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these men shone as men of care at that time. And among the bishops were the two Gregories, the one of Nazianzus and the one of Nyssa, the one being the brother, and the other being the tent-companion and fellow-worker of the great Basil. These men, then, excelled in Cappadocia, fighting for piety. And Peter excelled along with them, having the same parents as Basil and Gregory, but not having partaken of secular education with them, yet emitting the flashes of his life. And in Pisidia, Optimus, and Amphilochius in Lycaonia, bravely arraying themselves for the ancestral faith, were repelling the opposing assaults. And indeed in the West, Damasus leading Rome, and Ambrose being entrusted to guide Milan, hurling javelins, they struck those from afar. And with these, those forced to live in the farthest lands by letters both strengthened their own and destroyed the enemy. For the Ruler of all gave helmsmen to counterbalance the greatness of the surge, and against the violence of the wars he set the virtue of the generals, and he gave remedies to ward off evil, suitable for the difficulty of the time. But not only did the man-loving Lord impart this providence to the churches, but he also deemed them worthy of other care. For having stirred up the nation of the Goths to war, He drew to the Bosporus the one who had learned to campaign only against the pious. Then indeed the foolish one, recognizing his own weakness, sent to his brother asking for an army. But he wrote back that it was not holy to aid a man warring against God, but that it was just to put a stop to his 271 audacity. These things filled that wretched man with greater grief; yet he did not cease from his audacity, but persisted in fighting against the truth. For Terentius returned from Armenia having set up trophies; he was an excellent general and adorned with piety. Valens ordered him to ask for a gift; and he reported what one nourished in piety ought. For he asked not for gold nor silver, not land, not power, not a house, but for one church to be given to those who were risking all for the apostolic teaching. But he, having received the petition and knowing what was written in it, became angry and tore it up, and ordered him to ask for something else. But he, having collected the fragments of the petition, said: 'I have received, O emperor, and I have the gift and I will not ask for another; for the judge of all is the judge of my purpose'. And when, having crossed the Bosporus, he arrived in Thrace, first he spent a very long time in Constantinople, fearing the war; and he sent the general Trajan with the army against the barbarians. And when that man returned, having been defeated, Valens reviled him exceedingly, accusing him of softness and cowardice. But he, using the boldness befitting a noble man, said: 'It is not I, O emperor, who have been defeated, but it is you who surrender the victory, by fighting against God and procuring His favor for the barbarians; for, being warred against by you, He allies Himself with them. And victory follows God 272 and belongs to those led in battle by God. Or do you not know,' he said, 'whom you have driven from the churches, and to whom you have handed them over?' Arintheus and Victor also (for they too were generals) agreed that this was so, and they advised the emperor not to be angry at reproofs joined with truth. And they say that Isaac, having a monastic cell there, when he saw him going out with the army, cried out and said: 'Where are you going, O emperor, campaigning against God and not having Him as an ally? For He himself has stirred up the barbarians against you, since you also have sharpened many tongues against Him for blasphemy and have driven those who hymn Him from the divine houses. Cease, then, from warring and you will stop the war. Give back to the flocks the best shepherds and you will receive the victory effortlessly. But if, having done none of these things, you should go to battle, you will learn by experience how hard it is to kick against the pricks; for you will neither return, and you will also lose the army'.

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φροντισταῖς οὗτοι κατ' ἐκεῖνον διέλαμπον τὸν καιρόν. Ἐν ἐπισκόποις δὲ Γρηγόριος ἑκάτερος, ὅ τε Ναζιανζοῦ καὶ ὁ Νύσ σης, ὁ μὲν ἀδελφός, ὁ δὲ σύσκηνός τε καὶ συνεργὸς τοῦ μεγάλου Βασιλείου τυγχάνων. οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐν Καππαδοκίᾳ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπερμαχοῦντες ἠρίστευον. συνηρίστευε δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Πέτρος, γεννήτορας μὲν Βασι λείῳ καὶ Γρηγορίῳ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐσχηκώς, τῆς δὲ θύραθεν παιδείας οὐ μετειληχὼς σὺν ἐκείνοις, τὰς δὲ τοῦ βίου μαρμαρυγὰς ἀφιείς. ἐν Πισιδίᾳ δὲ Ὄπτιμος καὶ Ἀμφιλόχιος ἐν Λυκαονίᾳ, γενναίως ὑπὲρ τῆςπρογονικῆς παραταττόμενοι πίστεως, τὰς ἐναντίας ἀπεκρούοντο προσ βολάς. ἐν δέ γε τῇ Ἑσπέρᾳ, ∆άμασος μὲν τῆς Ῥώμης ἡγούμενος, Ἀμβρόσιος δὲ Μεδιόλανον ἰθύνειν πεπιστευμένος, καὶ τοὺς πόρρωθεν ἀκοντίζοντες ἔβαλλον. καὶ μετὰ τούτων οἱ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς οἰκεῖν ἠναγκασμένοι γράμμασι καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους ἐστήριζον καὶ τοὺς πολε μίους κατέλυον. ἀντιρρόπους γὰρ τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ κλύδωνος ἔδωκε κυβερνήτας τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις, καὶ τῇ τῶν πολέμων σφοδρότητι τὴν τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀντέταξεν ἀρετήν, καὶ πρόσφορα τῇ τοῦ καιροῦ δυσκολίᾳ τὰ ἀλεξίκακα ἔδωκε φάρμακα. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταύτης τῆς προμηθείας ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις μετέδωκεν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος κύριος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας αὐτὰς κηδεμονίας ἠξίωσε. τὸ γὰρ τῶν Γότθων ἔθνος παρακινήσας εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ τὸν Βόσπο ρον εἵλκυσε τὸν κατὰ μόνων τῶν εὐσεβῶν μεμαθηκότα στρατεύειν. τότε δὴ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν ὁ μάταιος ἐγνωκὼς ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν στρατιὰν ἐξαιτῶν. ὁ δὲ ἐπέστειλεν ὡς οὐχ ὅσιον ἐπα μύνειν ἀνδρὶ πολεμοῦντι θεῷ, δίκαιον δὲ τὴν τούτου καταπαύειν θρα 271 σύτητα. ταῦτα τὸν δείλαιον ἐκεῖνον μείζονος ἀνίας ἐνέπλησεν· οὐ μὴν ἐξέληξε τῆς θρασύτητος, ἀλλ' ἐπέμεινε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας παρα ταττόμενος. Ἐπανῆκε μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀρμενίας Τερέντιος τρόπαια στήσας· ἦν δὲ στρατηγὸς ἄριστος καὶ εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενος. τούτῳ δωρεὰν ὁ Βάλης αἰτῆσαι προσέταξεν· ὁ δὲ ἀπήγγειλεν ἥνπερ ἔδει τὸν εὐσεβείᾳ συντεθραμμένον. ᾔτησε γὰρ οὐ χρυσὸν οὐδὲ ἄργυρον, οὐ χωρίον, οὐ δυναστείαν, οὐκ οἰκίαν, ἀλλ' ἐκκλησίαν παρασχεθῆναι μίαν τοῖς τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διδασκαλίας προκινδυνεύουσιν. ὁ δὲ τὴν ἱκετείαν δεξά μενος καὶ γνοὺς τὰ ἐγκείμενα, χαλεπήνας διέρρηξε καὶ οἱ ἄλλα τινὰ αἰτῆσαι προσέταξεν. ὁ δὲ τῆς ἱκεσίας συλλέξας τὰ ῥήγματα· "ἐδεξά μην", ἔφη, "ὦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ ἔχω τὸ δῶρον καὶ ἕτερον οὐκ αἰτήσω· σκοποῦ γὰρ κριτὴς ὁ τῶν ὅλων κριτής". Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸν Βόσπορον διαβὰς εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην ἀφίκετο, πρῶ τον μὲν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει πλεῖστον διέτριψε χρόνον δειμαίνων τὸν πόλεμον· Τραϊανὸν δὲ σὺν τῇ στρατιᾷ τὸν στρατηγὸν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπέστειλεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡττηθεὶς ἐπανῆλθεν ἐκεῖνος, ἐλοι δορεῖτο λίαν ὁ Βάλης, μαλακίαν αὐτῷ καὶ δειλίαν ἐγκαλῶν. ὁ δὲ παρρησίᾳ χρησάμενος ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πρεπούσῃ· "οὐκ ἐγώ", ἔφη, "ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἥττημαι· ἀλλὰ σὺ προΐῃ τὴν νίκην, κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ παρα ταττόμενος καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ῥοπὴν προξενῶν τοῖς βαρβάροις· παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ πολεμούμενος ἐκείνοις συντάττεται. τῷ δὲ θεῷ ἡ νίκη ἕπεται 272 καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ στρατηγουμένοις προσγίνεται. ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα", ἔφη, "τίνας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξελάσας, τίσι παρέδωκας ταύτας;" ταῦτα καὶ Ἀρίνθεος καὶ Βίκτωρ (στρατηγὼ γὰρ ἤστην καὶ τούτω) συνωμο λογησάτην οὕτως ἔχειν, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ μὴ χαλεπαίνειν παρῃνεσάτην ἐπ' ἐλέγχοις ἀληθείᾳ συνεζευγμένοις. Φασὶ δὲ καὶ Ἰσαάκην σκηνὴν αὐτόθι μοναχικὴν ἔχοντα, ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν αὐτὸν συνεξιόντα τῇ στρατιᾷ, βοῇ χρησάμενον φάναι· "ποῖ βαδίζεις, ὦ βασιλεῦ, κατὰ θεοῦ στρατευόμενος καὶ τοῦτον οὐκ ἔχων ἐπίκουρον; αὐτὸς γὰρ κατὰ σοῦ τοὺς βαρβάρους κεκίνηκεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σὺ κατ' αὐτοῦ πολλὰς γλώττας εἰς βλασφημίαν παρέθηξας καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖνον ὑμνοῦντας τῶν θείων οἴκων ἐξήλασας. παῦσαι δὴ οὖν πολεμῶν καὶ παύσει τὸν πόλεμον. ἀπόδος ταῖς ποίμναις τοὺς ἀρίστους νομέας καὶ λήψῃ τὴν νίκην ἀπονητί. εἰ δὲ τούτων μηδὲν δεδρακὼς παρα τάξαιο, μαθήσῃ τῇ πείρᾳ ὅπως σκληρὸν τὸ πρὸς κέντρα λακτί ζειν · οὔτε γὰρ ἐπανήξεις καὶ προσαπολέσεις τὴν στρατιάν".