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209.τ UNTITLED, ON AN APOLOGY 209.1 You have shared in the griefs and in the struggles on our behalf. And this

is proof of a youthful soul. For God, who orders our affairs, provides greater opportunities for success for those who are able to endure great contests. And so you have offered your own life as a touchstone of virtue towards friends, like the furnace for gold. We pray to God, therefore, both that the rest may become better and that you may remain like yourself; and that you not cease making such accusations as you have now made, bringing up the lack of letters to us as the greatest injustice. For the accusation is that of a friend, and expect to demand such debts. For I am not so strange a user of friendship.

210.τ TO THE MOST LEARNED IN NEOCAESAREA

210.1 On the whole, I had no need to make my opinion public to you, nor

to tell the reasons why I am now in these places. For in fact I am not one who seeks the spotlight, nor is the matter worthy of so many witnesses. But, I think, we do not do what we wish, but what our leaders provoke us to do, since for me to be completely unknown has been a greater concern than for the ambitious to be conspicuous. But since, as I hear, the ears of everyone in your city have been filled with rumors, and there are certain tale-bearers, creators of falsehood hired for this very purpose, who interpret my affairs to you, I did not think it right to allow you to be instructed by a wicked opinion and a sordid voice, but to tell you myself how my affairs stand. I, both because of my familiarity with this place from childhood (for here I was brought up by my grandmother), and because of my very long stay here afterwards, when, fleeing the disturbances of public life, I found this place suitable for practicing philosophy because of the tranquility from its solitude, I spent a period of many successive years, and because of the present dwelling of the brothers, having obtained a brief respite from the occupations that possess us, I came gladly to this remote spot, not to cause trouble for others from here, but to satisfy my own desire. 210.2 Why then is it necessary to resort to dreams and to hire dream-interpreters and to make us a drunken tale at public feasts? For I, even if the slanders were among some others, would have presented you as witnesses of my mind. And now I ask each of you to recall those old times, when the city was calling us to the care of the young, and an embassy of your men, who were in authority, was present; and after this how all the people flocked around us; what were they not giving? What were they not promising? Yet they were not able to hold us back. How then could I who, when called then, did not obey, now attempt to push myself in uninvited? And how could I who avoided those who praise and admire me, now be about to pursue those who slander me? Do not think so, O best of men; my affairs are not so cheap. For no one in his right mind would board a pilotless ship, nor would he rashly approach a Church in which the very men sitting at the helm create the surging and the storm. For whence has the city become full of turmoil, when some were fleeing with no one pursuing, and others were withdrawing with no one attacking, and all the soothsayers and dream-interpreters were frightening people? From where else are these things? Or is it not known even to a child that they are from the leaders of the people? The reasons for whose enmity it is not proper for me

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209.τ ΑΝΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΣ ΕΠΙ ΑΠΟΛΟΓΙΑ 209.1 Συνεκληρώθης ταῖς λύπαις καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀγῶσι. Τοῦτο δὲ

ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει νεανικῆς ψυχῆς. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ ἡμέτερα οἰκονομῶν Θεὸς τοῖς τὰ μεγάλα διαφέρειν δυνα μένοις ἀγωνίσματα μείζονας ὑποθέσεις εὐδοκιμήσεων προξε νεῖ. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν βάσανον τῆς περὶ τοὺς φίλους ἀρετῆς, ὥσπερ τὴν κάμινον τῷ χρυσίῳ, τὸν σαυτοῦ βίον προέθηκας. Εὐχόμεθα οὖν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς βελτίους γενέσθαι καί σε ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ διαμεῖναι· καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐγκαλοῦντα μὴ παύσασθαι οἷα νῦν ἐνεκάλεσας, τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων ἔνδειαν ἀντὶ μεγίστης ἀδικίας ἡμῖν προφέρων. Φίλου γὰρ τὸ ἔγκλημα, καὶ ἀνάμενε τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀπαιτεῖν ὀφλήματα. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τις ἄτοπός εἰμι φιλίας χρήστης.

210.τ ΤΟΙΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΝΕΟΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙΑΝ ΛΟΓΙΩΤΑΤΟΙΣ

210.1 Ὅλως μὲν οὐδὲν ἐδεόμην τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην δημοσιεύειν ὑμῖν οὐδὲ

τὰς αἰτίας λέγειν δι' ἃς ἐγὼ νῦν ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων εἰμὶ τούτων. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἄλλως τῶν φανητιώντων ἐγώ, οὐδὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοσούτων μαρτύρων ἄξιον. Ἀλλ' οἶμαι, οὐχ ἃ βουλόμεθα ποιοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἃ προκαλοῦνται ἡμᾶς οἱ καθηγούμενοι, ἐπεὶ ἔμοιγε τὸ παντε λῶς ἀγνοεῖσθαι πλέον ἐσπούδασται ἢ τοῖς φιλοδόξοις τὸ διαφαίνεσθαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντων, ὡς ἀκούω, τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν πόλιν τὰ ὦτα διατεθρύληται, καί εἰσί τινες λογοποιοί, δημιουργοὶ τοῦ ψεύδους πρὸς αὐτὸ τοῦτο μεμισθωμένοι, οἳ τὰ ἐμὰ ὑμῖν ἐξηγοῦνται, οὐκ ᾠήθην δεῖν περιιδεῖν ὑμᾶς γνώμῃ πονηρᾷ καὶ φωνῇ ῥυπώσῃ διδασκο μένους, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ὅπως ἔχει. Ἐγὼ καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκ παιδός μοι πρὸς τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο συνήθειαν (ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἐτράφην παρὰ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ τήθῃ), καὶ διὰ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διατριβήν, ὅτε φεύγων τοὺς πολιτικοὺς θορύβους, ἐπιτήδειον ἐμφιλοσοφῆσαι διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας ἡσυχίαν τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο καταμαθών, πολλῶν ἐτῶν ἐφεξῆς ἐνδιέτριψα χρόνον, καὶ διὰ τὴν νῦν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐνοίκησιν, βραχείας ἀναπνοῆς ἐκ τῶν κατε χουσῶν ἡμᾶς ἀσχολιῶν ἐπιτυχών, ἄσμενος ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσχατιὰν ταύτην, οὐχ ὡς ἑτέροις ἐντεῦθεν παρέξων πράγματα, ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτὸς τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ θεραπεύσων ἐπιθυ μίαν. 210.2 Τί οὖν χρὴ πρὸς ὀνείρους καταφεύγειν καὶ ὀνειρο σκόπους μισθοῦσθαι καὶ ἐν ταῖς πανδήμοις ἑστιάσεσιν ἡμᾶς ποιεῖσθαι παροίνιον διήγημα; Ἐγὼ γάρ, εἰ καὶ παρ' ἄλλοις τισὶν ἦσαν αἱ διαβολαί, ὑμᾶς ἂν τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμης μάρτυρας παρεστησάμην. Καὶ νῦν ἀξιῶ αὐτῶν ἕκαστον τῶν παλαιῶν ἐκείνων ἀναμνησθῆναι, ὅτε ἐκάλει μὲν ἡμᾶς ἡ πόλις ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν νέων ἐπιμέλειαν, πρεσβεία δὲ παρῆν τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν ἀνδρῶν, οἱ ἐν τέλει· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὅπως πανδημεὶ πάντες περιχυθέντες ἡμᾶς· τί μὲν οὐχὶ διδόντες; Τί δὲ οὐχ ὑπισχνούμενοι; Ὅμως κατασχεῖν ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν. Πῶς οὖν ὁ τότε καλούμενος οὐχ ὑπακούων, νῦν ἐπεχείρουν ἄκλητος εἰσωθίζεσθαι; Πῶς δὲ ὁ τοὺς ἐπαινοῦντάς με καὶ θαυμάζοντας ἀποφεύγων, ἔμελλον νῦν διώκειν τοὺς διαβάλλοντας; Μὴ οἰηθῆτε, ὦ ἄριστοι· οὐχ οὕτως εὔωνα τὰ ἡμέτερα. Οὔτε γὰρ ἄν τις ἀκυβερνήτου πλοίου σωφρονῶν ἐπιβαίη οὔτε Ἐκκλησίᾳ παραβάλοι ᾗ τὸν κλύδωνα καὶ τὴν ζάλην αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων καθεζόμε νοι ἐμποιοῦσι. Πόθεν γὰρ γέγονε θορύβου πλήρης ἡ πόλις, ὅτε οἱ μὲν ἔφευγον οὐδενὸς διώκοντος, οἱ δὲ ὑπεξῄεσαν οὐδενὸς ἐπιόντος, χρησμολόγοι δὲ καὶ ὀνειροσκόποι πάντες ἐμορμολύττοντο; Πόθεν ἄλλοθεν ταῦτα; Ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ παιδὶ γνώριμον ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ἡγουμένων τοῦ πλήθους; Ὧν τὰς αἰτίας τῆς ἔχθρας ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς