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our Christian one, the true one, before the many of yours who are served through material symbols, not to be displeased with him, but rather also to admire the nobility of his soul, because he considered it more valuable than both fear and a father's care to be made one with God through true knowledge and a life of virtue. Therefore, nature itself and the gentleness and mildness of your character towards all will not permit you to feel grief over him even for a little while. And you will surely not dishonor our embassy, or rather that of your city fulfilled through us, which, because of its affection for you and its prayer that all good things be yours, thinks that they will receive you yourself as a Christian, so overjoyed did a rumor suddenly falling upon the city make them.

277. To Maximus the Scholar

277.1 The good and excellent Theoteknos has reported to me about your dignity and has created in me a longing to meet you, clearly outlining in his words the character of your soul, and he has so inflamed my affection for you that, if I were not weighed down by old age and held back by my congenital infirmity and fettered by countless cares for the Church, nothing would have kept me from coming to you myself. For it is truly no small gain for one who has passed from a great house and a distinguished family to the evangelical life to restrain his youth with reason, to make the passions of the flesh slaves to reason, to practice the humility that is owed by a Christian who thinks, as is fitting, about where he came from and where he is going. For the thought of our nature calms what is inflamed in the soul, banishes all arrogance and audacity, and, in sum, makes one a disciple of the Lord who said: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart." For in truth, dearest of sons, the only thing worthy of zeal and praise is the enduring good. And this is the honor that comes from God. But these human things are dimmer than a shadow and more deceptive than dreams. For youth fades more quickly than the spring flowers, and the beauty of the body is withered by either sickness or time. And wealth is faithless, and glory easily overturned. And labors in the arts are completed along with this present time. But even words, which are esteemed by all, have their charm only as far as the hearing. But the practice of virtue is a precious possession for the one who has it, and a most pleasant sight for those who encounter it. By cultivating these things, you will make yourself worthy of the good things stored up in the promises from the Lord. But in what way you might come to the attainment of good things and how you might preserve what has been acquired would be too long to say for the present impulse of my discourse. But it occurred to me to address these very things to you based on what I heard from our brother Theoteknos; whom I always pray speaks the truth, but especially in his words concerning you, so that the Lord may be more greatly glorified in you, who, from a foreign root, are budding forth with the precious fruits of piety.

278. To Valerianus

278.1 When I was in Orphanene, I desired to see your nobility. For I was expecting that you, while staying in Korsagainoi, would not hesitate to cross over to us while we were holding a synod in Attagainoi. But since I missed that meeting, I desired to see you on the mountain. For again Euesas, being nearby, increased the hope of a meeting. But as I missed both, I have resorted to writing, so that you might deem me worthy of visiting, at once doing what is fitting for a young man, visiting

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τὸν ἡμέτερον τῶν χριστιανῶν, τὸν ἀληθινόν, πρὸ τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν πολλῶν καὶ δι' ὑλικῶν συμβό λων θεραπευομένων προείλετο, μὴ δυσχεραίνειν αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ θαυμάζειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ γενναῖον, ὅτι καὶ φόβου καὶ θεραπείας πατρικῆς προτιμότερον ἔθετο διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐπιγνώσεως καὶ τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου οἰκειωθῆναι Θεῷ. ∆υσωπήσει μὲν οὖν σε καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ φύσις καὶ τὸ τοῦ τρόπου πρᾶον περὶ πάντας καὶ ἥμερον οὐδὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐπιτρέψει σοι τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῷ λύπην. Πάντως δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀτιμάσεις πρεσβείαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν τῆς σῆς πόλεως δι' ἡμῶν πληρουμένην, ἣ τῷ περὶ σὲ φίλτρῳ καὶ τῷ πάντα σοι εὔχεσθαι τὰ καλὰ καὶ σὲ αὐτὸν οἴονται χριστιανὸν ὑποδέξασθαι, οὕτως αὐτοὺς περιχαρεῖς διέθηκε φήμη ἀθρόως ἐμπεσοῦσα τῇ πόλει.

277.τ ΜΑΞΙΜΩ ΣΧΟΛΑΣΤΙΚΩ

277.1 Ἀπήγγειλέ μοι ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς Θεότεκνος τὰ περὶ τῆς σεμνότητός

σου καὶ ἐνεποίησέ μοι πόθον τῆς συντυχίας ἐναργῶς ὑπογράφων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ψυχῆς σου τὸν χαρακτῆρα, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξέκαυσέ μου τὸ περὶ σὲ φίλτρον ὡς, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῷ γήρᾳ ἐβαρυνόμην καὶ τῇ συντρόφῳ κατειχόμην ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ μυρίαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν φροντίσιν ἤμην πεπεδημένος, οὐδὲν ἄν με κατέσχεν αὐτὸν γενέσθαι παρὰ σέ. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ μικρὸν τῷ ὄντι κέρδος ἐξ οἰκίας μεγάλης καὶ γένους περιφανοῦς πρὸς τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν μεταστάντα βίον χαλινῶσαι μὲν λογισμῷ τὴν νεότητα, τὰ δὲ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη δοῦλα τῷ λογισμῷ ποιῆσαι, ταπεινοφροσύνῃ χρήσασθαι τῇ ὀφειλομένῃ χριστιανῷ φρονοῦντι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, οἷα εἰκός, ὅθεν ἔφυ καὶ οἷ πορεύσεται. Ἡ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἔννοια κα ταστέλλει μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ φλεγμαῖνον, ἀλαζονείαν δὲ πᾶσαν καὶ αὐθάδειαν ὑπερορίζει καί, τὸ ὅλον, μαθητὴν τοῦ Κυρίου καθίστησι τοῦ εἰπόντος· «Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ». Τῷ γὰρ ὄντι, φίλτατε παίδων, μόνον περισπούδαστον καὶ ἐπαινετὸν τὸ διαρκὲς ἀγαθόν. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ἡ παρὰ Θεοῦ τιμή. Τὰ δὲ ἀνθρώπινα ταῦτα σκιᾶς ἐστιν ἀμυδρότερα καὶ ὀνείρων ἀπατηλότερα. Ἥ τε γὰρ νεότης τῶν ἠρινῶν ἀνθῶν ὀξύτερον καταρρεῖ καὶ ὥρα σώματος ἢ νόσῳ ἢ χρόνῳ μαραίνεται. Καὶ πλοῦτος μὲν ἄπιστος, δόξα δὲ εὐπερίτρεπτος. Αἵ τε περὶ τὰς τέχνας διαπονήσεις τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ συναπαρτίζονται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ περισπούδαστον ἅπασιν οἱ λόγοι ἄχρι τῆς ἀκοῆς τὴν χάριν ἔχουσιν. Ἀρετῆς δὲ ἄσκησις τίμιον μὲν κτῆμα τῷ ἔχοντι, ἥδιστον δὲ θεαμάτων τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν. Ὧν ἐπιμελόμενος ἄξιον σεαυτὸν καταστήσεις τῶν ἐν ἐπαγγε λίαις ἀποκειμένων παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀγαθῶν. Τίνι δ' ἂν τρόπῳ ἔλθοις πρὸς τὴν τῶν καλῶν ἀνάληψιν καὶ ὅπως ἂν τὰ κτηθέντα διασώσοιο μακρότερον εἰπεῖν ἢ κατὰ τὴν πα ροῦσαν ὁρμὴν τοῦ λόγου. Ἐπῆλθε δ' οὖν μοι καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα προσφθέγξασθαι ἐξ ὧν ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Θεοτέκ νου· ὃν πάντοτε μὲν εὔχομαι ἀληθεύειν, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν τοῖς περὶ σοῦ λόγοις, ἵνα πλέον δοξάζηται ἐπὶ σοὶ ὁ Κύριος ἀπὸ ῥίζης ἀλλοτρίας τοῖς πολυτιμήτοις καρποῖς τῆς εὐσε βείας βρύοντι.

278.τ ΟΥΑΛΕΡΙΑΝΩ

278.1 Ἐγὼ τὴν εὐγένειάν σου καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ὀρφανήνην γενόμενος

ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν. Προσεδόκων γάρ σε ἐν Κορσαγαίνοις διάγοντα μὴ ὀκνῆσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαβῆναι ἐν Ἀτταγαίνοις τελοῦντα σύνοδον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκείνης διήμαρτον τῆς συνόδου, ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν ἐν τῷ ὄρει. Πάλιν γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ Εὐήσας, πλησίον οὖσα, τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς συντυχίας ἐπέτεινεν. Ὡς δὲ ἀμφοτέρων διήμαρτον, ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸ γράφειν, ἵνα κατα ξιώσῃς με καταλαβεῖν, ὁμοῦ μὲν τὸ εἰκὸς ποιῶν νέος φοι τῶν παρὰ