Chapter One Cardinal Bessarion against St. Mark of Ephesus

No way to avoid the convoluted sentences,  due to the nature of the sentences.

None can proclaim the war of the Latins and the Greeks toward one another about the most important and most divine things , my most holy and divine Father and Master, inasmuch as it  concerns greater things.  For the truth  regarding the Divinity is greater and more honorable

than what someone could speak.  This war is most difficult, and at the same time, has become the most protracted of all of them.  Neither is there to be found anywhere  anyone who survived this battle, none whatsoever; the parties were so enraged against another. For not only do they accuse  others of impiety, further, they really succeed in doing good for the Lord and Master Himself. For, although many times solutions  happened, having thought they stood together, again they  stood apart in disagreement from  one another. And the worst yet, after all their mania against one another,  they did make progress and continue to press forward, but by  trying to  show others guilty  of impiety, atheism, error, belief in two principles of Divinity, stalling discussion and a myriad of heresies.  But the Latins and the more ancient of the Latins, having  talked about  these things once before, took  recesses, then collaborated  about the dogma, especially each one by himself, or bringing rebuttals against those of opposite opinion.  But the Greeks and those who hunt out their opinions, since they  can’t find proof from another source, flattering the multitude with their want of reason,   they lead people  astray and are fruitful in their endeavor to get accolades, not ceasing  to always say something blasphemous against the Latins, both  what can be said, and what shouldn’t be, keeping among themselves.

Since then, at any rate, about these things which were drafted for me at a different time concerning this present dogma, about all these things, which he is talking about right now, I latched upon them (for they are both in the vernacular and the words are worn out from use and in the mouth of everyone, in order to tell them all with divine speech. I  proved my point adequately that they are rotten and base. I represented for you all, making use of the words of the blessed men  who  already arrived.)

We will deliver a canon in a few words after these things with the aim indeed of giving assistance for a more agreeable solution and to build up those tossed about  by this out of place dogmatic overthrow. 

From these things  we ourselves have both spoken more broadly amongst others and  not a few have  put it out for those helped by the wisdom before us.

But through this  there may be a more advantageous solution  according to the truth, and the truth, may they pray, may be displayed brighter than  every light. 

If indeed then it will be enough, it will go well, and if not, fables may it be sought for the present problems,so we will write back having taken to the commentaries, although we will speak the same things and nothing innovative (of the more recent).

For if there are to be found other solutions, if indeed there is to be a simple narration of the truth, or if there is a lying one  and heralding novelties it is to play the fool. But, to rather speak  truthfully, speaking always one and the same, is the solution. Moreover, even Socrates not only taught the same  concerning these things, but also  through them, wished his speech to be timeless.