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impassable, having seized a certain ridge with the crowds that were with him, and standing upon it, he sees a company of hermits walking along the foot of the mountain. And immediately at the ruler's command, all run toward them without breathing, vying to outrun one another in the race; and having arrived, they surrounded them like many dogs or some evil and misanthropic wild beasts; and they seize the men, most venerable in both appearance and condition, and bearing the marks of the eremitic state on their faces; and dragging these men, they presented them to the ruler, not at all disturbed, showing or uttering nothing ignoble or sullen. But the one leading them and, as it were, their guide was carrying a bag of haircloth, full of the relics of certain holy Fathers who had previously departed this life. But when Araches observed them, since he did not see Barlaam (for he knew him), he was overcome with grief. And he says to them, "Where is that deceiver, the one who led the king's son astray?" But the one carrying the bag answered, "That one is not among us; may it never be. For he flees from us, pursued by the grace of Christ. But among you he has his dwellings." The ruler said, "Do you then know him?" "Yes," says the hermit, "I know the one called the deceiver, who is the devil, who dwells in your midst and is both worshiped 330 and served by you." The ruler says, "I am making the search for Barlaam, and I asked you to learn where he is." But the monk [said], "And why," he says, "did you speak ambiguously, putting forward the question about the one who deceived the king's son? For if you were seeking Barlaam, you should have said in any case, 'Where is the one who turned the king's son from error and saved him?' for he is our brother and fellow ascetic; but for many days now we have not seen him." But Arches [said], "Point out his dwelling," he says. The ascetic answered, "If he had wished to see you, he would have come out to meet you. But it is not permitted for us to make his cell known to you." At this the ruler is filled with anger, and he says to him, looking at him with both an angry and a beastly gaze, "Now I will put you to death by a strange death, if you do not produce Barlaam for me at once." "And what," says the ascetic, "do you see in us, by clinging to which tenaciously we would be disposed to this present life, and fear the death to be inflicted by you? For we will rather confess thanks to you, that you have led us from life while we were clinging to virtue. For we fear not a little the uncertainty of the end, not knowing in what state it will find us, lest perhaps a slip of judgment or some demonic influence should turn aside the steadfastness of our purpose, and persuade us to think or to do other things contrary to those we have professed to God. Therefore, having completely despaired of obtaining what you hope for, do not hesitate to do what you wish. For neither the dwelling of our God-loving 332 brother, although we know it, will we point out, nor will we betray any other monasteries hidden from you, wickedly stooping to escape death in this way; but rather we will die nobly, having offered to God the sweat of virtue before, and now the blood of valor. The sinner, not bearing them speaking so boldly, but being most sharply moved by the nobility of their spirit, subjected them to many blows and tortures; whose magnanimity and nobility was considered worthy of admiration even by the tyrant. But when after many punishments he could not persuade them, nor would anyone endure to point out Barlaam to him, taking them, he orders them to be brought to the king, being beaten and insulted, and carrying the bag of relics. XXIII And after not a few days, he brings them to the king, and makes clear the things concerning them. Then he presents them before his face as he was terribly enraged. And when he saw them, boiling over with anger, he seemed like a madman. And having ordered them to be beaten mercilessly, when he saw them grievously by the blows

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δυσβάτους, μετὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ὄχλων ἀκρώρειάν τινα καταλαβών, καὶ στὰς ἐπ' αὐτῆς, ὁρᾷ κατὰ τὴν ὑπώρειαν φάλαγγα ἐρημιτῶν περιπατοῦσαν. καὶ εὐθὺς τῷ τοῦ ἄρχοντος προστάγματι πάντες ἐπ' αὐτοὺς θέουσιν ἀπνευστί, ἄλλος ἄλλον τοῖς δρόμοις φθάσαι φιλονεικοῦντες· καὶ φθάσαντες, περιεχύθησαν αὐτοῖς κύνες ὡσεὶ πολλοὶ ἢ θηρία πονηρά τινα καὶ μισάνθρωπα· καὶ κρατοῦσι τοὺς ἄνδρας τῷ τε εἴδει καὶ τῇ καταστάσει σεμνοτάτους, καὶ τὰ σήμαντρα τῆς ἐρημικῆς καταστάσεως ἐπὶ τῶν προσώπων φέροντας· καὶ τούτους σύροντες τῷ ἄρχοντι παρέστησαν, οὐ θορυβηθέντας ὅλως, οὐκ ἀγεννές τι καὶ σκυθρωπὸν ἐνδειξαμένους ἢ φθεγξαμένους. ὁ δὲ προάγων αὐτῶν καὶ οἱονεὶ καθηγούμενος πήραν ἐβάσταζε τριχίνην, μεστὴν λειψάνων προεκδημησάντων τινῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων. Κατανοήσας δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀραχής, ὡς οὐκ εἶδε τὸν Βαρλαὰμ (ἐγίνωσκε γὰρ αὐτόν), συνεχύθη τῇ λύπῃ. λέγει δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ ἀπατεὼν ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τὸν υἱὸν πλανήσας τοῦ βασιλέως; ὁ δὲ τὴν πήραν βαστάζων ἀπεκρίνατο· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖνος ἐν ἡμῖν· μηδὲ γένοιτο· φεύγει γὰρ ἡμᾶς τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διωκόμενος χάριτι. ἐν ὑμῖν δὲ τὰς οἰκήσεις ἔχει· ὁ ἄρχων ἔφη· Γινώσκεις οὖν αὐτόν; Ναί, φησὶν ὁ ἐρημίτης· οἶδα τὸν ἀπατεῶνα λεγόμενον, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος, ὁ μέσον ὑμῶν κατοικῶν καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν λατρευόμενός τε 330 καὶ θεραπευόμενος. ὁ ἄρχων λέγει· Περὶ τοῦ Βαρλαὰμ ἐγὼ τὴν ζήτησιν ἔχω, καὶ τοῦτον ἠρόμην σε μαθεῖν ποῦ ἔστιν· ὁ δὲ μοναχός· Καὶ ἵνα τί, φησίν, ἀλληνάλλως ἐλάλησας, περὶ τοῦ ἀπατήσαντος τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν πεῦσιν προσαγαγών; εἰ γὰρ τὸν Βαρλαὰμ ἐζήτεις, ἔδει σε πάντως εἰπεῖν· Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκ τῆς πλάνης ἐπιστρέψας καὶ σώσας τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως υἱόν; ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν ὑπάρχει καὶ συνασκητής· ἐκ πολλῶν δὲ ἤδη ἡμερῶν οὐ τεθεάμεθα αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Ἀρχής· Τὸ οἴκημα αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ὑπόδειξον. ὁ ἀσκητὴς ἀπεκρίνατο· Εἰ θεάσασθαι ὑμᾶς ἤθελεν, ἐκεῖνος ἂν εἰς συνάντησιν ὑμῶν ἐξῆλθεν. ἡμῖν δ' οὖν οὐκ ἔξεστι τὸ δωμάτιον αὐτοῦ ὑμῖν γνωρίσαι. Θυμοῦ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐμπίμπλαται ὁ ἄρχων, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτόν, ὀργίλον ἅμα καὶ θηριῶδες ἐμβλέψας· Ξένῳ νυνὶ θανάτῳ ὑμᾶς θανατώσω, εἰ ἐξ αὐτῆς τὸν Βαρλαὰμ οὐ παραστήσετέ μοι· Καὶ τί, φησὶν ὁ ἀσκητής, ὁρᾷς ἐν ἡμῖν, οὗπερ ἀντεχόμενοι δυσαποσπάστως τῆς παρούσης διακεισόμεθα ζωῆς, καὶ τὸν παρὰ σοῦ ἐπαχθησόμενον φοβηθῶμεν θάνατον; χάριν γάρ σοι μᾶλλον ὁμολογήσομεν, ὅτι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐχομένους τοῦ βίου ἐξήγαγες. δεδοίκαμεν γὰρ οὐ μικρῶς τὸ τοῦ τέλους ἄδηλον, μὴ εἰδότες πῶς ἔχοντας ἡμᾶς καταλήψεται, μή που γνώμης ὄλισθος ἢ ἐπήρειά τις δαιμονικὴ τῆς προαιρέσεως τὴν ἔνστασιν μεταστρέψῃ, καὶ ἕτερα φρονεῖν ἢ ποιεῖν παρὰ τὰ τῷ Θεῷ ὡμολογημένα μεταπείσειεν. ὅθεν τυχεῖν ὧν ἐλπίζετε ὅλως ἀπειπόντες, μὴ ὀκνήσητε ποιεῖν ὅπερ βούλεσθε. οὔτε γὰρ τὸ τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς ἡμῶν 332 ἀδελφοῦ οἰκητήριον, καίτοι γε εἰδότες, ὑποδείξομεν, οὔτε ἄλλα τινὰ ὑμῖν λανθάνοντα μοναστήρια προδώσομεν, ταύτῃ τὸν θάνατον ἐκφυγεῖν κακῶς ἀνεχόμενοι· ἀλλὰ καλῶς μᾶλλον θανούμεθα, ἱδρῶτας ἀρετῆς πρότερον, καὶ νῦν ἀνδραγαθίας αἷμα, τῷ Θεῷ προσενέγκαντες. Οὕτω παρρησιασαμένους οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν ὁ ἀλιτήριος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ γενναῖον τοῦ φρονήματος ὀξύτατα κινηθείς, πολλαῖς αὐτοὺς περιέβαλε πληγαῖς καὶ βασάνοις· ὧν τὸ μεγαλόψυχον καὶ γενναῖον καὶ τῷ τυράννῳ ἄξιον θαύματος ἐνομίσθη. ὡς δὲ μετὰ πολλὰς τιμωρίας πείθειν οὐκ εἶχεν, οὔτε ὑποδεῖξαί τις αὐτῷ τὸν Βαρλαὰμ ἠνείχετο, λαβὼν τούτους, ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα κελεύει τυπτομένους καὶ προπηλακιζομένους ἄγεσθαι, βαστάζοντας καὶ τὴν πήραν τῶν λειψάνων. χχιιι ∆ι' ἡμερῶν δὲ οὐκ ὀλίγων προσάγει τούτους τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς δῆλα τίθησιν. εἶτα παριστᾷ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ δεινὰ θυμομαχοῦντος. καὶ ὃς ἰδὼν αὐτούς, τῷ θυμῷ ὑπερζέσας, μαινομένῳ ἐῴκει. τύπτεσθαί τε αὐτοὺς ἀνηλεῶς κελεύσας, ὡς εἶδε ταῖς πληγαῖς χαλεπῶς