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with much and abundant light and with varied melodies, with the mournful laments resounding to the chants, and with a great escort and splendor, so that the whole city was full of incense on the one hand and of paeans and groans on the other, in a time of snowstorms and mud they carried out the corpse, with not even the emperor himself lacking in what was due for honor, but having taken hold of that bier, walking through much and slippery mud, until they reached the monastery of Lips and for some days, as was fitting, they performed the rites for the holy woman, as the emperor also had a necessary engagement in this matter.

5. But the Easter festivities arrived, and as it seemed good to the empress to travel to Thessalonica, the ruler was occupied with necessary cares also on this account. And first he performed the wedding for his son John 379 and despot, with the daughter of Choumnos, the keeper of the imperial inkstand, a man considered wise and exceptionally well-disposed to the ruler, who had been betrothed to John for some time by sacred contract, the empress brings her son into the same as despot also through marriage; for it seemed fitting that he too should journey with the empress. And for this reason, on the one hand there was mourning for the Augusta, and on the other, on account of the son, the wedding was being hastily arranged. And when the empress was at the point of departure (for her love for her daughter urged her on, so that she might come and see and embrace her), for several days the emperor also went out with her, and having prepared the departure ceremonies in a fitting manner, he returns. 6. And then, relieved of his many cares, he proceeds to grapple again with the concerns of the church. And again assemblies, and again synods and conferences and speeches and discussions, primarily concerning the excommunication pronounced by John, whether he had the right to excommunicate. And to some it seemed so; for until then he was still being commemorated in the churches, and the penalty was otherwise strong, since the emperor 380 had acknowledged him as patriarch. And some were of this opinion, but others, who had previously opposed him on account of the oath, wishing to act consistently with their own principles, maintained that he was neither patriarch before he issued the excommunication, nor that the excommunication was valid, so that in one of the assemblies the emperor, wishing to learn who was of this opinion and who of the other and how many, asked each one, and seated those of the same and single opinion on each side. To them, therefore, after those many assemblies, who were gathering also by themselves at the renowned church of the Holy Apostles, he ordered them to deliberate so that, having come together about Athanasius, they might do what seemed best; for he rather approved of that man, if he would for the time being be willing. But he himself frequently approached John through messages. John, however, while for the time being softened by the emperor's entreaties, yet feeling mostly insulted by the high priests, because he himself was joining them in their opinion and setting up the excommunication as a bulwark, but they, from a willfully malicious mind, were betraying the bulwark and dishonoring him, while at the same time abandoning 381 both his honor and their own safety, for these reasons he yields to the emperor and fulfills his request, sending out the following in writing. "My lord holy emperor, and you, divine and sacred synod, and the senate, and the people of the Lord who are present and listening, as many as are enrolled in the clergy, those who are distinguished in the monastic habit, and the rest of the multitude. I, born of orthodox parents and raised in piety, was first deemed worthy of priestly honor, then, having been initiated into the monastic life, by judgments which God knows, I was raised to the patriarchal throne, first by the good pleasure of God, then by the counsel and will and considered opinion of all of you who are preeminent in dignities. And how piously and correctly I conducted myself, God alone knows; for it is not expedient for me to boast, according to the divine apostle. Therefore, in the meantime scandals occurred, as you also know, and so that the soul of no Christian might be harmed and so that the holy church of God might be in peace and good order I withdrew for a time from the throne and

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ὑπὸ πολλῷ μὲν καὶ δαψιλεῖ τῷ φωτὶ καί γε ποικίλαις ταῖς μελῳδίαις, ἀντηχούντων τῶν γοερῶν θρηνητηρίων τοῖς ᾄσμασι, πολλῇ δὲ τῇ δορυφορίᾳ καὶ τῇ λαμπρότητι, ὡς τὴν πόλιν ἅπα σαν γέμειν ὁμοῦ μὲν θυμιαμάτων ὁμοῦ δὲ παιάνων τε καὶ στε ναγμάτων, ἐν καιρῷ νιφάδων τε καὶ βορβόρου ἐξέφερον τὸν νεκρόν, οὐδ' αὐτοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ἐς τιμὴν ἐλλείποντος, ἀλλὰ σοροῦ μὲν ἐκείνης ἡμμένου, διὰ βορβόρου δὲ πλείστου καὶ ὀλι σθηροῦ βαίνοντος, μέχρι καὶ τὴν Λείψη καταλαβόντες μονὴν ἐφ' ἡμέραις ὡς εἰκὸς ἐτέλουν τὰ τῆς ὁσίας, ἀναγκαίαν ἀσχολίαν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ καὶ βασιλέως ἔχοντος.

5. Ἀλλ' ἐπέστησαν αἱ πασχάλιοι, καὶ δόξαν δεσποίνῃ ἐπὶ Θεσσαλονίκης ἀποδημεῖν, ἐν φροντίσι καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ταῖς ἀναγκαίαις ὁ κρατῶν γίνεται. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τῷ υἱῷ Ἰωάννῃ 379 καὶ δεσπότῃ τελεῖ τοὺς γάμους, καὶ τῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου θυ γατρὶ τοῦ Χούμνου, ἀνδρὸς σοφοῦ τε καὶ εὐνοϊκοῦ τῷ κρατοῦντι διαφερόντως δόξαντος, πρὸ καιροῦ μνηστῇ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἐξ ἱερο λογίας οὔσῃ, βασίλισσα δεσπότην εἰς ταὐτὸν τὸν υἱὸν ἄγει καὶ διὰ γάμων· ἐδόκει γὰρ ξυνεκδημεῖν τῇ δεσποίνῃ κἀκεῖνον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔνθεν μὲν τὸ ἐπὶ Αὐγούστῃ πένθος, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ διὰ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ οἱ γάμοι ἐσχεδιάζοντο. ὡς δ' ἐπ' ἐξόδοις ἡ δέσποινα ἦν (ἤπειγε γὰρ αὐτὴν ἡ ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ στοργή, ὡς ἐλθοῦσαν ἴδοι καὶ περιπτύξαιτο), ἐφ' ἡμέραις καὶ ὁ κρατῶν συνεξέρχεται, καὶ κατὰ τρόπον ἐξετοιμασάμενος τὰ ἐξιτήρια ὑποστρέφει. 6. Καὶ τότε τῶν πολλῶν ἀνεθεὶς φροντίδων ὁμόσε χωρεῖ ταῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ αὖθις μερίμναις. καὶ πάλιν συνάξεις, καὶ πάλιν σύνοδοι καὶ συνδιασκέψεις καὶ λόγοι καὶ συζητήσεις, προηγουμένως περὶ τοῦ ἐκφωνηθέντος παρ' Ἰωάννου ἀφορισμοῦ, εἰ δίκαιον εἶχεν ἀφορίζειν ἐκεῖνος. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐδόκει· μέχρι γὰρ καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν μνημονύεσθαι, ἰσχυρὸν δ' εἶναι καὶ ἄλλως τὸ ἐπιτίμιον, πατριάρχην ἐκεῖνον βασιλέως 380 ὁμολογήσαντος. καὶ οἱ μὲν οὕτως, οἱ δέ, οἳ δὴ καὶ πρὶν ἐκεί νῳ διὰ τὸν ὅρκον προσίσταντο, ὁμόλογα ἑαυτοῖς δρᾶν ἐθέλοντες μήτ' ἔχειν ἐκεῖνον πατριάρχην καὶ πρότερον ἢ ὅτ' ἀφώριζε, μήτε τὸν ἀφορισμὸν ἰσχύειν διισχυρίζοντο, ὥστε καὶ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν συνά ξεων βασιλέα μανθάνειν αἱρούμενον οἵ τινες τῆσδε τῆς γνώμης καὶ τίνες θατέρας καὶ πόσοι, ἐρωτᾶν ἕκαστον, καὶ τοὺς τῆς αὐτῆς καὶ μιᾶς γνώμης εἰς μέρος ἑκατέρους καθίζειν. ἐκείνοις μὲν οὖν μετὰ τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας συνάξεις, συναγομένοις καὶ καθ' αὑτοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ περιωνύμῳ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ναῷ, ἐκέλευε διασκέπτεσθαι ὡς ἄν γε καὶ συνελθόντες ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀθανα σίῳ τὸ δοκοῦν πράξαιεν· δοκιμάζειν γὰρ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνον, εἴτε καὶ βούλοιτο τέως. αὐτὸς δὲ συχνάκις ὑπήρχετο διὰ μηνυμάτων τὸν Ἰωάννην. ὁ μέντοι γε Ἰωάννης τοῦτο μὲν καὶ ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἱκετείαις θηλυνθεὶς τέως, ὑβριοπαθῶν δὲ τὸ πλέον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν συναίροιτο σφίσι τῆς γνώμης καὶ τὸν ἀφορισμὸν ἱσταίη ὡς ἔρυμα, ἐκείνοις δὲ ἐξ ἐθελοκάκου γνώ μης προδιδοῦσι τὸ ἔρυμα ἀτιμοῦν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπίοι, καταπροϊσα 381 μένοις ἅμα μὲν τὴν αὐτοῦ τιμὴν ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀσφά λειαν, βασιλεῖ διὰ ταῦτα κατανεύει καὶ τὸ αἴτημα ἐκπληροῖ, ἐγ γράφως ἐξαποστείλας τάδε. "∆έσποτά μου ἅγιε βασιλεῦ, καὶ ὑμεῖς θεία καὶ ἱερὰ σύνοδος, ἥ τε σύγκλητος, καὶ ὁ παρεστὼς καὶ ἀκούων τοῦ κυ ρίου λαός, ὅσοι τε ἐν κλήρῳ καταλέγεσθε, οἱ μοναχικῷ διαπρέ ποντες σχήματι, καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς ὄχλος. ἐγὼ παρ' ὀρθοδόξων γο νέων γεννηθεὶς καὶ εὐσεβείᾳ τραφεὶς πρῶτον μὲν τῆς ἱερατικῆς ἠξιώθην τιμῆς, εἶτα καὶ τὰ μοναχῶν τελεσθείς, κρίμασιν οἷς οἶδε θεός, εἰς τὸν θρόνον ἀνήχθην τὸν πατριαρχικόν, εὐδοκίᾳ μὲν θεοῦ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα δὲ βουλῇ καὶ θελήσει καὶ γνώμῃ ἐξε τασμοῦ πάντων ὑμῶν τῶν προεχόντων ἐν ἀξιώμασι. καὶ ὡς διέπρεψα εὐσεβῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς, οἶδε μόνος θεός· καυχᾶσθαι γάρ μοι οὐ συμφέρει κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον. συνέβησαν οὖν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ σκάνδαλα, ὅσα καὶ ὑμεῖς οἴδατε, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ παραβλαβῆναι ψυχήν τινος Χριστιανοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ καταστάσει εἶναι τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν ὑπεχώρησα και ρὸν τοῦ θρόνου καὶ