To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.²⁴⁶⁷

2467 On his being hindered from traveling by ill health, and on his difficulties with the bishops in communion with him.

1.  I have now received two letters from your divine and most excellent wisdom, whereof the one told me clearly how I had been expected by the laity under the jurisdiction of your holiness, and what disappointment I had caused by failing to attend the sacred synod.  The other, which from the writing I conjecture to be of the earlier date, though it was delivered later, gave me advice, at once honourable to yourself and necessary to me, not to neglect the interests of God’s Churches, nor little by little to allow the guidance of affairs to pass to our opponents, whereby their interests must win, and ours lose.  I think that I answered both.  But, as I am uncertain whether my replies were preserved by those who were entrusted with the duty of conveying them, I will make my defence over again.  As to my absence, I can put in an unimpeachable plea, as to which I think intelligence must have reached your holiness, that I have been detained by illness which has brought me to the very gates of death.  Even now as I write about it, the remains of sickness are still upon me.  And they are such as to another man might be unendurable.

2.  As to the fact of its not being owing to my neglect that the interests of the Churches have been betrayed to our opponents, I wish your reverence to know that the bishops in communion with me, from lack of earnestness, or because they suspect me and are not open with me, or because the devil is always at hand to oppose good works, are unwilling to cooperate with me.  Formerly, indeed, the majority of us were united with one another, including the excellent Bosporius.²⁴⁶⁸

2468 cf. Letter li.

2469 The Ben. note is:  “Canones illos qui apostolis afficti fuere, nonnunquam citat Basilius in Epistolis canonicis.  Videtur hoc loco respicere ad vigesimum (?xxxvii.) septimum, ubi præscribitur, ut in unaquaque provincia episcopi nihil majoris rei incipiant sine sententia illius, qui inter eos primus, ac unus quisque iis contentus sit, quæ ad parœciam suam pertinent:  sed nec ille absque omnium voluntate quidquam faciat.  Erat Basilius hujus canonis observandi studiosus, et quamvis nominis fama et sedis dignitate plurimum posset, nunquam ab eo communionis restitutionem impetrare potuerunt Marcelli discipuli, antequam Petri Alexandrini auctoritates accessisset:  et cum ab Episcopis in Palæstina Exsulantibus non ex spectato aliorum Episcoporum consensu restituti fuissent, factum moleste tulit et libere reprehendit.”  Epist. cclxv.

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