Letter 95

95. To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.

Long ago I wrote to your godliness, for the sake of certain other matters and of our meeting one another, but I was disappointed of my hope, since the letter did not reach the hands of your honour. The blessed deacon Theophrastus received our letter, as I was of necessity setting out on a certain visitation; but he did not forward it to your godliness, since he was first overtaken by the illness of which he died. Whence I have come to the writing so much later than the proper time that I cannot hope there will be any use in this letter at all, since the time has been narrowed into the very last extremity. For the most God-loving bishop Meletius, and Theodotus, have charged us to cross over to them, both making the meeting a token of love and wishing that some correction be made of the things that now distress us. They appointed as the time of the meeting the middle of the coming month of June, and as the place the village of Phargamus, distinguished by the renown of its martyrs and by the great concourse of the synod that is held among them each year. And since I had, after my return, to learn of the falling asleep of the blessed deacon, and to find the letters lying idle with us, and so must not keep quiet — there being still thirty-three days left to us before the appointed day — I have sent in haste to the most reverend brother Eustathius, our fellow minister, this letter, so that through him it may be forwarded to your dignity, and that again the replies may be quickly brought back to us. For if it is possible, or otherwise pleasing to you, to be present, we ourselves too will be there; but if not, we shall, God willing, discharge our debt of last year's meeting, unless again some hindrance from our sins comes upon us; and the interview with the bishops we shall defer to another time.