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and of the high priests as much as they were able; but to withdraw without openly 161 stating the reasons, lest the undertaking be thought in vain. And so the things being done were fruitless for both, for those who were sending letters and for him who was keeping quiet, by the opinion of the ones that they were unable to draw him away from there, no matter what they might say, and by that of the other of not basing the reasons for his withdrawal on stated terms, by which a remedy might often be found. But as time was being wasted, the drama also reached the emperor and immediately seemed grave when it was heard; and he communicated to the high priests around him what had been done by the patriarch and sought what should be done. For them, then, there was an exhortation to make much of the withdrawal, both the unusualness of the matter and the custom of peace and the not seeming to readily repudiate the first and seek another, but before all these things, the entreaty of the Emperor Michael, who earnestly feared that the reasons for the withdrawal might be because of him; for his conscience was an unwavering judge, and he was not ignorant of what was causing the grief, even if the other did not speak openly, putting forward only a mute grief and contempt. There, at any rate, of the hierarchs gathered from wherever, there was an inquiry and deliberation about these things. And finally they send those around John of Nicomedia—for he happened at that time to also be a patriarch waiting at the monastery of Saint Diomedes—to announce to him the things from the synod, which was summoning him and seemed to consider his withdrawal grievous, and being ready to learn the reasons if he stated them, but also to reproach him that he had not acted as he ought, but, carried away perhaps by pain, had done what was not reasonable, which he ought to have declared to them when assembled and demanded that they correct it, being a patriarch and holding the canons of the fathers in high esteem; for where is the refuting, where the exhorting, where the rebuking, if this should be needed? For the time being, however, they also wished to learn the reasons again, as they were ready to remedy them, if they could. And these were the things for him; but it had been commanded to those who would announce it that, if he were placated, he should promise to return; but if not, then they themselves were to compel him to carry out one of two things, either to return again and take up the affairs of the church 163, or indeed, if he did not wish to, to give a document of resignation; for it was not good for the church to be without a shepherd. Those around the bishop of Nicomedia, having received these letters, proceeded to Nicaea, to carry out with haste what had been commanded. And when they had gone out and arrived at the monastery in which he was dwelling, they approached the patriarch as they were, and spoke the command from the synod. But he, saying that the time for the reason had passed for them, and that it was fitting to withdraw from affairs in silence—for it was not possible to cure the incurable—was wholly bent on resigning. And they, when they had frequently assailed him in order to overcome his opinion, found themselves at a loss as to what to do or accomplish, so they revealed what they had to do in secret; and when they demanded his resignation, he immediately resigned. And as it had to be composed and was being composed, with the bishop of Heraclea dictating, the addition of "unworthy of the priesthood" for the reasonableness of the resignation both angered the man, and there was a disturbance. And: "Why, not being content," he said, "with a resignation in word or indeed in deed, do you also wish to entangle us with ignoble reasons? Willingly we withdraw from affairs, caring nothing for what may happen." Thus, then, being rebuffed by him who was sending them away sternly, having traversed the distance in between quickly, they came to the emperor and the synod; and they reported the things said to the patriarch, and finally, inserting the matter of the resignation, they confirmed that his opinion was unchangeable; and that they would have surer proof, if, some men having been sent, he himself would immediately allow them to take up the staff and the candelabrum. Which indeed also happened, and he yielded for them to take them, if they wished. And the emperor, upon these things, no longer considering it tolerable to wait, believing that his own earnest request was a sufficient defense to the patriarch for what was to follow, and especially since the

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καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καθ' ὅσον ἰσχύοιεν· τὸ δ' ἀναχωρεῖν μὴ προφανῶς 161 τὰς αἰτίας λέγοντι, μὴ καὶ μάταιον νομισθῇ τὸ ἐγχείρημα. Ἦν δὲ ἄρα καὶ ἀμφοτέροις ἀνήνυτα τὰ πραττόμενα, τοῖς τ' ἐπιστέλλουσι καὶ τῷ ἡσυχά ζοντι, δοκήσει τῶν μὲν τοῦ μὴ ἔχειν ἀποσπᾶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκεῖνον, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοιεν, τοῦ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς ἱστᾶν τὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως αἴτια, ἐφ' ᾧ πολλάκις καὶ θεραπεία γένοιτο. Τριβομένου δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ, φθάνει καὶ ἐς βασιλέα τὸ δρᾶμα καὶ βαρὺ αὐτίκα δοκεῖ ἀκουσθέν· καὶ ὃς τοῖς ἀμφ' αὑτὸν ἀρχιερεῦσι τὸ πραχθὲν τῷ πατριάρχῃ κοινοῦται καὶ τὸ ποιητέον ζητεῖ. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν προτροπὴ ἦν ἐπὶ τὸ διὰ πλείστου τιθέναι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν τό τε τοῦ πράγματος ἄηθες καὶ ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης συνήθεια καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐξ ἑτοίμου δόξαι ἀποπροσποιεῖσθαι τὸν πρῶτον καὶ ζητεῖν ἕτερον, πρὸ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως παράκλησις Μιχαήλ, λιπαρῶς δεδιότος μὴ ἐφ' αὑτῷ τὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως γένοιτο αἴτια· τὸ γὰρ συνειδὸς ἀρρεπὲς κριτήριον ἦν, καὶ τὸ λυποῦν οὐκ ἠγνόει, κἂν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔλεγε φανερῶς, λύπην μόνην κωφὴν καὶ καταφρόνησιν προβαλ λόμενος. Ἐκεῖσε γοῦν τῶν ὁπουδήποτε συναχθέντων ἱεραρχῶν, ζήτησις ἦν περὶ τούτων καὶ σκέψις. Καὶ τέλος πέμπουσι τοὺς περὶ τὸν Νικομηδείας Ἰωάννηνἔτυχε γὰρ τότε καὶ πατριάρχης τῇ μονῇ τοῦ Ἁγίου ∆ιομήδους προσμένων, ἀγγελοῦντας μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου, μετα καλουμένης αὐτὸν καὶ βαρεῖαν δοκούσης ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν, ἑτοίμου τ' οὔσης πρὸς τὸ μαθεῖν εἰπόντος τὰ αἴτια, πλὴν δὲ καὶ ὀνειδιοῦντας ὡς οὐ δεόντως διαπράξοιτο, ἀλλά, συναρπασθεὶς ἴσως ἐξ ὀδύνης, τὸ μὴ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ποιήσειεν, ἣν ἔδει συναχθεῖσι δηλοῦν καὶ διορθοῦν ἀξιοῦν, πατριάρχην ὄντα καὶ τοὺς τῶν πατέρων κανόνας διὰ πλείστου τιθέμενον· ποῦ γὰρ τὸ ἐλέγχειν, ποῦ τὸ παρακαλεῖν, ποῦ τὸ ἐπιτιμᾶν, εἰ καὶ τούτου δεήσειε; Τέως δὲ καὶ ὡς θέλοιεν πάλιν μαθεῖν τὰς αἰτίας, ὡς καὶ θεραπεύειν, εἰ δύναιντο, ἕτοιμοι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἦσαν τὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον· προστέτακτο δὲ τοῖς ἀπαγγελοῦσιν ὡς, εἰ μὲν πραΰνοιτο, καὶ ἐπανήξειν ὑπόσχοιτο· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς ἀναγ κάζειν δυοῖν θάτερον ἐκτελεῖν, ἢ ἐπανελθεῖν πάλιν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας 163 ἀναλαβεῖν, ἢ μήν, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο, διδόναι λίβελλον παραιτήσεως· μηδὲ γὰρ καλὸν εἶναι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀποίμαντον. Ταύτας οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Νικομηδείας δεξάμενοι τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐπὶ Νικαίας ἐχώρουν, σπουδῇ τὰ προστεταγμένα ἐπιτελέσοντες. Ὡς δ' ἐξελθόντες ἐπέστησαν τῇ ἐν ᾗ κατῴκει μονῇ, προσ ελθόντες τῷ πατριάρχῃ καθὼς εἶχον, τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου κελεύσεως ἔλεγον. Ὁ δέ, τὸν μὲν τῆς αἰτίας καιρὸν αὐτοῖς παρῳχηκέναι φήσας, πρέπειν δὲ σιγῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξίστασθαιμηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι θεραπεύειν τὰ ἀνι άτρευτα, ὅλος ἦν πρὸς τῷ παραιτεῖσθαι. Οἱ δ' ὡς πολλάκις προσβαλόντες ἐφ' ᾧ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης κρατήσειαν, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ τοῦ πράττειν τι καὶ ἀνύειν ἐγένοντο, ὅπερ εἶχον δι' ἀπορρήτων πράττειν, ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐξέφαινον· καὶ ἐξαιτούντων ἐκείνων παραίτησιν, εὐθὺς παρῃτεῖτο. Ὡς δ' ἔδει συντάτ τεσθαι ταύτην καὶ συνετάττετο, τοῦ Ἡρακλείας ὑπαγορεύοντος, τὸ ἀνάξιος προστεθὲν τῆς ἱερωσύνης εἰς τὸ τῆς παραιτήσεως εὔλογον ἠγρίαινέ τε τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ταραχὴ ἦν. Καί· «Τί δ' οὐκ ἀρκούμενοι, ἔλεγε, τῇ ἐκ λόγων ἢ μὴν καὶ πράξεως παραιτήσει, καὶ αἰτίαις οὐκ ἀγαθαῖς συμπλέκειν ἡμᾶς βούλεσθε; Ἑκόντες ἐξιστάμεθα τῶν πραγμάτων, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν μέλον, κἂν ὅ τι γένηται.» Οὕτω τοίνυν ἀποκρουσθέντες ἐμβριθῶς ἀποπεμπομένου, διὰ ταχέων τὸ μεταξὺ διανύσαντες, πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα καὶ τὴν σύνοδον ἀπαντῶσι· καὶ ἀπαγγέλλουσι μὲν τὰ τῷ πατριάρχῃ λεχθέντα, τέλος δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς παραιτή σεως παρενείροντες ἀμετάθετον τὴν ἐκείνου γνώμην διεβεβαίουν· ἀπο λήψεσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν πεῖραν ἀσφαλεστέραν, εἰ, τινῶν σταλέντων, τὴν βακτη ρίαν καὶ τὸ λαμπαδοῦχον ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὸς εὐθέως παράσχοι. Ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε, καὶ παρεχώρει λαμβάνειν, εἰ βούλοιντο. Ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκέτ' ἀνεκτὸν ἡγούμενος ἀναμένειν, εἰς ἱκανὴν ἀπολογίαν τῷ πατριάρχῃ τῶν ἐπιγενησομένων καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ λιπαρὰν νομίσας ἀξίωσιν, ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ τοῦ