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of Alexandria and had been ordered to ride, and his face was known, and the matters of his petition had been urged. And the emperor hoped to find the man there, but he, having considered the service of the great father Athanasius, was going to his house. And from there one could see an infinite crowd around the sovereign, imitating the streams of a river, coming together into one and flowing in with all eagerness, wherever the emperor would order, while the emperor also steadfastly completed the journey, until, having with difficulty endured the hardship of the road, they stood at the gates of the monastery, and they came upon them open by providence, which had been closed for a long time. 368 {

5.} For Athanasius, who had been patriarch, the gate of his own monastery for

ten years lacking nine months, which had been closed, while he too remained within for so long without going out, was then opened, yet not sparingly nor as if some of the crowd had to force their way in, but, as a certain poet might say, "all the gates were opened." And at the same time the emperor arrived, and archbishops, and the elite of the monks, and at the same time he, coming out from his cell, clothed in a cloak and wearing a cap of reed and leaning on a staff of fennel-wood, met them at the entrance, with a very large portion of the people also rushing out. And then for the first time they all learned who that man was, who was being famed by the sovereign for the greatest mysteries of God. And immediately all bowed down and had unrestrained impulses, and especially the archbishops, to call him patriarch and summon him to the church and his former honors. For in each one there was the memory of what had happened long ago, though time had covered many of those harsh things, and they grieved as if those things had happened in vain. 369 And indeed, uncovering the greater part of their head with their caps, they sought to receive his blessing. But they did not persuade him by doing these things; for he put forward as an excuse his old age and hardship and his inability for such things. Nevertheless, he instructed them to beseech God, both by themselves privately and together, since what seemed good to Him must by all means come to pass. And he blessed neither them nor any of the people who approached, but only gave his hand, and they kissed it in full confidence of the blessing. Then, therefore, having spoken fitting words and offered a prayer, he dismissed the people. However, even after they were dismissed, he seemed to care for many things, managing from then on matters according to his will, profoundly and in a way no one who was otherwise attending to him would have thought. The pretext for this care was the supposed injustice towards one another and the fact that the greater were looked down upon by the lesser, and the inclination of the more powerful towards injustice, there being no one to stand by the little ones and greatly care for those oppressed by a superior power. From this, therefore, the emperor, too, yielding to this man, who appeared worthier than others to help the wronged, orders him to open the gates henceforth and 370 to receive those who approach, whether someone might approach for some judgment or for mediation with him; for it was likely that the one who genuinely grieved for misfortunes would also genuinely care and, as far as possible, defend the one who suffers. And from this, of necessity, there was also a paving of the way for them towards what they indeed wanted to do, things which were then concealed, but later were also revealed, when it was not possible for some to take back what had been given. Whence also each day from dawn to night, people unrestrainedly did those things, some bringing charges for a judgment as was needed, with the adversary also being summoned before him, they were judged with some archbishops also present, while others, pleading for mediation with the emperor, gave bundles of letters, and each one's petition was handed over to the ruler. And from this there was also a concern for the emperor, since from this point on the affairs of John were relaxed and those who previously seemed to support him were now leaning towards

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Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ ἱππεύειν προστέτακτο καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἔγνωστο καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀξιώσεως λελιπάρητο. καὶ βασιλεὺς μὲν ἤλπιζεν ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα καταλαβεῖν, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς Ἀθανασίου λειτουργίαν σκεψάμενος ἐπορεύετο ἐπ' οἴκου. καὶ ἦν ἐντεῦθεν ὁρᾶν ἄπειρον πλῆθος περὶ τὸν ἄνακτα, ῥύακας μιμούμενον ποταμοῦ, εἰς ἓν συνιόντων καὶ προθυμίαις ἁπάσαις ἐπεισρεόντων, ὅπου γε προστάξειε βασιλεύς, καρτερικῶς καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὁδὸν διανύοντος, ἕως οὗ τὴν τῆς ὁδοῦ μόλις διε νεγκόντες δυσχέρειαν ταῖς πύλαις ἐπέστησαν τῆς μονῆς, καὶ ἀνεῳγμέναις κατὰ πρόνοιαν ταῖς ἐπὶ χρόνοις κεκλεισμέναις ἐνέ τυχον. 368 {

Ε.} Τῷ μὲν οὖν πατριαρχεύσαντι Ἀθανασίῳ ἡ πύλη τῆς καθ' αὑ τὸν μονῆς ἐπ'

ἔτη δέκα κεκλεισμένη, μηνῶν δεόντων ἐννέα, ἀπροΐτῳ καὶ αὐτῷ μένοντι ἐς τοσοῦτον, ἤνοικτο τότε, πλὴν οὐ πεφεισμένως καὶ ὥς τινας πλήθους ὄντος τὰ τῆς εἰσόδου παρα βιάσασθαι, ἀλλὰ ποιητοῦ τινὸς ἦν εἰπεῖν, πᾶσαι δ' ἀνεῴγνυντο πύλαι. καὶ ἅμα μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐπέστη καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ τῶν μο ναχῶν ὅσον ἔκκριτον, καὶ ἅμ' ἐκεῖνος τῆς κέλλης ὑπεξιὼν χλαῖ νάν τ' ἐνειμένος καὶ καλύπτραν ἐκ καλάμης ἔχων καὶ ξύλῳ ἐπερει δόμενος νάρθηκι ὑπήντα ἐκείνοις κατὰ τὰ πρόθυρα, πολλῆς τι νὸς μοίρας συνεκπαιούσης καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ. καὶ τότε πρώτως μαν θάνουσιν ἅπαντες ὅστις ποτ' ἦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἐπὶ μεγίστοις καὶ μυ στηρίοις θεοῦ παρὰ τοῦ ἄνακτος φημιζόμενος. καὶ αὐτίκα πάν τες ὑπέκυπτον καὶ ἀταμιεύτους τὰς ὁρμὰς εἶχον, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀρ χιερεῖς, ἐπὶ τῷ καλεῖν πατριάρχην καὶ προσκαλεῖσθαι ἐπ' ἐκκλη σίαν καὶ τὰς προτέρας τιμάς. καὶ γὰρ ἦν παρ' ἑκάστῳ μνήμη τῶν πάλαι ξυμβεβηκότων, τοῦ χρόνου τὰ πολλὰ ἐκεῖνα τραχέων καλύψαντος, καὶ ὡς δῆθεν ἐν κενοῖς συμβᾶσιν ἐκείνοις ἐπήλγουν. 369 καὶ δὴ ταῖς καλύπτραις τὸ πλέον τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποκαλυπτόμενοι μέρος τῆς παρ' ἐκείνου εὐλογίας ἀπολαύειν ἠξίουν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπειθον ταῦτα πράττοντες· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ καὶ γῆρας καὶ ταλαιπω ρίαν καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις δύνασθαι παραιτούμενος προεβάλ λετο. ὅμως θεόν τε ἱκετεύειν καθ' αὑτούς τε ἰδίᾳ καὶ ἅμα παρήγγελλεν, ὡς τὸ δόξαν ἐκείνῳ τοῦτο γίνεσθαι πάντως ἀνάγ κην εἶναι. οὔτε δ' ἐκείνους οὔτε τινὰς τοῦ λαοῦ προσιόντας εὐ λόγει, μόνον δ' ἐδίδου τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ἐν πληροφορίᾳ τῆς εὐλο γίας ἠσπάζοντο. τότε τοιγαροῦν τὰ εἰκότα διαλαλήσας καὶ ἐπευ ξάμενος ἀπέλυε τὸν λαόν. Πλὴν καὶ ἀπολυθέντων τὰ πολλὰ ἐῴκει φροντίζειν, προ διοικῶν ἐντεῦθεν τὰ κατὰ θέλησιν βαθέως καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ᾤετο τῶν ἄλλως ἐκείνῳ προσεχόντων. πρόφασις δὲ τῆς φροντί δος ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δῆθεν ἀδικία καὶ τὸ τῶν μικροτέρων τοὺς μείζους κατωφρυῶσθαι καὶ ἡ τῶν κρειττόνων πρὸς ἀδικίαν ῥοπή, μὴ ὄντος τοῦ τοῖς μικροῖς παρισταμένου καὶ πολυωροῦντος τοὺς καταπονουμένους δυνάμει κρείττονι. ἔνθεν τοι καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐν δοὺς τούτῳ ἀξιωτέρῳ τε φαινομένῳ τῶν ἄλλων τοῦ ἐπαρήγειν ἀδικουμένοις, ἀνοιγνύναι τοῦ λοιποῦ τὰς πύλας κελεύει καὶ 370 προσιόντας δέχεσθαι, εἴτε κατά τινα κρίσιν προσίοι τις εἴτε καὶ κατὰ μεσιτείαν τὴν πρὸς αὐτόν· τὸν γὰρ ἐπαλγοῦντα γνησίως ταῖς συμφοραῖς, ἐκεῖνον καὶ γνησίως φροντίζειν εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν συνασπίζειν τῷ πάσχοντι. ἦν δ' ἐντεῦθεν ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ προοδοποίησις σφίσι πρὸς ὅπερ ἄρα καὶ πράττειν ἠβούλοντο, ἃ τότε μὲν ἐπειλύοντο, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ διεφαίνοντο, ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ἀναλαμβάνειν τὰ δεδομένα τινάς. ὅθεν καὶ ἡμέρας ἑκάστης ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ καὶ ἐς νύκτα ἀνέδην τὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα ποιούμε νοι ἄνθρωποι, οἱ μὲν κατὰ χρείαν ἐγκλητεύοντες κρίσεως, μετα καλουμένου καὶ τοῦ ἀντιδικήσοντος ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, συνόντων καί τι νων ἀρχιερέων ἐκρίνοντο, οἱ δὲ μεσιτείας τῆς πρὸς βασιλέα χά ριν ποτνιώμενοι φακέλλους γραμμάτων ἐδίδουν, καὶ ἡ ἑκάστου ἀναφορὰ τῷ κρατοῦντι ἐνεχειρίζετο. Ἦν δὲ καὶ φροντὶς βασιλεῖ τοὐντεῦθεν, ἐπεὶ τὰ τοῦ Ἰωάν νου καθυφεῖντο τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε καὶ οἱ τέως δοκοῦντες παρίστασθαί οἱ ἔκλινον ἤδη πρὸς