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the prefect, commanding him either to persuade Basil to embrace communion with Eudoxius, or, if he was not persuaded, to expel him. For having previously heard of the man’s renown, he was unwilling to attack him first, lest by receiving the attack nobly and repelling it, he should become a prototype of courage to the others. But the scheme was seen to be like a spider's web. For the ancient narratives sufficed for the benefit of the other bishops, and like towers they kept the enclosure of the faith unshaken. The prefect, however, arriving in Caesarea and summoning Basil the Great, both deemed him worthy of honor and used gentle words towards him, advising him to yield to the occasion and not to give up so many churches for a slight precision of doctrines; and he promised the emperor’s friendship and the benefactions from it that would come to many through him. But that divine man said that these words were fitting for boys. "For they and those like them gape at such things; but those who have been nurtured on the divine oracles do not endure to give up a single syllable of the divine doctrines, but for their sake, if need be, they embrace even all forms of death. And I consider the emperor’s friendship a great thing with piety, but without it I call it destructive." When the prefect became angry and said he was senseless, the divine Basil said: "I pray to have this senselessness forever." When he was ordered to go out and to deliberate on what was to be done and to declare his decision the next day (and a threat was joined to the words), that all-praised man is said 244 to have spoken: "As for me, I shall come to you the same tomorrow; but you, do not change your mind, but use your threats." After these words the prefect, meeting the emperor, reported what had been said and taught him the man’s virtue, and made known the courageous and bold character of his soul. And then the emperor, falling silent, went in. But when he saw plagues sent from God against his house (for his son had fallen ill and was at the very gates of death, and various afflictions besieged his wife) and recognized the cause of the troubles, he implored the divine man, whom he had threatened to punish, to come to his house. The generals served the imperial commands. Then the great Basil, having arrived at the palace and seen the emperor’s son at the very point of death, promised to restore him to life, if he were deemed worthy of the all-holy baptism by the hands of the pious; and having said this, he departed. But he, remembering his oaths like the foolish Herod, ordered those present with him from the Arian faction to baptize the child; and it immediately met the end of its life. But Valens, regretting it and considering 245 the harmful truth of his oaths, entered the divine temple and enjoyed the teaching of the great Basil and brought the customary gifts to the altar. And ordering him to come within the curtains where he sat, he held many discussions with him concerning the divine doctrines and indeed heard him speak. And a certain Demosthenes was present, called the purveyor of the imperial kitchens, who found fault with the teacher of the world and spoke barbarously. But the divine Basil, smiling, said: "We have seen even an illiterate Demosthenes." When that man became more annoyed and threatened him, the great Basil said: "It is your job to worry about the seasoning of broths; for you cannot understand divine doctrines, having your ears stopped up." These things indeed he said to this man. And the emperor so admired the man that he even donated the finest lands he had there to the poor cared for by him, who, having their whole body maimed, are in need of the greatest possible care; Thus, then, the great Basil escaped the first attack of Valens. But when he came there again, having forgotten the previous events (for his mind was besieged by those who were deceiving him)

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ὕπαρχον, ἐντειλάμενος ἢ πεῖσαι τὸν Βασίλειον τὴν πρὸς Εὐδόξιον ἀσπάσασθαι κοινωνίαν ἢ μὴ πειθόμενον ἐξελάσαι. τοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς τὸ κλέος προπεπυσμένος πρώτῳ προσβαλεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἵνα μὴ γενναίως τὴν προσβολὴν δεξάμενος καὶ ταύτην ἀποκρουσάμενος ἀνδρείας τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀρχέτυπος γένηται. ἀλλ' ἀρά χνης ἱστῷ τὸ μηχάνημα παραπλήσιον ὤφθη. ἤρκεσε γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀρχιερεῦσιν εἰς ὠφέλειαν τὰ παλαιὰ διηγήματα, καὶ οἷόν τινες πύργοι τὸν τῆς πίστεως περίβολον ἀκλινῆ διετήρησαν. ὁ μέντοι ὕπαρχος εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν ἀφικόμενος καὶ Βασίλειον τὸν μέγαν μεταπεμψά μενος, τιμῆς τε ἠξίωσε καὶ λόγοις πρὸς αὐτὸν ἠπίοις ἐχρήσατο, εἶξαί τε τῷ καιρῷ παραινῶν καὶ μὴ προέσθαι τοσαύτας ἐκκλησίας δι' ὀλίγην δογμάτων ἀκρίβειαν· ὑπισχνεῖτο δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλέως φιλίαν καὶ τὰς ἐκ ταύτης δι' αὐτοῦ πολλοῖς ἐσομένας εὐεργεσίας. ὁ δὲ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ μειρακίοις ἔφη τούτους ἁρμόττειν τοὺς λόγους. "ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐκείνοις προσόμοιοι περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κεχήνασιν· οἱ δὲ τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἐντεθραμμένοι προέσθαι μὲν τῶν θείων δογμάτων οὐδεμίαν ἀνέχονται συλλαβήν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων, εἰ δέοι, καὶ πάσας τοῦ θανάτου τὰς ἰδέας ἀσπάζονται. τὴν δὲ βασιλέως φιλίαν μέγα μὲν ἡγοῦμαι μετ' εὐσεβείας, δίχα δὲ ταύτης ὀλεθρίαν ἀποκαλῶ". τοῦ δὲ ὑπάρχου χαλεπήναντος καὶ ἀνόητον εἶναι φήσαντος, ὁ θεῖος ἔφη Βασίλειος· "ταύτην ἔχειν εἰς ἀεὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν εὔχομαι". ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξελθεῖν προσετάχθη καὶ τὸ πρακτέον βουλεύσασθαι καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ δηλῶσαι τὴν γνώμην (συνῆπτο δὲ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἀπειλή), φάναι 244 λέγεται ὁ πανεύφημος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ· "ἐγὼ μὲν ὁ αὐτός σοι καὶ αὔριον ἥξω· σὺ δὲ μὴ μεταβάλῃς τὴν γνώμην, ἀλλὰ χρῆσαι ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς". μετὰ τούσδε τοὺς λόγους ὁ ὕπαρχος ὑπαντήσας τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπήγγειλέ τε τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀνεδίδαξεν ἀρετήν, καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνδρεῖον καὶ θαρραλέον ἐμήνυσε. καὶ τότε μὲν σιγήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰσελήλυθεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατὰ τῆς οἰκίας εἶδεν θεηλάτους καταπεμφθείσας πληγὰς (ὅ τε γὰρ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἀρρωστήσας παρ' αὐτὰς ἦν τοῦ θανά του τὰς πύλας καὶ τὴν γαμετὴν διάφορα ἐπολιόρκει παθήματα) καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπέγνω τῶν σκυθρωπῶν, τὸν θεῖον ἄνθρωπον, ὃν κολά σειν ἠπείλησεν, ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἠντιβόλησεν. οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ τοῖς βασιλικοῖς διηκόνουν προστάγμασι. τότε ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος καταλαβὼν τὰ βασίλεια καὶ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν παρ' αὐτὴν ὄντα τὴν τελευτὴν θεασάμενος, πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν τοῦτον ἀναστρέψειν ὑπέ σχετο, εἰ τοῦ παναγίου διὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἀξιωθείη βαπτίσματος· καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐξελήλυθεν. ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅρκων κατὰ τὸν ἀνόητον μεμνημένος Ἡρώδην τοῖς συμπαροῦσιν αὐτῷ ἐκ τῆς Ἀρείου συμμορίας βαπτίσαι τὸ παιδίον προσέταξε· τὸ δὲ παραυτίκα τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. Μεταμεληθεὶς δὲ Βάλης καὶ τὴν ἐπιβλαβῆ τῶν ὅρκων ἀλήθειαν 245 λογισάμενος, εἴς τε τὸν θεῖον νεὼν εἰσελήλυθε καὶ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου Βασιλείου διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυσε καὶ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ τὰ εἰωθότα προσενήνοχε δῶρα. καὶ εἴσω δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν παραπετασμάτων ἔνθα καθῆστο γενέσθαι κελεύσας, πολλοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἐποιήσατο λόγους καὶ δὴ καὶ λέγοντος ἤκουσεν. παρῆν δέ τις ∆ημοσθένης καλούμενος τῶν βασιλικῶν προμηθούμενος ὄψων, ὃς τῷ διδασκάλῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπιμεμψάμενος ἐβαρβάρισεν. ὁ δὲ θεῖος Βασίλειος μειδιάσας· "ἐθεασάμεθα", ἔφη, "καὶ ∆ημοσθένην ἀγράμματον". ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκεῖνος πλέον δυσχεράνας ἠπείλησε· "σόν ἐστιν", ἔφη ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος, "τῆς τῶν ζωμῶν καρυκείας φροντί ζειν· δογμάτων γὰρ θείων ἐπαΐειν οὐ δύνασαι, βεβυσμένας ἔχων τὰς ἀκοάς". ταῦτα μὲν δὴ πρὸς τοῦτον ἔφη. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἠγάσθη τὸν ἄνδρα ὡς καὶ χωρία τὰ κάλλιστα ὧν εἶχεν αὐτόθι τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φροντιζομένοις δωρήσασθαι πένησιν, οἳ τὸ σῶμα ἅπαν λελωβημένοι πλείονος ὅτι μάλιστα θεραπείας προσδέονται· Τὴν μὲν οὖν πρώτην τοῦ Βάλεντος προσβολὴν οὕτω διέφυγεν ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάλιν ἧκεν αὐτόσε, καὶ τῶν προτέρων ἐπιλελησμένος (ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐξαπατώντων ἐπολιορκεῖτο τὴν γνώμην)