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having found the conspirators Germinius, Auxentius, and Gaius, the ones causing strife and dissension. 4.18. Whose teaching, though it is one, has surpassed every multitude of blasphemies; but when they realized they were not of the same heresy nor of one mind on the things they wrongly thought, they brought themselves to our council so as to seem to be writing something different. But the time was short that also exposed their opinions. 4.18.10 So that, therefore, the affairs of the church might not fall into the same things and rolling confusion and tumult might not seize everyone, it seemed steadfast to keep the things long ago defined and unmovable, and that the aforementioned men be separated from our communion; for which reason we have sent ambassadors to your clemency to inform you, who will report the opinion of the council through this letter. 4.18.11 And we exhorted the ambassadors, above all else, to confirm the truth from the ancient things justly defined long ago; who will also inform your holiness that, it is not as Ursacius and Valens said, there will be peace, if any of the just things should be overturned. For how is it possible for those who destroy peace to bring peace? For rather, strife and confusion from these men will arise, along with the other cities and the church of the Romans. 4.18.12 Wherefore we beseech your clemency, that you would look upon our ambassadors with gracious ears and a calm gaze, and not permit anything new to be changed to the insult of those who have died, but that you would allow us to abide by the things defined and legislated by our ancestors, whom we would say have done all things with sagacity and wisdom and the Holy Spirit. For the things now being innovated by them created unbelief in those who believe, and cruelty in those who disbelieve. 4.18.13 And we further beseech that you would command the bishops who are staying in foreign lands, whom both the hardship of age and the want of poverty wear down, to make an easy return to their own homes, so that the churches might not remain desolate, with their bishops set apart. 4.18.14 And besides all this, we also request this, that nothing be lacking from what was before, nor be in excess, but that all things remain unbroken from the piety of your father and preserved to the present time, and that you would not permit us to labor any longer and become strangers to our own dioceses, but that the bishops with their own people may have leisure in peace for both prayers and services, beseeching for your salvation and kingdom and peace, which the Godhead will grant you forever. 4.18.15 Our ambassadors bring both the signatures and the names of the bishops, who will also instruct your divinity from the divine scriptures themselves.” 4.1.1 Such were the letters of those who had assembled in Ariminum. But those around Ursacius and Valens, arriving before the ambassadors sent by them, showed the emperor the document they had read and slandered the synod. And he, being perhaps grieved that they did not accept this faith, which had been confirmed with him also present in Sirmium, held the former in honor, but neglected the ambassadors and overlooked them as they were wearied by their long wait. 4.1.2 And at some late point he wrote to the synod, excusing himself on the grounds that a necessary journey to the barbarians pressed him and for this reason he had not been able to see the ambassadors. And he commanded them to wait for him at Adrianople on his return, so that when public affairs had been well arranged, being free from cares, he might hear and examine what the ambassadors had to say; for it was fitting that one who is about to deliberate on divine matters should have a soul clear of other things. 4.1.3 And he wrote such things. But to these things the synod replied, insisting that they would in no way depart from what had been decreed, and that they had been commanded to write this also to the ambassadors. And it entreats him to see them with goodwill and of what

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τοὺς συναλισκομένους εὑρόντες "7Γερμήνιον, Αὐξέντιον καὶ Γάιον τοὺς τὴν ἔριν καὶ διχοστασίαν ἐμποιοῦντας. 4.18. "7ὧν ἡ διδασκαλία μία μὲν οὖσα πᾶν πλῆθος βλασφημιῶν ὑπερβέβηκεν· ὡς "7δὲ συνεῖδον οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς αἱρέσεως ὄντας οὔτε ὁμογνωμονοῦντας ἐφ' οἷς "7κακῶς ἐφρόνουν, εἰς τὸ συμβούλιον ἡμῶν μετήγαγον ἑαυτοὺς ὡς δοκεῖν "7ἕτερόν τι γράφειν. ἦν δὲ ὁ καιρὸς βραχὺς ὁ καὶ τὰς γνώμας αὐτῶν "7ἐξελέγχων. 4.18.10 "7῞Ιν' οὖν μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας περιπίπτῃ καὶ ταραχὴ καὶ "7θόρυβος καλινδούμενος ἅπαντας συνέχῃ, βέβαιον ἐφάνη τὰ πάλαι ὡρισμένα "7καὶ ἀμετακίνητα φυλάττειν, τοὺς δὲ προειρημένους τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας "7ἀποκεχωρίσθαι· δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τοὺς ἀναδιδάξοντας πρέσβεις πρὸς τὴν σὴν "7ἐπιείκειαν ἀπεστάλκαμεν, τὴν γνώμην τοῦ συνεδρίου διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς 4.18.11 "7μηνύσοντας. τοῖς δὲ πρέσβεσι πρό γε πάντων τοῦτο παρεκελευσάμεθα "7τὸ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πιστώσασθαι ἐκ τῶν πάλαι ἀρχαίων δικαίως ὡρισμένων· "7οἳ καὶ τὴν σὴν ἀναδιδάξουσιν ὁσιότητα ὅτι οὐχ, ὥσπερ ἔφησαν Οὐρσάκιος "7καὶ Οὐάλης, ἔσται εἰρήνη, εἴπερ τι τῶν δικαίων ἀνατραπείη. πῶς γὰρ "7εἰρήνην οἷόν τε ἄγειν τοὺς τὴν εἰρήνην καταλύοντας; μᾶλλον γὰρ ἔρις καὶ "7ταραχὴ ἐκ τούτων σὺν ταῖς λοιπαῖς πόλεσι καὶ τῇ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκκλησίᾳ "7γενήσεται. 4.18.12 "7∆ιὸ δὴ ἱκετεύομεν τὴν σὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ἵνα προσηνέσιν ἀκοαῖς καὶ "7γαληνιαίῳ βλέμματι τοὺς ἡμετέρους πρέσβεις ἀθρήσειας μηδὲ πρὸς ὕβριν "7τῶν τετελευτηκότων καινόν τι μεταλλάττειν ἐπιτρέψειας, ἀλλὰ ἐάσῃς ἐμμέ"7νειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς παρὰ τῶν προγόνων ὁρισθεῖσί τε καὶ νενομοθετημένοις, "7οὓς ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀγχινοίας τε καὶ φρονήσεως καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πε"7ποιηκέναι φήσαιμεν ἄν. τὰ γὰρ νῦν παρ' ἐκείνων καινοτομούμενα τοῖς μὲν 4.18.13 "7πιστεύουσιν ἀπιστίαν ἐνεποίει, τοῖς δὲ ἀπιστοῦσιν ὠμότητα. ἱκετεύομεν "7δὲ ἔτι ἵνα κελεύσῃς τοὺς ἐπισκόπους τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀλλοδαπαῖς διατρίβοντας, "7οὓς καὶ τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐπίπονον καὶ τὸ τῆς πενίας ἐνδεὲς τρύχει, τὴν εἰς "7τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀνακομιδὴν ῥᾳδίαν ποιήσασθαι, ἵνα μὴ ἔρημοι τῶν ἐπισκόπων 4.18.14 "7ἀφωρισμένων αἱ ἐκκλησίαι διαμένωσιν. ἔτι δὲ πρὸς ἅπασι καὶ τοῦτο "7δεόμεθα, ἵνα μηδὲν μήτε ἐλλείπῃ τῶν προϋπαρξάντων μήτε πλεονάζῃ, "7ἀλλὰ πάντα ἄρρηκτα διαμένῃ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς εὐσεβείας καὶ εἰς "7τὸν νῦν χρόνον διαφυλαττόμενα, μήτε λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς μοχθεῖν καὶ τῶν "7ἰδίων παροικήσεων ἀλλοτρίους ἐπιτρέψειας γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα οἱ ἐπί"7σκοποι σὺν τῷ ἰδίῳ λαῷ μετ' εἰρήνης εἰς εὐχάς τε καὶ λατρείας σχολὴν "7ἄγοιεν, ἱκετεύοντες ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας καὶ βασιλείας καὶ εἰρήνης, ἣν 4.18.15 "7ἡ θεότης σοὶ εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς χαριεῖται. οἱ δὲ ἡμέτεροι πρέσβεις τάς τε "7ὑπογραφὰς καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐπισκόπων προσηγορίας κομίζουσιν, οἵτινες καὶ "7ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν θείων γραμμάτων τὴν σὴν ἀναδιδάξουσι θειότητα.» 4.1.1 Τάδε μὲν τῶν ἐν ᾿Αριμήνῳ συνελθόντων τὰ γράμματα. οἱ δὲ περὶ Οὐρσάκιον καὶ Οὐάλεντα φθάσαντες τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν ἀποσταλέντας πρέσβεις ἐπέδειξαν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν γραφὴν ἣν ἀνέγνωσαν καὶ τὴν σύνοδον διέβαλλον. ὁ δὲ λυπηθεὶς ἴσως, ὅτι μὴ ταύτην προσεδέξαντο τὴν πίστιν ὡς καὶ αὐτοῦ παρόντος ἐν Σιρμίῳ βεβαιωθεῖσαν, τοὺς μὲν ἐν τιμῇ εἶχε, τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων 4.1.2 ἠμέλει καὶ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ ταλαιπωρούντων ὑπερεώρα. ὀψὲ δέ ποτε ἔγραψε τῇ συνόδῳ παραιτούμενος ὡς ἀναγκαία τις αὐτὸν ἤπειγεν ἡ πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους ὁδὸς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς πρέσβεις ἰδεῖν οὐ δεδύνηται. ἐκέλευσε δὲ ἐν ᾿Αδριανουπόλει ἐπανιόντα αὐτὸν ἐπιμεῖναι, ἵν' ἐπειδὰν τὰ κοινὰ πράγματα διατεθείη καλῶς, ἐλεύθερος ὢν φροντίδων τὰ παρὰ τῶν πρέσβεων ἀκούσοι καὶ δοκιμάσοι· προσήκειν γὰρ τὸν περὶ τῶν θείων διαλαμβάνειν μέλλοντα καθαρὰν ἔχειν τῶν ἄλλων τὴν ψυχήν. 4.1.3 Καὶ ὁ μὲν τοιάδε ἔγραψε. πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ ἡ σύνοδος ἀντεδήλωσεν ἰσχυριζομένη μηδαμῶς ἀναχωρεῖν τῶν δεδογμένων, καὶ τοῦτο γράψαι καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἐντείλασθαι. καὶ ἀντιβολεῖ μετ' εὐνοίας αὐτοὺς ἰδεῖν καὶ ὧν