Oration VII. Panegyric on His Brother S. Cæsarius.

 1.  It may be, my friends, my brethren, my fathers (ye who are dear to me in reality as well as in name) that you think that I, who am about to pay th

 2.  The parents of Cæsarius, to take first the point which best becomes me, are known to you all.  Their excellence you are eager to notice, and hear

 3.  His father was well grafted out of the wild olive tree into the good one, and so far partook of its fatness as to be entrusted with the engrafting

 4.  His mother was consecrated to God by virtue of her descent from a saintly family, and was possessed of piety as a necessary inheritance, not only

 5.  I have entered into these details, not from a desire to eulogize them, for this, I know well, it would be difficult worthily to do, if I made thei

 6.  Bred and reared under such influences, we were fully trained in the education afforded here, in which none could say how far he excelled most of u

 7.  What branch of learning did he not master, or rather, in what branch of study did he not surpass those who had made it their sole study?  Whom did

 8.  But when, after gathering into his single soul every kind of excellence and knowledge, as a mighty merchantman gathers every sort of ware, he was

 9.  Well, among the noble traits of Cæsarius’ character, we must not fail to note one, which perhaps is in others’ eyes slight and unworthy of mention

 10.  Among physicians he gained the foremost place with no great trouble, by merely exhibiting his capacity, or rather some slight specimen of his cap

 11.  Such was the philosophy of Cæsarius, even at court:  these were the ideas amidst which he lived and died, discovering and presenting to God, in t

 12.  However, that I may dwell awhile upon this point, and luxuriate in my story as men do who are eyewitnesses in some marvellous event, that noble m

 13.  Didst thou not fear for Cæsarius, lest aught unworthy of his zeal should befall him?  Nay, be ye of good courage.  For the victory is with Christ

 14.  This victory I esteem far more sublime and honourable than the Emperor’s mighty power and splendid purple and costly diadem.  I am more elated in

 15.  Again another wonder concerning him is a strong argument for his parents’ piety and his own.  He was living in Bithynia, holding an office of no

 16.  This, Cæsarius, is my funeral offering to thee, this the firstfruits of my words, which thou hast often blamed me for withholding, yet wouldst ha

 17.  Such is my offering if it be slight and inferior to his merit, God loveth that which is according to our power.   Part of our gift is now comple

 18.  What now remains?  To bring the healing of the Word to those in sorrow.  And a powerful remedy for mourners is sympathy, for sufferers are best c

 19.  Such, my brethren, is our existence, who live this transient life, such our pastime upon earth:  we come into existence out of non-existence, and

 20.  Let us not then mourn Cæsarius but ourselves, knowing what evils he has escaped to which we are left behind, and what treasure we shall lay up, u

 21.  Is this inadequate for our consolation?  I will add a more potent remedy.  I believe the words of the wise, that every fair and God-beloved soul,

 22.  But now, laying aside lamentation, I will look at myself, and examine my feelings, that I may not unconsciously have in myself anything to be lam

 23.  Would that I might mortify my members that are upon the earth, would that I might spend my all upon the spirit, walking in the way that is narrow

 24.  Yea, would that what we hope for might be, according to the great kindness of our bountiful God, Who asks for little and bestows great things, bo

 O Lord and Maker of all things, and specially of this our frame!  O God and Father and Pilot of men who are Thine!  O Lord of life and death!  O Judge

9.  Well, among the noble traits of Cæsarius’ character, we must not fail to note one, which perhaps is in others’ eyes slight and unworthy of mention, but seemed to me, both at the time and since, of the highest import, if indeed brotherly love be a praiseworthy quality; nor shall I ever cease to place it in the first rank, in relating the story of his life.  Although the metropolis strove to retain him by the honours I have mentioned, and declared that it would under no circumstances let him go, my influence, which he valued most highly on all occasions, prevailed upon him to listen to the prayer of his parents, to supply his country’s need, and to grant me my own desire.  And when he thus returned home in my company, he preferred me not only to cities and peoples, not only to honours and revenues, which had in part already flowed to him in abundance from many sources and in part were within his reach, but even to the Emperor himself and his imperial commands.  From this time, then, having shaken off all ambition, as a hard master and a painful disorder, I resolved to practise philosophy and adapt myself to the higher life:  or rather the desire was earlier born, the life came later.  But my brother, who had dedicated to his country the firstfruits of his learning, and gained an admiration worthy of his efforts, was afterwards led by the desire of fame, and, as he persuaded me, of being the guardian of the city, to betake himself to court, not indeed according to my own wishes or judgment; for I will confess to you that I think it a better and grander thing to be in the lowest rank with God than to win the first place with an earthly king.  Nevertheless I cannot blame him, for inasmuch as philosophy is the greatest, so is it the most difficult, of professions, which can be taken in hand by but few, and only by those who have been called forth by the Divine magnanimity, which gives its hand to those who are honoured by its preference.  Yet it is no small thing if one, who has chosen the lower form of life, follows after goodness, and sets greater store on God and his own salvation than on earthly lustre; using it as a stage, or a manifold ephemeral mask while playing in the drama of this world, but himself living unto God with that image which he knows that he has received from Him, and must render to Him Who gave it.  That this was certainly the purpose of Cæsarius, we know full well.

Φέρε μηδὲ τοῦτο τῶν Καισαρίου καλῶν παρέλθωμεν, ὃ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἴσως μικρὸν καὶ οὐδὲ μνήμης ἄξιον, ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν μέγιστον ἔδοξεν, εἴπερ τῶν ἐπαινετῶν ἡ φιλαδελφία, καὶ οὐ παύσομαι τιθεὶς ἐν πρώτοις, ὁσάκις ἂν τὰ ἐκείνου ἐκδιηγῶμαι.

Κατεῖχε μὲν αὐτὸν αἷς εἶπον τιμαῖς ἡ πόλις, καὶ οὐδ' ἂν εἴ τι γένοιτο μεθήσειν ἔφασκεν: ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνθέλκων ἴσχυσα, ὁ πάντα Καισαρίῳ πολὺς καὶ τίμιος, καὶ τοῖς γονεῦσι τὴν εὐχὴν πληρῶσαι, καὶ τῇ πατρίδι τὸ χρέος, καὶ ἐμαυτῷ τὸν πόθον, λαβὼν τῆς ὁδοῦ κοινωνὸν καὶ συνέμπορον, καὶ προτιμηθεὶς οὐ πόλεων καὶ δήμων μόνον, οὐδὲ τιμῶν καὶ πόρων, οἳ πολλοὶ καὶ πολλαχόθεν, οἱ μὲν συνέρρεον ἐκείνῳ, οἱ δὲ ἠλπίζοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως σχεδόν, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιταγμάτων.

Ἐντεῦθεν ἐγὼ μὲν φιλοσοφεῖν διέγνων, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνω βίον μεθαρμοσθῆναι, ὥσπερ τινὰ βαρὺν δεσπότην καὶ ἀρρώστημα χαλεπὸν πᾶσαν φιλοτιμίαν ἀποσεισάμενος: μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ μὲν πόθος πρεσβύτερος, ὁ δὲ βίος ὕστερος. Τὸν δέ, τὰ πρῶτα τῆς παιδεύσεως ἀναθέντα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδι καὶ θαυμασθέντα τῶν πόνων ἀξίως, μετὰ τοῦτο δόξης ἐπιθυμία καὶ τοῦ προστατεῖν τῆς πόλεως, ὡς ἐμέ γε συνέπειθε, τοῖς βασιλείοις δίδωσιν, οὐ πάνυ μὲν ἡμῖν φίλα ποιοῦντα καὶ κατὰ γνώμην (καὶ γὰρ ἀπολογήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὅτι πολλοστὸν τετάχθαι παρὰ Θεῷ κρεῖττον [εἶναι δοκεῖ τε] καὶ ὑψηλότερον ἢ παρὰ τῷ κάτω βασιλεῖ τὰ πρῶτα φέρεσθαι), οὐ μὴν ἄξιός γε μέμψεως. Φιλοσοφεῖν μὲν γὰρ ὅσῳ μέγιστον, τοσούτῳ καὶ χαλεπώτατον, καὶ οὐ πολλῶν τὸ ἐγχείρημα, οὐδ' ἄλλων ἢ τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς θείας προκεκλημένων μεγαλονοίας, ἣ τοῖς προῃρημένοις καλῶς χεῖρα δίδωσιν: οὐ μικρὸν δὲ εἴ τις, τὸν δεύτερον προστησάμενος βίον, καλοκαγαθίας μεταποιοῖτο, καὶ πλείω λόγον ἔχοι Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ἢ τῆς κάτω λαμπρότητος: καὶ τὴν μὲν ὡς σκηνὴν προβάλλοιτο, ἤ τι προσωπεῖον τῶν πολλῶν καὶ προσκαίρων, τὸ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου δρᾶμα ὑποκρινόμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ ζῴη Θεῷ, μετὰ τῆς εἰκόνος ἣν οἶδε παρ' ἐκείνου λαβὼν καὶ ὀφείλων τῷ δεδωκότι: ὅπερ ἀμέλει καὶ Καισάριον διανοηθέντα γινώσκομεν.