6.130 But I, even while writing of this man, am utterly astonished how at that time he endured, though assailed by such great pains; for paralysis upon paralysis straightway seized him, and it consumed the remainder of his flesh, and completely disjointed what still held together. And he had no position in which he could rest sufficiently in his bed, but every position was contrary for him; wherefore his attendants, propping and counter-propping his little body, with great difficulty chanced upon a restful posture, then indeed they adjusted and held him, building up against and contriving against him, so that he might be supported in that position; but for him it was painful not only to be moved, but even his tongue gave him a burden when speaking, and the movement of his eyes shifted the flux, wherefore he gave himself over to be completely motionless and steady. 6.131 And I say, insisting on these things and making God the witness of my account, that though bailed out and tossed by so many evils and being in such a completely wretched state, he never uttered a blasphemous word against God, but if he perceived anyone being vexed at his misfortunes, he would send him away with very stern words, and he declared that the calamity had been inflicted on him as a just sentence, but rather he called it a bridle of his own nature; for he feared his own impulses, and: "Since," he said, "they do not yield to reason, they give way to the body's pains, and my body is indeed afflicted, but the disorderly thoughts of my soul have been fixed." Thus he philosophized about his suffering; and if anyone, leaving aside his other qualities, were to consider him in this respect, he would name him a truly divine man. 6.132 And he had another good quality, not in all respects praised by me, but exceptionally honored by him, but let him who wishes judge; he was completely unguarded. For when he slept, neither were his doors barred, nor did any guard keep watch outside; often, at any rate, even his attendants would all go away, and someone could pass by him very easily and again pass back, with no one hindering his passage; if anyone, at any rate, reproached him for his laxity in this, he was neither annoyed, and he would dismiss them as having sick thoughts concerning the divine; and his argument was, that he reigned by the will of God and was guarded by Him alone, and that, having obtained the more perfect guard, he might scorn the human and less perfect one. 6.133 I, at any rate, often setting beside him pilots and builders, and finally captains and generals; "None of these, then," I would say, "devoid of hope in God, undertakes his own work, but nevertheless one squares the building with a rule, another steers the ship with the rudders, and each of those in wars both carries a shield and is sword-bearing, and a helmet suffices for his head, and a breastplate covers the rest of his body"; then indeed arguing from this especially, that these things are more fitting for a king, I did not persuade him, though trying in every way; and this shows a good character, but becomes something to yield to for those willing to make an attempt. 6.134τ Concerning the plot against the emperor. Of course this had become the beginning of very many evils, of which having set down one or two, from these I give to my readers to conjecture about the others; but I will speak a little rather digressively from the subject, that in well-ordered cities the rosters are from the best men, both noble and ignoble alike, whether in the civil ranks, or in the armies; thus, at any rate, the Athenians organized their state and however many cities emulated their democracy; but among us this fine thing has been cast aside and dishonored, and there is no account of noble birth, but from the beginning by hereditary succession, with Romulus first beginning such a confusion, both the senate

6.130 Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ξυγγράφων τοῦτον ἔτι τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπερεκπέπληγμαι, ὅπως τηνικαῦτα ἐξήρκει τοσαύταις περιωδυνίαις βαλλόμενος· πάρεσις γὰρ ἐπὶ παρέσει τοῦτον εὐθὺς κατελάμβανε, καὶ κατεδαπάνα μὲν τὸ λειπόμενον τῶν σαρκῶν, ἐξήρθρου δὲ παντάπασι τὸ ἔτι ἐχόμενον. Οὐκ εἶχε δὲ ἐφ' ὅτῳ σχηματισθεὶς ἀποχρώντως ἐπαναπαυθείη τῇ κλίνῃ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα θέσις τούτῳ ἀντίθετος· ὅθεν οἱ κατευ ναστῆρες, συνερείδοντες καὶ ἀντερείδοντες αὐτῷ τὸ σωμά τιον, μόλις που τῆς ἀναπαυούσης ῥοπῆς ἐπετύγχανον, εἶτα δὴ συνήρμοζον καὶ ἐπεῖχον ἀντοικοδομοῦντες καὶ ἀντιτε χνώμενοι τοῦτον, ὅπως ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ σχήματος ἐκείνου στη ρίζοιτο· τῷ δὲ ἦν ἀλγεινὸν οὐ τὸ μετατίθεσθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ γλῶττα ἄχθος ἐκείνῳ ὁμιλοῦσα ἐδίδου, καὶ ἡ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν νεῦσις μετεκίνει τὸ ῥεῦμα, ὅθεν παντάπασιν ἑαυτὸν ἀκίνητον ἐδίδου καὶ ἀρρεπῆ. 6.131 Λέγω δὲ ἐν τούτοις διατεινόμενος καὶ Θεὸν τοῦ λόγου ποιούμενος μάρτυρα, ὅτι τοσούτοις κακοῖς διαν τλούμενός τε καὶ κυμαινόμενος καὶ οὕτως ἀθλίως ἔχων παντάπασιν, οὐδέποτε βλάσφημον πρὸς Θεὸν ἀφῆκε φωνὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τινα αἴσθοιτο ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου δεινοῖς δυσχε ραίνοντα αὐστηροτέροις τοῦτον ἀπεπέμπετο ῥήμασιν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ καταδίκην ἐπιβεβλῆσθαι τὴν συμφορὰν ἀπεφαίνετο, μᾶλλον δὲ χαλινὸν ταύτην τῆς ἰδίας κατωνόμαζε φύσεως· ἐδεδίει γὰρ τὰς οἰκείας ὁρμὰς, καὶ· «Ἐπειδὴ, φησὶ, μὴ λογισμῷ εἴκουσιν, ὑποχωροῦσι τοῖς τοῦ σώματος ἀλγεινοῖς, καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖται μέν μου τὸ σῶμα, αἱ δὲ ἄτακτοι τῆς ψυχῆς πεπήγασιν ἔννοιαι.» Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος ἐφιλοσόφει περὶ τὸ πάθος· καὶ εἴ τις ἐκεῖνον τῶν ἄλλων ἀφεὶς ἐπὶ τούτου καταθεωρήσει τοῦ μέρους, θεῖον ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄνδρα κατονομάσειε. 6.132 Τῷ δέ τι καὶ ἄλλο προσῆν ἀγαθὸν, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἐν ἅπασιν ἐπαινούμενον, ἐκείνῳ δὲ διαφερόντως τιμώ μενον, διαιτήσοι δὲ ὁ βουλόμενος· ἀφυλάκτως ἑαυτοῦ παν τάπασιν εἶχε· κοιμωμένῳ μὲν οὔτε θύραι ἐπεζυγοῦντο, οὔτε τις ἐκτὸς ἐπηγρύπνει φρουρά· πολλάκις γοῦν καὶ οἱ κατευνάζοντες ἀπῄεσαν ξύμπαντες, καὶ παρώδευέ τις αὐτὸν ῥᾷστα καὶ αὖθις ἀντιπαρῄει, μηδενὸς τὴν πάροδον ἐκείνῳ κωλύοντος· εἴ τις γοῦν τὸ ἀνειμένον αὐτῷ ἐνταυθοῖ προσωνείδισεν, οὔτε ἠνιᾶτο, καὶ ὡς νοσῶν περὶ τὸ θεῖον τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀπεπέμπετο· ἐβούλετο δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλεύοι καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου μόνου φυλάττοιτο, καὶ ὅτι, τῆς τελεωτέρας φρουρᾶς τετυχηκὼς, τῆς ἀνθρωπικῆς καὶ ἀτελεστέρας καταφρονοίη. 6.133 Ἐγὼ γοῦν πολλάκις τοὺς κυβερνήτας καὶ οἰκοδόμους ἀντιπαραθεὶς, καὶ τελευτῶν τοὺς λοχαγοὺς καὶ στρατηγοὺς· «Οὐδεὶς μὲν οὖν τούτων, ἔφασκον, τῶν πρὸς Θεὸν ἐλπίδων ἔρημος τὸ οἰκεῖον ἔργον μεταχειρίζεται, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ μὲν πρὸς κανόνα ἰσάζει τὸ οἰκοδόμημα, ὁ δὲ τοῖς πηδαλίοις ἰθύνει τὴν ναῦν, καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἕκα στος ἀσπίδα τε φέρει καὶ ξιφηφορεῖ, καὶ τῇ μὲν κεφαλῇ κράνος ἀρκεῖ, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν σῶμα ὁ θῶραξ ἀμπέχει»· εἶτα δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦδε μᾶλλον ἐπιχειρῶν, ὅτι τάδε μᾶλλον πρέπει τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐκ ἔπειθον παντοίως ἐπιχειρῶν· τοῦτο δὲ χρηστὸν μὲν τρόπον κατηγορεῖ, ἐνδόσιμον δὲ τοῖς ἐπιχει ρεῖν ἐθέλουσι γίγνεται. 6.134τ Περὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπιβουλῆς. Ἀμέλει καὶ πλείστων τοῦτο κακῶν ἐγεγόνει ἀρχὴ, ὧν ἓν ἢ δύο θέμενος, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰκάζειν τοῖς ἀναγινώσκουσι δίδωμι· ἐρῶ δὲ βραχύ τι τῆς ὑποθέσεως παρεκβατικώτερον, ὅτι ταῖς μὲν εὖ πραττούσαις πόλεσιν ἐκ τῶν ἀρίστων καὶ τῶν εὐγενῶν τε ἅμα καὶ ἀγενῶν οἱ κατάλογοι, κἂν ταῖς πολιτικαῖς τάξεσι, κἂν τοῖς στρατεύ μασιν· οὕτω γοῦν Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπολιτεύσαντο καὶ ὁπόσαι πόλεις τὴν ἐκείνων δημοκρατίαν ἐζήλωσαν· παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ τουτὶ τὸ καλὸν ἔρριπται καὶ ἠτίμασται, καὶ λόγος οὐδεὶς εὐγενείας, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν ἐκ κλήρου διαδοχῆς, Ῥωμύλου πρώτου ἀρξαμένου τῆς τοιαύτης συγχύσεως, ἥ τε σύγκλη