You Allude to vigilantius. What Dream this is that You have Dreamed About Him I do not Know. Where have I Said that He was Defiled by Communion with Heretics at Alexandria? Tell Me the Book, Produce the Letter: but You Will Find Absolutely no Such Statement. Yet with Your Wonted Carelessness of Statement or Rather Impudence of Lying, which Makes You Imagine that Every one Will Believe what You Say, You Add: "When You Quoted a Text of Scripture against Him in So Insulting a Way that I do not Dare to Repeat it with My Own Mouth. " You do not Dare to Repeat it Because You Can Make the Charge Seem Worse by Keeping Silence; And, Because Your Accusation Has no Facts to Rest Upon, You Simulate Modesty, So that the Reader May Imagine that You are Acting from Consideration Towards Me, Although Your Lies Show that You do not Consider Your Own Soul. What is this Text of Scripture which is Too Shameful to Proceed Out of that Most Shameless Mouth of Yours? what Shameful Thing, Indeed, Can You Mention in the Sacred Books? if You are Ashamed to Speak, at any Rate You Can Write it Down, and Then I Shall be Convinced of Wantonness by My Own Words. I Might be Silent on all Other Points, and I Should Still Prove by this Single Passage How Brazen is Your Effrontery. You Know How Little I Fear Your Impeachment. If You Produce the Evidence with which You Threaten Me, all the Blame which Now Rests on You Will Rest on Me. I Gave My Reply to You when I Dealt with vigilantius; for He Brought the Same Charges against Me which You Bring First in the Guise of Friendly Eulogy, Afterwards in that of Hostile Accusation. I am Aware who it was that Stirred up his Ravings against Me; I Know Your Plots and vices; I am not Ignorant of his Simplicity which is Proclaimed by Every One. Through his Folly Your Hatred against Me Found an Outlet for Its Fury; And, if I Wrote a Letter to Suppress It, So that You Should not be Thought to be the Only one who Possesses a Literary Cudgel, that Does not Justify You in Inventing Shameful Expressions which You Can Find in no Part of My Writings Whatever. You must Accept and Confess the Fact that the Same Document which Answered his Madness Aroused Also Your Calumnies. C20. In the Matter of the Letter of the Pope Anastasius, You Seem to have Come on a Slippery Place; You Walk Unsteadily, and do not See Where to Plant Your Feet. At one Moment You Say that it must have Been Written by Me; at Another that it Ought to have Been Transmitted to You by Him to whom it was Sent. Then Again You Charge the Writer with Injustice; or You Protest that it Matters Nothing to You Whether He Wrote it or Not, Since You Hold his Predecessor's Testimonial, And, While Rome was Begging You to Give Her the Honor of Your Presence, You Disdained Her through Love of Your Own Little Town. If You have any Suspicion that the Letter was Forged by Me, Why do You not Ask for it in the Chartulary of the Roman See and Then, when You Discover that it was not Written by the Bishop, Hold Me Manifestly Guilty of the Crime? You Would Then Instead of Trying to Bind Me with Cobwebs, Hold Me Fast Bound in a Net of Strong Cords. But if it is as Written by the Bishop of Rome, it is an Act of Folly on Your Part to Ask for a Copy of the Letter from one to whom it was not Sent, and not from Him who Sent It, and to Send to the East for Evidence the Source of which You have in Your Own Country. You had Better Go to Rome and Expostulate with Him as to the Reproach which He Has Directed against You when You were Both Absent and Innocent. You Might First Point Out that He had Refused to Accept Your Exposition of Faith, Which, as You Say, all Italy Has Approved, and that He Made no Use of Your Literary Cudgel against the Dogs You Spoke Of. Next, You Might Complain that He had Sent to the East a Letter Aimed at You which Branded You with the Mark of Heresy, and Said that by Your Translation of Origen's Books Peri 'Archon the Roman Church which had Received the Work in Its Simplicity was in Danger of Losing the Sincerity of Faith which it had Learned from the Apostle; and that He had Raised yet More Ill Will against You by Daring to Condemn this Very Book, Though it was Fortified by the Attestation of Your Preface. It is no Light Thing that the Pontiff of So Great a City Should have Fastened this Charge Upon You or have Rashly Taken it up when Made by Another. You Should Go About the Streets Vociferating and Crying Over and Over Again, "It is not My Book, Or, if it Is, the Uncorrected Sheets were Stolen by Eusebius. I Published it Differently, Indeed I did not Publish it at All; I Gave it to Nobody, or at all Events to Few; and My Enemy was So Unscrupulous and My Friends So Negligent, that all the Copies Alike were Falsified by Him. " This, My Dearest Brother, is what You Ought to have Done, not to Turn Your Back Upon Him and to Direct the Arrows of Your Abuse Across the Sea against Me; for How Can it Cure Your Wounds that I Should be Wounded? Does it Comfort a Man who is Stricken for Death to See his Friend Dying with Him? C2You Produce a Letter of Siricius who Now Sleeps in Christ, and the Letter of the Living Anastasius You Despise. What Injury You Ask, Can it do You that He Should have Written (Or Perhaps not Written at All) when You Knew Nothing of It? if He did Write, Still it is Enough for You that You have the Witness of the Whole World in Your Favor, and that no one Thinks it Possible that the Bishop of So Great a City could have done an Injury to an Innocent Man, or Even to one who was Simply Absent. You Speak of Yourself as Innocent, Though Your Translation Made all Rome Shudder; You Say You were Absent, but it is Only Because You Dare not Reply when You are Accused. And You So Shrink from the Judgment of the City of Rome that You Prefer to Subject Yourself to an Invasion of the Barbarians than to the Opinion of a Peaceful City. Suppose that the Letter of Last Year was Forged by Me; who Then Wrote the Letters which have Lately Been Received in the East? yet in These Last the Pope Anastasius Pays You Such Compliments That, when You Read Them, You Will be More Inclined to Set to Work to Defend Yourself than to Accuse Me.
19. You allude to Vigilantius. What dream this is that you have dreamed about him I do not know. Where have I said that he was defiled by communion with heretics at Alexandria? Tell me the book, produce the letter: but you will find absolutely no such statement. Yet with your wonted carelessness of statement or rather impudence of lying, which makes you imagine that every one will believe what you say, you add: "When you quoted a text of Scripture against him in so insulting a way that I do not dare to repeat it with my own mouth." You do not dare to repeat it because you can make the charge seem worse by keeping silence; and, because your accusation has no facts to rest upon, you simulate modesty, so that the reader may imagine that you are acting from consideration towards me, although your lies show that you do not consider your own soul. What is this text of Scripture which is too shameful to proceed out of that most shameless mouth of yours? What shameful thing, indeed, can you mention in the sacred books? If you are ashamed to speak, at any rate you can write it down, and then I shall be convinced of wantonness by my own words. I might be silent on all other points, and I should still prove by this single passage how brazen is your effrontery. You know how little I fear your impeachment. If you produce the evidence with which you threaten me, all the blame which now rests on you will rest on me. I gave my reply to you when I dealt with Vigilantius; for he brought the same charges against me which you bring first in the guise of friendly eulogy, afterwards in that of hostile accusation. I am aware who it was that stirred up his ravings against me; I know your plots and vices; I am not ignorant of his simplicity which is proclaimed by every one. Through his folly your hatred against me found an outlet for its fury; and, if I wrote a letter to suppress it, so that you should not be thought to be the only one who possesses a literary cudgel, that does not justify you in inventing shameful expressions which you can find in no part of my writings whatever. You must accept and confess the fact that the same document which answered his madness aroused also your calumnies. c20. In the matter of the letter of the pope Anastasius, you seem to have come on a slippery place; you walk unsteadily, and do not see where to plant your feet. At one moment you say that it must have been written by me; at another that it ought to have been transmitted to you by him to whom it was sent. Then again you charge the writer with injustice; or you protest that it matters nothing to you whether he wrote it or not, since you hold his predecessor's testimonial, and, while Rome was begging you to give her the honor of your presence, you disdained her through love of your own little town. If you have any suspicion that the letter was forged by me, why do you not ask for it in the chartulary of the Roman See and then, when you discover that it was not written by the bishop, hold me manifestly guilty of the crime? You would then instead of trying to bind me with cobwebs, hold me fast bound in a net of strong cords. But if it is as written by the Bishop of Rome, it is an act of folly on your part to ask for a copy of the letter from one to whom it was not sent, and not from him who sent it, and to send to the East for evidence the source of which you have in your own country. You had better go to Rome and expostulate with him as to the reproach which he has directed against you when you were both absent and innocent. You might first point out that he had refused to accept your exposition of faith, which, as you say, all Italy has approved, and that he made no use of your literary cudgel against the dogs you spoke of. Next, you might complain that he had sent to the East a letter aimed at you which branded you with the mark of heresy, and said that by your translation of Origen's books Peri 'Archon the Roman church which had received the work in its simplicity was in danger of losing the sincerity of faith which it had learned from the Apostle; and that he had raised yet more ill will against you by daring to condemn this very book, though it was fortified by the attestation of your Preface. It is no light thing that the pontiff of so great a city should have fastened this charge upon you or have rashly taken it up when made by another. You should go about the streets vociferating and crying over and over again, "It is not my book, or, if it is, the uncorrected sheets were stolen by Eusebius. I published it differently, indeed I did not publish it at all; I gave it to nobody, or at all events to few; and my enemy was so unscrupulous and my friends so negligent, that all the copies alike were falsified by him." This, my dearest brother, is what you ought to have done, not to turn your back upon him and to direct the arrows of your abuse across the sea against me; for how can it cure your wounds that I should be wounded? Does it comfort a man who is stricken for death to see his friend dying with him? c21. You produce a letter of Siricius who now sleeps in Christ, and the letter of the living Anastasius you despise. What injury you ask, can it do you that he should have written (or perhaps not written at all) when you knew nothing of it? If he did write, still it is enough for you that you have the witness of the whole world in your favor, and that no one thinks it possible that the bishop of so great a city could have done an injury to an innocent man, or even to one who was simply absent. You speak of yourself as innocent, though your translation made all Rome shudder; you say you were absent, but it is only because you dare not reply when you are accused. And you so shrink from the judgment of the city of Rome that you prefer to subject yourself to an invasion of the barbarians than to the opinion of a peaceful city. Suppose that the letter of last year was forged by me; who then wrote the letters which have lately been received in the East? Yet in these last the pope Anastasius pays you such compliments that, when you read them, you will be more inclined to set to work to defend yourself than to accuse me.I should like you to consider how inevitable is the wisdom which you are shunning and the Attic Salt and the eloquence of your diction in religious writing. You are attacked by others, you are pierced through by their condemnation, yet it is against me that you toss yourself about in your fury, and say: "I could unfold a tale as to the manner of your departure from Rome; as to the opinions expressed about you at the time, and written about you afterwards, as to your oath, the place where you embarked, the pious manner in which you avoided committing perjury; all this I could enlarge upon, but I have determined to keep back more than I relate." These are specimens of your pleasant speeches. And if after this I say anything sharp in answer to you threaten me with immediate proscription and with the sword. You are a most eloquent person, and have all the tricks of rhetoric; you pretend to be passing over things which you really reveal, so that what you cannot prove by an open charge, you may make into a crime by seeming to put it aside. All this is your simplicity; this is what you mean by sparing your friend and reserving your statements for the judicial tribunal; you spare me by heaping up a mass of charge against me.
Footnotes:

[3180] Bishop of Rome in succession to Damasus. (a.d. 385-398) and succeeded by Anastasius.

[3181] The Goths under Alaric passed through Aquileia to invade Italy in 401.

17 now as to the
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