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of God with your members and your robe, with which you lead the young women not to God, but into a pit. 248. TO BASIL 248.1 I have written to you before about Glycerius and the virgins. But they have not yet returned even today, I know not from where nor how. For I would not condemn you for that, as if you do this to slander us, or because you yourself suffer something against us, or to gratify others. 248.2 Let them come, therefore, fearing nothing; you be the guarantor of this. For we are grieved when our members are cut off, even if they were rightly cut off. But if they resist, the burden is on others, and we will wash our hands of it. 249. TO BISHOP FLAVIAN 249.1 Our affairs are not in a good state, O man of God; for the advancing evils among those who have stirred up unjust and unprovoked hatred against us are no longer suspected through some conjectures, but are pursued openly, as if some good achievement. 249.2 But you who for the time being are outside of such an evil are neglecting to stop the flame spreading in the neighborhood, as if not knowing that those who have deliberated well concerning their own affairs suppress the fire of their neighbors with great haste, by which they help their neighbors, contriving not to need help for similar things. 249.3 What then is it that I say? Holiness has departed from life, truth has fled from us; and of peace, before we at least had the name bandied about on our lips, but now not only is it gone, but not even its name is left to us. But so that you may know more clearly about what I am distressed, I will set forth the tragedy to you in a few words. 249.4 There were some who reported that the most reverend Helladius was hostilely disposed towards us and went about telling everyone that I was the cause of his greatest evils. I was not persuaded by what was being said, looking to myself and to the truth in the matters; but when the same things were reported to us unanimously by all and the facts corresponded with the rumors, I thought it proper not to leave this rootless and unplanted hostility untreated. 249.5 For this reason I also wrote to your God-fearing self, and I urged many others who were able to contribute something to the matter at hand to this same effort; and finally, after celebrating the commemoration of the most blessed Peter, which was being held for the first time among the people of Sebaste, and having conducted with them at the same time the customary commemorations of the holy martyrs celebrated by them, I returned again to my own church. 249.6 And when someone reported that he was staying in the mountain district celebrating commemorations of martyrs, at first I kept to my road, judging it more fitting for the meeting to take place in the metropolis; but when one of my genuine friends met me in haste and assured me that he was ill, I left my carriage in the place where I was overtaken by such a report, and I crossed the intervening distance on horseback, a precipitous and almost impassable space with its very rough ascents. 249.7 And it was fifteen milestones, as we heard from the locals, by which the distance in between was measured. Having passed through some of these on foot, and others with difficulty on horseback, at dawn, having used even a part of the night, at the first hour of the day I arrived at Andaemonoi; for so is named the place where he was holding church with two other bishops. 249.8 And seeing from afar from a certain ridge overlooking the village the open-air gathering of the church, we crossed the intervening space at a walking pace, proceeding on foot, both I and my company, and leading our horses by hand; so that the two things happened to occur at the same time, both his return from the church to the house and our approach to the martyr's shrine. 249.9 And with not a single delay, the one to announce my presence was sent by us to him; and after a short interval had passed, the deacon who served him met us, whom we asked with haste

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Θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν μελῶν σου καὶ τῆς στολῆς, οἷς ἄγεις τὰς νέας οὐ πρὸς Θεόν, ἀλλ' εἰς βάραθρον. 248.Τ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΙ 248.1 Ἐπέσταλκά σοι καὶ πρῴην περὶ Γλυκερίου καὶ τῶν παρθένων. Οἱ δὲ οὐδέπω καὶ τήμερον ἐπανήκασιν, οὐκ οἶδα ὅθεν καὶ ὅπως. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνό σου καταγνοίην ὡς ἐφ' ἡμετέρᾳ διαβολῇ τοῦτο ποιεῖς ἢ αὐτὸς πάσχων τι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἢ ἄλλοις χαριζόμενος. 248.2 Ἡκέτωσαν οὖν μηδὲν δεδοικότες· σὺ γενοῦ τούτου ἐγγυητής. Καὶ γὰρ ἀλγοῦμεν τεμνομένων τῶν μελῶν, εἰ καὶ καλῶς ἐτμήθησαν. Εἰ δὲ ἀντιτείνοιεν, ἐπ' ἄλλους τὸ βάρος, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀποπλυνόμεθα. 249.Τ ΦΛΑΒΙΑΝΩΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩΙ 249.1 Οὐκ ἐν καλοῖς, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ ἡμέτερα· προϊόντα γὰρ τὰ κακὰ ἐν τοῖς τὸ ἄδικόν τε καὶ ἀπροφά σιστον καθ' ἡμῶν κινήσασι μῖσος οὐκέτι διὰ στοχασμῶν τινων ὑπονοεῖται, ἀλλ' ἐν παρρησίᾳ σπουδάζεται, καθάπερ τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν κατορθωμάτων. 249.2 Ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ τέως ἔξω ὄντες τοῦ τοιούτου κακοῦ καταρρᾳθυμεῖτε τοῦ παῦσαι νεμομένην ἐν τῇ γειτονίᾳ τὴν φλόγα, ὥσπερ οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι οἱ καλῶς περὶ τῶν ἰδίων βουλευσάμενοι τὸν τῶν γειτόνων ἐμπρησμὸν ἐν πολλῇ τῇ σπουδῇ καταστέλλουσι, δι' ὧν τοῖς πλησίον βοηθοῦσι τὸ μὴ δεηθῆναι τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις βοηθείας πραγματευόμενοι. 249.3 Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγω; Ἐπιλέλοιπεν τὸν βίον ἡ ὁσιότης, πέφευγεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια· τῆς δὲ εἰρήνης πρότερον μὲν τὸ γοῦν ὄνομα εἴχομεν περιφερόμενον ἐν τοῖς στόμασιν, νῦν δὲ οὐ μόνον ἐκείνη οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς ἡμῖν ὑπολέλειπται. Ὡς δ' ἂν εἰδείης σαφέστερον ὑπὲρ ὧν σχετλιάζω, δι' ὀλίγων σοι τὴν τραγῳδίαν ἐκθήσομαι. 249.4 Ἦσάν τινες οἱ τὸν αἰδεσιμώτατον Ἑλλάδιον δυσμενῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχειν καταμηνύοντες καὶ πρὸς πάντας διεξιέναι ὡς τῶν μεγίστων αὐτῷ κακῶν αἴτιος εἴην ἐγώ. Οὐκ ἐπειθόμην τοῖς λεγομένοις, πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀλήθειαν βλέπων· ὡς δὲ παρὰ πάντων ὁμοφώ νως τὰ αὐτὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπηγγέλλετο καὶ συνέβαινεν ταῖς φήμαις τὰ πράγματα, πρέπειν ᾠήθην μὴ περιιδεῖν ἀθεράπευτον τὴν ἄρριζόν τε καὶ ἀφύτευτον ταύτην δυσμέ νειαν. 249.5 ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐπέστειλα θεοσέβειαν, καὶ πολλοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς δυναμένους συμβαλέσθαι τι πρὸς τὸ προσκείμενον ἐπὶ τὴν σπουδὴν ταύτην παρώρ μησα· καὶ τέλος, τὴν μνήμην τοῦ μακαριωτάτου Πέτρου παρὰ Σεβαστηνοῖς πρώτως ἀγομένην ἐπιτελέσας, καὶ τὰς συνήθως παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπιτελουμένας τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων μνήμας κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον συνδιαγαγὼν ἐκείνοις, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πάλιν ἐκκλησίαν ὑπέστρεφον. 249.6 Καί τινος μηνύσαντος κατὰ τὴν ὀρεινὴν αὐτὸν ἐνορίαν διάγειν μαρτύρων ἐπιτελοῦντα μνήμας, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τῆς ὁδοῦ εἰχόμην, εὐπρεπέστερον εἶναι κρίνων ἐπὶ τῆς μητροπόλεως γενέσθαι τὴν συντυχίαν· ὡς δέ τις τῶν γνησίων κατὰ σπουδήν μοι συντετυχηκὼς ἀρρωστεῖν αὐτὸν διεβεβαιώσατο, καταλιπὼν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τὸ ὄχημα, ἐν ᾧ παρὰ τῆς τοιαύτης κατελήφθην φήμης, ἵππῳ τὸ μεταξὺ διῆλθον διάστημα, κρημνῶδες καὶ ὀλίγου ἀπόρευτον ταῖς τραχυτάταις ἀνόδοις. 249.7 Ἦν δὲ πεντεκαίδεκα σημεῖα, ὡς παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἠκούσαμεν, οἷς τὸ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ διεμετρεῖτο διάστημα. Τούτων τὰ μὲν ἐκ ποδός, τὰ δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἵππου μόλις διελθών, ὄρθριος, μέρει τινὶ καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς συγχρη σάμενος, κατὰ τὴν πρώτην τῆς ἡμέρας ὥραν ἐφίσταμαι τοῖς Ἀνδαημονοῖς· οὕτω γὰρ ὀνομάζεται τὸ χωρίον ἐν ᾧ ἦν ἐκκλησιάζων ἐκεῖνος μετὰ ἄλλων ἐπισκόπων δύο. 249.8 Ἄποθεν δὲ κατιδόντες ἐξ αὐχένος τινὸς ὑπερ κειμένου τῆς κώμης τὴν ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας συνδρομήν, βάδην τὸν μεταξὺ διήλθομεν τόπον, ἐκ ποδός τε προϊόντες αὐτός τε καὶ ἡ μετ' ἐμοῦ συνοδία καὶ τοὺς ἵππους διὰ χειρὸς ἐφελκόμενοι· ὥστε φθάσαι ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο γενέσθαι, ἐκεῖνόν τε ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ὑποστρέψαι καὶ ἡμᾶς πλησιάσαι τῷ μαρτυρίῳ. 249.9 Μηδε μιᾶς δὲ γενομένης ἀναβολῆς ἐπέμφθη παρ' ἡμῶν ὁ μηνύσων αὐτῷ τὴν παρουσίαν· καὶ μικροῦ διαγεγονότος διαστή ματος ὁ ὑπηρετούμενος αὐτῷ διάκονος συνέτυχεν ἡμῖν, ὃν παρεκαλέσαμεν διὰ τάχους