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When the Emperor Heraclius heard these things, he fell into fear and anguish; wavering within himself and changing his mind, and not having any way to alter the newly introduced dogma; perhaps ashamed of the suddenness of the change, and the abrupt shift to the opposite. Indeed, he broke away from both sides, from those advocating two energies, I say, and one; this the hateful Sergius also suggested to him, as he knew him to be easygoing and tractable in all matters; especially since he was afraid he might see him completely torn away from their party, and for this reason he permitted the emperor to act according to his will in a rather clumsy manner. Hence Heraclius, delighting in what had happened as if it were a godsend, confirmed the absurdity in written types and the so-called edict; which those who held the opinions of Severus, having seen it thus declared in writing, not only at home and among themselves, but also in taverns and baths, assailed with jests, speaking these things with an unbridled mouth, that ‘Formerly the Chalcedonians (thus they called us, even though we had rejected their doctrines), holding the opinions of Nestorius, came to their senses and refrained from wrong thinking, being united with us through the one energy into the one nature of Christ; but now, having condemned what is right, they have lost both, confessing neither two natures nor one in Christ.’ Then one could see confusion and turmoil in the Churches, for both shepherds and flocks acted foolishly, both rulers and ruled; there being no one who understood, nor anyone who sought the Lord. For who could persuade the many to choose what is better, when those in authority were so disposed, both emperors 0081 and high priests, who, instead of other decrees and laws, were legislating impiety, and compelling all to submit, and cutting the seamless tunic of the Church into many (15Γ_294> parts, and giving cause for delight to those who mock and slander our affairs?

13. But not much time passed, and Sergius, the sower of the heresy, the

many-headed hydra, departed this life, having stored up for himself there the entire dregs of judgment; and Heraclius installed Pyrrhus on his throne, who was also of the opposite party and opinion, and held the same views as the departed. But since Heraclius himself also departed this life after a short time, Constantine his son was established upon the throne; whom Pyrrhus, through a perversity of character, together with that wicked woman Martina who was most opportune for doing evil, killed with poison, and contrary to expectation transferred the empire to her son, Heraklonas so-named; doing fine things indeed, the high priest, and worthy of his own gentleness. But the senate, disgusted with Heraklonas, quickly removed him from power, at the same time driving out the impious Pyrrhus, along with Martina of like character, from the empress's court; and for the time being the noble man paid this penalty, being driven from his throne and the city, because he had wickedly contrived the unjust murder. Then Constans reigned, the son of the murdered Constantine; he also appointed Paul as bishop of Byzantium, who also fostered (he himself also fostering) that irrational and monothelite dogma. But we must return again to the affairs of the divine Maximus, whom our account has set forth as its subject, even if it has turned the narrative to other matters, which it promised at the beginning to mention as also being necessary.

14. When, therefore, because of the heresy prevailing in Constantinople,

this holy man decided to go to Rome, as has been indicated by me above, he first met with the bishops in Africa while passing through; to whom he presented his own discourses, and loosing a tongue that ranged over the seas of divine things, made them more steadfast

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Ἅ δή ὁ βασιλεύς ἐνωτισθείς Ἡράκλειος, εἰς δέος ἐμπίπτει καί ἀγωνίαν· ποικιλλόμενος πρός ἑαυτόν καί μετατρεπόμεος, καί οὐκ ἔχων πρός ὅ ἄρα τό καινοτομηθέν διαμείψαιτο δόγμα· τό ὑπόγυον τάχα τῆς μεταβολῆς αἰσχυνόμενος, καί τήν ἀθρόαν πρός τά ἐνάντια μετάθεσιν. Ἀμέλει καί ἀποῤῥήγνυται ἀμφοτέρων, τάς τε δύο φημί καί τήν μίαν πρεσβευόντων ἐνέργειαν· τοῦτο καί τοῦ στυγητοῦ πρός ἐκεῖνον ὑποθεμένου Σεργίου, οἷα εὔκολον εἰδότος περί ἅπαντα καί εὐάγωγον· ἄλλως τε καί ὀῤῥωδήσαντος μή τέλεον ἴδοι τοῦτον τῆς αὐτῶν ἀποσπώμενον συμμορίας, καί διά τοῦτο συγχωρήσαντος τρόπῳ σκαιοτέρῳ πρᾶξαι τόν βασιλέα τά κατά βούλησιν. Ἔνθεν τοι καί ὡς ἑρμαίῳ τῷ γενομένῳ ἡδόμενος Ἡράκλειος, καί ἐγγράφοις τύποις καί τῷ λεγομένῶ ἰδίκτῳ τό ἄτοπον βεβαιοῖ· ὅπερ οἱ τά Σευήρου φρονοῦντες, γράμμασιν οὕτω σεσημασμένον ἑωρακότες, οὐ μόνον οἴκοι καί καθ' ἑαυτούς, ἀλλά καί ἐπί καπηλείων καί βαλανείων, σκώμμασιν ἔβαλλον, ἀθύρῳ ταῦτα φθεγγόμενοι στόματι, ὅτι Πρώην μέν τά Νεστορίου φρονοῦντες οἱ Χαλκηδονῖται (ἡμᾶς οὕτω λέγοντες, κἄν τά παρ' ἐκείνων ἦμεν ἠθετηκότες), ἀνένηψάν τε καί τοῦ κακῶς φρονεῖν ἀπέσχοντο, ἑνωθέντες ἡμῖν διά τῆς μιᾶς ἐνεργείας εἰς τήν μίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ φύσιν· νῦν δέ καταγνόντες τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος, ἀπώλεσαν ἀμφότερα, μήτε δύο, μήτε μίαν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ φύσιν ὁμολογοῦντες. Ἦν οὖν τότε ἰδεῖν σύγχυσιν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις καί ταραχήν, ὅτι καί ποιμένες καί λαοί ἠφρονεύσαντο, καί ἄρχοντες καί ἀρχόμενοι· μή ὄντος τοῦ συνιέντος, μηδέ τοῦ ἐκζητοῦντος τόν Κύριον. Τίς γάρ ἄν τούς πολλούς ἔπεισε τά βέλτιω ἑλέσθαι, οὕτω τῶν προεστώτων διακειμένων, καί βασιλέων 0081 καί ἀρχιερέων, ἀντ' ἄλλων τινῶν διαταγμάτων καί νόμων, τήν ἀσέβειαν θεσπιζόντων, καί ὑποκύπτειν πάντας ἀναγκαζόντων, καί τόν ἄτμητον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας χιτῶνα εἰς πολλάς (15Γ_294> μοίρας τεμνόντων, καί ἐφήδεσθαι διδόντων τοῖς τά ἡμέτερα μωμοσκοποῦσι καί δαβάλλουσιν;

ΙΓ´. Ἀλλά γάρ οὐ πολύ τό ἐν μέσῳ, καί Σέργιος ὁ τῆς κακοδοξίας σπορεύς, ἡ

πολυκέφαλος ὕδρα, τόν τῇδε βίον διέξεισιν, ὅλον ἑαυτῷ τόν τῆς δίκης τρυγίαν ἐκεῖσε ταμιευσάμενος· Πύῤῥον δέ τῷ ἐκείνου θρόνῳ Ἡράκλειος ἐγκαθίστησι, τῆς ἐναντίας ὄντα καί τοῦτον καί μοίρας καί δόξης, καί τά ἴσα τῷ ἀπελθόντι πρεσβεύοντα. Ἐπεί δέ καί αὐτός Ἡράκλειος μετ' ὀλίγον τόν βίον διέστρεψε, Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τούτου υἱός ἐπί τῶν σκήπτρων καθίσταται· ὅν καί Πύῤῥος κατά σκειότητα τρόπων, σύν ἅμα καί Μαρτίνῃ ἐκείνῃ γυναικί φαύλῃ καί πρᾶξαι τό κακόν ἐπικαιροτάτῃ, φαρμάκῳ ἀνελών, παρά δόξαν τόν ἐκείνης υἱόν Ἡρακλωνᾶν οὕτω προσονομαζόμενον, πρός τήν βασιλείαν ἀντιμεθίστησι· καλά γε ὁ ἀρχιερεύς δρῶν, καί τῆς αὐτοῦ πραότητος ἄξια. Ἀλλά τόν Ἡρακλωνᾶν ἡ σύγκλητος μυσαχθεῖσα, θᾶττον μετακινεῖ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐν ταυτῷ καί τόν δυσσεβῆ Πύῤῥον, σύν τῇ ὁμοτρόπῳ Μαρτίνῃ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀπελασάμενοι· καί τέως ὁ γεννάδας ταύτην τίνει τήν δίκην, θρόνου τε καί πόλεως ἐξωσθείς, ἀνθ' οὗ τόν ἄδικον φόνον ἐσκαιωρήσατο. Βασιλεύει δέ τότε Κώνστας, ὁ τοῦ ἀναιρεθέντος Κωνσταντίνου υἱός· προχειρισάμενος οὗτος καί Παῦλον τῆς Βυζαντίδος ἐπίσκοπον, ὑποθάλποντας δή καί αὐτούς (ὑποθάλποντα καί αὐτόν) τό ἀλόγιστον ἐκεῖνο δόγμα καί μονοθέλητον. Ἀλλά γάρ ἐπανιτέον ἡμῖν πάλιν πρός τά τοῦ θείου Μαξίμου, ὅν καί ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ὑπόθεσιν ἐνεστήσατο, εἰ καί περί ἄλλα τήν διήγησιν ἔτρεψεν, ὧν δή καί αὐτῶν ὡς ἀναγκαίων μνησθῆναι ἐν ἀρχῇ καθυπέσχετο.

Ι∆´. Ὡς οὖν τῇῬώμῃ φοιτῆσαι διά τήν ἐπιπολάσασαν τῆ Κωνσταντινουπόλει

κακοδοξίαν, ὁ ἱερός οὗτος ἀνήρ εἵλετο, καθά μοι καί ἀνωτέρω δεδήλωται, πρῶτα μέν τοῖς ἐν Ἀφρικῇ ἐπισκόποις συγγίνεται κατά πάροδον· οἷς καί λόγους προθείς τούς οἰκείου, καί γλῶσσαν τήν τά θεῖα πελαγίζουσαν ἐπαφείς, βεβαιοτέρους