of what has occurred, having the most abundant consolation. For it was no ordinary solace that came to me, the reflection that, sitting at such a distance, you who had never seen us, nor been seen by us, nor held speech with us, were suddenly moved by the lawlessness of what was perpetrated and displayed such love toward us as parents do toward their children; or rather, you have even surpassed parents with such solicitude. For this reason we give thanks to your holiness, we admire, we bless, and we exhort you to imitate yourselves, and to bring to its end the zeal you displayed from the beginning. For even if nothing more is achieved toward the correction of what has happened, it is no small consolation to us, as I just said, that we have enjoyed and continue to enjoy such love from your graciousness. B CL. To Bishop Asellus. I know indeed that you do not need letters to be aroused and to take up the correction of the evils that have overtaken the Churches of the East. You have demonstrated this by what you have done, having of your own accord offered such zeal. But since the evils remain still uncorrected, because of the folly of those who have acted so lawlessly, we have thought it necessary to exhort your holiness, that you should not grow weary, nor lose heart, but should exercise a vigorous zeal, and contribute everything from yourselves once again. For the more incurable the state of those who create sedition against the order of the Churches may be, the greater will be their condemnation, and the brighter will be the reward and the greater the crowns for you, who do not grow weary. C CLI. To the Bishops. We owe thanks to each of you individually, and to all of you in common; and not we alone, but all the bishops throughout the East, the clergy of various cities, and the peoples in many ways driven out, because you have displayed fatherly hearts, have suffered with us, have stood firmly, and have contributed everything from yourselves. For this reason all proclaim you, crown you, and have your achievements on their lips. But if such honors are from men, consider how great will be the rewards for you from the philanthropic God. Knowing these things, then, my most honorable and most devout lords, even if those who disturb the Churches are suffering from incurable ills, do not cease offering your own healing. For by as much as the obstacles are greater and the difficulty more severe, by that much greater is your reward. For if one who gives a cup of cold water D will not be without his reward for his brief kindness (Matt. 10:42), consider how great a reward you will receive, having chosen to both do and suffer so much for the sake of the troubled Churches, and how great the prizes for good works await you. A CLII. To the same. We do not cease continuously to acknowledge our gratitude to you. For even if we have been treated with many lawless acts by our enemies, yet we have enjoyed much of your alliance, your abundant love, your genuine kindness, and your most fervent zeal; and we have in this no small consolation in the most grievous exile in which we are held, and in the other calamities which have been brought upon us. Therefore, we exhort your holiness to persist in displaying the same disposition and zeal toward us. For what you are doing will not stop with us, but will extend to the common good of the Churches. For it is not one, or two, or three cities, but entire nations throughout the world that are being troubled. And it is right that such zeal be shown by you as it is proper for those who have concerned themselves and laboured for so many souls to show. And if you have done much, and have contributed your own part, we know this too, and we do not cease to thank you; but we ask you not to cease doing so. For your endurance, your patience, and your right-minded judgment will be able to turn even those who are very contentiously disposed and are suffering from incurable ills away from the madness that now holds them. But if they persist in being so incurable, yet for you the reward will be perfected, and the rewards full, and the crown of these good things entire. B CLIII. To the same. We do not cease continuously to acknowledge our gratitude to you. For even if we have been treated with many lawless acts by our enemies, yet we have enjoyed much of your alliance, your abundant love, your genuine kindness, and your most fervent zeal; and we have in this no small consolation in the most grievous exile in which we are held, and in the other calamities which have been brought upon us. Therefore, we exhort your holiness to persist in displaying the same disposition and zeal toward us. For what you are doing will not stop with us, but will extend to the common good of the Churches. For it is not one, or two, or three cities, but entire nations throughout the world that are being troubled. And it is right that such zeal be shown by you as it is proper for those who have concerned themselves and laboured for so many souls to show. And if you have done much, and have contributed your own part, we know this too, and we do not cease to thank you; but we ask you not to cease doing so. For your endurance, your patience, and your right-minded judgment will be able to turn even those who are very contentiously disposed and are suffering from incurable ills away from the madness that now holds them. But if they persist in being so incurable, yet for you the reward will be perfected, and the rewards full, and the crown of these good things entire. C CLIV. To the same. We have indeed longed to see you with the eyes of the body; but since this is not possible, as we are held by the bond of exile, we visualize you with the eyes of love each day, and we embrace you, and we do not cease to applaud and admire that you have persisted from the beginning until now in displaying such zeal and earnestness for the Churches of the East; and we exhort you to show an end worthy of the beginnings. For if those who have disturbed everything and filled all with tumult use such contentiousness, it is much more right for you, who have been zealous to correct what has gone wrong, to make use of great patience and endurance in such zeal. For thus your reward will be greater, and the recompense larger, when, even though many obstacles arise, you do not pull back, but remain, walling off the difficulty of the situation with your own vigilance and zeal. D