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that a loss has occurred, the defeat having come after many labors and sweats and victories; but since he tripped you up as soon as you stripped to wrestle him, he accomplished only this much, that he made you † more earnest for the battle against him. For the terrible pirate attacked you just as you were setting sail, not as you were returning from your trading, nor while you were carrying a full cargo; and just as one who attempts to kill a noble lion, when he has only grazed its hide, has not harmed it at all, but has roused it against himself and has made it for the future more on its guard and difficult to capture; so indeed the common enemy of all, attempting to inflict a deep wound, failed in this, but prepared you to be more watchful and sober for the future.

2 Human nature is prone to slip and quick to be stolen away, but quick also to recover from the deceit, and just as it falls quickly, so also it rises up more swiftly. For that blessed man, I mean David the chosen king and prophet, when he had accomplished many things, did not forget that he was a man, but once fell in love with another's wife, and he did not stop there, but committed adultery on account of his desire, and he also committed murder on account of his adultery, but since he had received two such great wounds, he did not then attempt to give himself a third, but immediately ran to the physician and applied the remedies. What were these? Fasting, tears, lamentations, constant prayers, the frequent confession of his sin; and thus through these things he made him propitious and returned to his former worth, so that after adultery and murder the memory of the father was somehow able to overshadow the idolatry of the son. For his son, whose name was Solomon, was caught by the same snare as his father, and by indulging women he departed from the God of his fathers. See how great an evil it is not to master pleasure, but to overturn the rule of nature, and being a man to be a slave to women. Indeed it was just for this Solomon to be deprived of his entire kingdom, but on account of the father's good repute, God allowed him to have the sixth part of the dominion. If, then, your zeal had been for worldly eloquence, and you had then grown indifferent to the law-courts and the tribunal and the crowns there and the freedom of speech, by reminding you I would have urged you to return to the labors for those things; but since we are running for the things in heaven and have no regard for the things on earth, I remind you of another law-court and a fearful and dreadful tribunal; “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” And the Judge who will sit then is the one now being rejected by you. What then shall we say then? And what defense shall we make, if we persist in rejecting him? what shall we say, tell me? Shall we plead the cares of business as an excuse? But he himself anticipated this and said: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” But that we were deceived by others? But it did not help Adam for his defense to put forward his wife and say: “The woman whom you gave me, she deceived me,” just as it did not help the woman to put forward the serpent. Fearful, O Theodore, is that tribunal, which needs no accusers, which awaits no witnesses; “For all things are naked and laid bare” to the one judging, and we must give an account not only of our deeds but also of our thoughts; “for that judge is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” But perhaps you will speak of the weakness of nature and of not being able to bear the yoke? And what kind of defense is this, not to have the strength to bear the good yoke, not to be able to carry the light burden? Is rest from toils a heavy and burdensome thing? And how does Christ call us to this? Saying: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And again: “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” For what is lighter, tell me, than of cares and business and fears

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ζημίαν γεγενῆσθαι, μετὰ πολλοὺς πόνους καὶ ἱδρῶτας καὶ νίκας τῆς ἥττης γενομένης· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἅμα τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποδύσασθαι ὑπεσκέλισεν, τοσοῦτον ἤνυσε μέν, ὅσον σὲ † σπουδαιότερον γενέσθαι πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ μάχην εἰργάσατο. Ἄρτι γάρ σοι ἐκπλέοντι, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ἐμπορίας ἐπανιόντι, οὐδὲ πλήρη τὸν φόρτον ἐπιφερομένῳ, ὁ δεινὸς ἐπέθετο πειρατής· καὶ καθάπερ λέοντα γενναῖόν τις ἀνελεῖν ἐπιχειρήσας, ἐπειδὰν τὴν δορὰν ἐπιξύσειεν μόνον, ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἔβλαψεν οὐδέν, ἤγειρεν δὲ καθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀσφαλέστερον καὶ δυσάλωτον τοῦ λοιποῦ πεποίηκεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ κοινὸς ἁπάντων ἐχθρὸς βαθεῖαν ἐπιχειρήσας πῆξαι τὴν πληγήν, τούτου μὲν ἀπέτυχεν, ἐγρηγορέναι δὲ καὶ νήφειν τοῦ λοιποῦ παρεσκεύασε μᾶλλον.

2 Ὀλισθηρὸν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις καὶ ὀξὺ μὲν κλαπῆναι, ὀξὺ δὲ ἀνενεγκεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀπάτης, καὶ ὥσπερ πίπτει ταχέως, οὕτω καὶ θᾶττον ἀνίσταται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ, τὸν ∆αυὶδ λέγω τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν βασιλέα καὶ προφήτην, ἡνίκα πολλὰ κατώρθωσεν, οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἄνθρωπος ὤν, ἀλλ' ἠράσθη ποτὲ γυναικὸς ἀλλοτρίας, καὶ οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλ' εἰργάσατο μὲν μοιχείαν διὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, εἰργάσατο δὲ καὶ φόνον διὰ τὴν μοιχείαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τηλικαύτας ἔλαβεν δύο πληγάς, ἤδη καὶ τρίτην ἑαυτῷ δοῦναι ἐπεχείρησεν, ἀλλ' εὐθέως πρὸς τὸν ἰατρὸν ἀπέτρεχεν, καὶ τὰ φάρμακα ἐπετίθει. Ποῖα ταῦτα; νηστείαν, δάκρυα, θρήνους, εὐχὰς συνεχεῖς, τὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πολλάκις ἀναγγέλλειν· καὶ οὕτως διὰ τούτων ἵλεων κατέστησεν αὐτὸν εἴς τε τὴν προτέραν ἐπανῆλθεν ἀξίαν, ὥστε μετὰ μοιχείαν καὶ φόνον ἐπισκιάσαι πως δυνηθῆναι τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς μνήμην. Ὁ γὰρ υἱός, ὁ τούτου Σολομὼν ἦν ὄνομα αὐτῷ, διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἑάλω παγίδος ἧσπερ καὶ ὁ πατήρ, καὶ γυναιξὶ χαριζόμενος ἀπέστη τοῦ πατρῴου θεοῦ. Ὅρα πόσον κακὸν τὸ μὴ κρατεῖν ἡδονῆς, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀνατρέπειν ἀρχήν, καὶ ἄνδρα ὄντα γυναικῶν εἶναι δοῦλον. Αὐτὸν δὴ τοῦτον τὸν Σολομῶντα δίκαιον ὄντα πᾶσαν ἀφαιρεθῆναι τὴν βασιλείαν, διὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς εὐδοκίμησιν τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἕκτον μέρος ἀφῆκεν ἔχειν ὁ θεός. Εἰ μὲν οὖν σπουδή σοι περὶ τοὺς ἔξωθεν λόγους ἦν, εἶτα ἀπερρᾳθύμησας δικαστηρίων καὶ βήματος καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε στεφάνων καὶ τῆς παρρησίας, σ' ἀναμιμνῄσκων παρεκάλεσα ἂν ἐπανελθεῖν εἰς τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων πόνους· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς τρέχομεν καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς λόγος ἡμῖν οὐδείς, ἑτέρου σε ἀναμιμνῄσκω δικαστηρίου καὶ βήματος φοβεροῦ καὶ φρικώδους· «Πάντας γὰρ ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Κρίτης δὲ καθῆται τότε, ὁ νῦν ἀθετούμενος ὑπὸ σοῦ. Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν τότε; τί δὲ ἀπολογησόμεθα, ἐὰν ἐπιμένωμεν ἀθετοῦντες; τί ἐροῦμεν εἰπέ μοι; πραγμάτων φροντίδας προφασισόμεθα; ἀλλ' αὐτὸς προλαβὼν εἶπεν· «Τί γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ.» Ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἠπατῆσθαι; ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν Ἀδὰμ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ὤνησεν τὸ προβαλέσθαι τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ εἰπεῖν· «Ἡ γυνὴ ἣν ἔδωκάς μοι, αὐτή με ἠπάτησεν», ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὴν γυναῖκα τὸν ὄφιν. Φοβερόν, ὦ Θεόδωρε, τὸ δικαστήριον ἐκεῖνο, οὐ κατηγόρων δεόμενον, οὐ μάρτυρας περιμένον· «Πάντα γὰρ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα» τῷ δικάζοντι, καὶ οὐχὶ πράξεων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐννοιῶν εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν δεῖ· «Κριτικὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας» ὁ δικαστὴς ἐκεῖνος. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἀσθένειαν φύσεως ἐρεῖς καὶ τὸ μὴ δυνηθῆναι ἐνεγκεῖν τὸν ζυγόν; Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἀπολογία, ζυγὸν μὴ ἰσχῦσαι τὸν χρηστὸν ἐνεγκεῖν, φορτίον μὴ δυνηθῆναι βαστάσαι τὸ ἐλαφρόν; βαρὺ πρᾶγμα καὶ φορτικὸν ἡ τῶν κόπων ἀνάπαυσις; Καὶ πῶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς καλεῖ; Λέγων· «∆εῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγὸν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν.» Τί γὰρ ἐλαφρότερον, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ φροντίδων καὶ πραγμάτων καὶ φόβων