Traduction Masquer
Treatise concerning the christian priesthood

6.

These words, and more, my mother spake to me, and I related them to that noble youth. But he, so far from being disheartened by these speeches, was the more urgent in making the same request as before. Now while we were thus situated, he continually entreating, and I refusing my assent, we were both of us disturbed by a report suddenly reaching us that we were about to be advanced to the dignity of the episcopate. ¹ As soon as I heard this rumor I was seized with alarm and perplexity: with alarm lest I should be made captive against my will, and perplexity, inquiring as I often did whence any such idea concerning us could have entered the minds of these men; for looking to myself I found nothing worthy of such an honor. But that noble youth having come to me privately, and having conferred with me about these things as if with one who was ignorant of the rumor, begged that we might in this instance also as formerly shape our action and our counsels the same way: for he would readily follow me whichever course I might pursue, whether I attempted flight or submitted to be captured. Perceiving then his eagerness, and considering that I should inflict a loss upon the whole body of the Church if, owing to my own weakness, I were to deprive the flock of Christ of a young man who was so good and so well qualified for the supervision of large numbers, I abstained from disclosing to him the purpose which I had formed, although I had never before allowed any of my plans to be concealed from him. I now told him that it would be best to postpone our decision concerning this matter to another season, as it was not immediately pressing, and by so doing persuaded him to dismiss it from his thoughts, and at the same time encouraged him to hope that, if such a thing should ever happen to us, I should be of the same mind with him. But after a short time, when one who was to ordain us arrived, I kept myself concealed, but Basil, ignorant of this, was taken away on another pretext, and made to take the yoke, hoping from the promises which I had made to him that I should certainly follow, or rather supposing that he was following me. For some of those who were present, seeing that he resented being seized, deceived him by exclaiming how strange it was that one who was generally reputed to be the more hot tempered (meaning me), had yielded very mildly to the judgment of the Fathers, whereas he, who was reckoned a much wiser and milder kind of man, had shown himself hotheaded and conceited, being unruly, restive, and contradictory. ² Having yielded to these remonstrances, and afterwards having learned that I had escaped capture, he came to me in deep dejection, sat down near me and tried to speak, but was hindered by distress of mind and inability to express in words the violence to which he had been subjected. No sooner had he opened his mouth than he was prevented from utterance by grief cutting short his words before they could pass his lips. Seeing, then, his tearful and agitated condition, and knowing as I did the cause, I laughed for joy, and, seizing his right hand, I forced a kiss on him, and praised God that my plan had ended so successfully, as I had always prayed it might. But when he saw that I was delighted and beaming with joy, and understood that he had been deceived by me, he was yet more vexed and distressed.

Traduction Masquer
Traité du Sacerdoce

6.

Voilà ce que me disait ma mère avec beaucoup d’autres choses encore, et moi je répétais tout à mon généreux ami, qui, loin d’en être ému, n’en était que plus pressant dans ses sollicitations.

Nous en étions là; Basile continuait de supplier et moi de résister, lorsque tout à coup il s’éleva un bruit qui nous troubla tous les deux : le bruit courait que l’on allait nous élever à la dignité du sacerdoce. A cette nouvelle, je fus pour ma part rempli de crainte et de perplexité; de crainte, car j’avais peur que l’on usât de violence à mon égard; de perplexité, car j ‘avais beau chercher, je ne découvrais pas comment les Pères électeurs avaient pu avoir de telles vues sur moi : plus je me considérais, plus je nie trouvais dépourvu de tout ce qui pouvait m’attirer un pareil honneur. Quant à mon généreux ami, il me vint trouver en particulier pour me communiquer ce qui se passait, comme si je l’eusse ignoré; il me pria de faire en sorte qu’on reconnût dans cette occasion, comme dans toutes les autres, la conformité de notre conduite et de nos sentiments; il était prêt à me suivre, quelque parti que je voulusse embrasser, qu’il fallût fuir ou te laisser élire.

Assuré de ses dispositions, et persuadé que j’allais faire à l’Eglise un tort grave, si, sans autre raison que mon inaptitude, je privais le troupeau de Jésus-Christ d’un jeune pasteur si excellent, si propre au gouvernement des hommes, je ne lui découvris pas cette fois la résolution que j’avais prise, bien qu’auparavant je ne lui eusse jamais rien caché dans mes desseins; je lui dis donc qu’il fallait remettre à plus tard la décision de cette affaire, vu que rien ne pressait; je lui persuadai de ne pas s’en occuper du tout pour le moment: enfin je lui laissai croire que je ne me séparerais pas de lui, si ce dont nous étions menacés s’accomplissait.

Peu de temps après arrive le ministre qui devait nous conférer les Ordres : pendant que je reste caché, mon ami, qui ne se doutait de rien, se laisse conduire à l’assemblée sous prétexte d’une autre affaire. Il reçoit ainsi le joug, espérant, d’après la promesse que je lui avais faite, que je le suivrais n’importe où, et mieux encore, s’imaginant qu’il ne faisait que marcher sur mes traces. Car, quelques-uns des assistants le voyant se fâcher de la surprise qui lui était faite, le trompèrent en s’écriant : qu’il était étrange que celui qu’on avait cru devoir être le moins traitable (c’était de moi qu’on parlait), eût cédé avec beaucoup de docilité au jugement des Pères, tandis que lui, qui était le plus sage et le plus doux, s’opiniâtrait maintenant, et se montrait assez vain pour regimber, se cabrer, et résister ouvertement.

A ces paroles il se rendit : lorsqu’il eut appris que je m’étais enfui, il vint me trouver dans une tristesse profonde : il s’assit près de moi; il voulait parler, mais son trouble l’empêchait de s’exprimer et de raconter la violence qu’il avait soufferte; il ouvrait la bouche sans pouvoir articuler un son; la douleur ne permettait pas à ses paroles de passer le bord de ses lèvres. En voyant les larmes qui coulaient de ses yeux, et le trouble dont il était agité, moi, qui en savais la cause, je me mis à rire, laissant éclater ma joie, en même temps je saisis sa main que je couvris de baisers, remerciant Dieu de l’heureux succès de mon stratagème et de l’accomplissement de mes souhaits. Lorsqu’il vit ma joie et mon contentement, il comprit que je l’avais trompé dès le principe, et sa peine et son dépit s’en augmentèrent encore.