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For the first few miles they rode in silence, through ruined villages and desolated farms, from which here and there a single inhabitant peeped forth fearfully, to pour his tale of woe into the ears of the hapless bishop, and then, instead of asking alms from him, to entreat his acceptance of some paltry remnant of grain or poultry, which had escaped the hands of the marauders; and as they clung to his hands, and blessed him as their only hope and stay, poor Synesius heard patiently again and again the same purposeless tale of woe, and mingled his tears with theirs, and then spurred his horse on impatiently, as if to escape from the sight of misery which he could not relieve; while a voice in Raphael's heart seemed to ask him 'Why was thy wealth given to thee, but that thou mightest dry, if but for a day, such tears as these?
'Yes.... horses are a bore, I begin to find, like everything else. Always falling sick, or running away, or breaking one's peace of mind in some way or other. Besides, I have been pestered out of my life there in Cyrene, by commissions for dogs and horses and bows from that old Episcopal Nimrod, Synesius. 'What, is the worthy man as lively as ever? 'Lively?
It remains for you to bring forth worthy fruits of penitence; of which I know none better than those which John the Baptist commanded to the soldiery of old, "Do no violence to any man, and be content with your wages." 'As for rebels and rebellion, said Synesius, 'they are matters unknown among as; for where there is no king there can be no rebellion.
'Most wayward of men! cried Synesius, half peevishly; 'you seem to take some perverse pleasure in throwing yourself into the waves again, the instant you have climbed a rock of refuge! 'Pleasure? Is there any pleasure in feeling oneself at death-grips with the devil?
We found Augustine at Berenice, in act to set off to Synesius: we one of us, that is were certain that you would be found with him; and we decided on acting as Augustine's guard, for none of the dastard garrison dare stir out. 'One of us, thought Raphael, 'which one? And, conquering his pride, he asked, as carelessly as he could, for Victoria.
While the oration of Synesius, and the downfall of the Barbarians, were the topics of popular conversation, an edict was published at Constantinople, which declared the promotion of Alaric to the rank of master-general of the Eastern Illyricum.
Almost the first we have deserving such a description are those of the Emperor Julian in the fourth century of that Christ for whom he had such an unfortunate hatred; the most copious and thoroughly genuine perhaps those of Bishop Synesius a little later.
But I would have those who are offended by the levity and sportiveness of my theme reflect that it was not I that began this, but that the same was practised by great writers in former times; seeing that so many centuries ago Homer made his trifle The Battle of Frogs and Mice, Virgil his Gnat and Dish of Herbs and Ovid his Nut; seeing that Busiris was praised by Polycrates and his critic Isocrates, Injustice by Glaucon, Thersites and the Quartan Fever by Favorinus, Baldness by Synesius, the Fly and the Art of Being a Parasite by Lucian; and that Seneca devised the Apotheosis of the Emperor Claudius, Plutarch the Dialogue of Gryllus and Ulysses, Lucian and Apuleius the Ass, and someone unknown the Testament of Grunnius Corocotta the Piglet, mentioned even by St.
It maintained its ground in Europe in the same eminent position for nearly fifteen hundred years, justifying the encomium of Synesius on the institution which gave it birth, "the divine school of Alexandria."
The one was Synesius of course; that most incoherent and most benevolent of busybodies chose to betray me behind my back:-but I will not trouble you with that part of my story. The real wonder is that the other episcopal match-maker was Augustine of Hippo himself! 'Anything to bribe a convert, said Hypatia contemptuously. 'I assure you, no.