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He preserved in the furnace, so also me, as one hiding in His tabernacle, He keeps without sorrow and unharmed. For which things I also thank you, and I will never cease giving thanks and praying. Therefore, if you have any other things to add for the joy and glory of those who love you, do not hesitate to do them, so that your reward may be multiplied and the recompense from God who legislated these things may be more abundant for you. Farewell.”

LETTER III. Another to Stephen of Nicomedia. (441) “The good Stephen and my master has again added good crowns to my crowns. But what shall we give you in return for the things which, moved by a good disposition, you have done and are doing for us the humble, and I know you will do again, benefiting us every day now for seven years? What defense, then, shall we offer you who are zealous in such matters and know how to welcome friends more honorably with your sweet medicines? But we beg you, do not desist from your purpose, do not cease from your works; add to these, if it seems good, things that by their intensity make the pains even sweeter for me. You have increased for me the light, the joy, the sweetness, which you might increase yet more in every way, and still more by doing your own things, you might unite us more quickly to the beloved God, for whose sake I bear all things eagerly and because of whom you see me wearing this chain of exile from you. Farewell. To my all-holy and holy master, Symeon your servant, exiled through you and stripped of possessions.”

LETTER IV. To Niketas Stethatos. (442) “Your note, our spiritual child, we received, but we did not accept it, but we also condemned your great simplemindedness, because you altogether reasoned such things about us, that you withheld the paper with some deceit or meddlesomeness in order to grieve me, that I considered or reasoned this. For what deceit is in this, or what affliction will ever befall me, even if I appear to make much of these things? But I was entirely unaware that you had this, and I supposed that perhaps through the contempt of my minister this was lost either on the road or in some other way, and I was grieved at this, since in your case, whom I once confessed to have as myself, and I entrusted all my things to you, and through you I was hoping they would be made manifest to all others, just as Christ said to His disciples, “what you have heard in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops,” what evil suspicion could I have taken up against you? For I am also asking you for this reason to transcribe them in notebooks, so that I may leave all the drafts to you. And how did you suppose me to think such things against you? Nevertheless, may God forgive you this sin, because you judged us to be outside of the love that endures all things and never fails, unless someone willingly tears himself away from it; (443) but it remains uncut, undivided, kindly and genuinely receiving all those who wish to return and cling to it again.

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καμίνῳ ἐφύλαξεν, οὕτω κἀμέ, ὡς ἐν σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ κρύπτον, ἄλυπον διατηρεῖ καί ἀπήμαντον. Ὑπέρ ὧν καί εὐχαριστῶ σοι, εὐχαριστῶν τε καί προσευχόμενος οὐδέποτε παύσομαι, Λοιπόν εἴ τινα καί ἕτερα ἔχεις εἰς προσθήκην εὐφροσύνης καί δόξης τῶν ἀγαπώντων σε, μή ἀποκνήσῃς ποιήσασθαι, ὅπως ὁ μισθός σοι πολλαπλασιασθῇ καί ἡ ἀντάμειψις παρά Θεοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα νομοθετήσαντος δαψιλεστέρα σοι γένηται, Ἔρρωσο».

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Γ'. Ἑτέρα πρός Στέφανον Νικομηδείας. (441) «Καλούς μοι στεφάνους ὁ καλός Στέφανος καί δεσπότης μου ἐπί τοῖς

ἐμοῖς στεφάνοις πάλιν προσέθετο. Ἀλλά τί σοι ἀνταποδώσομεν ὑπέρ ὧν ἡμᾶς τούς ταπεινούς ἀγαθῇ κινούμενος διαθέσει πεποίηκας καί ποιεῖς καί οἶδ᾿ ὅτι πάλιν ποιήσεις, εὐεργετῶν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμᾶς ἐπί χρόνοις ἤδη ἑπτά; Τί οὖν σοι ἀπολογησόμεθα τῷ περί τά τοιαῦτα σπουδαίῳ καί φιλοτιμότερον εἰδότι δεξιοῦσθαι τοῖς γλυκέσι σου φαρμάκοις τούς φίλους; Ἀλλά δεόμεθά σου μή στῇς τῆς προθέσεως, μή καταπαύσῃς ἀπό τῶν ἔργων σου˙ πρόσθες εἰ δοκεῖ τούτοις τά ἔτι γλυκυτέρους τῇ ἐπιτάσει ποιοῦντα τούς πόνους μοι. Ηὔξησάς μοι τό φῶς, τήν χαράν, τήν ἡδύτητα, ἅ καί αὐξήσαις ἔτι πάντως καί ἔτι ποιῶν τά οἰκεῖα καί τῷ φιλουμένῳ τάχιον ἑνώσαις ἡμᾶς Θεῷ, ὑπέρ οὗ φέρω πάντα προθύμως καί δι᾿ ὄν ὁρᾷς τήν ἅλυσιν ταύτην παρά σοῦ τῆς ἐξορίας περίκειμαι. Ἔρρωσο. Τῷ πανιέρῳ καί ἁγίῳ δεσπότῃ μου, ὁ διά σοῦ ἐξόριστος καί τῶν προσόντων γυμνός γεγονώς Συμεών ὁ σός».

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ∆'.Πρός Νικήτα Σταθᾶτον. (442) «Τό πιττάκιόν σου, πνευματικόν ἡμῶν τέκνον, ἐδεξάμεθα μέν, οὐκ ἀπεδεξάμεθα

δέ, ἀλλά καί πολλῆς σου τῆς εὐηθείας κατέγνωμεν, ὅτι δή καί τοιαῦτα ὅλως ἐλογίσω περί ἡμῶν, ὡς δόλῳ ποτέ τινι ἤ περιεργίᾳ πρός τό λυπῆσαί με τό χαρτίον σύ ἀπεκράτησας, ἐνεθυμήθην τοῦτο ἤ ἐλογισάμην ἐγώ. Ποῖος γάρ ἐν τούτῳ δόλος ἤ ποία θλῖψίς μοι προσγενήσεταί ποτε, εἰ καί φαίνομαι περί πολλοῦ ταῦτα ποιούμενος; Ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι πάντως ἠγνόουν σε τοῦτο ἔχειν, καί ὑπέλαβον ἐκ καταφρονήσεως τοῦ ὑπουργοῦντός μοι ἴσως τοῦτο ἀπολεσθῆναι ἤ κατά τήν ὁδόν ἤ καί ἄλλως πως, καί εἰς τοῦτο ἐλυπήθην, ἐπεί εἰς σέ, ὅν ὡς ἐμαυτόν ἔχειν ἅπαξ καθωμολόγησα, καί πάντα τά ἐμά σοι ἐθάρρησα, καί διά σοῦ καί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις ἐλπίζων φανερά φανήσεσθαι, καθώς ὁ Χριστός τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν «ἅ εἰς τό οὖς ἀκούσατε, κηρύξατε ἐπί τῶν δωμάτων» ποίαν ὑπόληψιν πονηράν κατά σοῦ εἶχον ἀναλαβέσθαι; Ἐγώ γάρ διά τοῦτό σε καί παρακαλῶ ἐν τετραδίοις μεταγράψαι αὐτά, ἵνα τά σχέδη πάντα σοι καταλείψω. Καί πῶς με τοιαῦτα λογίζεσθαι ὑπέλαβες κατά σοῦ; Ὅμως ὁ Θεός συγχωρήσει σοι τήν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην, ὅτι ἔξω τῆς ἀγάπης ἡμᾶς εἶναι ἔκρινας τῆς πάντα ὑπομενούσης καί μηδέποτε ἐκπιπτούσης, ἐάν μή τις ἑκουσίως ταύτης ἀποσπασθῇ˙ (443) ἐκείνη δέ μένει ἄτμητος, ἀδιαίρετος, πάντας τούς βουλομένους ἐπιστρέφειν καί πάλιν κολλᾶσθαι αὐτῇ εὐμενῶς προσδεχομένη καί γνησίως