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having made clear his plan, he returns to the king early in the morning. And indeed, having again asked for horsemen for himself, 344 he pretended to go out in search of Barlaam. And as he went out and was walking about in the deserts, a certain man was seen by him coming out of a certain ravine. And when he ordered them to pursue him, they quickly overtook him, and seizing him, they bring him to him. And when he asked who he might be and of what religion or what he was called, that man called himself a Christian, and named himself Barlaam, just as he had been taught. And Araches, filled with joy, as he showed, very quickly taking this man, returns to the king; and so having reported, he presents him. And the king says in the hearing of all those present: Are you Barlaam, the worker of the demon? But he answered: I am a worker of God, and not of demons. Therefore, do not insult me. For you owe me many thanks, because I taught your son to worship God, having freed him from all deceit and reconciled him to the true God, and taught him every form of virtue. And again the king, as if angered, said: It would have been necessary to put you to death without deeming you worthy of a word at all, or giving you a place for defense, but without questioning. But I put up with your insolence, on account of the philanthropy befitting me, until on an appointed day I shall examine the matters concerning you. And if you should be persuaded by me, you will be deemed worthy of pardon; but if not, you will perish miserably. Having said this, he hands this man over to Araches, having commanded him to guard him most securely. And on the next day, having departed from there, he returns to his own palace. And it was rumored that Barlaam had been seized, so that even the king's 346 son, having heard, felt terrible pain in his soul, and was not at all able to restrain his tears. And with groans and lamentations he was beseeching God, and was calling upon him for aid for the old man. Therefore the good one did not overlook him lamenting; for he is good to those who wait for him in the day of affliction, and knows those who fear him; who also to the young man through a vision of the night makes all things known, and puts strength into him, and encourages him for the contest of piety. And becoming awake, he finds his heart, which a little while before was grieved and in pain, full of joy and courage and a most sweet light. But the king, having done these things thus and having planned thus, was rejoicing, thinking that he was planning well, and bestowing the greatest favor on Araches. But iniquity lied to itself, as the divine David said, and righteousness conquers lawlessness, completely overthrowing it and destroying its memorial with a sound, as the account will show in what follows. So after two days the king arrives at his son's palace. And when he went out to meet him, the father did not greet him as usual; but, like one who was burdened and angered, having entered the royal chamber, he sat down, looking gloomy. Then, having summoned his son, he said: What is this rumor resounding in my ears, child, and wasting away my soul with despondency? For I think no man was ever filled with so much joy at the birth of a child, as the gladness I partook of for you; 348 nor again on the other hand do I think anyone was so grieved and badly treated by a child, as you have now treated me and dishonored my grey hairs, and you have taken away the light of my eyes and have cut out the strength of my sinews; for the fear which I feared concerning you has come upon me, and what I dreaded has met me. And you have become a joy to my enemies and a laughingstock to my adversaries. With an uninstructed mind and childish judgment you have followed the words of deceivers, and preferred the counsel of the evil-minded to my counsel, and having abandoned the worship of our gods, you have served a foreign God. Why, child, have you done these things? and the one whom I hoped to raise in all security and to have as a staff and strength for my old age, and to leave behind as the best successor

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βεβουλευμένα σαφηνίσας, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἅμα πρωῒ ἐπανέρχεται. καὶ δὴ ἱππεῖς αὐτῷ αὖθις 344 ζητήσας ἐπὶ ἔρευναν τοῦ Βαρλαὰμ ἐξέρχεσθαι προσεποιεῖτο. ἐξελθόντι δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους ἐμπεριπατοῦντι ὁρᾶται αὐτῷ ἀνήρ τις ἐκ φάραγγός τινος ἐξερχόμενος. τοῦ δὲ καταδιώκειν αὐτὸν κελεύσαντος, φθάνουσι τὸ τάχος, καὶ συλλαβόντες πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄγουσι. τοῦ δὲ πυνθανομένου τίς τε εἴη καὶ ποίας θρησκείας ἢ τί καλούμενος, Χριστιανὸν μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἑαυτὸν ἀπεκάλεσε, Βαρλαὰμ δὲ ὠνόμασε, καθάπερ δεδίδακτο. χαρᾶς δὲ πλησθεὶς ὁ Ἀραχής, ὡς ἐδείκνυε, τάχιστα τοῦτον λαβών, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπανέρχεται· καὶ δὴ μηνύσας παρίστησιν αὐτόν. καί φησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς ἐπήκοον πάντων τῶν παρισταμένων· Σὺ εἶ ὁ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐργάτης Βαρλαάμ; ὁ δὲ ἀντέφησεν· Τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐργάτης εἰμί, καὶ οὐ τῶν δαιμόνων. μὴ οὖν με λοιδόρει. πολλὰς γάρ μοι ὁμολογεῖν χάριτας ὀφειλέτης εἶ, ὅτι τὸν υἱόν σου θεοσεβεῖν ἐδίδαξα, πάσης ἀπαλλάξας ἀπάτης καὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ καταλλάξας Θεῷ, καὶ πᾶσαν παιδεύσας ἀρετῆς ἰδέαν. αὖθις δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, ὀργιζόμενος ὥσπερ, ἔφη· Ἔδει μέν σε μηδὲ λόγου τὸ παράπαν ἀξιώσαντα, ἢ τόπον ἀπολογίας δόντα, ἀλλ' ἀνερωτήτως θανατῶσαι. ἀλλ' ἀνέχομαί σου τοῦ θράσους, τῆς προσηκούσης μοι ἕνεκεν φιλανθρωπίας, ἕως τακτῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐξετάσω τὰ περὶ σοῦ. καὶ εἰ μὲν πεισθείης μοι συγγνώμης ἀξιωθήσῃ· εἰ δὲ μή, κακῶς ἀπολῇ. οὕτως εἰπὼν τῷ Ἀραχῇ τοῦτον παραδίδωσι, φυλάττειν ἀκριβέστατα ἐντειλάμενος. Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ἀναζεύξας ἐκεῖθεν, πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον ἐπάνεισι παλάτιον. καὶ ἐξηχούετο κρατηθῆναι τὸν Βαρλαάμ, ὥστε καὶ τὸν βασιλέως 346 ἀκούσαντα υἱὸν δεινῶς τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλγῆσαι, καὶ μηδόλως τῶν δακρύων ἐγκρατὴς δύνασθαι εἶναι. στεναγμοῖς δὲ καὶ θρήνοις τὸν Θεὸν ἐδυσώπει, καὶ εἰς βοήθειαν αὐτὸν ἐπεκαλεῖτο τοῦ γέροντος. οὐ παρεῖδεν οὖν αὐτὸν ὀδυρόμενον ὁ ἀγαθός· χρηστὸς γάρ ἐστι τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως, καὶ γινώσκων τοὺς εὐλαβουμένους αὐτόν· ὃς καὶ τῷ νέῳ δι' ὁράματος νυκτερινοῦ πάντα γνωρίζει, καὶ ἰσχὺν αὐτῷ ἐντίθησι, καὶ εἰς τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας παραθαρρύνει ἀγῶνα. ἔξυπνος δὲ γενόμενος, χαρᾶς τε πλήρη καὶ θάρσους καὶ φωτὸς γλυκυτάτου, τὴν πρὸ μικροῦ λυπουμένην αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀλγοῦσαν εὑρίσκει καρδίαν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, οὕτω ταῦτα δράσας καὶ οὕτω διανοηθείς, ἔχαιρε, καλῶς διασκέπτεσθαι οἰόμενος, καὶ τῷ Ἀραχῇ μεγίστην ἀπονέμων τὴν χάριν. ἀλλ' ἐψεύσατο ἡ ἀδικία ἑαυτῇ, τὸ τοῦ θείου φάναι ∆αυΐδ, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη νικᾷ τὴν ἀνομίαν, τέλεον αὐτὴν καταβαλοῦσα καὶ τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς ἀπολέσασα μετ' ἤχου, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δηλώσειεν ὁ λόγος. Μετὰ γοῦν δύο ἡμέρας ὁ βασιλεὺς παραγίνεται πρὸς τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ παλάτιον. καὶ τούτου εἰς ὑπάντησιν ἐξελθόντος, οὐκ ἠσπάσατο συνήθως ὁ πατήρ· ἀλλ', ἀχθομένῳ ὥσπερ καὶ ὀργιζομένῳ ἐοικώς, εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῷ βασιλικῷ κοιτῶνι, σκυθρωπάζων ἐκαθέσθη. εἶτα, τὸν υἱὸν προσκαλεσάμενος, ἔφη· Τίς ἡ διηχοῦσά μου τὰς ἀκοὰς φήμη, τέκνον, καὶ ἀθυμίαις μου τὴν ψυχὴν κατατήκουσα; οὐδένα γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοσαύτης ἐμπιπλᾶσθαι χαρᾶς ποτε οἶμαι ἐπὶ τέκνου γεννήσει, ὅσης ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σοὶ μετέσχον θυμηδίας· 348 οὐδ' αὖ πάλιν λυπηθῆναί τινα καὶ κακῶς παρὰ παιδὸς διατεθῆναι δοκῶ, ὡς σύ με νῦν διέθηκας καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἠτίμασας πολιάν, τὸ φῶς τε περιῆρας τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐμῶν νεύρων ἐξέκοψας ἰσχύν· φόβος γὰρ ὃν ἐφοβούμην περὶ σοῦ ἦλθέ μοι, καὶ ὃν ἐδεδοίκειν συνήντησέ μοι. καὶ γέγονας τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ἐπίχαρμα καὶ τῶν ὑπεναντίων μου κατάγελως. ἀπαιδεύτῳ φρενὶ καὶ νηπιώδει γνώμῃ τοῖς τῶν ἀπατεώνων ῥήμασιν ἐξακολουθήσας, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν τῶν κακοφρόνων τῆς ἐμῆς προκρίνας βουλῆς, καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων θεῶν τὸ σέβας καταλιπών, ἀλλοτρίῳ ἐλάτρευσας Θεῷ. ἵνα τί, τέκνον, ταῦτα πεποίηκας; καὶ ὃν ἤλπιζον ἐν πάσῃ ἐκτρέφειν ἀσφαλείᾳ καὶ τοῦ γήρως ἔχειν βακτηρίαν καὶ ἰσχύν, διάδοχόν τε ἄριστον καταλιμπάνειν