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the situation. But it was not possible before the end to give any safe answer. This is the reason for our silence; for it was not indeed indolence nor ignorance of what was fitting. For even if we are altogether indolent, we have surely been eager in the case of your honor to conceal our faults. But now it is not possible for us to forget you even for the briefest moment (or sooner might one not know oneself), but, whether we write or not, we carry you enshrined in our hearts and we are so distressed at the long duration of the winter that we pray, if it is not possible for you yourself, because of the duties we hear about, to leave the country folk, that a reason might arise for us to visit those places and to enjoy the true steadfastness of your character and your propriety. But you will by all means be eager to celebrate the saving day of Pascha with us with your most modest wife, whom we also greet through you and we ask her to cooperate with us in urging you on to us.

323. To Philagrius Arcenus

323.1 Thanks to the holy God; for I would not say I am grateful to those who have wronged you, because they have become for me a subject for a letter. But the Lord, who benefits us from every quarter, knows how to fulfill our requests often even through painful things. Whence He has made for us also the villainy of those who ran away from you an occasion for gladness. But may you write to us on every pretext, writing such things now from a good mind, and now from a purified tongue. For even if we do not claim to affect what is delightful in diction, yet we are somehow naturally charmed by it, and you men of graceful speech lead us on, just as men lead bees by means of clanging sounds. Therefore send many letters, and as long as possible; for brevity is not indeed a virtue of a letter, any more than of a man. Write to us both how things are at home and how your own body is in health, and if the affairs of the Churches are at peace. For you are rightly concerned about these things too. And indeed, if there is any power to labor with us for the peace and unity of those who are divided, do not refuse. But the good Cyriacus first undertook the task and then delivered the letter to us, and for the remaining parts of the matter he had us cooperating in what was in our power. For we have written to the chorepiscopus of the region, who, if he does any of the things ordered, the facts themselves will make it known.

324. To Pasinicus the Physician

324.1 A sign of not being indifferent to us is your greeting us immediately from the very doors of entry, so to speak. Now it is itself a matter of importance to receive friendly letters; but if what is written also accomplishes a need in the most important matters, it clearly becomes worthy of much more. Know well, then, that the all-excellent man Patricius brings so many medicines of persuasion on his lips that not only because you wrote, but even if he takes some Sauromatian or Scythian, he would easily persuade him about whatever he wished. However, those words of good cheer are not from the heart. For this guise has long been practiced: to be good only as far as their voice, and supposedly simple, and to be ready to entrust their affairs to any court, but when they get to the deeds themselves, may you not happen to be there. But let these things have been said by me to you, so that you yourself may both know the man, who is not otherwise easily led, and also be persuaded by yourself not to pay attention to the elegance of his words, but to await the proofs that come from the deeds.

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τὴν κατάστασιν. Οὐκ ἐνῆν δὲ πρὸ τοῦ πέρατος ἀσφαλὲς οὐδὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι. Αὕτη ἡ αἰτία τῆς σιωπῆς ἡμῶν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ῥᾳθυμία οὐδὲ ἄγνοια τοῦ προσήκοντος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλως ῥᾴθυμοι, ἐσπουδάσαμεν πάντως ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος συσκιάσαι ἡμῶν τὰ ἐλαττώματα. Νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῶν ἐπιλαθέσθαι σου οὐδὲ τὸ βραχύτατον (ἢ πρότε ρον ἄν τις ἑαυτὸν ἀγνοήσειεν), ἀλλά, κἂν ἐπιστέλλωμεν κἂν μή, ἐνιδρυμένον σε ταῖς καρδίαις ἑαυτῶν περιφέρομεν καὶ πρὸς τὴν μακρὰν ἀπόληψιν τοῦ χειμῶνος οὕτω δυσκόλως ἔχομεν ὥστε εὔχεσθαι, εἰ μὴ αὐτῷ σοι δυνατὸν διὰ τὰς ἀκουομένας ἀσχολίας καταλιπεῖν τοὺς ἀγροίκους, ἡμῖν ἐγγενέσθαι πρόφασιν ἐπιστῆναι τοῖς τόποις καὶ τῆς ἀλη θινῆς εὐσταθείας τῶν σῶν τρόπων καὶ τῆς κοσμιότητος ἀπολαῦσαι. Πάντως δὲ τὴν σωτήριον ἡμέραν τοῦ Πάσχα μεθ' ἡμῶν ποιῆσαι προθυμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῆς κοσμιωτάτης συμβίου σου, ἣν καὶ προσαγορεύομεν διὰ σοῦ καὶ παρακα λοῦμεν συμπρᾶξαι ἡμῖν εἰς τὸ ἐπεῖξαί σε πρὸς ἡμᾶς.

323.τ ΦΙΛΑΓΡΙΩ ΑΡΚΗΝΩ

323.1 Χάρις τῷ ἁγίῳ Θεῷ· οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι χάριν ἔχειν τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι σε, ὅτι

μοι γεγόνασι γραμμάτων ὑπόθεσις. Ἀλλ' ὁ πανταχόθεν εὐεργετῶν ἡμᾶς Κύριος οἶδε καὶ διὰ τῶν λυπηρῶν πληροῦν πολλάκις τὰς παρακλήσεις. Ὅθεν καὶ ἡμῖν τὴν σκαιότητα τῶν ἀποδράντων σε εὐφροσύνης ἐποίησεν ἀφορμήν. Ἀλλὰ γράφοις ἡμῖν διὰ πάσης προφά σεως, τοιαῦτα γράφων οὕτω μὲν ἀπὸ χρηστῆς γνώμης, οὕτω δὲ ἀπὸ γλώττης κεκαθαρμένης. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μή φαμεν προσ ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ἐν τῇ λέξει τερπνόν, ἀλλ' οὖν φυσικῶς πως κατακηλούμεθα παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄγετε ἡμᾶς οἱ τὸν λόγον χαρίεντες, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰς μελίσσας διὰ τῶν κρουμάτων. Πολλάς γε οὖν πέμπε τὰς ἐπιστολὰς καὶ μακρὰς ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἀρετὴ ἐπιστολῆς ἡ βραχύτης, οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ ἀνθρώπου. Γράφε δὲ ἡμῖν τά τε κατὰ τὸν οἶκον ὅπως διάκειται καὶ αὐτό σοι τὸ σῶμα ὅπως ὑγείας ἔχει, καὶ εἰ τὰ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἡσυχάζει. Μέλει γάρ σοι καὶ τούτων καλῶς ποιοῦντι. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ εἴ τις δύναμις συμπονεῖν τῇ εἰρήνῃ καὶ τῇ ἑνώσει τῶν διεστηκότων, μὴ παραιτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ χρηστὸς Κυριακὸς ἥψατο πρότερον τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τότε ἡμῖν ἀπέδωκε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ λείψανα τοῦ πράγματος ἔσχε συναιρομένους τὰ ἡμῖν δυνατά. Ἐπεστεί λαμεν γὰρ τῷ χωρεπισκόπῳ τῶν τόπων, ὃς ἐὰν ποιήσῃ τι τῶν προστεταγμένων αὐτὰ γνωρίσει τὰ πράγματα.

324.τ ΠΑΣΙΝΙΚΩ ΙΑΤΡΩ

324.1 ∆εῖγμα τοῦ μὴ παρέργως ἔχειν περὶ ἡμᾶς τὸ εὐθὺς ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ὡς εἰπεῖν,

τῶν θυρῶν τῆς εἰσόδου προσφθέγγεσθαι ἡμᾶς. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτὸ σπουδῆς ἄξιον τὸ ἐντυχεῖν γράμμασι φιλικοῖς· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις χρείαν ἀνύῃ τὰ γραφόμενα, πολλῷ πλείονος ἄξια γίνεται δηλονότι. Εὖ τοίνυν ἴσθι ὅτι ὁ πάντα ἄριστος ἀνὴρ Πατρίκιος τοσαῦ τα ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ τῆς πειθοῦς φέρει τὰ φάρμακα ὥστε μὴ ὅτι σὺ ἐπέστειλας, ἀλλὰ κἂν Σαυρομάτην τινὰ ἢ Σκύθην λάβῃ, πείσῃ ἂν ῥᾳδίως περὶ ὧν ἐθελήσειεν. Οὐ μὴν ἀπὸ καρδίας ἐστὶ τὰ τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἐκεῖνα ῥήματα. Πάλαι γὰρ ἐπιτετήδευται τὸ σχῆμα τοῦτο· μέχρι φωνῆς εἶναι χρηστοὺς καὶ ἀπειροκάλους δῆθεν καὶ ἑτοίμους εἶναι ἐπι τρέπειν παντὶ δικαστηρίῳ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτούς, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐπ' αὐτῶν γένωνται τῶν πραγμάτων, μὴ σύ γε ἐκεῖ τύχοις. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν μοι πρὸς σὲ εἰρήσθω, ἵν' αὐτός τε εἰδῇς καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα οὔτε ἄλλως ὄντα εὐπαράγωγον, ἔτι καὶ παρὰ σεαυτοῦ πεισθῇς μὴ τῇ τῶν ῥημάτων προσέχειν εὐπρεπείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναμένειν ἐλέγχους.