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to give in to those who prompt them. Which I know many often do, and more than is necessary, being kindled by small pretexts.

CHAPTER 5. For what, tell me, do you quickly fall into a fight, if indeed

you have despised food, and glory, and possessions? Why then do you feed the dog, when you profess to have nothing? But if it barks and attacks people, you are clearly revealed as possessing something within, and wanting to guard it. But I am persuaded that such a one is far from pure prayer, knowing that anger is the destroyer of it. And besides this I am amazed, how you have forgotten the saints, David crying out, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;” and Ecclesiastes commanding, “Remove anger from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh;” and the Apostle ordering, “to lift up holy hands to the Lord in every place, without anger and disputing.” And why do we not learn from the mystical and ancient custom of men, which drives dogs out of the houses at the time of prayer, and hints at this, that anger must not be present with those who pray? And again: “Their wine is the fury of dragons.” But the Nazirites abstained from wine. And one of the wise men from without declared that the gall and the loins were not to be eaten by the gods, not knowing, I think, what he was saying, of which I consider the one to be a symbol of anger, and the other of irrational desire. But concerning the need not to be anxious for the sake of clothing or food, I think it superfluous to write, since our Savior Himself has forbidden it in the Gospels, “For be not anxious,” He says, “for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or what you shall put on.” For this is clearly 79.1208 the mark of the Gentiles, and of the unbelievers who disregard the providence of the Master and deny the Creator; but for Christians such a thing is completely foreign, who have once believed that even two sparrows sold for a farthing are under the economy of the holy angels. Nevertheless, this is also a custom of the demons, after the unclean thoughts, to inject also those of anxiety, so that Jesus may withdraw because there is a crowd of thoughts in the place of the mind, and the word may become unfruitful, being choked by the anxiety of the thorns.

CHAPTER 6. Therefore, having laid aside the thoughts of anxiety, let us cast upon

the Lord our anxiety, being content with what we have, and using a poor life and garment, let us strip off the fathers of vainglory day by day. But if anyone thinks it is shameful to be in a poor garment, let him look to Saint Paul in cold and nakedness, who awaited the crown of righteousness. But since the Apostle has called this world a theater and a stadium, let us see if it is possible, having clothed oneself with thoughts of anxiety, to run for the prize of the upward calling, or to wrestle against principalities and powers, and against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age; I for my part do not know, being taught even from sensible history. For that athlete will be hindered by his tunic, clearly, and will be easily dragged around, just as the mind is by the thoughts of anxiety, if he is true who says that the mind clings to its own treasure, “For where your treasure is,” he says, “there will your heart be also.”

CHAPTER 7. Of thoughts, some cut, and others are cut; and they cut

the evil ones the good, but again the evil ones are cut by the good. The Holy Spirit, therefore, pays attention to the thought that was first placed, and according to that He judges or accepts us. What I mean is this. I have a certain thought of hospitality, and

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διδόναι τοῖς ὑποβάλλουσιν. Ὅπερ πολλάκις πολλοὺς ποιοῦντας ἐπίσταμαι, καὶ πλέον ἢ χρὴ, ἐπὶ μικραῖς ἀναπτομένους προφάσεσιν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ. Ὑπὲρ τίνος γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ προσπίπτεις ταχέως εἰς μάχην, εἴπερ

βρωμάτων, καὶ δόξης, καὶ χρημάτων καταπεφρόνηκας; τί δὲ τρέφεις τὸν κύνα, μηδὲν ἔχειν ἐπαγγελλόμενος; Εἰ δὲ οὗτος ὑλακτεῖ, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπέρχεται, πρόδηλος εἶ ἔνδον κεκτημένος τινὰ, καὶ ταῦτα φυλάσσειν βουλόμενος. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τὸν τοιοῦτον μακρὰν καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς πείθομαι εἶναι λυμεῶνα τὸν θυμὸν τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιστάμενος. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις θαυμάζω, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἐπιλελησμένων, τοῦ μὲν ∆αβὶδ βοῶντος, «Παῦσαι ἀπὸ ὀργῆς, καὶ ἐγκατάλιπε θυμόν·» τοῦ δὲ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ παραγγέλλοντος, «Ἀπόστησον θυμὸν ἀπὸ καρδίας σου, καὶ πάραγε πονηρίαν ἀπὸ σαρκός σου·» τοῦ δὲ Ἀποστόλου προστάσσοντος, «Χωρὶς ὀργῆς, καὶ διαλογισμῶν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπαίρειν ὁσίας χεῖρας πρὸς Κύριον.» Τί δὲ οὐ μανθάνομεν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων μυστικῆς, καὶ παλαιᾶς συνηθείας διωκούσης ἐκ τῶν οἴκων τοὺς κύνας ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς προσευχῆς, καὶ τοῦτο αἰνιττομένης, ὡς οὐ δεῖ συμπαρῆναι τοῖς προσευχομένοις θυμόν; Καὶ πάλιν· «Θυμὸς δρακόντων ὁ οἶνος αὐτῶν.» Οἴνου δὲ οἱ Ναζιραῖοι ἀπείχοντο. Χολὴν δὲ καὶ ὀσφὺν ἄβρωτα τοῖς θεοῖς τις τῶν ἔξωθεν σοφῶν ἀπεφήνατο εἶναι, οὐκ εἰδὼς, οἶμαι, ὃ ἔλεγεν, ὧν τὸ μὲν ὀργῆς, τὸ δὲ ἀλόγου ἐπιθυμίας ἔγωγε σύμβολον εἶναι νομίζω. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν μεριμνᾷν ἐνδυμάτων ἕνεκεν, ἢ βρωμάτων, περιττὸν οἶμαι τὸ γράφειν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀπαγορεύσαντος, «Μὴ μεριμνήσητε γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε, ἢ τί πίητε ἢ τί περιβαλεῖσθε.» Ἐθνικῶν γὰρ 79.1208 ἄντικρυς τοῦτο, καὶ ἀπίστων ἀθετούντων τὴν πρόνοιαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου, καὶ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ἀρνουμένων· Χριστιανῶν δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον παντελῶς ἀλλότριον, ἅπαξ πεπιστευκότων, ὅτι καὶ τὰ πρασσόμενα δύο στρουθία τοῦ ἀσσαρίου ὑπὸ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐστί. Πλήν ἐστι καὶ αὕτη συνήθεια τῶν δαιμόνων, μετὰ τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλειν καὶ τοὺς τῆς μερίμνης, ἵνα ἐκνεύσῃ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὄχλου ὄντος νοημάτων ἐν τῷ κατὰ διάνοιαν τόπῳ, καὶ ἄκαρπος γένηται ὁ λόγος ὑπὸ τῆς μερίμνης πνιγόμενος τῶν ἀκανθῶν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ϛʹ. Οὐκοῦν τοὺς ἐκ μερίμνης ἀποθέμενοι λογισμοὺς, ἐπιῤῥίψωμεν ἐπὶ

Κύριον τὴν μέριμναν ἡμῶν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρκούμενοι, καὶ πενιχρᾷ ζωῇ χρησάμενοι, καὶ στολῇ τοὺς πατέρας τῆς κενοδοξίας μεθ' ἡμέραν ἀποδυσώμεθα. Εἰ δέ τις ἀσχημονεῖν ἐπὶ πενιχρᾷ νομίζει στολῇ, βλεπέτω τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον ἐν ψύχει, καὶ γυμνότητι, τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης προσδοκήσαντα στέφανον. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ θέατρον, καὶ στάδιον ὁ Ἀπόστολος τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ὠνόμασεν, ἴδωμεν, εἰ ἔστι δυνατὸν, μερίμνης ἐνδυσάμενον λογισμοὺς, δραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως, ἢ παλαῖσαι πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου· ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς αἰσθητῆς παιδευόμενος ἱστορίας. Ἐμποδισθήσεται γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀθλῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ χιτῶνος δηλονότι, καὶ εὐκόλως περιελκυσθήσεται, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς μερίμνης, εἴπερ ἀληθινὸς ὁ λέγων τῷ ἰδίῳ τὸν νοῦν προσκαρτερεῖν θησαυρῷ, «Ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται, καὶ ἡ καρδία σου.»

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ. Τῶν λογισμῶν οἱ μὲν τέμνουσιν, οἱ δὲ τέμνονται· καὶ τέμνουσι

μὲν οἱ πονηροὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς, τέμνονται δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν οἱ πονηροὶ τὸ τοίνυν Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον πρώτως τεθέντι προσέχει λογισμῷ, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον κρίνει ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἀποδέχεται, Ὃ δὲ λέγω τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Ἔχω τινὰ φιλοξενίας λογισμὸν, καὶ