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heard, and being unable even to look upon him for shame, but being free from all malice and suspicion and suspecting nothing foul, she fell at the feet, as it seemed, of that holy 247 high priest, and besought him to pray for her. But that all-defiled one, having raised himself a little from his chair and having turned away from her in the opposite direction, letting out a donkey-like sound from his foul bowels, declared to her, "So that you may not say, my lady, that we have not deemed you worthy even in this." And when the emperor burst into a loud laugh and that utterly profane one laughed immensely, and they babbled much, or rather, were most irrationally driven mad by the delirium of their mind, the empress, recognizing the pretense and the deceit, and lamenting greatly for those present, and casting very many curses upon her son, finally said to him, "Behold, evil child, God has taken His hand from you, and you have been given a reprobate mind to do what is not fitting." And having said these things and with mournful wailing tearing out her own hair, she departed. Such were the youthful exploits of the noble emperor, and such was his piety and reverence concerning divine things and holy men. 24 Since many such and worse things were done by him every day throughout the entire time of his reign, and since even after he had taken Basil to himself and exalted him he was occupied with similar things, that man, seeing and hearing these things, was exceedingly distressed and grieved and despaired of his own life. But wishing to bring all possible help and to omit nothing that seemed to tend toward correction, at first through others 248 he tried to turn him from such things and bring him back to what was proper; then once he dared even by himself, with a well-meaning mind and purpose, to admonish the emperor and, if possible, to make him desist from such impieties, and he spoke to him as follows with a submissive and humble demeanor. "It is right, O master and emperor, for me who has enjoyed so many benefactions and gifts from you, both to introduce what is proper and to suggest what is best and to remind you of what is advantageous and salutary. We are hated, know this, master, we are hated" (for he included himself for the sake of inoffensiveness, although he shared in none of the improprieties) "by the entire city and the senate, and by the high priests of God we have become accursed, and everyone slanders and reviles us. And even if we should reckon what comes from men as nothing, it is necessary to fear the indignation from God, and to be afraid lest we experience His wrath and anger." But in saying these things, he was sowing upon rocks and speaking to the seashore and seemed to be washing an Ethiopian; so ingrained had wickedness become in him, and thus he turned a deaf ear to every saving word, stopping his ears like an asp against incantations. For not only was he not changed for the better, but he even began to hate and turn away from him, and with his devotees and fellow revellers, slandering and mocking him, he hinted at his 249 alienation from him, and then revealed it more clearly. Which indeed those defiled and accursed men, having understood, were moved and organized against him, and they plausibly acted out their slanders, calling his dignity arrogance, and naming his not partaking in pleasures ill-will, and his not sinning along with them contempt. And "For how could he be said to love you," they said, "who does not rejoice in what you yourself rejoice, nor strives to provide for you the things that give pleasure?" To whom indeed the emperor, giving in more and being persuaded, was plotting death for Basil, and he was seeking a plausible pretext for his murder, but could not find one. And his madness proceeded to such a point that he resorted to a secret murder and urged some of those from his blood-stained council, in whom he had all confidence, that when they went out to hunt, on the pretext of...

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ηκουσε, καὶ μηδὲ ἀτενίσαι δι' αἰδῶ δυναμένη, εξω δὲ πάσης κακίας καὶ ὑπονοίας τυγχάνουσα καὶ μηδέν τι φαῦλον ὑποτοπήσασα, προσέπεσε τοῖς ποσίν, ὡς ἐδόκει, τοῦ ἁγίου ἐκείνου 247 ἀρχιερέως, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἐδέετο ευχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ παμμίαρος ἐκεῖνος τῆς καθέδρας ὀλίγον ὑπεγερθεὶς καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τοὐναντίον ἀποστραφείς, ὀνώδη ψόφον ἀπὸ τῶν μυσαρῶν ἐγκάτων ἀφείς, πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπεφθέγξατο οτι ινα μὴ λέγῃς, κυρά, ὡς οὐδὲ κἀν τούτῳ σε ἠξιωσάμεθα. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀνακαγχάσαντος καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ παμβεβήλου παμμέγεθες ἐκγελάσαντος, καὶ πολλὰ καταφλυαρη- σάντων η μᾶλλον τῷ παραφόρῳ τῆς γνώμης ἀλογώτατα ἐξοιστρησάν- των, ἐπιγνοῦσα τὸ πλάσμα καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην ἡ βασιλίς, καὶ πολλὰ τῶν παρόντων καταστενάξασα, καὶ πλείστας ἀρὰς τῷ υἱῷ ἐπιρρί- ψασα, τέλος ἐξεῖπε πρὸς αὐτὸν οτι ἰδού, κακὸν τέκνον, ὁ θεὸς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἀφείλετο ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ ἐδόθη σοι ἀδόκιμος νοῦς ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα. καὶ ταῦτα εἰποῦσα καὶ μετ' ὀδυρμοῦ θρήνων τὰς οἰκείας τρίχας ἐκτίλλουσα ἀνεχώρησεν. τοιαῦτα τοῦ γενναίου βασιλέως τὰ νεανιεύματα, καὶ τοιαύτη αὐτοῦ ἡ περὶ τὰ θεῖα καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ανδρας ὁσιότης τε καὶ εὐλάβεια. 24 Τοιούτων δὲ καὶ χειρόνων πολλῶν καθ' ἑκάστην παρὰ πάντα τὸν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ χρόνον παρ' αὐτοῦ γινομένων, ἐπεὶ καὶ μετὰ τὸ προσλαβέσθαι καὶ ἀνυψῶσαι τὸν Βασίλειον περὶ τὰ ομοια ἀνεστρέφετο, ὁρῶν ταῦτα καὶ ἀκούων ἐκεῖνος λίαν ἐδυσ- φόρει καὶ ἠνιᾶτο καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ζωὴν ἀπελέγετο. βουλόμενος δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν δυνατὴν ἐπιφέρειν βοήθειαν καὶ μηδὲν τῶν εἰς ἐπαν- όρθωσιν δοκούντων τείνειν παραλιπεῖν, πρότερον μὲν δι' ἑτέρων 248 ἐπειρᾶτο ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἀποτρέπειν αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸ δέον ἐπαναγαγεῖν, επειτα ἐθάρρησέ ποτε καὶ αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ μετ' εὐνοούσης γνώμης καὶ προαιρέσεως νουθετῆσαι τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ εἰ δυνατόν, ἀποστῆσαι τῶν τοιούτων ἀσεβημάτων, καὶ τοιάδε πρὸς αὐτὸν μεθ' ὑποπεπτωκότος καὶ ταπεινοῦ διελέχθη τοῦ σχήματος. "δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ω δέσποτα καὶ βασιλεῦ, τοσούτων εὐεργεσιῶν τε καὶ δωρεῶν παρὰ σοῦ με καταπολαύσαντα καὶ εἰσηγεῖσθαι τὰ δέοντα καὶ ὑποτιθέναι τὰ αριστα καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκειν τὰ λυσιτελῆ καὶ σωτήρια. μισούμεθα, γίνωσκε, δέσποτα, μισούμεθα" (συγ- κατεμίγνυε γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτὸν διὰ τὸ ἀνεπαχθές, καίτοι μηδενὸς τῶν ἀτόπων αὐτῷ κοινωνῶν) "παρά τε τῆς πόλεως πάσης καὶ τῆς συγ- κλήτου βουλῆς, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων θεοῦ ἐπάρατοι καθεστή- καμεν, καὶ πάντες ἡμᾶς διαβάλλουσι καὶ κακίζουσιν. οτε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς οὐδὲν λογισώμεθα, δεδοικέναι καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἀγανάκτησιν χρή, καὶ φοβεῖσθαι μὴ πειραθῶμεν αὐτοῦ ὀργιζομένου καὶ χαλεπαίνοντος." ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγων πέτρας εσπει- ρεν καὶ αἰγιαλῷ προσελάλει καὶ σμήχειν ἐῴκει Αἰθίοπα· ουτω δευσοποιὸς ἡ πονηρία γέγονε παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ουτως ἐξεκώφει πρὸς πάντα λόγον σωτήριον, βύων τὰ ωτα ὡσεὶ ἀσπὶς πρὸς ἐπᾴσματα. οὐ μόνον γὰρ οὐ μετεβάλλετο πρὸς τὸ αμεινον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ηδη ἐμίσει καὶ ἀπεστρέφετο, καὶ σὺν τοῖς θιασώταις αὐτοῦ καὶ συνοργιασταῖς διαβάλλων καὶ μυκτηρίζων ταῦτα τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν 249 ἀλλοτρίωσιν ὑπῃνίττετο, ειτα καὶ παρεδήλου τρανότερον. οπερ δὴ συννοήσαντες ἐκεῖνοι οἱ μιαροὶ καὶ ἀλάστορες κατ' αὐτοῦ συνε- κινοῦντο καὶ συνετάττοντο, καὶ τὰς διαβολὰς πιθανῶς ὑπεκρίναν- το, αὐθάδειαν μὲν καλοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν σεμνότητα, καὶ τὸ μὴ μετέχειν τῶν ἡδονῶν δύσνοιαν ὀνομάζοντες καὶ τὸ μὴ συνεξαμαρ- τάνειν καταφρονεῖν. καὶ "πῶς γὰρ αν ειποι σε ἀγαπᾶν" ελεγον "ὁ μὴ χαίρων οις χαίρεις αὐτός, μηδὲ συσπουδάζων ἐκπορίζειν σοι τὰ καθ' ἡδονήν;" οις δὴ μᾶλλον ὑπενδιδοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πει- θόμενος θάνατον τῷ Βασιλείῳ ἐτύρευεν, καὶ ἀφορμὴν ἐζήτει τῆς ἀναιρέσεως ευλογον, ἀλλ' οὐχ ευρισκεν. εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ προῆλθε τὰ τῆς μανίας αὐτοῦ ωστε πρὸς τὴν λαθραίαν χωρῆσαι ἀναίρεσιν καί τισι τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ παλαμναίου συνεδρίου, οις τὰ πάντα ἐθάρ- ρει, προτρέψασθαι, οταν εἰς θήραν ἐξέλθωσι, προφάσει τοῦ τὸ