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that the one who had stripped for such contests also had accomplices, the emperor, at once thinking that from this he had the lion in his hands, held tightly to the documents and set a time for the examination of these matters. The main points with which the petition was composed, were these, to state each one: first, that he had cut short the psalm for the emperor at the beginning of the morning hymnody, and had ordered it to begin only with the trisagion and the commemoration following it; second, that he was favorably disposed to the sultan's men, so as even to allow them to bathe frequently in the bath of the church, though precious symbols of the cross were carved there on the marbles, since they were Hagarenes and uninitiated; third, that he had also ordered his own monk to give of the sanctified elements to his sons, it being uncertain if they had been perfected by holy baptism; and in addition to these, that the sultan himself with his satraps had both come together with and joined in the procession with the patriarch processing during the morning service of the bright and great Sunday. And what had been set forth in the petition, were these and other such things. The patriarch, however, was not at all ignorant of this, but nevertheless, entrusting everything to God, he kept silent. But the emperor, once he had taken hold of the documents, gathered together the bishops who were visiting in the city of Constantine and indeed he presented the documents to them for their consideration, and shared with them the deliberation as to what he should do; for it was not possible to postpone a matter that seemed to contribute to his purpose, even if it did not seem sufficient for frightening the patriarch. For he, even without being called yet to his defense, was making his defense: regarding the psalm, that he himself was the one who first established this, as it was customary for the monks, and to be performed in the church 339 and that he himself set it aside again, since the trisagion with the commemoration seemed sufficient for the fulfillment of the prayer; and if he were to make his defense justly, if he should also perform this, with the emperor being so disposed, how could he be justly accused for omitting the whole thing? As for the sultan's men bathing in the bath, that he himself neither knew nor commanded it; for the time being they might justly be excluded from all baths, no less than that of the church, since the others, in addition to the markings of the cross, also possessed images of the saints; but if the other things are permitted to them, even though they are impious, why should they be driven out from the church's bath specifically? “As for treating the sultan and his sons as Christians, with the bishop of Pisidia testifying, I believe it is blameless; but if they should be proven to be otherwise, his alone, and not mine, is the offense.” But these things did not seem sufficient to those around the emperor to clear the patriarch of the charges, but he wished to convene a synod of all the bishops, with the two patriarchs present there, Nicholas of Alexandria and Euthymius of Antioch. For this reason he also summoned the bishops from everywhere with imperial letters, so that, after the feast had passed, they should all gather without delay, with no excuse being sufficient for refusing to gather immediately upon receiving the letters. And so they were gathered together at the end of spring, and the matters concerning the patriarch were more carefully set in motion for those who had assembled.

4. How and where the matters concerning the patriarch Arsenios were investigated. The place of their synod was the imperial Alexiac triclinium, where indeed the ruler presided, and the magnates and all those of rank sat with him, and the bishops held council, and the entire 341 senate was present. Also present were the leading monks from all the monasteries together with their abbots; nor were any of the illustrious and notable citizens absent. And the accuser, coming into the midst, presented the petition, and it was read before all. And since it seemed right to summon the patriarch as well, sending three of the bishops and three of the clerics, they summoned him to appear for his defense. But he refused completely and indeed, that he did not refuse a trial, but the manner of the trial and

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τὸν εἰς τοιούτους ἀγῶνας ἀποδυσάμενον καὶ τοὺς συνειδότας ἔχειν, ὁ βασιλεύς, εὐθὺς οἰηθεὶς εἰς χεῖρας ἐντεῦθεν ἔχειν τὸν λέοντα, ἀπρὶξ εἴχετο τῶν γραμμάτων καὶ καιρὸν ἐτίθει τῆς περὶ τούτων σκέψεως. Οἷς δὲ κεφαλαίοις ὁ λίβελλος συγκεκρότητο, τάδ' ἦσαν, ὡς εἰπεῖν καθ' ἕκαστον· πρῶτον τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς ὀρθρινῆς ὑμνῳδίας τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως ψαλμὸν ἐγκόψαι, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ τρισαγίῳ καὶ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῷ μνημοσύνῳ κελεῦσαι προοιμιάζεσθαι· δεύτερον τὸ προσκεῖσθαι τοῖς τοῦ σουλτὰν εὐμενῶς, ὡς καί σφιν ἐφεῖναι τῷ λουτρῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας συχνάκις ἐλλούεσθαι, τιμίων χαρακτήρων σταυροῦ ἐκεῖσε τοῖς μαρμάροις ἐγκεχαραγμένων, Ἀγαρηνοῖς οὖσι καὶ ἀμυήτοις· τρίτον ὡς καὶ τοῖς υἱέσιν ἐκείνου τῷ ἰδίῳ μοναχῷ μεταδιδόναι τῶν ἁγιασμάτων κελεύσειεν, ἄδηλον ὂν εἰ τῷ θείῳ λουτρῷ ἐτελέσθησαν· καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ σουλτὰν σὺν τοῖς σατράπαις αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ ὀρθρινὸν τῆς λαμπρᾶς καὶ μεγάλης κυριακῆς τῷ πατριάρχῃ λιτανεύοντι συνέλθοι τε καὶ συλλιτανεύ σειε. Καὶ ἃ μὲν τῷ λιβέλλῳ διειλήφατο, ταῦτά τε καὶ τοιαῦθ' ἕτερα. Τῷ μέντοι γε πατριάρχῃ τὸ παράπαν ἀγνοεῖν οὐκ ἦν, ὅμως δὲ Θεῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐπιτρέπων ἡσύχαζεν. Ὁ δέ γε βασιλεύς, τῶν γραμμάτων ἅπαξ ἐπειλημμένος, τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας τῇ Κωνσταντίνου τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐπισυνῆγε καὶ δὴ προὔτεινε μὲν ἐκείνοις εἰς γνῶσιν τὰ γράμματα, ἐκοινοῦτο δὲ σφίσι τὴν σκέψιν ὅπως ποιοίη· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ὑπερθέσθαι πρᾶγμα δοκοῦν συμβαλέσθαι τῷ σκοπῷ, κἂν οὐκ ἐδόκει ἀποχρῶν πρὸς τὸ τὸν πατριάρχην δεδίξασθαι. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἔτι καλούμενος ἀπελογεῖτο· τὸ μὲν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ τάξας τοῦτο τὸ πρῶτον, ὡς τοῖς μοναχοῖς σύνηθες ὄν, κἀν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τελεῖ 339 σθαι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀθετοίη πάλιν, ὡς αὐτάρκους δοκοῦντος τοῦ τρισαγίου σὺν τῷ μνημοσύνῳ εἰς εὐχῆς ἐκπλήρωσιν· καὶ δικαίως ἂν ἀπολογησόμενος, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο τελοίη, οὕτω τοῦ βασιλέως ἔχοντος, πῶς ἂν δικαίως ἐγκαλοῖτο καθυ φιεὶς τοῦ παντός; Τὸ δὲ τοὺς τοῦ σουλτὰν ἐπὶ τῷ λουτρῷ λούεσθαι, αὐτὸν μὲν μήτ' εἰδέναι μήτε κελεύειν· τέως δικαίως ἂν ἐκκλείοιντο πάντων ἐκεῖνοι τῶν λοετρῶν, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὡς τῶν ἄλλων πρὸς τοῖς χαράγμασι τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ εἰκόνων εὐμοιρούντων ἁγίων· εἰ δὲ τἆλλα σφίσιν ἀνεῖται καὶ ἀσεβέσιν οὖσιν, εἰς τί τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας λουτρῶνος διαφερόντως ἐκδιωχθήσονται; «Τὸ δὲ τῷ σουλτὰν καὶ τοῖς υἱέσιν ὡς χριστιανοῖς προσφέ ρεσθαι, ἀρχιερέως μὲν μαρτυροῦντος τοῦ Πισσιδίας, ἀνεύθυνον οἶμαι· εἰ δ' ἄλλως ἐλέγχοιντο ἔχοντες, ἐκείνου καὶ μόνου, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμὸν τὸ πλημμέλημα.» Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἱκανὰ ταῦτα τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐδόκουν τὰς εὐθύνας ἐξελέ σθαι τῷ πατριάρχῃ, ἀλλὰ σύνοδον ἤθελε συγκροτεῖν ἐξ ἁπάντων ἀρχιερέων, παρόντων ἐνταῦθα καὶ πατριαρχῶν δύο, τοῦ τε Ἀλεξανδρείας Νικολάου καὶ τοῦ Ἀντιοχείας Εὐθυμίου. Ὅθεν καὶ βασιλικαῖς συλλαβαῖς μετεστέλλετο τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς πανταχόθεν, ὥστε, παρῳχηκυίας τῆς ἑορτῆς, ἀνυπερθέτως ἀπαντᾶν πάντας, μηδεμιᾶς προφάσεως ἀποχρησούσης πρὸς παραίτησιν τοῦ μὴ ἀπαντᾶν εὐθέως, δεξαμένους τὰ γράμματα. Ἅμα γοῦν τελείῳ ἦρι συνήγοντο, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην συναχθεῖσιν ἐπιμελέστερον ἐκινοῦντο.

δʹ. Ὅπως καὶ ὅπου ἐζητοῦντο τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀρσένιον. Τόπος δὲ τῆς αὐτῶν συνόδου ὁ βασιλικὸς Ἀλεξιακὸς τρίκλινος ἦν, ἵνα δὴ καὶ προὐκάθητο μὲν ὁ κρατῶν, συγκαθέζοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες καὶ ὅσον τὸ ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ἦν, συνηδρίαζον δ' οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, καὶ πᾶν τὸ τῆς 341 συγκλήτου παρίσταντο. Συνῆσαν δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν μονῶν οἱ προὔ χοντες μονήρεις συνάμα τοῖς σφῶν προεστῶσιν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς πολιτείας ὅσον ἦν περιφανὲς καὶ δῆλον ἀπῆν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν κατηγορῶν, ἐς μέσον παριών, τὸν λίβελλον προὔτεινεν, ὁ δ' ἀνεγινώσκετο ἐπὶ πάντων. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐδόκει προκαλεῖσθαι καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην, πέμποντες τρεῖς μὲν τῶν ἀρχιερέων, τρεῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν κληρικῶν, προσεκάλουν ἀπαντήσοντα πρὸς ἀπόλογον. Ὁ δ' ἀνένευε πάμπαν καί γε κρίσιν μὲν μὴ παραιτεῖσθαι, τρόπον δὲ κρίσεως καὶ