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of earthly beings, but is even heard by the heavenly citizens. Hear then, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear words from my mouth. But who would not gladly hear, who would not carefully attend to what is said, that the hand of the Lord has been upon the empire of the Romans, to make the day illuminate the night, and brightness to banish the darkness far away, and for a light from heaven to have dawned for those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death? See then, how this light has dawned from above, so that not by the great preparation of arms has the Most High who sits above all, by His own power granted to the great and most illustrious emperor Lord John Kantakouzenos, the father of both the empire and the emperor, this city which rules over all, and that the judge of the just has preserved for such an emperor until now this present gift of rule, so that all may know clearly that this has come from the Lord God, and not from man. For the most wise Solomon says: “To every thing under heaven there is a season, and all things are beautiful in their time. A time to mourn, and a time of joy.” So also Christ once said: “My hour has not yet come.” And elsewhere he says: “Father, the hour is coming, and now is, that your Son may be glorified;” and immediately the fatherly voice answered the Son: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” And have we not also read in the Gospel, when John said to our Christ 3.17 at the Jordan: “I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” What did Christ answer? “Permit it,” he says, “O John, permit it for now. For thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.” Therefore the saying “permit it for now” indicates that it was not yet the time for exaltation, nor for glory, as the hour of blessing and of grace had not yet come. This then is the hour of light which has been kept for the empire of the Romans, so that the gift, having come suddenly to the faithful, might not be considered of little worth. This is he who after the cloud has given clear sky; this is he who after wailing and lamentations pours in gladness. For which of the holy fathers has he exalted in glory, without tribulations preceding, just as the Scripture also expressly cries out: “Every son who is exalted by the Lord is first chastened.” And God says: “Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten.” So also that heavenly psalmist and harpist David sang: “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.” And elsewhere: “My father and my mother and all my acquaintances have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me in.” Take in, therefore, you also, most beloved doux, this aforesaid emperor, whom God has taken in to the state of emperorship, and count this one among the first, whom God has preserved for the empire. For all authority for good is from the Lord God; and he who resists the authority of the emperor, according to the Apostle, resists the will of God 3.18. But see to it that you are not also one of those who are reproved by the just Job, who says: “These are they who resist the light, these are the apostates from the light,” which shining in the darkness bears no blame; “if indeed the darkness did not overcome it.” However, an example worthy of perpetual memory is clear to those who serve Christ, that this great emperor bears in himself the goodness of Constantine the Great, by which he prevented the children from being killed, in whose blood he was to be cured of leprosy. The philanthropy of Octavian who reigned after Julius Caesar, for which he was called a philanthropic emperor, the present emperor has surpassed; he is equal, if not even greater, in piety to Theodosius who ruled well; he has exceeded the clemency and goodness of Scipio Africanus who subjected Africa to our Italians. For although many men and in various ways had offended such an emperor, who indeed also reasonably ought to have dreaded the danger of death,

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τῶν ἐπιγείων, ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ παρὰ τῶν οὐρανίων ἀκούηται πολιτῶν. ἀκούσατε τοίνυν οὐρανοὶ, καὶ λαλήσω· καὶ ἀκουέτω γῆ ῥήματα ἐκ στόματός μου. ἀλλὰ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀσμένως ἀκούσαι, τίς οὐκ ἠκριβωμένως προσέξοι τοῖς λεγομένοις, ὅτι χεὶρ κυρίου ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ Ῥωμαίων, ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν ἡμέραν καταφωτίσαι τὴν νύκτα, καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα πόῤῥω τὸ σκότος ποιήσασθαι, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ τοῦ θανάτου φῶς ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἀνατεταλκέναι; ὁρᾶτε γοῦν, ὅπως τουτὶ τὸ φῶς ἀνατέταλκεν ἄνωθεν, ὡς οὐ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῶν ὅπλων κατασκευῇ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντας καθήμενον ὕψιστον, τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει παρεσχηκέναι τῷ μεγάλῳ περιφανεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ κυρίῳ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ, τῷ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως πατρὶ, τὴν ἁπασῶν βασιλεύουσαν ταυτηνὶ πόλιν, καὶ μέχρι καὶ εἰς δεῦρο διατηρεῖσθαι τὸν τοῦ δικαίου κριτὴν τῷ τοιούτῳ βασιλεῖ τὸ παρὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς δώρημα, ἵνα γνῶσι σαφῶς ἅπαντες τοῦτο παρὰ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ γεγονὸς, καὶ οὐ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου. φησὶ γὰρ ὁ σοφώτατος Σολομών· «καιρὸς τῷ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν παντὶ πράγματι, καὶ πάντα καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν. καιρὸς θρήνου καὶ καιρὸς χαρμονῆς.» οὕτως εἴρηκέ ποτε καὶ ὁ Χριστός· «οὐκέτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα μου.» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· «πάτερ, ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ νῦν ἔστιν, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱός σου·» καὶ παραχρῆμα ἡ πατρικὴ φωνὴ τῷ υἱῷ ἀπεκρίνατο· «καὶ ἐδόξασα καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω.» οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἀνέγνωμεν, ὁπηνίκα ὁ Ἰωάννης εἴρηκε τῷ Χριστῷ 3.17 ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ· «ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με;» τί Χριστὸς ἀπεκρίνατο; «ἄφες γάρ,» φησιν, «ὦ Ἰωάννη, ἄφες ἄρτι. οὕτω γὰρ δεῖ πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην·» τοιγαροῦν «ἄφες ἄρτι» δηλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου, ὡς οὔπω καιρὸς ὑψώσεως, οὐδὲ δόξης, ὡς οὔπω ἐληλύθει ἡ τῆς εὐλογίας καὶ τῆς χάριτος ὥρα. αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ τοῦ φωτὸς ὥρα ἡ τῇ βασιλείᾳ Ῥωμαίων τηρηθεῖσα, ἵνα μὴ ἀθρόον ἐπιστὰν τοῖς πιστοῖς τὸ δῶρον εὐτελὲς νομισθῇ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μετὰ τὸ νέφος αἰθρίαν δούς· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μετὰ τὸν ὀδυρμὸν καὶ τοὺς θρήνους ἀγαλλίαμα ἐγχέων. τίνα γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ὕψωσεν ἐν δόξῃ, μὴ προτέρων θλίψεων ἡγησαμένων, καθὰ καὶ ἡ γραφὴ διαῤῥήδην βοᾷ· «πᾶς υἱὸς ὑψούμενος παρὰ κυρίου πρῶτον παιδεύεται.» καὶ ὁ θεὸς λέγει· «οὓς ἀγαπῶ, διορθοῦμαί τε καὶ παιδεύω.» οὕτω καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς καὶ κιθαρῳδὸς οὐράνιος ἐκεῖνος ∆αβὶδ ᾖσε· «παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ κύριος, τῷ δὲ θανάτῳ οὐ παρέδωκέ με.» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ὁ πατήρ μου καὶ ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ πάντες οἱ γνωστοί μου ἐγκατέλιπόν με, ὁ δὲ κύριος προσελάβετό με.» προσλαμβάνου τοίνυν καὶ αὐτὸς, ἐρασμιώτατε δοὺξ, τὸν ῥηθέντα τουτονὶ βασιλέα, ὅνπερ ὁ θεὸς προσελάβετο εἰς τὴν τῆς βασιλείας κατάστασιν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τάττε, ὃν ὁ θεὸς διετήρησεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν. πᾶσα γὰρ ἐξουσία εἰς ἀγαθὸν παρὰ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ τῇ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἀνθιστάμενος ἐξουσίᾳ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον τῇ τοῦ θε 3.18 οῦ βουλήσει ἀνθίσταται. ὅρα δὲ, μή ποτε ᾖς καὶ αὐτὸς εἶς ἐκείνων τῶν παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου Ἰὼβ ἐλεγχομένων, λέγοντος· «οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀνθιστάμενοι τῷ φωτὶ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ τοῦ φωτὸς ἀποστάται, ὅπερ ἐν τῷ σκότει φαῖνον οὐ φέρει αἰτίαν· εἴγε ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.» ἐν μέντοι γε διηνεκοῦς μνήμης ἄξιον ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς τῷ Χριστῷ λατρεύουσι δήλου, ὡς ὁ μέγας οὑτοσὶ βασιλεὺς τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου ἐν ἑαυτῷ φέρει χρηστότητα, ᾗτινι φονευθῆναι τοὺς παῖδας ἀπεῖρξεν, ὧν ἐν τῷ αἵματι θεραπεύεσθαι ἔμελλεν ἀπὸ τῆς λέπρας. τὸ τοῦ μετὰ Ἰούλιον Καίσαρα βεβασιλευκότος Ὀκταβιανοῦ φιλάνθρωπον, ᾧτινι καὶ φιλανθρωπότητος ἐκεῖνος κέκληται βασιλεὺς, ὁ παρὼν βασιλεὺς ὑπερήλασεν· ἴσος, εἰ μὴ καὶ μείζων, ἐστὶν εἰς θεοσέβειαν τῷ καλῶς ἄρξαντι Θεοδοσίῳ· ὑπερέβη τὴν ἐπιείκειάν τε καὶ χρηστότητα τοῦ Ἀφρικανοῦ Σκηπίωνος τοῦ τοῖς ἡμετέροις Ἰταλοῖς τὴν Ἀφρικὴν ὑποτάξαντος. πολλῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων καὶ κατὰ διαφόρους τρόπους τῷ τοιούτῳ βασιλεῖ προσκεκρουκότων, οἵ γε καὶ εἰκότως ὤφειλον τὸν τοῦ θανάτου κίνδυνον δειλιᾷν,