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It was not I who did this, but His grace which is with me, which also rescued me from the superstitious error and worship of idols, and freed you, my people, from harsh 546 captivity. It is therefore now time finally to fulfill the works promised to God; time to go wherever He himself may lead me and to pay my vows which I vowed to him. Now therefore you consider whom you would wish to lead and rule you; for you are already prepared for the will of the Lord, and none of his commandments is hidden from you. Walk in these things; turn not to the right or to the left; and may the God of peace be with all of you. When that people and populace heard these things, immediately there was an uproar and a din and a great cry and confusion, with everyone weeping and lamenting their orphanhood. Wailing such things, in addition to their laments they also affirmed with oaths that they would not let him go at all, but would hold on to him, and would not permit his departure in any way whatsoever. As the populace and all those in authority were shouting thus, the king, taking the floor, motioned to the crowd for silence and commanded them to be quiet. And saying he would yield to their insistence, he sent them home, though they were grieving and bearing the signs of their wailing on their cheeks. But he himself, taking aside one of the rulers, who was pre-eminent to him, admired for the piety and dignity of his life, Barachias by name—whom the account has also indicated above, when Nachor, pretending to be Barlaam, was discoursing with the philosophers, and Barachias alone, his heart inflamed with divine zeal, was prepared to stand by him and contend with him—the king, taking this man aside, spoke with him graciously, and most warmly entreated him to take over the kingdom, and to shepherd his people in the fear of God 548, so that he himself might travel the road he longed for. But when he saw him refusing and utterly declining, and saying, "O king, how unjust is your judgment! How your word is not according to the commandment! For if you were taught to love your neighbor as yourself, for what reason are you hastening to place on me the very burden you are eager to cast off? For if it is good to be king, keep the good thing yourself; but if this is a stumbling block and a scandal for the soul, why do you propose it to me and wish to trip me up?" So when he saw him saying such things and affirming them, he ceased the conversation. And indeed in the dead of night he composed a letter to the people, full of much wisdom and dictating all piety, what sort of opinion they ought to have concerning God, what kind of life to offer Him, what kind of hymns, what thanksgivings; then he commands them to receive none other than Barachias into the royal office. And, leaving in his own bedchamber the paper on which was the letter, escaping the notice of all, he went out of the palace. But he was not able to escape notice completely. For as soon as this was heard in the morning, it immediately caused turmoil and lamentation among the people; and all went out with great speed to search for him, intending by every means to prevent his flight; whence their haste did not prove to be in vain. For as they seized all the roads, and encircled all the mountains and went through untrodden ravines, they found him in a certain torrent, 550 having his hands stretched out to heaven, and performing the prayer of the sixth hour. And seeing him they burst into tears, entreating him and reproaching his departure. But he said, "Why do you labor in vain? For do not hope to have me as king any longer." But yielding to their great insistence, he returned again to the palace. And, gathering everyone together, he revealed his own counsel. Then he also confirmed his word with oaths, that for the future he would not be with them for a single day. "For I," he says, "have fulfilled my ministry to you and have left nothing out, nor have I shrunk back from what is profitable, from announcing to you and teaching, testifying to all that which is in our Lord Jesus

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οὐκ ἐγὼ τοῦτο ποιήσας, ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί, ἥτις κἀμὲ τῆς δεισιδαίμονος πλάνης καὶ λατρείας τῶν εἰδώλων ἐξείλετο, καὶ ὑμᾶς, λαός μου, τῆς χαλεπῆς 546 ἠλευθέρωσεν αἰχμαλωσίας. καιρὸς οὖν ἤδη λοιπὸν τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα τῷ Θεῷ ἔργα πληρῶσαι· καιρὸς ἀπελθεῖν ὅπου ἂν αὐτὸς ὁδηγήσῃ με καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τὰς εὐχάς μου ἃς ηὐξάμην αὐτῷ. νῦν οὖν σκέψασθε ὑμεῖς ὃν ἂν βούλοισθε ἀφηγεῖσθαι ὑμῶν καὶ βασιλεύειν· ἤδη γὰρ κατηρτισμένοι ἐστὲ εἰς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀποκέκρυπται ὑμῖν τῶν αὐτοῦ προσταγμάτων. ἐν τούτοις πορεύεσθε· μὴ ἐκκλίνητε δεξιὰ ἢ ἀριστερά· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης εἴη μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ταῦτα ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ λαὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ δῆμος, θόρυβος εὐθὺς καὶ πάταγος καὶ βοὴ πλείστη καὶ σύγχυσις ἦν, κλαιόντων πάντων καὶ ὀδυρομένων τὴν ὀρφανίαν. τοιαῦτα θρηνοῦντες, πρὸς τοῖς θρήνοις καὶ ὅρκοις ἐβεβαίουν μὴ μεθήσειν ὅλως, ἀλλ' ἀνθέξεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ὑποχώρησιν αὐτῷ μὴ τοπαράπαν παραχωρῆσαι. οὕτω βοῶντος τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει πάντων, ὑπολαβὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατασείει τὸν ὄχλον, καὶ σιγᾶν αὐτοῖς διακελεύεται. καὶ εἴκειν τῇ ἐκείνων ἐνστάσει εἰπών, λυπουμένους ὅμως καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰμωγῆς σημεῖα ἐπὶ τῶν παρειῶν φέροντας οἴκαδε ἐκπέμπει. αὐτὸς δὲ ἕνα τῶν ἀρχόντων, ὃς ἦν πρόκριτος αὐτῷ, ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι βίου θαυμαζόμενος, Βαραχίας τοὔνομα ὅνπερ καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἐδήλωσεν ὁ λόγος, ἡνίκα Ναχὼρ τὸν Βαρλαὰμ ὑποκρινόμενος φιλοσόφοις διελέγετο, καὶ μόνος ὁ Βαραχίας ἡτοιμάσθη συμπαραστῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ συναγωνίσασθαι, ζήλῳ θείῳ ἐκκαυθεὶς τὴν καρδίαν, τοῦτον καταμόνας λαβὼν ὁ βασιλεύς, προσηνῶς διελέγετο, καὶ θερμότατα ἐδεῖτο παραλαβεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ 548 τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ποιμᾶναι, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς τὴν ποθουμένην αὐτῷ πορεύσηται ὁδόν. Ὡς δὲ αὐτὸν ἀπαναινόμενον εἶδε καὶ πάντη ἀπαγορεύοντα, καί, Ὦ βασιλεῦ, λέγοντα, ὡς ἄδικός σου ἡ κρίσις· ὡς οὐ κατ' ἐντολὴν σοῦ ὁ λόγος· εἰ γὰρ ἀγαπῆσαι τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἐδιδάχθης, τίνι λόγῳ ὅπερ αὐτὸς ἀπορρίψαι βάρος σπουδάζεις, ἐμοὶ ἐπιθεῖναι ἐπείγῃ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ καλὸν τὸ βασιλεύειν, αὐτὸς τὸ καλὸν κάτεχε· εἰ δὲ πρόσκομμα τοῦτο ψυχῆς καὶ σκάνδαλον, τί μοι προτίθης καὶ ὑποσκελίζειν βούλει; ὡς οὖν τοιαῦτα λέγοντα καὶ διαβεβαιούμενον εἶδεν, ἐπαύσατο τῆς ὁμιλίας. καὶ δὴ ὑπὸ νύκτα βαθεῖαν ἐπιστολὴν μὲν διαχαράττει πρὸς τὸν λαόν, πολλῆς γέμουσαν φιλοσοφίας καὶ πᾶσαν ὑπαγορεύουσαν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὁποίαν τε ὀφείλουσι περὶ Θεοῦ δόξαν ἔχειν, οἷον δὲ βίον αὐτῷ προσφέρειν, οἵους δὲ ὕμνους, οἵας εὐχαριστίας· εἶτα μὴ ἄλλον ἢ τὸν Βαραχίαν δέξασθαι εἰς τὴν βασίλειον κελεύει ἀρχήν. καί, εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κοιτῶνα τὸν χάρτην ἐν ᾧ ἡ ἐπιστολὴ καταλιπών, λαθὼν ἅπαντας ἐξέρχεται τοῦ παλατίου. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠδυνήθη λαθεῖν εἰς τέλος. ἅμα γὰρ πρωῒ τοῦτο ἀκουσθὲν τάραχον εὐθὺς καὶ ὀδυρμὸν τῷ λαῷ ἐνεποίησε· καὶ πάντες τάχει πολλῷ εἰς ζήτησιν αὐτοῦ ἐξέρχονται, προκαταλαβεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν φυγὴν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου διανοούμενοι· ὅθεν οὐδὲ εἰς μάτην αὐτοῖς ἐχώρησεν ἡ σπουδή. ὡς γὰρ πάσας προκατελάμβανον τὰς ὁδούς, ὄρη δὲ πάντα περιεκύκλουν καὶ ἀτριβεῖς περιήρχοντο φάραγγας, ἐν χειμάρρῳ τινὶ τοῦτον εὑρίσκουσι, 550 χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐκτεταμένας ἔχοντα, καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν τῆς ἕκτης ἐπιτελοῦντα ὥρας. Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν περιεχύθησαν δάκρυσι δυσωποῦντες καὶ τὴν ἀποδημίαν ὀνειδίζοντες. ὁ δέ· Τί, φησί, μάτην κοπιᾶτε; μηκέτι γὰρ ἐμὲ βασιλέα ἔχειν ἐλπίζετε. τῇ πολλῇ δὲ αὐτῶν ὑπενδοὺς ἐνστάσει, ὑποστρέφει αὖθις εἰς τὸ παλάτιον. καί, συναγαγὼν ἅπαντας, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐφανέρωσε βουλήν. εἶτα καὶ ὅρκοις ἐμπεδοῖ τὸν λόγον, ὡς οὐδεμίαν αὐτοῖς τοῦ λοιποῦ συνέσται ἡμέραν. Ἐγὼ γάρ, φησί, τὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς διακονίαν μου ἐπληροφόρησα καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπον, οὐδὲ ὑπεστειλάμην τῶν συμφερόντων, τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι ὑμῖν καὶ διδάξαι διαμαρτυρόμενος πᾶσι τὴν εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν