sins, from youth, until the day of the end, in which I was overtaken, then investigating.

What fear and trembling do you think the soul has on that day, seeing the terrible, and wild, and harsh, and merciless and untamable demons, standing by like gloomy Ethiopians, whose very sight alone is more grievous than any punishment, seeing whom the soul is disturbed, is terrified, is pained, is troubled, and shrinks back, fleeing to the angels of God? Therefore, the soul is held by the holy angels, passing through the air, and being lifted up, it finds toll-houses guarding the ascent, and seizing, and hindering the souls that are ascending. Each toll-house presents their own sins; the one for slander, whatever through mouth and tongue comes from falsehood, and oath, and perjury, and idle talk and nonsense, and vain words and gluttonous abuses, and debauched drinking of wine, and excessive and unseemly laughter, and of indecent and improper kisses, and of lewd songs; but the holy angels who guide the soul, they too present whatever good things we have spoken through mouth and tongue, prayers, thanksgivings, psalms, odes, hymns, and spiritual songs, readings of the Scriptures, and whatever good things through mouth and tongue we have sent forth to God. A second toll-house, the sight of the eyes, and whatever comes from unseemly and curious and unbridled gazing, and deceitful winks. A third toll-house, of hearing, and whatever through such a sense, the unclean spirits receive. A fourth toll-house, the 77.1076 smelling of fragrant ointments, and of pleasurable scents, which are fitting for stage-women and courtesans. A fifth toll-house, whatever evil and harsh things were done by the touch of hands; and the remaining toll-houses of wickedness, of envy and jealousy, of vainglory and pride, of bitterness and anger, of quick temper and wrath, of fornication, and adultery, and effeminacy, of murder and sorcery, and of the other God-hated and defiled deeds; of which at the present hour it is not possible to recount in detail; but let it be reserved for another time; and simply thus in order each passion of the soul, and every sin has its own toll-collectors, and tax-gatherers.

Therefore, the soul seeing these things and greater, and more than these, what fear, and trembling, and agitation do you think it has, until the sentence should come, and its freedom should be granted? That is the painful, and perilous, and much-groaned, and inconsolable hour, until it sees what the outcome will be. For the divine powers stand, and the face of the unclean spirits; and these bring forward its good deeds, through words, and works, and reasonings, and thoughts; the soul perceives, standing in the midst in fear and trembling, until from its actions, and its works, and its words, being condemned it might be bound, or being justified it might be set free (for by the chains of his own sins each is bound); and if it is worthy, having lived piously, and having conducted its life in a God-pleasing way, angels receive it; and then being free from care, it proceeds having the holy powers as fellow-travelers, according to that which is written: As of all who rejoice, the dwelling is in you. Then is fulfilled that which was spoken: Pain, grief, and groaning have fled away. Then being delivered from those evil and corrupt and terrible spirits, it proceeds to that unspeakable joy. But if it is found to have lived in carelessness and debauchery, it hears that most terrible voice: Let the ungodly be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord.

Then days of wrath, and affliction, and necessity, and distress overtake it, a day of darkness and gloom; then the holy angels of God leaving it, those Ethiopian demons take it, and beating it mercilessly, drag it down to the earth; and having torn it asunder, they cast it down bound

ἁμαρτήματα, ἀπὸ τῆς νεότητος, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ τέλους, ἧς κατελήφθην, ἐξερευνῶν λοιπόν.

Ὁποῖον φόβον καὶ τρόμον δοκεῖς τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχειν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, θεωροῦσαν τοὺς φοβεροὺς, καὶ ἀγρίους, καὶ ἀπηνεῖς, καὶ ἀνηλεεῖς καὶ ἀτιθάσσους δαίμονας, ὡς Αἰθίοπας ζοφώδεις παρισταμένους, ὧν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ἰδέα μόνη χαλεπωτέρα ὑπάρχει πάσης κολάσεως, οὕστινας ὁρῶσα ἡ ψυχὴ θορυβεῖται, θροεῖται, ὀδυνᾶται, ταράσσεται, καὶ συστέλλεται, πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγγέλους προσφεύγουσα; Κατέχεται οὖν ἡ ψυχὴ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων, διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος παρερχομένη, καὶ ὑψουμένη, εὑρίσκει τε τελώνια φυλάττοντα τὴν ἄνοδον, καὶ κρατοῦντα, καὶ διακωλύοντα τὰς ἀναβαινούσας ψυχάς. Ἕκαστον τὸ τελώνιον τὰς οἰκείας ἁμαρτίας προσφέρει αὐτῶν· τὸ μὲν τῆς καταλαλιᾶς, ὅσα διὰ στόματος καὶ γλώττης ἀπὸ ψεύδους, καὶ ὅρκου, καὶ ἐπιορκίας, ἀργολογίας τε καὶ φλυαρίας, καὶ ματαιολογίας καὶ γαστριμαργικὰς παραχρήσεις, ἀσωτοποσίας τε οἴνου, καὶ ἀμέτρους γέλωτας, καὶ ἀπρεπεῖς, καὶ φιλημάτων ἀσέμνων καὶ ἀπρεπῶν, καὶ ᾀσμάτων πορνικῶν· οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι οἱ τὴν ψυχὴν ὁδηγοῦντες, προσφέρουσι καὶ αὐτοὶ, ὅσα διὰ στόματος καὶ γλώσσης ἐλαλήσαμεν ἀγαθὰ, προσευχὰς, εὐχαριστίας, ψαλμοὺς, ᾠδὰς, ὕμνους, καὶ ᾄσματα πνευματικὰ, ἀναγνώσεις τῶν Γραφῶν, καὶ ὅσα διὰ στόματος καὶ γλώσσης ἀγαθὰ τῷ Θεῷ προεπέμψαμεν. ∆εύτερον τελώνιον, ὅρασις ὀμμάτων, καὶ ὅσα ἀπὸ ἀπρεποῦς θέας, καὶ περιέργου, καὶ ἀχαλινώτου ὁράσεως, καὶ νευμάτων δολίων. Τρίτον τελώνιον, τῆς ἀκοῆς, καὶ ὅσα διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης αἰσθήσεως, τὰ ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα δέχονται. Τέταρτον τελώνιον, ἡ 77.1076 ὄσφρησις ὀσμῆς τε εὐώδους ἀλειμμάτων, καὶ ἡδονικῆς ὀσφρήσεως, ἅπερ γυναιξὶ θυμελικαῖς, καὶ ἑταίραις πρέπουσι. Πέμπτον τελώνιον, ὅσα δι' ἁφῆς χειρῶν πονηρὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ ἐπράχθησαν· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κακίας τελώνια, φθόνου τε καὶ ζήλου, κενοδοξίας τε καὶ ὑπερηφανίας, πικρίας καὶ ὀργῆς, ὀξυχολίας τε καὶ θυμοῦ, πορνείας, καὶ μοιχείας, καὶ μαλακίας, φόνου τε καὶ φαρμακείας, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν θεοστυγῶν καὶ μιαρῶν πράξεων· ὧν ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ὥρᾳ οὐκ ἔνι λεπτομερῶς διηγήσασθαι· ἀλλ' ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ ταμιευέσθω· καὶ ἁπλῶς οὕτως καθεξῆς ἕκαστον πάθος ψυχῆς, καὶ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα ἰδίους τελώνας ἔχει, καὶ φορολόγους.

Ψυχὴ οὖν ἡ ταῦτα καὶ μείζονα, καὶ πλείονα τούτων θεωροῦσα, ὁποῖον φόβον, καὶ τρόμον, καὶ κλόνον δοκεῖς ἔχειν, ἕως ὅτου ἡ ἀπόφασις ἔλθῃ, καὶ ἡ ἐλευθερία αὐτῆς γένηται; Ἐκείνη ἐστὶν ἡ ὥρα ἐπόδυνος, καὶ ἐπικίνδυνος, καὶ πολυστένακτος, καὶ ἀπαραμύθητος, ἕως ἂν ἴδῃ τί τὸ ἀποβησόμενον. Αἱ γὰρ θεῖαι δυνάμεις ἵστανται, καὶ πρόσωπον τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων· καὶ αὗται τὰς καλὰς αὐτῆς ἐπιφέρουσι πράξεις, διά τε λόγων. καὶ ἔργων, καὶ λογισμῶν, καὶ ἐννοιῶν· κατανοεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ μέσον ἱσταμένη ἐν φόβῳ καὶ τρόμῳ, ἕως οὗ ἐκ τῶν πράξεων, καὶ τῶν ἔργων, καὶ λόγων αὐτῆς, ἡ κατακριθεῖσα δεσμευθῇ, ἢ δικαιωθεῖσα ἐλευθερωθῇ (τῶν ἰδίων γὰρ ἁμαρτημάτων ἕκαστος ταῖς σειραῖς σφίγγεται)· καὶ ἐὰν ᾖ ἀξία, εὐσεβῶς ζήσασα, καὶ θεαρέστως βιώσασα, παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὴν ἄγγελοι· καὶ λοιπὸν ἀμέριμνος οὖσα, πορεύεται ἔχουσα συνοδοιπόρους τὰς ἁγίας δυνάμεις, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ὡς εὐφραινομένων πάντων ἡ κατοικία ἐν σοί. Τότε πληροῦται τὸ εἰρημένον· Ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη, καὶ στεναγμός. Τότε ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ σαπρῶν καὶ φοβερῶν πνευμάτων ἐκείνων, πορεύεται εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν ἀνεκλάλητον χαράν. Ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῇ ἐν ἀμελείᾳ καὶ ἀσωτίᾳ ζήσασα, ἀκούει τὴν δεινοτάτην ἐκείνην φωνήν· Ἀρθήτω ὁ ἀσεβὴς, ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου.

Τότε αὐτὴν καταλαμβάνουσιν ἡμέραι ὀργῆς, καὶ θλίψεως, καὶ ἀνάγκης, καὶ στενοχωρίας, ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου· τότε ἀφέντες αὐτὴν οἱ ἅγιοι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄγγελοι, παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὴν οἱ Αἰθίοπες ἐκεῖνοι δαίμονες, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτὴν ἀνηλεῶς κατάγουσιν εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ διχάσαντες αὐτὴν, ῥίπτουσιν αὐτὴν δεδεμένην