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laying claim also to secular wisdom and having studied it to the highest degree; for which reasons they were especially pleasant in company and persuasive in discussions. Whom the emperor received with great goodwill and honor, and he conversed with them daily with pleasure and was in their company, and they themselves made it their most important task, during the time they were with him, 3.56 to write down whatever was proposed by him daily, and what sort of things he discussed concerning the problems, so that they might not escape notice, having flowed from memory. Which things, having brought to Italy and having distributed to the pope and the wise men there, they showed him from these to be a great emperor, themselves also explaining not a few things orally. These things, then, happened later. But then, a short while after their arrival, they reported to the emperor the matters concerning the embassy. And these were, first, thanks and prayers for his solicitude for the young emperor and the empress his mother, because what one would not even have expected after so great a war and that implacable enmity and the ingratitude towards him of his accusers, he did not look at what had happened, but considered it sufficient only to be seen as innocent of the causes for the war. And he himself, as if nothing new had happened in the meantime, had preserved his old character, and his gratitude and solicitude for the emperor's children, which he had had from the very beginning immediately after his death. Then he also announced the attack against the barbarians, and that while it was a matter of great concern for the other bishops of Rome before him, it was even more to his own mind than to the others', and that he had often discussed this with many of the potentates throughout Italy, and was exhorting everyone to the common task of achieving the freedom of the Christians from the barbarians, and that he himself was ready both to provide money 3.57 and as large an army as possible, and to provide the greatest contribution to the war. And that now he had been stirred up even more by his words and the embassy, and was grateful to him for the zeal he was showing in stirring up the war against the barbarians on behalf of those who had chosen the faith in Christ. And if, in addition to the other good things for which he was eager to be the cause for the Romans, he would also negotiate the union of the churches, and through him the separated members of Christ should be joined together, he would become the cause of great joy not only for all men, but also for the heavenly powers and for God himself. Such were the things the pope conveyed through the bishops. And the emperor himself first acknowledged his thanks to the pope both for his goodwill towards him and for being readily stirred up against the barbarians who were enemies to the Christians. And he said he rejoiced doubly in the war against the barbarians, on the one hand because it would be for the common benefit of those called Christians, and on the other because he himself would be a partner with those who would fight this good fight. For he was so prepared as to march against them with ships and money and arms and horses and all that he had, considering it the greatest gain to die fighting for such things. But as for the union and harmony of the separated members of Christ and the peace of the 3.58 churches, how much desire and zeal he had, he was not even able to make manifest in words. Nevertheless, he was so prepared for these things as well that, if it should be necessary for him to be slaughtered for the sake of concord, not only would he offer himself eagerly, but he would even provide the sword; or if it should seem good that, by being burned, through the ashes of his body the union should be awarded to the churches, he himself would be the first to place wood upon the pyre, by which he would be reduced to ashes. It was necessary, however, that this great and wondrous work, worth all the others, should not happen simply thus and at random and without consideration, but that after having deemed it worthy of much investigation first and having shown all zeal for what is truly good, they should thus proceed to the choice of what seems right and safe concerning the faith. For it would be absurd when deliberating about certain earthly things, for which the benefit is small for those who succeed and the loss for those who fail

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ἀντιποιούμενοι καὶ τὴν θύραθεν σοφίαν εἰς ἄκρον μεμελετηκότες· δι' ἃ καὶ μάλιστα ἡδεῖς ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς συνουσίαις καὶ πιθανοὶ πρὸς διαλέξεις. οὓς ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ πολλῆς ἐδέξατο τῆς εὐμενείας καὶ τῆς τιμῆς, καὶ ἡδέως ὡμίλει ὁσημέραι καὶ συνῆν, αὐτοί τε προὔργου παντὸς ἐποιοῦντο τὸν χρόνον, ὃν αὐ 3.56 τῷ συνῆσαν, ὅσα ἐπ' ἐκείνου προβληθείη καθημέραν, καὶ οἷα περὶ τῶν προβλημάτων διαλεχθείη γράφειν, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ, τῆς μνήμης ἐκρυέντα. ἃ εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἀγαγόντες καὶ πάπᾳ τε καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε διαδόντες σοφοῖς, μέγαν ἐκ τούτων ἀπεδείκνυον βασιλέα, καὶ ἀπὸ γλώττης οὐκ ὀλίγα ἐξηγούμενοι αὐτοί. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον. τότε δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξιν μικρὸν ἀπήγγελλον βασιλεῖ τὰ περὶ τῆς πρεσβείας. τὰ δὲ ἦν πρῶτα μὲν εὐχαριστίαι καὶ εὐχαὶ τῆς περὶ βασιλέα τὸν νέον κηδεμονίας καὶ βασιλίδα τὴν μητέρα, ὅτι ἃ μηδ' ἄν τις προσεδόκησε μετὰ τὸν τοσοῦτον πόλεμον καὶ τὴν ἄσπονδον ἐκείνην ἔχθραν καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν διαβαλόντων, οὐ πρὸς τὰ γεγενημένα εἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖν ἡγήσατο τὸ τῶν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον αἰτίων ὀφθῆναι μόνον καθαρόν. αὐτὸς δὲ, ὥσπερ οὐδενὸς μεταξὺ καινοῦ γεγενημένου, τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἦθος διεσώσατο, καὶ τὴν περὶ τοὺς βασιλέως παῖδας εὐγνωμοσύνην καὶ κηδεμονίαν, ἣν εἶχεν ἐξαρχῆς εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτήν. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἔφοδον ἐμήνυε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μὲν τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ Ῥώμης ἐπισκόποις εἶναι περισπούδαστον, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτῷ τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι κατὰ γνώμην καὶ πολλοῖς πολλάκις περὶ τούτου διειλέχθαι τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν δυναστῶν, καὶ πάντας παρακαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον κοινῇ πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐσόμενον, καὶ αὐτὸν ἕτοιμον εἶναι καὶ χρήματα παρέ 3.57 χειν καὶ στρατιὰν, ὅσην ἂν μάλιστα ἐξῇ, καὶ μεγίστην πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παρέχεσθαι συντέλειαν. νυνὶ δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων καὶ τῆς πρεσβείας ἐξωρμῆσθαι, καὶ χάριν αὐτῷ εἰδέναι ὑπὲρ τῆς προθυμίας, ἧς ἐνδείκνυται, τοῖς βαρβάροις ὑπὲρ τῶν τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν ἑλομένων τὸν πόλεμον ἐπεγείρων. εἰ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀγαθοῖς, ὧν αἴτιος σπουδάζει Ῥωμαίοις καταστῆναι, καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν πραγματεύσαιτο τὴν ἕνωσιν, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ διεστηκότα τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέλη συναφθείη, οὐκ ἀνθρώποις μόνον πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς οὐρανίοις δυνάμεσι καὶ αὐτῷ θεῷ μεγάλης ἂν εὐφροσύνης αἴτιος κατασταίη. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ πάπας διὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἐπρεσβεύετο. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πρῶτα μὲν τῷ πάπᾳ χάριτας ὡμολόγει τῆς τε περὶ αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ τοῦ κατὰ βαρβάρων τῶν Χριστιανοῖς ἐχθρῶν ῥᾳδίως ἐξωρμῆσθαι. αὐτόν τε διπλῇ διὰ τὸν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἔλεγε χαίρειν πόλεμον, τοῦτο μὲν ὡς ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς τῶν ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ καλουμένων ὠφελείας ἔσοιτο, τοῦτο δ' ὅτι κοινωνὸς ἔσται καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἀγωνισομένοις. οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι παρεσκευασμένος, ὡς καὶ ναυσὶ καὶ χρήμασι καὶ ὅπλοις καὶ ἵπποις καὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς ἔχει, κατ' ἐκείνων ἐξορμήσων, κέρδος μέγιστον ἡγούμενος τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων ἀγωνιζόμενος ἀποθανεῖν. περὶ δὲ τῶν διεστηκότων τοῦ Χριστοῦ μελῶν τῆς ἑνώσεως καὶ ἁρμονίας καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν 3.58 ἐκκλησιῶν ὅσην ἔχει τὴν ἔφεσιν καὶ τὴν σπουδὴν, οὐδὲ λόγοις δύνασθαι καταφανὲς ποιεῖν. πλὴν οὕτως εἶναι καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα παρεσκευασμένον, ὥστ', εἰ δεήσειεν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ὁμονοίας ἀποσφαγῆναι, οὐ μόνον ἐμπαρέξειν ἑαυτὸν προθύμως, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάχαιραν προσεπιδοῦναι· ἢ εἰ δόξειε καυθέντα διὰ τῆς τέφρας τοῦ ἐκείνου σώματος τὴν ἕνωσιν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις βραβευθῆναι, αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πυρὰν πρῶτον ἐπιθεῖναι ξύλα, δι' ὧν ἐκτεφρωθῆναι περιέσται. δέον μέντοι τοῦτο τὸ μέγα τε καὶ θαυμάσιον καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀντάξιον πάντων ἔργον μὴ ἁπλῶς οὕτω καὶ εἰκῇ καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως γίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πολλῆς πρότερον ἐρεύνης ἀξιώσαντας καὶ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ἐνδειξαμένους περὶ τοῦ ὄντος ἀγαθοῦ, οὕτω χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν δοκούντων ὀρθῶν καὶ ἀσφαλῶν περὶ τὴν πίστιν. ἄτοπον γὰρ περὶ ἐπιγείων μέν τινων βουλευομένους, ὧν μικρά τε ἡ ὄνησις ἐπιτυχοῦσι καὶ ἡ ζημία σφαλεῖσι