The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI 303
greater importance to you than the state 44 ^ come now, let us consider
what is to be done.
The emperor summons you, pledging an amnesty for everything that
has happened before, accepting your goodwill towards the state and
courage towards the enemy as suppliant symbols, and granting you this
as the most secure of all assurances of your pardon, he says: ‘If God has
granted the upper hand to goodwill and, once errors were pushed aside,
courage has shone through, a clear proof of forgiveness, how can I not
follow the judgement of God, if indeed an emperor’s heart [230] is in the
hand of God and He inclines it wherever He may wish.’ 45 Yield, then, I
say, Romans, as quickly as possible, and do not squander the present
opportunity, lest it escape and slip away, for it hates to be grasped once
it is running away and, as if indignant at being overlooked, it absolutely
refuses to be caught a second time. 46 Now, be heirs to your fathers in
obedience, just as you have been heirs in courage, so that you may in all
respects be shown to be Romans, and that no reproach can be attached
to you or show you to be illegitimate children. Those that begat you,
marshalled by consuls and emperors, acquired the whole universe
through obedience and courage. 47 Manlius Torquatus slew his son after
crowning him, as being courageous but disobedient. 48 For good counsel
among the leaders and ready obedience among those led naturally bring
to pass great bene¢ts. But if the one is divorced from the other it is
lamed, overturned and totally destroyed, once the excellent pairing has
been separated.
Do not, then, delay but obey me, since priesthood is mediating
between empire and army: show that what you did was not usurpation,
but a short-lived and justi¢ed displeasure against the generals who
44 Gregory has to reverse the importance of the factors underlying the mutiny (cf. vi.4):
the root cause had been discontent with imperial policy on pay, and the general’s behaviour
was only a £ashpoint.
45 This o¡er of an amnesty supports the assumption that the description of Germanus’
acquittal in vi.10 is recorded too early. The logic of Maurice’s guarantee is that God would
not have granted victory to the soldiers unless He had forgiven their misdeeds, and so the
emperor should follow suit. The ruler’s heart: Proverbs 21.1.
46 Cf. the description of Opportunity in iii.26.
47 Cf. Theophylact ii.14.6^7.
48 An incident from Republican history of the fourth century BC. Manlius Torquatus,
who was renowned for his piety, had forbidden his troops to respond to challenges to single
combat from their Gallic enemies; his son, cha¢ng at the resulting accusations of cowardice,
disobeyed his father and defeated his opponent, only to be punished by his father.