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not inharmonious. But since, from the negligence that dwells in us, or rather has become as if innate, our affairs appear to be diametrically opposed to his; at least as far as it concerns both wisdom and the other virtues; and since a useless vessel, such as my soul is, has not learned to contain the fragrance of such choice myrrh, what, in the name of the Friendly one, do I have in common with that man, most wise in divine things and most holy? So that you may not act inappropriately and contrary to my worth, mixing the unmixable, and those things whose coming together, of whatever kind, is uncongenial because of the difference in character; and deeming worthy of the innermost and secret things those who are still sitting at the foot of the mountain and are being initiated into divine things. Thus I am not of this opinion; but if it should seem otherwise to you, and better than according to my opinion, it will be up to you to carry out what you wish. And I know this well, that you will do nothing inappropriate, nor indeed anything contrary to my worth, not being ignorant of a humble bishop, even if not serious in his ways, yet a lover of virtue; and a disciple of fishermen, if not like them, yet at least holding to their footsteps, as much as I have strength; and pursuing and embracing philosophy according to God, with piety and orthodoxy, above all things. You would do me the greatest favor by informing me if, by chance, the *Bibliotheca* of Photius is currently being printed in Greek, or if it is going to be printed. May you be preserved for me in good health, in Christ, both in soul and body, my most wise and most friendly of men.

From Venice, on the fifth day of the waning month of Skirophorion, in the year of salvation 1709.

The same Maximus Margounios, to those who have devoted themselves to sacred philosophy, an increase of divine grace.

What kind of man the holy Maximus was, and what sort of struggles he underwent for the establishment of the dogmas of the holy Church, fighting against (656) heretics; both his disputation with the impious Pyrrhus, concerning the necessity of confessing two natures in Christ after the union, and many other of his writings, most full of wisdom according to God, clearly demonstrate. And how he also provided himself as a most skillful reconciler and arbiter, with piety, of the dispute that once arose between the Churches; but also in part how he preserved the completely irreproachable character of some of the saints, at least in their own writings; both his letter to Marinus, presbyter of Cyprus, and his correction of the writings of the holy one of Nyssa, at least as regards the *apokatastasis*, and other such things, proclaim very brilliantly. In those things, however, in which he establishes himself as an interpreter of Holy Scripture, he so purifies from its material covering the treasure hidden in the sacred oracles, and adorns the character of those who pay attention to him, scraping away the soul's inclination toward matter for the sake of spiritual beauty, and leading the mind up to the height of contemplation, and making them initiates and overseers of divine things, so as to transform them into a kind of divine image of the beauty according to the likeness of him who is beautiful in comeliness beyond the sons of men; and to lead them by the hand to perfection according to God by the ascents of the mind to better things. And, as far as I know, he has far surpassed others in the more mystical and anagogical manner of interpretation. For often leaving below, as it were, the humble veil of the letter, he revels in the height and uniqueness of the thoughts; and he is great in abundantly preparing the table with these things for the noble guests of such things. Those know this who have not too superficially pored over the work addressed to Thalassius the presbyter concerning various difficulties of Holy Scripture

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οὐκ ἀσύμφωνος. Ἐπειδή δ᾿ ἐκ τῆς ἐνοικούσης ἡμῖν ἀμελείας, μᾶλλον δέ καί ὥσπερ συμπεφυκυίας, ἐκ διαμέτρου τοῖς ἐκείνου τά ἡμέτερα φαίρεται· ὅσον γε ἥκει εἴς τε σοφίαν καί τήν ἄλλην ἀρετήν· καί σκεῦος ἀχρεῖον, οἷον δή τοὐμόν τῆς ψυχῆς, τήν τοιούτου ἐκλεκτοῦ μύρου εὐωδίαν χωρεῖν οὐ μεμάθηκε, τί ἐμοί, πρός τοῦ Φιλίου, καί τῷ σοφωτάτῳ ἐκείνῳ τά θεῖα καί ἁγιωτάτῳ ἀνδρί; Ὅπως μή παρά τό πρέπον, καί τήν ἐμήν ἀξίαν ποιήσῃς, μιγνύων τά ἄμικτα, καί ὧν ἥ γε ὁποιαοῦν συνδρομή, διά τό τοῦ τρόπου διάφορον, ἀφιλάλληλος· καί τῶν ἀδύτων καί ἀποῤῥήτων τούς ἔτι πρός τῇ ὑπωρείᾳ καθεζομένους, καί στοιχειουμένους τά θεῖα καταξιῶν. Οὕτως μέν οὐκ ἔχω γνώμης ἐγώ· εἰ δ᾿ ἄλλως σοί, καί βέλτιον ἤ κατά τήν ἐμήν γνώμην δόξειεν, ἐπί σοί κείσεται τό βουληθέν διαπράξασθαι. Καί εἰ τοῦτο εὖ οἶδ᾿ ὅτι οὔτε παρά τό πρέπον τι πράξῃ, οὔτε μήν παρά τήν ἐμήν ἀξίαν, ἐπίσκοπον οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ταπεινόν, εἰ καί μή σπουδαῖον τούς τρόπους, ἀλλά φιλάρετον· καί μαθητήν ἁλιέων, εἰ καί μή κατ᾿ ἐκείνους, ἀλλά γε τῶν ἐκείνων ἰχνῶν, ὅσον σθένος, ἐχόμενον· καί τήν κατά Θεόν φιλοσοφίαν μετά τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς καί ὀρθοδόξου ἀντί πάντων διώκοντά τε καί ἀσπαζόμενον. Χαριῇ μοι τά μέγιστα, διαμηνύων μοι, εἴ που τυχόν κατα τό παρόν τά τῆς τοῦ Φωτίου βιβλιοθήκης Ἑλληνιστί ἐκτυποῦται, εἰ μέλλει ἐκτυπωθήσεσθαι. Ἐῤῥωμένος μοι διαφυλάσσοιο ἐν Χριστῷ ψυχῇ τε καί σώματι, ἀνδρῶν σοφώτατέ μοι καί φιλικώτατε.

Ἐνετίηθεν Σκιῤῥοφοριῶνος πέμπτῃ φθίνοντος, κατά τό αψηθ´ ἔτος τό σωτήριον.

Ὁ αὐτός Μάξιμος Μαργούνιος, τοῖς περί τήν ἱεράν φιλοσοφίαν ἐσχολακόσι, χάριτος θείας ἐπίδοσιν.

Οἷος μέν ὁ ἱερός Μάξιμος, καί οἵους ὑπέρ τῆς τῶν τῆς ἱερᾶς Ἐκκλησίας δογμάτων συστάσεως, πρός (656) αἱρετικούς διαμαχόμενος, τούς ἀγῶνας ὑπέστη· ἥ τε πρός Πύῤῥον τόν δυσσεβῆ αὐτοῦ προσδιάλεξις, περί τοῦ δεῖν δύο μετά τήν ἕνωσιν ἐπί Χριστοῦ φύσεις ὁμολογεῖν, καί ἄλλα πλεῖστα τῶν αὐτοῦ συγγραμμάτων, τῆς κατά Θεόν σοφίας πληρέστατα, σαφῶς παριστάνουσιν· ὅπως δέ καί δεξιώτατον μετά τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς διαλλάκτην τε καί διαιτητήν παρέσχεν ἑαυτόν τῆς μεταξύ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἀναφυείσης ποτέ διαμφισβητήσεως· ἀλλά καί ἐν μέρει ἔστιν οἷς τῶν ἁγίων τό πάντη ἀνεπίληπτον ἔν γε τοῖς ἑαυτῶν συγγράμμασι διετήρησεν· ἥ τε πρός Μαρῖνον Κύπρου πρεσβύτερον ἐπιστολή, καί ἡ τῶν ἱεροῦ Νύσσης λόγων, ὅσα γε εἰς τήν ἀποκατάστασιν ἥκει, γενομένη αὐτῷ θεραπεία, καί ἄλλα τοιαῦτα λαμπῶς πάνυ ἀνακηρύττουσιν. Ἐν οἷς μέντοι ἑαυτόν ἑρμηνέα καθίστησι τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς, οὕτως ἀνακαθαίρει τοῦ ὑλώδους ἐπικαλύμματος τόν ἐγκεκρυμμένον τοῖς ἱεροῖς λογίοις θησαυρόν, καί τῶν προσεχόντων αὐτῷ κατακαλλύνει τό ἦθος, τό πρός τήν ὕλην ἐπιῤῥεπές τῆς ψυχῆς πρός κάλλος ἀποξέων πνευματικόν, πρός τε τό ὑψηλόν τῆς θεωρίας ἀναβιβάζων τόν νοῦν, καί τῶν θείων μύστας τε καί ἐπόπτας ἀπεργαζόμενος, ὡς εἰς θεῖόν τι ἄγαλμα τῆς καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν ὡραιότητος τοῦ κάλλει ὡραίου παρά τούς υἱούς τῶν ἀνθρώπων μετασκευάζειν αὐτούς· καί εἰς τήν κατά Θεόν τελείωσιν ταἰς ἐπί τά κρείττω τοῦ νοῦ ἀναβάσεσι χειραγωγεῖν. Πολύ δέ, ὅσα γε ἐμέ εἰδέναι, τούς ἄλλους παρήλασε τῷ μυστικωτέρῳ τε καί ἀναγωγικωτέρῳ τῆς ἑρμηνείας τρόπῳ. Καί γάρ κάτω που καταλείπων πολλάκις τό τοῦ λόγου οἷόν τι προκάλυμμα ταπεινόν, τῷ ὕψει καί μόνῳ τῶν νοημάτων ἐντρυφᾷ· καί πολύς ἐστιν ἐν τῷ δαψιλῇ τούτων τοῖς τῶν τοιούτων καλοῖς δαιτυμόσι συμπαρασκευάζειν τήν τράπεζαν. Ἴσασι τοῦτο οἱ μή ἐπιπολαιότερον τοῖς πρός Θαλάσσιον τόν πρεσβύτερον περί διαφόρων ἀπόρων τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς ἐγκεκυφότες