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entrance, saying to him with boldness, "You do not know, as it seems, O emperor, the magnitude of the lawlessness that has been committed; for perhaps the power of your sovereignty does not allow you to recognize your sin; 1.557 for, being deceived by the purple, you are ignorant of the weakness of the body that it covers. But know this, that being corruptible and fleeting, such also is the strength of your power; and a little later you will render an account to the King of those who rule. With what eyes, then, will you look upon the temple of the common Lord? With what feet will you tread that holy ground? How will you stretch out your hands, still dripping with the blood of unjust slaughters? How with such hands will you receive the immaculate body of the Lord? How will you bring to your mouth His precious blood, you who through the word of your anger have shed so much unlawful blood? Depart, then, and do not try to increase your first lawlessness with a second. And accept the bond, to which God from on high assents." Yielding, therefore, to these words, the emperor returned to the palace there, groaning and weeping. And when eight months had passed, and the emperor did not go out but was repenting vehemently, the festival of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ arrived. And when Rufinus the Magister saw that the emperor did not wish to make even the customary procession, he says to him, "If you command, Master, I will run and persuade the high priest to release you from the bond." But he says, "I know the exactness of Ambrose." But since Rufinus, using more words, promised to persuade him, he ordered him to go. And beguiled by this hope, he himself followed after a little while. Immediately, then, seeing Rufinus, Ambrose said, "You imitate the shamelessness of dogs, O Rufinus, having become a participant and counselor in so great a blood-guilt. 1.558 But I will again prevent him from setting foot on the sacred thresholds." Hearing this, Rufinus reported it quickly to the emperor. But the emperor, learning this on the way, says, "Let me go and receive the just rebukes." Then, having arrived at the church, he entreated the high priest to be released from the bond. And he called his presence tyrannical, and raging against God; but he, with a sad countenance and much contrition, said, "Not acting rashly against the holy canons, but I have come to ask you to release me from the bonds." "And what repentance," he says, "have you shown after such lawlessness? Or with what medicines have you fittingly healed your hard-to-heal wounds?" And the emperor said, "It is your work to show and mix the medicines, but mine to receive them." Then, finally, Ambrose says, "Since you entrust judgment to anger, write a law making the decrees of anger invalid, and for 30 days let the sentences of death and confiscation remain in writing, awaiting the judgment of right reason." When the emperor immediately ordered this to be written and confirmed it with his own hand, Ambrose dissolved the bond and permitted him to enter the church. And having entered, falling prone on the ground, he cried out with a shout, "My soul cleaves to the ground; give me life according to your word, Lord." And with his hands he tore the hair of his head, he struck his face, and wet the ground with his tears, and 1.559 he besought God until the hour of communion. Then, rising up and coming near the rails, wishing to enter, he was prevented by Ambrose, who declared to him, "Know, O emperor, that the inner parts are accessible only to the priests, but to all others they are both inaccessible and not to be touched. Go out, therefore, and share the standing-place with the others; for the purple is accustomed to make emperors, not priests." And he, accepting this gladly, replied that I have not done this out of audacity, but have learned that this is the custom in Constantinople. And I owe you thanks for this healing also. By so great and such virtue did both the high priest and the emperor shine. And when the emperor returned

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εἴσοδον, λέγων αὐτῷ μετὰ παρρησίας "οὐκ οἶδας, ὡς ἔοικε, βασιλεῦ, τῆς εἰργασμένης παρανομίας τὸ μέγεθος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐᾷ σε τῆς βασιλείας ἴσως ἡ δυναστεία τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιγνῶ 1.557 ναι· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἁλουργίδος ἀπατώμενος ἀγνοεῖς τοῦ καλυπτο μένου σώματος τὴν ἀσθένειαν. ἀλλ' ἴσθι, ὡς φθαρτὸς ὢν καὶ ῥευστός, τοιοῦτόν σοι ὑπάρχει καὶ τὸ τῆς δυναστείας κράτος· μι κρὸν δὲ ὕστερον λόγον ἀποδώσεις τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν βασιλευόντων. ποίοις οὖν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄψει τὸν τοῦ κοινοῦ δεσπότου ναόν; ποίοις δὲ ποσὶ τὸ δάπεδον ἐκεῖνο πατήσεις τὸ ἅγιον; πῶς δὲ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτενεῖς ἀποσταζούσας ἔτι τῶν ἀδίκων φόνων τὸ αἷμα; πῶς δὲ καὶ τοιαύταις ὑποδέξῃ χερσὶ τὸ ἄχραντον τοῦ δεσπότου σῶμα; πῶς δὲ καὶ τῷ στόματι προσοίσεις τὸ τίμιον αἷμα, τοσοῦτον διὰ τὸν τοῦ θυμοῦ λόγον ἐκχέαντι παράνομον αἷμα; λοιπὸν ἄπιθι, καὶ μὴ πειρῶ τοῖς δευτέροις τὴν πρώτην αὔξειν παρανομίαν. καὶ δέχου τὸν δεσμόν, ᾧ θεὸς ἄνωθεν γίνεται σύμψηφος." τούτοις οὖν εἴξας ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς λόγοις ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὰ ἐκεῖσε βασί λεια, στένων καὶ δακρύων. μηνῶν δὲ διελθόντων ὀκτώ, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως μὴ ἐξελθόντος ἀλλὰ σφοδρῶς μετανοοῦντος, κατέλαβεν ἡ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γενέθλιος ἑορτή. καὶ θεασά μενος Ῥουφῖνος ὁ μάγιστρος ὅτι οὐδὲ τὴν συνήθη προέλευσιν βού λεται ποιῆσαι ὁ βασιλεύς, λέγει αὐτῷ "εἰ κελεύεις, δέσποτα, δραμοῦμαι καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα πείσω λῦσαί σε τοῦ δεσμοῦ." ὁ δὲ "οἶδα ἐγὼ" φησί "τὴν Ἀμβροσίου ἀκρίβειαν." ἐπεὶ δὲ πλείοσι λόγοις χρησάμενος ὁ Ῥουφῖνος πείθειν ὑπέσχετο, ἀπελθεῖν ἐκέ λευσε. τῇ ἐλπίδι δὲ βουκοληθεὶς ἠκολούθησε καὶ αὐτὸς μετ' ὀλί γον. αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἰδὼν τὸν Ῥουφῖνον Ἀμβρόσιος ἔφη "τὴν κυνῶν ἀναίδειαν, ὦ Ῥουφῖνε, ζηλοῖς, τοσαύτης μιαιφονίας γε 1.558 νόμενος μέτοχός τε καὶ σύμβουλος. ἀλλ' ἐγὼ καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν κωλύσω τῶν ἱερῶν ἐπιβῆναι προθύρων." ταῦτα ἀκούσας Ῥου φῖνος ἐδήλωσε τῷ βασιλεῖ ταχέως. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κατὰ μέσην τοῦτο μαθών "ἀπέλθω" φησί "καὶ τὰς δικαίας δέξομαι παροι νίας." εἶτα παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐδυσώπει τὸν ἀρ χιερέα λυθῆναι τοῦ δεσμοῦ. καὶ ὁ μὲν τυραννικὴν ἀπεκάλει τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ κατὰ θεοῦ μεμηνέναι· ὁ δὲ μετὰ σκυθρωπότητος καὶ πολλῆς κατανύξεως "οὐ θρασυνόμενος" ἔφη "κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων κανόνων, ἀλλὰ λῦσαί με τῶν δεσμῶν ἀξιώσων ἐλήλυθα." "καὶ ποίαν" φησί "μετάνοιαν ἔδειξας μετὰ παρανομίαν τοσαύτην; ἢ ποίοις φαρμάκοις ἀξίως ἐθεράπευσας τὰ δυσίατα τραύματα;" καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς "σὸν ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ δεῖξαι μὲν καὶ κεράσαι τὰ φάρμακα, ἐμὸν δὲ τὸ δέξασθαι." τότε λοιπὸν Ἀμβρόσιος λέγει "ἐπειδὴ τῷ θυμῷ τὸ δικάζειν ἐπιτρέπεις, γράψον νόμον τοῦ θυ μοῦ τὰς ψήφους ἀργὰς ποιοῦντα, καὶ ἡμέρας λʹ αἱ φονικαί τε καὶ δημευτικαὶ μενέτωσαν γνώσεις ἐν γράμμασι, τὴν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λογισμοῦ ἐκδεχόμεναι κρίσιν." ὃν εὐθὺς τοῦ βασιλέως κελεύ σαντος γραφῆναι καὶ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας χειρὸς βεβαιώσαντος, διέ λυσε τὸν δεσμὸν Ἀμβρόσιος καὶ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπέτρεψεν. ὁ δὲ εἰσελθών, πρηνὴς ἐπ' ἐδάφους πεσών, ἐβόα μετὰ κραυγῆς "ἐκολλήθη τῷ ἐδάφει ἡ ψυχή μου· ζῆσόν με κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου, κύριε." καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔτιλλε, τὰς ὄψεις ἔτυπτε, καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῖς δάκρυσιν ἔβρεχε, καὶ 1.559 τὸν θεὸν ἐδυσώπει ἄχρι τῆς ὥρας τῆς μεταλήψεως. τότε δὲ δια ναστὰς καὶ πλησίον τῶν κιγκλίδων ἐλθών, βουλόμενος εἰσελθεῖν, ἐκωλύθη παρὰ τοῦ Ἀμβροσίου, δηλώσαντος αὐτῷ "ἴσθι, ὦ βα σιλεῦ, ὡς μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὑπάρχουσι τὰ ἔνδον εἰσιτητά, τοῖς δ' ἄλλοις πᾶσιν ἄβατά τε καὶ ἄψαυστα. ἔξιθι τοίνυν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κοινώνει τῆς στάσεως· ἁλουργὶς γὰρ βασιλεῖς, οὐχ ἱερεῖς ποιεῖν εἴωθεν." ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο δεξάμενος ἀσμένως ἀντεδήλωσεν ὡς οὐκ αὐθαδείᾳ χρώμενος τοῦτο πεποίηκα, ἀλλ' ἐν Κωνσταντι νουπόλει τὸ ἔθος εἶναι τοῦτο μεμάθηκα. χάριν δέ σοι ὀφείλω καὶ τῆσδε τῆς ἰατρείας. τοσαύτῃ δὴ καὶ τηλικαύτῃ διέλαμπον ἀρετῇ ὅ τε ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς. ἐπανελθὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς