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Defence of his flight

9. The accusation shews the mind of the accusers.

Now if they had been of sound mind, they would have seen that they were in this strait, and that they were falling foul of their own arguments. But since they have lost all judgment, they are still led on to persecute, and seek to destroy, and yet perceive not their own impiety. It may be they even venture to accuse Providence itself (for nothing is beyond the reach of their presumption), that it does not deliver up to them those whom they desire; certain as it is, according to the saying of our Saviour, that not even a sparrow can fall into the snare without our Father which is in heaven ¹. But when these accursed ones obtain possession of any one, they immediately forget not only all other, but even themselves; and raising their brow in very haughtiness, they neither acknowledge times and seasons, nor respect human nature in those whom they injure. Like the tyrant of Babylon ², they attack more furiously; they shew pity to none, but mercilessly ‘upon the ancient,’ as it is written, ‘they very heavily lay the yoke,’ and ‘they add to the grief of them that are wounded ³.’ Had they not acted in this manner; had they not driven into banishment those who spoke in my defence against their calumnies, their representations might have appeared to some persons sufficiently plausible. But since they have conspired against so many other Bishops of high character, and have spared neither the great confessor Hosius, nor the Bishop of Rome, nor so many others from the Spains and the Gauls, and Egypt, and Libya, and the other countries, but have committed such cruel outrages against all who have in any way opposed them in my behalf; is it not plain that their designs have been directed rather against me than against any other, and that their desire is miserably to destroy me as they have done others? To accomplish this they vigilantly watch for an opportunity, and think themselves injured, when they see those safe, whom they wished not to live.

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Apologie de Saint Athanase sur sa fuite

9.

S’ils avaient conservé le sens, ils verraient qu’ils s’enveloppent eux-mêmes et se heurtent contre leurs propres calculs; mais, du moment qu’ils ont perdu l’esprit, ils sont emportés dans leur poursuite et, dans leur soif de meurtre, ne voient pas leur impiété. Peut-être même (car, que n’osent-ils pas?) s’en prennent-ils à la Providence de ce qu’elle ne leur livre pas leurs victimes; et pourtant il est clair par la parole du Sauveur qu’un simple passereau rie peut tomber dans un piège sans la volonté de notre Père qui est dans les cieux. Ces furieux ont-ils pris quelqu’un ils oublient les autres et surtout s’oublient eux-mêmes. Dans leur arrogance, ils froncent fièrement le sourcil, sans égard au temps et sans respect de la nature, dans leur injustice envers des hommes; comme le tyran de Babylone, ils s’acharnent avec plus de fureur et n’ont compassion de personne, aggravant le joug du vieillard,¹ et ajoutant à la douleur des blessures, les impitoyables ! Si tels n’étaient point leurs actes; s’ils n’avaient pas exilé ceux qui combattaient leurs calomnies contre moi, peut-être se seraient-ils fait croire de quelques-uns; mais quand on les voit comploter contre tant et de tels évêques, n’épargner ni Hosius le grand, le confesseur, ni l’évêque de Rome, ni tant d’autres des Espagnes, des Gaules, d’Egypte, de Libye et du reste de l’empire, faire tant de mal à ceux qui les avaient simplement réfutés à mon sujet, comment n’auraient-ils pas d’abord comploté contre moi? et ont-ils un plus ardent désir que de me faire cruellement périr à mon tour? C’est le but de leurs veilles, et ils s’estiment lésés, s’ils voient sauvés ceux qu’ils ne voudraient pas voir vivre.