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to attempt, according to 385 what seemed to him more pious, which indeed he had previously allowed to happen according to the ancient custom.

8. But enough of these matters, and I shall proceed to give to this history a narrative dreadful to tell and fearful to hear; and I would have passed over the disaster, as it had from no other source what was sufficient for it to be ranked with the other histories, if I did not consider it from its very nature a singular disaster. And at any rate I would have suppressed the account, if the event did not bear the mark of a dreadful abandonment by God, and at the same time the victim inspiring pity because of both the youthfulness of his age and his being notable and in many ways capable. A certain young man, already approaching manhood, Melitas by surname, having served Gregory who was patriarch as a boy and having received a suitable education, was ranked among the deacons of the church, and along with the other notable men he ministered to the needs of the church with the greatest capability. This man was moderate in other respects, and practiced celibacy, and laid claim to piety, and was an advocate for many in synodical courts, and he was known to the emperor and conspicuous among the clergy, and carrying the vote of those who knew him among many that he would advance. But he was defeated by one thing, ambition, on account of which, rushing beyond his means into matters not yet his own, 386 he was collecting and spending lavishly. And for him the collecting was extremely reprehensible, but the spending was sufficient to conceal even the great shame of the collecting, being not so much noticed for the manner of his acquisition as praised for the generosity of his disposition. This, advancing greatly, raised his mind to a strange arrogance, and he wished to be distinguished by his houses and to use a chapel of his own and to have ministers and to celebrate more ambitiously at the splendid festivals. But for these things there was certainly a need for corresponding expenses, and for these in turn there was a need for funds from other sources. But there were none; or if there were, they were not sufficient for the needs. So he becomes an ambitious beggar and an ignoble provider. And since he was on intimate and friendly terms with many from whom he was doing business, he attached himself to them and borrowed, on the understanding that they would immediately get back what was given. And he was in vain hopes, from certain very bad assumptions, that he would have ample means for repayment, while for them, their concerns about him were held in suspense. Indeed, just as one can see with rivers, while 387 the streams flow in little by little imperceptibly, but being gathered into one provide fullness to the current, and finally, being held back by a lack of water, what was previously swollen appears dry, so for him, with many threads coming together, as it is said, an evil burial shroud is woven. And while the loans were flowing in for a time with the greatest care and secrecy, he was living luxuriously and was puffed up for a while; but when these failed, the drama concerning him already became known, not only could he not obtain others, but he was also being asked for the original ones back, and he who was previously in the greatest of hopes was being insulted as payment was demanded by many. And the affair concerning him seemed to them like some dream, and they regretted their deceptive assumption. From this point on, why need I string together the many details? Being dragged down he would try to run away, being asked for payment he was annoyed, he was ashamed to confess his lack of resources, he felt ill-treated being made an example of, losing his reputation he could not bear it, and finally, through mediators, he begged the patriarch that he might serve again, and not obtaining what he requested, because of this he was completely at a loss from despair, and some noonday demon leaps upon him, and on the thirtieth day of the month of Anthesterion, having fastened a noose in his house, he ended his life. 388 Such, then, were the things concerning him, but we must add the rest, taking up the story from a little earlier.

9. The situation in the east was always overflowing and progressing for the worse, so that daily, reports upon reports, worse upon dreadful, arrived for the emperor. These things, then, among us we both saw with our own eyes, and we heard the sufferings recounted dramatically by those who had seen, or rather indeed, those who had suffered, if anyone, escaping notice, had also escaped the terrible event, and this strait was between the enemies and us, separating and alone,

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πειρᾶσθαι πρὸς 385 τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ εὐλαβέστερον, ἃ δὴ τὸ πρότερον κατ' ἀρχαῖον τύπον εἴα γίνεσθαι.

8. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐς τοσοῦτον, ἐγὼ δ' εἶμι δώσων τῷ βίῳ διήγημα φρικτὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν φοβερὸν δ' ἀκοῦσαι· καὶ παρέ λιπον τὴν συμφορὰν ὡς μὴ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν ἔχουσαν τὸ ἀποχρῶν εἰς τὸ ἱστορίαις τοῖς ἄλλοις συνανατάττεσθαι, εἰ μὴ αὐτόθεν ὡς συμφορὰν μόνην ἡγούμην. κἂν γοῦν καθυφείμην τὸν λόγον, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἔργον φρικτῆς ἐγκαταλήψεως τοῦ θεοῦ σύμβολον ἀποφέ ρεται, καὶ ἅμα τοῦ παθόντος φέροντος οἶκτον διά τε τὸ νεαρὸν τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τὸ ἐλλόγιμόν τε καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς ἐπιτήδειον. Νεανίας τις ἤδη παραγγείλας εἰς ἄνδρας, Μελιτᾶς τοὐπί κλην, τῷ πατριαρχεύσαντι Γρηγορίῳ ἐν παισὶ δουλεύσας καὶ παιδευθεὶς τὰ εἰκότα, ἐν διακόνοις τῆς ἐκκλησίας ταχθεὶς μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐλλογίμων ταῖς χρείαις διηκονεῖτο τῆς ἐκκλησίας μεθ' ὅτι πλείστης τῆς ἐπιτηδειότητος. οὗτος τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μέτριος ἦν, καὶ παρθενίαν ἤσκει, καὶ εὐλαβείας μετεποιεῖτο, καὶ γλῶσσα πολλοῖς ἦν ἐπὶ δικαστηρίοις συνοδικοῖς, καὶ βασιλεῖ γνώριμος καὶ κλήρῳ περίβλεπτος, καὶ τοῖς εἰδόσι ψῆφον φέρων περὶ ἑαυ τοῦ ἐκ πολλῶν ὡς προκόψειεν· ἑνὸς δ' ἡττᾶτο φιλοτιμίας, δι' ἣν καὶ παρ' ἰσχὺν ἐπιτρέχων τοῖς μὴ καθ' αὑτὸν ἔτι πράγμασι 386 συλλέγων ἐξήντλει. καὶ ἦν ἐκείνῳ τὸ μὲν συλλέγειν λίαν ἐπίμω μον, τὸ δ' ἐξαντλεῖν ἱκανὸν ἀποκρύπτειν καὶ τὸ τῆς συλλογῆς αἴσχιστον οὐ μᾶλλον κατανοουμένῳ διὰ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ πορισμοῦ ὅσον ἐπαινουμένῳ διὰ τὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως εὐμετάδοτον. τοῦτο πολὺ προβαῖνον ἐξῇρε τὴν γνώμην εἰς ἀλλόκοτον ἔπαρσιν, καὶ οἰκίαις ἤθελεν ἐλλαμπρύνεσθαι καὶ ναῷ κατ' ἰδίαν χρᾶσθαι καὶ λειτουργοὺς ἔχειν καὶ φιλοτιμότερον ἐνεορτάζειν ταῖς περιφανέσι τῶν πανηγύρεων. τούτοις δ' ἔδει πάντως καὶ ἀναλόγων ἐξόδων, ταῖς δ' αὖθις ἐχρῆν πορισμῶν ἄλλοθεν. οἱ δ' οὐκ ἦσαν· εἰ δ' ἦσαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ηὐτάρκουν ἐν ταῖς χρείαις. γίνεται γοῦν ἀγύρτης φιλότιμος καὶ ποριστὴς ἀνελεύθερος. καὶ τῷ πρὸς πολ λοὺς οἰκείως ἔχειν καὶ φιλικῶς ἐξ ὧν ἔπραττε, σφίσιν ἐπιφυόμε νος ἐκιχρᾶτο ὡς αὐτίκ' ἀφέξουσι τὰ διδόμενα. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν ἐλπισμοῖς ἦν ματαίοις ἔκ τινων οἰημάτων χειρίστων ὡς εὐπορήσων πρὸς τὴν ἀπότισιν, τοῖς δ' ἐν ἀνέσει αἱ ἐπ' αὐτῷ φροντίδες ᾐώρηντο. ὅπερ γοῦν ἰδεῖν ἔστιν ἐπὶ ποταμῶν, κατ' ὀλίγον μὲν 387 τῶν ῥυάκων ἐπεισρεόντων ἀδήλως, εἰς ἓν δὲ συναγομένων καὶ τὸν πληθυσμὸν παρεχόντων τῷ ῥεύματι, καὶ τέλος ἐπισχεθέντων ἐκ λειψυδρίας ξηρὸς ὁ τέως μετεωρούμενος καταφαίνεται, οὕτως ἐκείνῳ τῶν πολλῶν συνελθόντων τῶν μιτωμάτων, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, κακὸν ὑφαίνεται φᾶρος ἐντάφιον. καὶ τῶν δανείων τέως ἐπεισ ρεόντων προνοίᾳ μεγίστῃ καὶ τοῦ λανθάνειν, πρὸς καιρὸν ἐντρυ φῶν ἐμετεωρίζετο· ἐκλελοιπότων δ' ἐκείνων ἔκπυστον ἤδη τὸ κατ' ἐκεῖνον γεγονὸς τὸ δρᾶμα, οὐχ ὅπως ἑτέρων ηὐπόρει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα προσαπῃτεῖτο, καὶ ὁ τέως ἐν ἐλπισμοῖς ὢν τοῖς μεγίστοις παρὰ πολλῶν ἐξαπαιτούμενος καθυβρίζετο. καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὄνειρός τις ἐδόκει σφίσι τὸ κατ' ἐκεῖνον, καὶ τῆς ἀπατη λῆς μετέμελεν ὑπολήψεως. ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ συνεί ρειν; καθελκόμενος ἀπεδίδρασκεν, ἀπαιτούμενος ἠνιᾶτο, ὁμο λογεῖν τὴν ἀπορίαν ᾐδεῖτο, ἠναξιοπάθει παραδειγματιζόμενος, ἀπολλύων τὴν δόξαν οὐκ εἶχε φέρειν, καὶ τέλος ὑπὸ μεσίταις δεό μενος πατριάρχου ἐφ' ᾧπερ δουλεύοι πάλιν, καὶ μὴ τυγχάνων τῶν κατ' αἴτησιν, διὰ ταῦτα διαπορεῖ τε τελέως ἐξ ἀθυμίας, καὶ μεσημβρινὸν ἐκείνῳ δαιμόνιόν τι ἐπιπηδᾷ, καὶ τριακοστῇ Ἀνθε στηριῶνος μηνὸς ἐπ' οἰκίας ἁψάμενος βρόχον διαπεφώνηκε. τὰ 388 μὲν οὖν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τοιαῦτα, ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ προσθετέον, ἀναλαβοῦσι μικρὸν ἄνωθεν.

9. Ὑπέρρει μὲν τὰ κατ' ἀνατολὰς ἐσαεὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον προέκοπτεν, ὥστε καὶ ὁσημέραι ἀγγελίας ἐπ' ἀγγελίαις χειρίστας ἐπὶ δειναῖς ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς βασιλέα. τὰ μὲν οὖν καθ' ἡμᾶς ταῦτα καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἑωρῶμεν, καὶ τῶν ἑωρακότων ἢ μᾶλλον δὴ τῶν παθόντων, ἤν τις καὶ λαθὼν διέφυγε τὸ δεινόν, ἐκτρα γῳδούντων τὰ πάθη ἠκούομεν, καὶ ἦν μέσον ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἡμῶν ὁ πορθμὸς οὗτος διέχων καὶ μόνος,