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all knew; but the present time has shown more precisely your brotherly love, your charity, your reverence, your great compassion, your solicitude for the Churches. For a storm at sea especially reveals the pilot, and the severe diseases of the body, the best physician; so 52.715 does the difficulty of the times reveal the one who is zealous to live in reverence and possesses great courage. This indeed has happened in your case, and for your part, all things have been set right, and nothing has been left undone. But since those who both caused and are causing the disturbances have come to such a point of madness as not only to not be ashamed of their former deeds, but even to contend for them, I exhort you all jointly to use the most vigorous zeal, and not to put an end to such great diligence, but even to add to it more greatly, even if countless difficulties should arise. For those who accomplish something great and noble with greater sweat and toil will receive a greater reward than those who do this easily and with facility. For each one, says the blessed Paul, will receive his own reward, according to his own labor. Therefore, do not let having toiled much cause you to give up; but rather let this very thing stir you up the more. For by as much as the trials increase, by so much more do the crowns increase, and the prizes laid up for you for these good struggles abound. 183. To Hesychius, bishop of Salona. Although we are separated from your honor by a great length of road, and are settled at the very ends of the inhabited world, nevertheless using the wing of love, which is both light and makes such journeys easy, we are near you, and are with you, and we offer the due salutation of a letter, and we exhort you to show the fitting diligence for the Churches throughout the East. For you know how great is the reward for stretching out a hand to suffering Churches, for turning such a disturbance into tranquility, and for ending so fierce a war. And we exhort you to these things not as though you need a reminder from us; for indeed even before our letter you have done what you could; but since the terrible things have not yet been resolved, but are even at their height, we ask you not to fall back, nor to lose heart, but as long as the wounds remain crushing the body of the Church, to apply also the remedies from your side; for by as much as the tasks set before us are accomplished with greater toils, by so much greater will be the reward laid up for you. 184. To Gaudentius, bishop of Brixia. Nothing of yours has escaped our notice, but we have clearly known, as if present, your diligence, your vigilance, your care, the labors, the toils which you have shown for the sake of the truth, and we acknowledge many thanks to you; and sitting in so great a wilderness, we have the greatest consolation, the fervent and genuine character of your love, of which having had experience here, we knew it to be flourishing there also, and in no way withered either by the length of time, or by the length of the road. For this reason we owe you many thanks, and we exhort you to remain showing the same diligence. For you know for how many Churches the struggle 52.716 now lies before you, and how great will be the magnitude of the achievement. Considering these things, therefore, my most honored and most reverent lord, be exhorted to persevere in the same diligence. For thus, by toiling a little, you will lay up for yourselves beforehand in the heavens the immortal prizes of these good struggles. 185. To the deaconess Pentadia. You have kept a long silence, although there are many coming to us from there. What then could be the reason? The turmoil of affairs? Far from it; I would not say this; for I know your great and lofty soul, which is able to sail with a fair wind even amid many tempests, and to enjoy a white calm in the midst of waves. And this you have shown through the events themselves, and to the very ends of the inhabited world the report has come bearing your right actions, and all proclaim you, that even while established in one place and those who are far away through the

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ἅπαντες ᾔδεσαν· ἔδειξε δὲ ἀκριβέστερον ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς τὴν φιλαδελφίαν, τὴν ἀγάπην, τὴν εὐλάβειαν, τὴν πολλὴν συμπάθειαν ὑμῶν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ κυβερνήτην ὁ χειμὼν μάλιστα δείκνυσι τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἰατρὸν ἄριστον τὰ χαλεπὰ τῶν σωμάτων νοσήματα· οὕτω 52.715 καὶ τὸν ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ ζῇν ἐσπουδακότα, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχοντα ἀνδρείαν, ἡ τῶν καιρῶν δυσκολία. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν γέγονε, καὶ τό γε ὑμέτερον μέρος, ἅπαντα διώρθωται, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐλλέλειπται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἱ τὰς ταραχὰς καὶ τεκόντες καὶ τίκτοντες εἰς τοῦτο ἦλθον παρανοίας, ὡς μὴ μόνον μὴ ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι τοῖς προτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαγωνίζεσθαι ἐκείνοις, παρακαλῶ κοινῇ πάντας ὑμῶν ἐῤῥωμενεστάτῃ χρήσασθαι τῇ προθυμίᾳ, καὶ μὴ καταλῦσαι τὴν τοσαύτην σπουδὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προστιθέναι μειζόνως, κἂν μυρίαι δυσκολίαι παρεμπίπτωσιν. Οἱ γὰρ μετὰ πλειόνων ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων μέγα τι καὶ γενναῖον κατορθοῦντες, τῶν ῥᾳδίως καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας τοῦτο ποιούντων πλείονα λήψονται τὸν μισθόν. Ἕκαστος γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήψεται, κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον. Μὴ τοίνυν τὸ πολλὰ κεκμηκέναι ποιείτω ὑμᾶς ἀπαγορεύειν· ἀλλ' αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο μᾶλλον διεγειρέτω. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν προσθήκην λάβῃ τὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὔξεται τὰ τῶν στεφάνων, καὶ πλεονάζει τὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν τούτων ὑμῖν ἀγώνων ἀποκείμενα βραβεῖα. ΡΠΓʹ. Ἡσυχίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Σαλώνων. Εἰ καὶ πολλῷ διειργόμεθα τῷ τῆς ὁδοῦ μήκει τῆς τιμιότητός σου, καὶ πρὸς αὐτάς ἐσμεν τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς ἀπῳκισμένοι, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῷ τῆς ἀγάπης πτερῷ χρώμενοι, κούφῳ τε ὄντι, καὶ ῥᾳδίας τὰς τοιαύτας ἀποδημίας ἐργαζομένῳ, πλησίον τέ σού ἐσμεν, καὶ σύνεσμέν σοι, καὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην τῶν γραμμάτων ἀποδιδόαμεν πρόσρησιν, καί σε παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν προσήκουσαν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν ποιήσασθαι σπουδήν. Οἶσθα γὰρ ἡλίκος ἐστὶν ὁ μισθὸς Ἐκκλησίαις πονουμέναις χεῖρα ὀρέγειν, ταραχὴν τοσαύτην εἰς γαλήνην μεταθεῖναι, καὶ πόλεμον οὕτω σφοδρὸν καταλῦσαι. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐχ ὡς δεομένους ὑμᾶς τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν ὑπομνήσεως παρακαλοῦμεν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν αὐτοὶ πεποιήκατε· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐδέπω τὰ δεινὰ λέλυται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκμάζει, ἀξιοῦμεν ὑμᾶς μὴ ἀναπεσεῖν, μηδὲ περικακῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἕως μένει τὰ ἕλκη τὸ σῶμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας συντρίβοντα, καὶ τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν φάρμακα ἐπιτιθέναι· καὶ γὰρ ὅσῳ μετὰ πλειόνων πόνων ἀνύεται τὰ προκείμενα, τοσούτῳ πλείων ὑμῖν κείσεται καὶ ὁ μισθός. ΡΠ∆ʹ. Γαυδεντίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Βρίξης. Οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ἔλαθε τῶν σῶν, ἀλλ' ἔγνωμεν σαφῶς ὡς παρόντες τὴν σπουδήν σου, τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν, τὴν φροντίδα, τοὺς καμάτους, τοὺς πόνους οὓς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπεδείξω, καί σοι χάριτας πολλὰς ὁμολογοῦμεν· καὶ ἐν τοσαύτῃ καθήμενοι ἐρημίᾳ, μεγίστην ἔχομεν παράκλησιν, τῆς ἀγάπης σου τὸ θερμὸν καὶ γνήσιον, ἧς πεῖραν ἐνταῦθα λαβόντες, ἔγνωμεν αὐτὴν ἀκμάζουσαν καὶ ἐκεῖσε, καὶ οὐδὲν οὔτε τῷ πλήθει τοῦ χρόνου, οὔτε τῷ μήκει τῆς ὁδοῦ καταμαρανθεῖσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σοι χάριτας ἴσμεν πολλὰς, καί σε παρακαλοῦμεν μένειν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενον σπουδήν. Οἶδας γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὅσων Ἐκκλησιῶν ὑμῖν ὁ ἀγὼν 52.716 πρόκειται νῦν, καὶ ἡλίκον ἔσται τοῦ κατορθώματος τὸ μέγεθος. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοῶν, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ αὐτῇ σπουδῇ παρακλήθητι. Οὕτω γὰρ ὀλίγα κάμνοντες, ἀθάνατα ἑαυτοῖς προαποθήσεσθε ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τῶν καλῶν τούτων ἀγώνων τὰ βραβεῖα. ΡΠΕʹ. Πενταδίᾳ διακόνῳ. Μακρὰν ἐσίγησας σιγὴν, καίτοι πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφικνουμένων πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἂν εἴη τὸ αἴτιον; τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ θόρυβος; Ἄπαγε· τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι· οἶδα γάρ σου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ὑψηλὴν ψυχὴν, τὴν καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς κλυδωνίοις δυναμένην ἐξουρίας πλεῖν, καὶ ἐν μέσοις κύμασι γαλήνης ἀπολαύειν λευκῆς. Καὶ τοῦτο δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξας, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἦλθεν ἡ φήμη τὰ σὰ φέρουσα κατορθώματα, καὶ πάντες σε ἀνακηρύττουσιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ χωρίῳ ἱδρυμένη καὶ τοὺς πόῤῥωθεν ὄντας διὰ τῆς