Letter 452: Forgetting does not happen outside the range of human experience — it falls upon us like other ailments.

On the saying of Hezekiah, "Let there be peace in my days": The most God-loving Hezekiah said "Let there be peace in my days" not because he was yielding to wars, nor because he was withdrawing from supplication, but rather he brought his petition before God as a suppliant, and sought the enemy's defeat from on high, showing by his very achievements that, having won peace as a friend, he implored to keep it forever. Whence he accomplished the victory by the hand of an angel, not resorting to arrows nor making assaults, but keeping vigil in prayers and supplications to God. To Cyrenius: "Why does earth and ashes show arrogance?" Why does corruption act the youth? Why does a shadow think great thoughts and exalt itself? Why does the dream of office puff you up? How do you not see those who end their rule in shame? How do you not emulate those who administered virtuously? But you regard a brief governorship as though it were an everlasting dominion -- over which the revolving cycle of time will attend to you, driving your rule toward its end and putting a stop to your seething. To Eutonios the Deacon: Being suspected is not the same thing, admirable one, as being caught. The former may be said even against one who has not acted, while the latter applies only to one caught in the act. If Eusebius, as you say, ostracizes those who are merely suspected and slandered without cause, yet deems those actually caught worthy of a higher rank -- moved sometimes by flattery and sometimes by desire for money -- do not be astonished. For if everything else were conducted by him according to reason, perhaps this too would have merited correction. But since he does everything that is unlawful to do, let this too, being worthy of his ways, surprise no one.

Εἰς τὸ τοῦ ᾿Εζεκίου εἰρημένον· « Γενέσθω δὴ εἰρήνῃ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις. » Γενέσθω εἰρήνη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου, ὁ θεοφιλέ- στατος ἔλεγεν Εζεκίας, οὐκ ἐνδιδοὺς τοῖς πολέμοις, οὐκ ἀφεστὼς τῆς πρεσβείας, ἀλλὰ [τὴν] μὲν θεῷ προσῆγεν ἱκέτιν, τοῖς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ἧτταν ἐζήτει, αὐτοῖς δηλῶν τοῖς κατορθώμασιν, ὡς φίλην κτησά- μενος τὴν εἰρήνην, μέχρι παντὸς ἔχειν αὐτὴν ἡντι βόλει. Ὅθεν ἀγγέλου χειρὶ τὴν νίκην εἰργάσατο, εἰς βέλη μὲν οὐ χωρῶν, οὐδὲ εἰσχύρσεις (56) ποιῶν, εἰς Β΄ δεήσεις δὲ καὶ λιτὰς τὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγρυπνῶν. ΥΓ. – ΚΥΡΗΝΙΟ. • Τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός; » τί νεανιεύεται φθορά; τι μέγα φρονεῖ καὶ ὑπεραίρεται σκιά; Τί σε φυσᾷ ὄνειρος ἀρχῆς; Πῶς οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς καταλύοντας αἰσχρῶς; Πῶς οὐ ζηλοῖς τοὺς διατρέψαντας (77-78) χρηστῶς; ᾿Αλλὰ βραχυτελῆ ἡγεμονίαν, ὡς ἀτελεύ- τητον νομίζεις ἐξουσίαν, ἐφ᾿ ἡ ὁ τοῦ χρόνου σε κύ- κλος θεραπεύσει στρεφόμενος, πρὸς τέλος ὠθῶν τὴν ἀρχήν σου, καὶ τέλος ἐπιτιθεὶς τῷ βρασμῷ σου. ``` ΥΝΑ΄. – ΕΥΤΟΝΙΩ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ. Οὐ ταυτὸν, ὦ θαυμάσιε, τὸ ὑποπτευθῆναι τῷ ἁλῶναι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ μὴ δράσαντος λέγεται, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ φωραθέντος. Εἰ δὲ Εὐσέβιος, ὡς φὴς, τοὺς μὲν μάτην ὑπονοουμένους καὶ διαβαλλομένους ἐξοστρακίζει, τοὺς δὲ ἀλόντας μείζονος ἀξιοῖ βαθμοῦ, πῆ μὲν κολακείαις πειθόμενος, πῆ δὲ χρημάτων ὀρεγόμενος, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τ' ἄλλα πάντα κατὰ λόγον αὐτῷ ἐπράττετο, ἴσως (39) “καὶ τοῦτο διορθώσεως ἠξίωσεν. Εἰ δὲ πάντα δρᾷ ἃ δρᾶν οὐ θέμις, καὶ τοῦτο ἄξιον ὂν τῶν αὐτοῦ τρόπων μηδένα ξενιζέτω.