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

10.  Among physicians he gained the foremost place with no great trouble, by merely exhibiting his capacity, or rather some slight specimen of his capacity, and was forthwith numbered among the friends of the Emperor, and enjoyed the highest honours.  But he placed the humane functions of his art at the disposal of the authorities free of cost, knowing that nothing leads to further advancement than virtue and renown for honourable deeds; so that he far surpassed in fame those to whom he was inferior in rank.  By his modesty he so won the love of all that they entrusted their precious charges to his care, without requiring him to be sworn by Hippocrates, since the simplicity of Crates was nothing to his own:  winning in general a respect beyond his rank; for besides the present repute he was ever thought to have justly won, a still greater one was anticipated for him, both by the Emperors18    The Emperors.  Constantius II., a.d. 337–361.  Julian, a.d. 361–363.  Jovian, a.d. 363–4.  Valens, a.d. 364–378. themselves and by all who occupied the nearest positions to them.  But, most important, neither by his fame, nor by the luxury which surrounded him, was his nobility of soul corrupted; for amidst his many claims to honour, he himself cared most for being, and being known to be, a Christian, and, compared with this, all other things were to him but trifling toys.  For they belong to the part we play before others on a stage which is very quickly set up and taken down again—perhaps indeed more quickly destroyed than put together, as we may see from the manifold changes of life, and fluctuations of prosperity; while the only real and securely abiding good thing is godliness.

Τάττεται μὲν γὰρ τὴν πρώτην ἐν ἰατροῖς τάξιν, οὐδὲ πολλοῦ πόνου προσδεηθείς, ἀλλ' ἐπιδείξας μόνον τὴν παίδευσιν, μᾶλλον δὲ βραχύν τινα τῆς παιδεύσεως οἷον πρόλογον, κἀν τοῖς φίλοις τοῦ βασιλέως εὐθὺς ἀριθμούμενος, τὰς μεγίστας καρποῦται τιμάς. Ἄμισθον δὲ τὴν τῆς τέχνης φιλανθρωπίαν τοῖς ἐν τέλει προτίθησιν, εἰδὼς οὐδὲν οὕτως ὡς ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς καλλίστοις γινώσκεσθαι προάγειν εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν: καὶ ὧν τῇ τάξει δεύτερος ἦν, τούτων κατὰ πολὺ περιῆν τῇ δόξῃ, πᾶσι μὲν ὢν διὰ σωφροσύνην ἐπέραστος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ τίμια πιστευόμενος καὶ μηδὲν Ἱπποκράτους ὁρκιστοῦ προσδεόμενος, ὡς μηδὲν εἶναι καὶ τὴν Κράτητος ἁπλότητα πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου θεωρουμένην: πᾶσι δὲ πλέον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αἰδέσιμος, μεγάλων μὲν ἀεὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀξιούμενος, μειζόνων δὲ ἄξιος εἶναι τῶν ἐλπιζομένων κρινόμενος τοῖς τε βασιλεῦσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ ὅσοι τὰ πρῶτα μετ' ἐκείνους ἔχουσιν. Τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ὅτι μήτε ὑπὸ τῆς δόξης μήτε ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν μέσῳ τρυφῆς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς εὐγένειαν διεφθάρη: ἀλλὰ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ, πρῶτον ἦν εἰς ἀξίωμα Χριστιανὸν καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι, καὶ πάντα ὁμοῦ παιδιά τις ἐκείνῳ καὶ λῆρος πρὸς ἓν τοῦτο κρινόμενα: τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς καὶ ἄλλοις παίζεσθαι, τάχιστα πηγνυμένης τε καὶ καταλυομένης, τάχα δὲ φθειρομένης ῥᾷον ἢ συνισταμένης, ὡς εἶναι ἰδεῖν ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν τοῦ βίου μεταβολῶν, καὶ τῆς ἄνω καὶ κάτω μεταπιπτούσης εὐετηρίας: μόνον δὲ ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ παραμένον ἀσφαλῶς, τὴν εὐσέβειαν.