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eat their own bread. It is fitting to entrust the work to some elder, one testified to for the gravity of his life, who will register the works of their hands for the required needs, so that both the commandment which bids to provide food in sweat and labor is fulfilled, and that a blameless and unspotted decorum may remain, in that no necessity arises for them, because the need of their livelihood is made public. But let this be the most excellent definition and rule of self-control: to look neither towards luxury nor towards affliction of the flesh, but to flee excess in either, so that the flesh may neither be disturbed by being overfed, nor, having become sickly, be unable to perform the work of the commandments.

For equal harm accrues to the soul from both: both when the flesh is insubordinate, leaping aside into unseemly impulses through good health, and when it is paralyzed and enervated and motionless, held fast by pains. For 31.877 the soul is not at leisure, in such a condition of the body, to look freely towards the things above; but of all necessity it is occupied with and inclined toward the sensation of pain, being humbled together with the affliction of the body. Let use, therefore, be commensurate with need, and let wine neither be an abomination, if it be taken for therapy, nor be sought after without necessity; and let all other things likewise serve the needs, not the desires, of those practicing asceticism. Let the whole of life be a time for prayer; but especially since it is necessary to give rest from the intensity of psalmody and of kneeling with some intervals, the hours for prayer established by the saints must be followed. Thus the great David says, that "At midnight I rose to give thanks to you for the judgments of your righteousness;" whom Paul and Silas are also found following, at midnight in the prison praising God. Then the same prophet says: "Evening and morning and at midday." But also the coming of the Holy Spirit happens at the third hour, as we have learned in the Acts, when, as the Pharisees were mocking the disciples in the diverse working of tongues, Peter says that those who were speaking these things were not drunk; for it is the third hour.

The ninth is a memorial of the Lord's passion, which occurred for the sake of our life. But since David says, "Seven times a day I have praised you for the judgments of your righteousness," and the aforementioned times of prayer do not complete the sevenfold number of prayers, the midday prayer must be divided: one before partaking of food, and the other after partaking; so that we too may have in figure the praising of God seven times a day throughout every period of the day. Let the entrances of the monasteries be closed to women; and let not all men enter, but only as many as may be entrusted with entry by the superior. For often the indifference of the one entering puts a succession of inopportune words and useless stories into their hearts, casting them from vain words into vain and useless thoughts. And for this reason let it be a common law, that only the superior be questioned and answer concerning those things about which there must of necessity be some discussion; and that the rest not answer those who are prattling in vain conversations, lest they be dragged down together to the succession of idle words. Let there be one common storeroom for all, and let nothing be called the private property of each one; not a cloak, not a sandal, not anything else for the necessary need of the body. But let the use be in the authority of the superior, to employ from the common goods what is suitable 31.880 for each, according to the direction of the one in charge. In this common life together, the law of love does not permit particular friendships and comradeships. For it is altogether necessary that the particular attachments that arise harm the common harmony in many ways. But now it is fitting for all with an equal measure of disposition towards

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ἑαυτῶν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσι. ∆ιατίθεσθαι δὲ προσήκει τὴν ἐργασίαν ἐπί τινος πρεσβύτου, ἐπὶ σεμνότητι βίου μαρτυρου μένου, ὃς καταλέξει τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν πρὸς τὰς ἐπιζητουμένας χρείας, ὥστε καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν κατορθοῦσθαι τὴν κελεύουσαν ἐν ἱδρῶτι καὶ πόνῳ τὴν τροφὴν πορίζειν, καὶ εὐσχημοσύνην ἀνεπίλη πτον καὶ ἄμωμον μένειν, ἐν τῷ μηδεμίαν αὐτοῖς ἀνάγκην ἐγγίνεσθαι, διὰ τὸ τὴν τοῦ βίου χρείαν δη μοσιεύεσθαι. Ἐγκρατείας δὲ ὁ κάλλιστος ὅρος καὶ κανὼν οὗτος ἔστω, τὸ μήτε πρὸς τρυφὴν, μήτε πρὸς κακοπάθειαν τῆς σαρκὸς βλέπειν, ἀλλὰ φεύγειν ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τὴν ἀμετρίαν, ἵνα μήτε πολυσαρκοῦσα ταράσσηται, μήτε, νοσώδης γενομένη, ἀδυνατῇ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργασίαν.

Ἴση γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρων ἡ βλάβη τῇ ψυχῇ προσγίνεται, καὶ τὸ ἀνυπό τακτον εἶναι τὴν σάρκα, δι' εὐεξίας ἀποσκιρτῶσαν εἰς ἀτόπους ὁρμὰς, καὶ ὅταν πάρετός τε καὶ ἐκλε λυμένη καὶ ἀκίνητος ὑπὸ ἀλγηδόνων συνέχηται. Οὐ 31.877 γὰρ ἄγει σχολὴν ἡ ψυχὴ, ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ τοῦ σώματος καταστάσει, πρὸς τὰ ἄνω βλέπειν ἐλευθερίως· ἀλλὰ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην πρὸς τὴν τῆς ὀδύνης αἴσθησιν ἀσχολεῖται καὶ ἐπικλίνεται, συνταπεινουμένη τῇ κα κοπαθείᾳ τοῦ σώματος. Ἔστω τοίνυν ἡ χρῆσις τῇ χρείᾳ σύμμετρος, καὶ ὁ οἶνος μήτε βδελυκτὸς ἔστω, εἰ πρὸς θεραπείαν παραλαμβάνοιτο, μήτε σπουδαζέσθω χωρὶς ἀνάγκης· καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ὡσαύτως ταῖς χρείαις, μὴ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ὑπηρετείτω τῶν ἀσκουμένων. Προσευχῆς καιρὸς ἔστω ἅπας ὁ βίος· μάλιστα δὲ ἐπειδὴ χρή τισι διαλείμμασι τὸ σύντονον τῆς ψαλμῳδίας καὶ τῆς γονυκλισίας διαναπαύειν, ἀκολουθητέον ταῖς παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων τετυπωμέναις εἰς προσευχὴν ὥραις. Φησὶ τοίνυν ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ, ὅτι Μεσονύκτιον ἐξηγειρόμην τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαί σοι ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου· ᾧ καὶ Παῦλος καὶ Σίλας ἀκολουθοῦντες εὑρίσκονται, κατὰ τὸ μεσονύκτιον ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τὸν Θεὸν αἰνοῦντες. Εἶτά φησιν ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης· Ἑσπέρας καὶ πρωὶ καὶ μεσημβρίας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος παρουσίᾳ κατὰ τὴν τρίτην γίνεται ὥραν, καθὼς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι μεμαθήκαμεν, ὅτε, διαχλευαζόντων ἐν τῇ ποικίλῃ τῶν γλωσσῶν ἐνεργείᾳ τῶν Φαρισαίων τοὺς μαθητὰς, φησὶν ὁ Πέτρος μὴ μεθύειν τοὺς ταῦτα λαλοῦντας· ὥρα γάρ ἐστι τρίτη.

Ἡ δὲ ἐνάτη τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ πάθους ἐστὶ μνημόσυνον, τοῦ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς γενομένου. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή φησιν ὁ ∆αβὶδ, ὅτι Ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ᾔνεσά σε ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου, οἱ δὲ μνημονευθέντες τῆς προσευχῆς καιροὶ οὐ πληροῦσι τὴν ἑβδομάδα τῶν προσευχῶν, τὴν μεσημβρινὴν προσευχὴν διατμητέον· καὶ τὴν μὲν πρὸ τοῦ προσενέγκασθαι τὴν τροφὴν, τὴν δὲ μετὰ τὸ προσενέγκασθαι· ὥστε γενέσθαι καὶ ἡμῖν ἐν τύπῳ τὸ ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας αἰνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν κατὰ πᾶσαν τῆς ἡμέρας περίοδον. Αἱ εἴσοδοι τῶν ἀσκητηρίων ταῖς μὲν γυναιξὶν ἀποκεκλείσθω- σαν· ἄνδρες δὲ μὴ πάντες εἰσίτωσαν, ἀλλ' ὅσοι ἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ καθηγουμένου καταπιστευθῶσι τὴν εἴσοδον. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἡ ἀδιαφορία τοῦ εἰσιόντος ἀκαίρων λόγων καὶ ἀνωφελῶν διηγημάτων ἀκολουθίαν ταῖς καρδίαις ἐντίθησιν, εἰς ματαίας τε καὶ ἀνωφελεῖς διανοίας ἐκ τῶν ματαίων λόγων ἐμβάλλει. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο νόμος ἔστω κοινὸς, μόνον ἐρωτᾶσθαι τὸν καθηγούμενον καὶ ἀποκρίνεσθαι ὑπὲρ ὧν προσήκει γενέσθαι τινὰ κατὰ ἀνάγκην λόγον· τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς μὴ ἀποκρίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀδολεσχοῦσιν ἐν ὁμιλίαις ματαίαις, ἵνα μὴ συγκαθελκυσθῇ πρὸς τὴν ἀργῶν ῥη- μάτων ἀκολουθίαν Ἀποθήκη δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἔστω μία κοινὴ, καὶ μηδὲν ἴδιον ἑκάστῳ ὀνομαζέσθω· μὴ ἱμάτιον, μὴ ὑπόδημα, μὴ ἄλλο τι τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀναγκαίαν χρείαν τοῦ σώματος. Ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ καθηγουμένου ἡ χρῆσις. ἔστω, ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν τὸ κατάλληλον 31.880 ἑκάστου χρησιμεύειν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προηγουμένου ὑφήγησιν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ κοινῇ ταύτῃ συσκηνίᾳ μερικὰς φιλίας καὶ ἑταιρείας ὁ τῆς ἀγάπης θεσμὸς οὐ συγχωρεῖ. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα τὰς ἐν μέρει γινομένας προσπαθείας εἰς πολλὰ βλάπτειν τὴν κοινὴν συμφωνίαν. Νῦν δὲ ἴσῳ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς διαθέσεως πάντας προσήκει πρὸς