Letter 136: 1. In what state the good Isaaces has found me, he himself will best explain to you; though his tongue cannot be tragic enough to describe my sufferings, so great was my illness. However, any one who knows me ever so little, will be able to conjecture what it was.

To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata [a city on the Euphrates in southeastern Turkey] Good Isaaces can tell you what shape he found me in — though even he can't fully capture how bad things have been. Anyone who knows me at all can guess. Even on my good days I'm weaker than most people on their deathbed, so imagine how I was at my worst. Sickness is practically my normal state, so you could joke that a fever is just a change of scenery for me. But the truth is, the pain keeps growing. Illness piles on illness until it's obvious to anyone that this body of mine is going to give out — unless God, in his patience, grants me more time to set things right. He's pulled me back from the brink before. Whatever happens, it's in his hands. I don't need to tell you how desperate things are in the churches. We've each retreated into self-preservation, unable to see that when everything collapses, no one escapes. And you least of all need reminding — you saw this coming long ago. You've been sounding the alarm, writing letters, showing up in person, doing everything in your power to wake people up. I remember all of it. Yet here we are, no better off. If my own troubles hadn't gotten in the way, I would have come to see you long ago — not because I could fix the state of the church, but because your company would have done me good. Here's what happened: first, my dear brother the deacon Eustathius fell seriously ill and kept me at his side for two full months, waiting day after day for him to recover. Then everyone around me started getting sick — Isaaces can fill you in on the details. Finally, I was hit with this illness myself. I'd been planning to get myself out of range of the ecclesiastical artillery — I'm simply not equipped right now to fend off my opponents' attacks. [Basil faced fierce opposition from Arian-leaning bishops and imperial officials throughout this period.] May God's powerful hand keep you safe for all of us. You are a noble guardian of the faith and a tireless defender of the churches. And may he grant me, before I die, the comfort of seeing you again.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata. 1. In what state the good Isaaces has found me, he himself will best explain to you; though his tongue cannot be tragic enough to describe my sufferings, so great was my illness. However, any one who knows me ever so little, will be able to conjecture what it was. For, if when I am called well, I am weaker even than persons who are given over, you may fancy what I was when thus ill. Yet, since disease is my natural state, it would follow (let a fever have its jest) that in this change of habit, my health became especially flourishing. But it is the scourge of the Lord which goes on increasing my pain according to my deserts; therefore I have received illness upon illness, so that now even a child may see that this shell of mine must for certain fail, unless perchance, God's mercy vouchsafe to me, in His long suffering, time for repentance, and now, as often before, extricate me from evils beyond human cure. This shall be, as it is pleasing to Him and good for myself. 2. I need hardly tell you how deplorable and hopeless is the condition of the Churches. Now, for the sake of our own safety, we neglect our neighbour's, and do not even seem able to see that general disaster involves individual ruin. Least of all need I say this to one who, like yourself, foresaw the future from afar, and has foretold and proclaimed it and has been among the first to be roused, and to rouse the rest, writing letters, coming yourself in person, leaving no deed undone, no word unspoken. I remember this in every instance, but yet we are none the better off. Now, indeed, were not my sins in the way, (first of all, my dear brother the reverend deacon Eustathius fell seriously ill and detained me two whole months, looking day by day for his restoration to health; and then all about me fell sick; brother Isaaces will tell you the rest; then last of all I myself was attacked by this complaint) I should long ago have been to see your excellency, not indeed thereby to try to improve the general state of affairs, but to get some good for myself from your society. I had made up my mind to get out of the reach of the ecclesiastical artillery, because I am quite unprepared to meet my enemies' attacks. May God's mighty hand preserve you for all of us, as a noble guardian of the faith, and a vigilant champion of the Churches; and grant me, before I die, to meet you for the comfort of my soul.

[Πρός: Εὐσεβίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Σαμοσάτων] Ἐν οἵοις ἡμᾶς ὄντας κατέλαβεν ὁ χρηστὸς Ἰσαάκης αὐτός σοι ἄμεινον διηγήσεται, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχει τὴν γλῶσσαν, ὥστε τραγικῶς ἐξαγγεῖλαι τὸ ὑπεραῖρον τῶν παθῶν, τοσοῦτον ἦν τῆς ἀρρωστίας τὸ μέγεθος. καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς δὲ παντὶ γνώριμον τῷ ἐμὲ καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἐπισταμένῳ. εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ δοκούσῃ εὐεξίᾳ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων πρὸς τὸ ζῇν ἀσθενέστερον διεκείμην, γινώσκειν ἔξεστι τίς ἂν ἤμην ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας. καίτοιγε ἐχρῆν (δὸς γὰρ τῷ πυρετῷ συγγνώμην ἐρεσχελοῦντι), ἐπειδή μοι κατὰ φύσιν ἦν τὸ νοσεῖν, ἐν τῇ μεταβολῇ ταύτῃ τῆς ἕξεως ὑγείας μοι νῦν τὸ κράτιστον περιεῖναι. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ μάστιξ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ προσθήκαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀξίαν τὸ ἀλγεινὸν ἐπιτείνουσα, ἀσθένειαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ προσεκτησάμην, ὥστε τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ παιδὶ φανερὸν εἶναι, ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη οἰχήσεσθαι ἡμῖν τὸ ἔλυτρον τοῦτο, πλὴν εἰ μή που ἄρα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ αὐτοῦ χρόνους εἰς μετάνοιαν χαριζομένη, ποιήσειε καὶ νῦν, ὡς καὶ πολλάκις πρότερον, λύσιν τινὰ καὶ πόρον ἐκ τῶν ἀμηχάνων δεινῶν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἕξει ὡς αὐτῷ φίλον καὶ ἡμῖν συμφέρον. Τὰ δὲ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ὅπως οἴχεται καὶ προπέποται, ἡμῶν τῆς οἰκείας ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκεν τὰ τῶν πλησίον περιορώντων καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνορᾷν δυναμένων, ὅτι τῇ τοῦ κοινοῦ κακοπραγίᾳ καὶ τὸ καθʼ ἕκαστον συναπόλλυται, τί χρὴ καὶ λέγειν; ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα, ὃς πόρρωθεν ἕκαστα προειδώς, καὶ προδιεμαρτύρω καὶ προεκήρυξας, καὶ αὐτός τε προεξανέστης, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς συνεπήγειρας, ἐπιστέλλων, αὐτὸς παραγινόμενος, τί οὐ ποιῶν, τίνα φωνὴν οὐκ ἀφιείς ϲ ὧν μεμνήμεθα μὲν ἐφʼ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐκβαινόντων, ὠφελούμεθα δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν οὐκέτι. καὶ νῦν εἰ μὴ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἀντέστησάν μοι, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὁ εὐλαβέστατος καὶ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Εὐστάθιος ὁ συνδιάκονος, εἰς νόσον χαλεπὴν καταπεσών, εἰς ὅλους με δύο παρέτεινε μῆνας, ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ περιμένοντα· ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἠσθένησαν, ὧν τὰ μὲν καταλείμματα ἐξαριθμήσεται ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰσαάκης· τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῇ νόσῳ κατεσχέθην ταύτῃ· ἐπεὶ πάλαι ἂν ἤμην παρὰ τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα, οὐκ ὄφελός τι τοῖς κοινοῖς παρεχόμενος, ἀλλʼ ἐμαυτῷ μέγα κέρδος ἐκ τῆς συντυχίας σου κτώμενος. καὶ γὰρ ἐγνώκειν ἔξω τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν γενέσθαι βελῶν διὰ τὸ ἀφύλακτον ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ σκευωρούμενα παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων. σώζοι σε τῷ βίῳ παντὶ ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ Θεοῦ χείρ, τὸν γενναῖον φύλακα τῆς πίστεως καὶ νήφοντα τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προστάτην· καὶ καταξιώσειεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τῆς ἐξόδου τῆς συντυχίας σου ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.