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to write back: “You have read, but you have not understood; for if you had understood, you would not have condemned.” But there are some who attribute this letter to Basil, the leader of the churches in Cappadocia, and not without reason; but whether these things are his or another's, it is just to admire the one who wrote it for his courage and learning. 5.1.1 But the emperor, being eager to campaign against the Persians, came to Antioch of the Syrians; and when the populace cried out that provisions were plentiful but were being sold at a high price, moved by ambition, I think, to win over the people, he ordered the goods in the market to be sold at a price less than was proper. 5.1.2 But when the merchants fled, the provisions failed, and the Antiochenes, taking this badly, insulted the emperor and mocked his beard for being so thick and his coinage, because it had the image of a bull. For they jeered that the world, like the supine bulls, had been turned upside down under him as ruler. 5.1.3 And at first, being enraged, he threatened to treat the Antiochenes badly, and he prepared to move to Tarsus. But in a remarkable way, his anger having changed, he avenged the insult with words alone, composing a most beautiful and very witty speech against the Antiochenes, which he entitled the Misopogon. 5.1.4 And there too he treated the Christians in a similar way and was zealous to strengthen Hellenism. What then happened concerning the shrine of Babylas the martyr and the temple of Apollo in Daphne is worthy to be related; and I shall begin from this point. 5.1.5 Daphne, the famous suburb of Antioch, is rich with a grove of many cypresses, and is adorned also with other plants mixed with the cypresses. And under the trees, in succession through the seasons, the earth brings forth fragrant and all kinds of flowers. And a kind of roof rather than a shadow surrounds the place everywhere, by the density of its branches and leaves not allowing the sun's ray to strike the ground; it is both pleasant and very lovely in the abundance and beauty of its waters and the temperateness of its seasons and the breezes of gentle winds. 5.1.6 And here the children of the Hellenes tell the myth that Daphne, the daughter of the river Ladon from Arcadia, fleeing her lover Apollo, was changed into the plant that shares her name, and that he, not even so freed from his passion, crowned himself with the branches of his beloved and embraced her even as a tree and by his constant presence greatly honored the place if any other were pleasing to him. 5.1.7 But since the suburb of Daphne was such, to set foot in it was considered disgraceful for decent people. For both the location and the nature of the place were conducive to idleness and the subject of the myth being of a romantic sort, seizing a small pretext, made the passion twofold for corrupted youths. 5.1.8 For, putting forth the myths as an excuse, they were grievously inflamed and proceeded unrestrainedly to licentious acts, being unable to be temperate nor enduring to see temperate people in the same place. For he whose sojourn in Daphne happened to be without a lover seemed foolish and charmless and, like some curse or object of aversion, was to be avoided. 5.1. And in other respects also this place happened to be venerable and of great account to the Hellenists; for here was a most beautiful statue of Daphnaean Apollo and a temple wrought with magnificence and ambition, which story says was built by Seleucus, the father of Antiochus, after whom the city of the Antiochenes is named. 5.1.10 And it was believed by those who held these views that there flowed there also prophetic water from the Castalian spring, having obtained its power and its name in a similar way to the one in Delphi. Indeed, they boast that even to Hadrian, while still a private citizen, matters concerning the empire were foretold here. 5.1.11 For they say that he, having dipped a laurel leaf into the spring, drew out the knowledge of future events, revealed in writing on the leaf. And when he came to the imperial power, he filled in the spring, so that it would not be possible for others also to learn the future beforehand. 5.1.12 But let those to whom these things are a concern tell these myths accurately; but when Gallus, the brother of Julian, having been appointed Caesar by Constantius, was living in Antioch,

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ἀντιγράψαι· «ἀνέγνως, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔγνως· εἰ γὰρ 5.18.8 ἔγνως, οὐκ ἂν κατέγνως.» εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ Βασιλείῳ τῷ προστάντι τῶν ἐν Καππαδοκίᾳ ἐκκλησιῶν ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀνατιθέασι, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεικός· ἀλλ' εἴτε αὐτοῦ εἴτε ἄλλου ταῦτά ἐστι, δίκαιον ἀνδρείας καὶ παιδεύσεως ἄγασθαι τὸν γράψαντα. 5.1.1 ῾Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς Πέρσαις ἐπιστρατεῦσαι σπουδάζων ἧκεν εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν τὴν Σύρων· ἐκβοήσαντος δὲ τοῦ πλήθους, ὡς πολλὰ μέν ἐστι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, πολλοῦ δὲ πωλοῖτο, ὑπὸ φιλοτιμίας, οἶμαι, τὸν δῆμον ἐπαγόμενος ἐπὶ ἥττονι 5.1.2 ἢ ἔδει τιμήματι τὰ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς ὤνια πωλεῖσθαι προσέταξεν. ἐκφυγόντων δὲ τῶν καπήλων τὰ μὲν ἐπιτήδεια ἐπέλιπεν, ᾿Αντιοχεῖς δὲ δεινὸν τοῦτο ποιούμενοι τὸν βασιλέα ὕβριζον καὶ εἰς τὸν πώγωνα αὐτοῦ ὡς βαθὺς εἴη ἐπέσκωπτον καὶ εἰς τὸ νόμισμα, ὅτι ταύρου εἶχεν εἰκόνα. τὸν γὰρ κόσμον ἐπίσης 5.1.3 τῶν ὑπτίων ταύρων ὑπ' αὐτῷ ἡγεμόνι ἀνατετράφαθαι ἐπετώθαζον. ὁ δὲ τὰ πρῶτα ὀργισθεὶς ἠπείλει ᾿Αντιοχέας κακῶς ποιήσειν, καὶ εἰς Ταρσὸν μετοικίζεσθαι παρεσκευάζετο. ὑπερφυῶς δέ πως τοῦ θυμοῦ μεταβαλλόμενος λόγοις μόνοις τὴν ὕβριν ἠμύνατο, κάλλιστον καὶ μάλα ἀστεῖον λόγον, ὃν Μισοπώγωνα ἐπέγραψε, κατὰ ᾿Αντιοχέων διεξελθών. 5.1.4 Χριστιανοῖς δὲ κἀνταῦθα ὁμοίως ἐχρῆτο καὶ τὸ ῾Ελληνικὸν κρατύνειν ἐσπούδαζεν. οἷα γοῦν τότε συνέβη περὶ τὴν θήκην Βαβύλα τοῦ μάρτυρος καὶ τὸν ἐν ∆άφνῃ νεὼν τοῦ ᾿Απόλλωνος, ἄξιον ἀφηγήσασθαι· ἄρξομαι δὲ 5.1.5 ἐντεῦθεν. ∆άφνη, τὸ ἐπίσημον τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας προάστειον, κομᾷ μὲν ἄλσει κυπαρίσσων πολλῶν, ποικίλλεται δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φυτοῖς ἀναμὶξ ταῖς κυπαρίσσοις. ὑπὸ δὲ τοῖς δένδροισιν ἀμοιβαδὸν τῶν ὡρῶν εὐώδη καὶ παντοδαπὰ εἴδη ἀνθέων ἡ γῆ φέρει. ὀροφὴ δέ τις μᾶλλον ἢ σκιὰ πανταχῇ τὸν χῶρον περίκειται, τῇ πυκνότητι τῶν κλάδων καὶ τῶν φύλλων μὴ συγχωροῦσα τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῷ ἐδάφει ἐμβάλλειν· ἡδύς τε καὶ λίαν ἐπέραστός ἐστιν ἀφθονίᾳ τε καὶ κάλλει ὑδάτων καὶ ὡρῶν εὐκρασίᾳ καὶ προσηνῶν ἀνέμων 5.1.6 πνοιαῖς. ἐνταῦθα δὲ παῖδες ῾Ελλήνων μυθεύουσι ∆άφνην τὴν Λάδωνος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐξ ᾿Αρκαδίας φεύγουσαν ᾿Απόλλω τὸν ἐραστὴν εἰς ὁμώνυμον αὐτῇ φυτὸν μεταβαλεῖν, τὸν δὲ μηδὲ οὕτως ἀπαλλαγέντα τοῦ πάθους στεφανωθῆναι τοῖς κλάδοις τῆς ἐρωμένης καὶ δένδρον οὖσαν περιπτύξασθαι καὶ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ τὰ μάλιστα τιμῆσαι τὸ χωρίον εἴπερ τι ἄλλο κεχαρισμένον 5.1.7 αὐτῷ. τοιούτῳ δὲ ὄντι τῷ προαστείῳ τῇ ∆άφνῃ ἐπιβαίνειν τοῖς ἐπιεικέσιν αἰσχρὸν ἐνομίζετο. ἥ τε γὰρ θέσις καὶ ἡ φύσις τοῦ χωρίου πρὸς ῥᾳστώνην ἐπιτηδεία καὶ ἡ ὑπόθεσις τοῦ μύθου ἐρωτική τις οὖσα, μικρᾶς λαβομένη 5.1.8 ἀφορμῆς διπλοῦν ἀπετέλει τὸ πάθος τοῖς διεφθαρμένοις νέοις. εἰς παραίτησιν γὰρ προϊσχόμενοι τὰ μυθευόμενα χαλεπῶς ἐξεκαίοντο καὶ ἀνέδην εἰς ἀκολάστους πράξεις ἐχώρουν, οὐ σωφρονεῖν δυνάμενοι οὔτε σώφρονας κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὁρᾶν ἀνεχόμενοι. ᾧ γὰρ ἡ διατριβὴ ἐκτὸς ἐρωμένης ἐν ∆άφνῃ ἐτύγχανεν, ἠλίθιός τε καὶ ἄχαρις ἐδόκει καὶ ὥσπερ τι ἄγος ἢ ἀποτρόπαιος 5.1. φευκτέος ἦν. καὶ ἄλλως δὲ σεβάσμιος καὶ περὶ πολλοῦ τοῖς ῾Ελληνισταῖς ὁ χῶρος οὗτος ἐτύγχανεν· ἦν γὰρ ἐνθάδε ∆αφναίου ᾿Απόλλωνος περικαλλὲς ἄγαλμα καὶ νεὼς μεγαλοφυῶς τε καὶ φιλοτίμως ἐξειργασμένος, ὃν λόγος οἰκοδομῆσαι Σέλευκον τὸν ᾿Αντιόχου πατέρα, ᾧ ἐπώνυμός ἐστιν 5.1.10 ἡ ᾿Αντιοχέων πόλις. ἐπιστεύετο δὲ παρὰ τοῖς τάδε πρεσβεύουσι ῥεῖν αὐτόθι καὶ ὕδωρ μαντικὸν ἀπὸ Κασταλίας τῆς πηγῆς, ὁμοίως τῆς ἐν ∆ελφοῖς ἐνεργείας τε καὶ προσηγορίας λαχούσης. ἀμέλει τοι καὶ ᾿Αδριανῷ ἔτι ἰδιω5.1.11 τεύοντι τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐχοῦσιν ἐνθάδε προμηνυθῆναι. φασὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν φύλλον δάφνης ἐμβάψαντα τῇ πηγῇ ἀρύσασθαι τὴν τῶν ἐσομένων γνῶσιν ἐγγράφως ἐπὶ τοῦ φύλλου δηλωθεῖσαν. παρελθόντα δὲ εἰς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καταχῶσαι τὴν πηγήν, ὥστε μὴ ἐξεῖναι καὶ ἄλλοις προμανθάνειν τὸ μέλλον. 5.1.12 ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, οἷς τούτων μέλει, ἀκριβῶς μυθολογούντων· ἐπεὶ δὲ Γάλλος ὁ ᾿Ιουλιανοῦ ἀδελφὸς Καῖσαρ καταστὰς παρὰ Κωνσταντίου ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ διῆγε,