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whether some author or speechwriter should be emboldened, while in word turning away from sorcery, but in deeds more than in words burdening the man, fashioning upon him the Pythagorean way of life like a mask, our philosopher will be gone, and a donkey hidden in a 374 lion's skin instead, some sophist, truly a beggar going through the cities, and for this very reason he will be caught as a mere sorcerer instead of a philosopher. And how do I say this and from what starting point, you ask? Learn: the boundaries of nature, having comprehended the beginnings and middles and ends of the substance of all things, are measures and ordinances for all, through which this whole contrivance and architecture of the entire universe is brought to completion, are disposed by indissoluble laws and unbreakable bonds, preserving the all-wise will of the providence that orders all things. Therefore, no one could move or alter anything of the order of things once established. But indeed it is forbidden by a law of nature for anyone, in whom there is a rather bold desire to step upon what lies beyond, to transgress the divine law. Therefore, contrary to nature, the fish that lives in water will not be able to live having moved to dry land, nor will a creature raised on dry land plunge into the waters, embracing a continuous stay there, nor will any of those on earth, by taking a great leap, be raised high into the air, desiring to travel around with eagles; and indeed, they at least might come to the earth, weighing their power downwards and relaxing their wing and letting go their nature, since this too is ordained by divine laws, that what is aloft is able to descend from the height, but not conversely for what is low and earthly to be raised aloft. In this way, indeed, the mortal race of men too, partaking of soul and body, has been circumscribed by divine boundaries. Therefore, no one on earth could ever go through the air with his body, scorning his pursuits, without immediately paying the penalty for his folly, nor, being lifted up in soul by pride, will he reach the unattainable, or else he would fall into the disease of melancholy. 375 But he would act wisely, being carried on the earth with his body on sound feet, and supporting his soul with education and philosophy, and he might pray for some helper to come from above, from some heavenly sphere, and to appear to him as a teacher of the salvation there. For by a strong example, indeed, it is right for the physician to visit the sick, and for the teacher to condescend to the one being introduced to his lessons, and for one who is somewhere above and on high to descend to those who are lowly, but not the reverse. Whence indeed, no reason would prevent a divine nature, being beneficent and saving and provident for those who come after, from sometimes coming into contact with men, this also having been conceded by the ordinance of divine providence, for he was good, according to Plato, and in a good being there arises no envy about anything. Therefore, being good, he who governs this universe will not take care of bodies only, but much more of souls, to which the immortal and sovereign prize has been granted. To these, then, as lord of the whole dispensation and of graces, with which he might benefit them by his gifts, since their nature is receptive, he will ungrudgingly bestow rays, as it were, of the light from himself, at times sending forth those closest to him for the salvation and help of things here below, and if it should be someone's good fortune to meet one of these, this man, having been purified in his mind and having scattered the mist of mortality, will truly be recorded as divine, bearing the image of some great god in his soul. Then could folly move such a great race of all men, while the work of the eternal divinity would illumine the inhabited world more than the sun, leaving for coming time to be seen, no less than the 376 works of creation from inanimate matter, the example of the divinely inspired nature he has provided. And in this way indeed human nature might partake of that which is above man, but otherwise it is not right to overstep the boundaries, nor, having a wingless body, to practice the ways of winged creatures, nor, being a man, the ways of spirits

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ειτε τις συγγραφεὺς ἢ λογογράφος θρασύνοιτο λόγῳ μὲν ἐκτρεπόμενος γοητείαν, εργοις δὲ πλέον ἢ ῥήμασιν ἐπιφορτίζων τὸν ανδρα προσωπείου δίκην τὴν Πυθαγόρειον ἐπιμορφαζόμενος ἀγωγήν, οἰχήσεται μὲν ἡμῖν ὁ φιλόσοφος, ὄνος δ' ἀντὶ τοῦ 374 λέοντος ἐπικρυπτόμενος δέρρει σοφιστής τις ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀγείρων κατὰ τὰς πόλεις αὐτό τε τοῦτο γόης ἀτεχνῶς ἀντὶ φιλοσόφου φωραθήσεται. πῶς δὲ τοῦτό φημι καὶ πόθεν ὁρμώμενος, ἐρωτᾷς; μάνθανε· οροι φύσεως ἀρχὰς καὶ μέσα καὶ τέλη τῆς τῶν ολων οὐσίας περιειληφότες μέτρα καὶ θεσμοὶ ἅπασι, δι' ων τόδε τὸ πᾶν μηχάνημά τε καὶ ἀρχιτεκτόνημα τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου τελεσιουργεῖται, διατέθεινται νόμοις ἀλύτοις καὶ δεσμοῖς ἀρρήκτοις τῆς τὰ πάντα οἰκονομούσης προνοίας τὸ πάνσοφον βούλημα διαφυλάττοντες. οὔκουν κινήσειέ τι καὶ μεταθείη τις αν τῆς τάξεως τῶν απαξ διατεθειμένων. κεκράτηται δ' οὖν θεσμῷ φύσεως τὸν θεῖον ὑπεραναβαίνειν νόμον πᾶς, ὅτῳ τις θρασύτερος τῶν ἐπέκεινα ἐπιβαίνειν ἔνεστι πόθος. ουτ' ουν παρὰ φύσιν ὁ ενυδρος ἐπὶ τὴν χέρσον μεταβὰς βιῶναι δυνήσεται ἰχθύς, ουτε τὸ ἐν χέρσῳ τραφὲν τοῖς υδασιν ἐγκαταδύσεται τὴν ἐκεῖσε διηνεκῆ μονὴν ἀσπαζόμενον, οὔτε μέγα πηδήσας μετέωρός τις τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀρθήσεται πρὸς ἀέρα συμπεριπολεῖν ἀετοῖς ἐπιθυμῶν· καὶ μὴν ἐκεῖνοί γε καν ἐπὶ γῆς ἔλθοιεν βρίσαντες ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τοῦ πτεροῦ χαλάσαντες καὶ ἀνέντες τὴν φύσιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο θείοις ωρισται νόμοις, ἐκ τοῦ υψους τὸ μετέωρον ὑποκαταβαίνειν δύνασθαι, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἔμπαλιν τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ γεῶδες ἐπὶ τὸ μετέωρον αἴρεσθαι. ταύτῃ δὴ καὶ τὸ θνητὸν ἀνθρώπων γένος ψυχῆς μετέχον καὶ σώματος οροις περιγέγραπται θείοις. ουτ' ουν τῷ σώματι δι' ἀέρος ἔλθοι ποτὲ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς τις καταφρονήσας διατριβῶν μὴ οὐχὶ τοὐπιτίμιον αὐτίκα τῆς ἀνοίας παρασχών, οὔτε τὴν ψυχὴν ἀρθεὶς φρονήματι καθίξεται τῶν ἀνεφίκτων, ἢ μελαγχολίας νοσήματι ἂν περιπέσοι. 375 σωφρονοῖ δ' αν ἀρτίοις μὲν τὸ σῶμα ποσὶν ἐπὶ γῆς φερόμενος, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν παιδείᾳ καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ σκηρίπτων, ευξαιτο δὲ καί τινα συνεργὸν ανωθέν ποθεν ἐκ τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν διατριβῶν ἐλθεῖν καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖσε διδάσκαλον αὐτῷ φανῆναι σωτηρίας. ἐρρωμένῳ γάρ τοι παραδείγματι νοσοῦντι μὲν τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐπιφοιτᾶν θέμις, καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον εἰσαγομένῳ τοῖς μαθήμασι συμφέρεσθαι καὶ τὸν ανω που καὶ ἐν υψει συγκατιέναι τοῖς ταπεινοῖς, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἀνάπαλιν. ὅθεν δὴ θείαν μὲν φύσιν εὐεργέτιν οὖσαν καὶ σώτειραν καὶ προνοητικὴν τῶν ἐπιόντων ἀνθρώποις ποτὲ εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐλθεῖν οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀπείργοι λόγος ὅρῳ θείας προνοίας καὶ τούτου συγκεχωρημένου, ἀγαθὸς γὰρ ην κατὰ τὸν Πλάτωνα, ἀγαθῷ δὲ οὐδεὶς περὶ οὐδενὸς ἐγγίνεται φθόνος· οὔκουν σωμάτων μόνων ἀγαθὸς ων ὁ τόδε τὸ πᾶν διακυβερνῶν ἐπιμελήσεται, πολὺ πλέον δὲ ψυχῶν, αις τὸ ἀθάνατόν τε καὶ αὐτοκρατορικὸν κεχάρισται γέρας. ταύταις δῆτα οἷα τῆς οἰκονομίας ἁπάσης κύριος ων καὶ χαρίτων, ων αν δωρούμενος αὐτὰς εὐεργετῇ τὴν φύσιν οὔσαις ἀντιληπτικαῖς ἀκτῖνας ὥσπερ τοῦ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ φωτὸς δωρήσεται ἀφθόνως τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτόν, εστιν οτε τοὺς μάλιστα προσεχεῖς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐπίταδε σωτηρίαν τε καὶ ἀντίληψιν ἐκπέμπων, ὧν εἴ τῳ εὐτυχῆσαι γένοιτο, τὴν διάνοιαν οὗτος ἀποκαθαρθεὶς καὶ τὴν τῆς θνητότητος ἀποσκεδάσας ἀχλὺν θεῖος ἀληθῶς ἀναγραφήσεται μέγαν τινὰ θεὸν ἀγαλματοφορῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. κινήσειε δῆτ' ανοια τηλικοῦτος τὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων γένος καὶ μᾶλλον ἡλίου τὴν οἰκουμένην καταλάμψειε τοὖργον τῆς ἀιδίου θεότητος καὶ εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα συνορᾶσθαι καταλείπων χρόνον οὐ μεῖον τῶν ἐξ ἀψύχου ὕλης 376 δημιουργημάτων τὸ τῆς ἐνθέου παράδειγμα φύσεως παρεσχημένος. καὶ ταύτῃ μὲν ἀνθρωπεία φύσις τῆς ὑπὲρ ανθρωπον κοινωνήσαι αν, αλλως δ' οὐ θέμις τοὺς ὅρους ὑπερβαίνειν, οὐδ' ἄπτερον εχοντα τὸ σῶμα τὰ τῶν πτηνῶν ἐπιτηδεύειν, οὐδ' ανθρωπον οντα τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων