δεξόμεθα, εὖ ἴσθι, πατρικοῖς ὄμμασιν· εἰ δ' ἄρα τι ὁ χειμὼν ἐμποδίζει, τῇ παραινέσει τέως σε δεξιούμεθα. 218.7 Μηδὲν προτιμήσῃς ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Σακερδῶτα φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας (ἐμοὶ πείσθητι), μηδ' ἄλλο τι νομίσῃς ἢ πεῖραν εἶναι τοῦ πονηροῦ τὸ γενόμενον τῇ σῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ βασκαίνοντος. 218.8 Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν πρώτην πεῖραν ἀγώνισαι γενναίως καὶ ἀνδρικῶς, ἵνα μὴ δευτέραν ποιήσηται καὶ τρίτην πάλην καὶ ἄλλας ἑξῆς, ἀλλ' ἡττημένος ἀπέλθῃ καὶ ᾐσχυμμένος. Ἴσμεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ παλαίσματα, τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ τοῦτο μαθόντες, καὶ τοῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγωνίσμασι. 219.Τ ΕΛΛΑ∆ΙΩΙ 219.1 Οὓς ποιήσομαι πρὸς σὲ λόγους ὑπ' εὐνοίας ποιή σομαι, ὥστε δίκαιος ἂν εἴην μάλιστα μὲν ἀκουσθῆναι παρακαλῶν· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ συγγνωσθῆναι τῆς παραι νέσεως. 219.2 Οὐ πολλοὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ὑμῶν ἀποδέχονται, τὴν περὶ τὸν τιμιώτατον ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸν καὶ συμπρεσβύτερον Σακερδῶτα, ὡς ἐκ διαβολῆς τινων μᾶλλον ἢ κρίσεως οἰκείας γεγενημένην, οἳ τὴν μὲν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν πραγμά των τυχὸν ἀγνοοῦσι, τὸ δὲ τέλος αὐτὸ καθ' αὑτὸ θεω ροῦντες οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσι. 219.3 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείης. Οὐ γὰρ ἡμῶν τὰ σὰ πολυπραγμονεῖν, ὃς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τὰ πρακτέα νομοθετεῖς. Ἡμεῖς δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν σὴν ἀγαθότητα, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον συγχωρῆσαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ὧν ἐφρόντιζεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω ῥᾴδιόν τινι φιλοσοφῆσαι, κἂν ὁ καρτερικώτατος ᾖ καὶ φιλοσοφώτατος, ὥστε πόνων τοσούτων καὶ συνηθείας τοσαύτης ἀποστερούμενον φέρειν. 219.4 Εἰ δὲ μή, τό γε δεύτερον, τὴν μὲν τῶν πτωχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὡς βούλει, διαθέσθαι δι' ὧν ἂν αὐτὸς δοκιμάσῃς, τὴν δὲ τῆς μονῆς φροντίδα καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ποιήσασθαι· καὶ μὴ λυπῆσαι μὲν αὐτὸν τῇ καινοτομίᾳ, λυπῆσαι δὲ πλέον ἐκείνους τῆς συνηθείας ἀντεχομένους καὶ ὥσπερ σώματος ἑνὸς διασπασμὸν μελῶν οὐ φέροντας. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντες τινὲς αὐτῶν ἀπωδύραντο. 219.5 Εἰ μὲν οὖν τί σοι καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ ἀνὴρ αἰδέσιμον ἔχειν φαίνεται, ὥσπερ οὖν ἄξιον, αὐτὸν δι' αὐτὸν αἰδέσθητι, καὶ τὴν πολιάν, καὶ τοὺς καμάτους, τούς τε ἄλλους οὓς κατὰ Θεὸν ὑπέστη πρεσβυτέραν τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ πτωχοτροφίᾳ καὶ προσ τασίᾳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν. 219.6 Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μικρόν σοι δοκεῖ, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς γε καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πρεσβείαν πάντως μὴ ἀτιμάσῃς· καὶ πρὸ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων ἄνες αὐτῷ τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν λύπην, ναὶ παρακαλῶ, καὶ ὡς πατὴρ τέκνον οἰκείωσαι· 219.7 εἴ τι καὶ λελύπηκεν, ὅπερ οὐκ οἴομαι, τοῦτο ἡμῖν συγχωρήσας, καὶ μηδὲν ἀνάξιον μὲν αὐτοῦ, ἀνάξιον δὲ τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος ἢ εἰπὼν ἢ γράψας περὶ αὐτοῦ· εἰ δέ τι καὶ γέγραπται, λύσας. 219.8 Μηδὲ τὴν λύπην δημοσιεύσῃς, ἣν κρύπτεσθαι βέλτιον ἢ γνωρίζειν τοῖς ἔξωθεν, ὡς ἂν τά τε ἄλλα καὶ αὐτὸν μακροθυμεῖν διδάξῃς τῷ ὑποδείγματι. 220.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 220.1 Ὧν ἐπέστειλας τὰ μὲν λίαν ἥμερα καὶ φιλάνθρωπα, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχω τί λέγω, πλὴν ἡμῖν λυπηρά, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω. 220.2 Εἴτε γὰρ δικαίως ἐγκα λεῖται ὁ ἀδελφὸς καὶ συμπρεσβύτερος ἡμῶν Σακερδώς, ὅπερ οὐκ οἴομαι, λυπηρόν. Πῶς γὰρ οὔ; τοσαύτην εὐλάβειαν καὶ τοσούτους πόνους οὕτως ἐν βραχεῖ κατα λυθῆναι; 220.3 Εἴτε διαβολὴ ταῦτά ἐστι παρὰ τῶν φθο νούντων αὐτῷ κατασκευασθεῖσα, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνιαρόν, οὗ ἡ πολιτεία συνῆπταί σοι, τοῦτον ἀλλοτριοῦσθαι ταῖς ἐπηρείαις. 220.4 Ἣν οὖν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρίστην γνώμην καὶ λυσιτελεστάτην ἔγνων, ταύτην ἀπόδεξαι· αὐτὸν ἔπεμψά σοι τὸν ἀδελφόν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡρμημένον προέπεμψα δι' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸ λυποῦν θεραπεύσοντα καὶ πάντα μετὰ ἀληθείας ἀναδιδάξοντα. 220.5 Περὶ μὲν γὰρ