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such a thing for those who have not yet tasted the pure and divine pleasure, by which the teachings of virtue will be accepted along with it, being sweetened by something that delights the senses, just as it is customary for physicians to do, when they make some bitter and hard-to-take of the healing medicines 5.29 easy to take for the sick by seasoning it with the sweetness of honey. But if the introduction to the life of virtue has been completely engineered for us by the things that have been said, so that it is necessary first to separate the opposing practices from one another, then to mark each of them with its own characteristic, and after this to dignify the one with reason, and to render the other to be shunned by denunciation, and to strengthen the mind toward each by the examples of distinguished men, and by particular instructions to point out the path leading to the good and to turn one away from the worse, and to make the hardened and manly character of virtue pleasant to infants, sweetened by something that delights our senses, it would be time to understand how through this considered method all the teaching of the psalms has been brought forth for us, restraining from wickedness and drawing toward virtue.

CHAPTER 3

First, then, for we begin the examination from the last points,

let us consider the device, by which he made the way of life according to virtue, which is so harsh and strenuous, and the enigmatic teaching of the mysteries, and the ineffable and hidden theology with its hard-to-grasp theorems, so easy to receive and sweet, that this teaching is studied not only by mature men who have already purified the senses of their soul, but also that it has become the private possession of the women's quarters, and brings pleasure to infants like one of their toys, and for the elderly becomes in place of a 5.30 staff and a rest, and that the one who is cheerful considers the gift of this teaching to be his own, and the one who is gloomy from circumstance thinks that such grace of scripture was given for his sake; and in addition to these, people who are traveling by land and sea, or who are engaged in some sedentary crafts, and simply all men and women in all occupations, in health and in sickness, consider it a loss not to carry this lofty teaching on their lips. And already both banquets and wedding festivities receive this philosophy among their delights as a part of their mirth, to say nothing of the inspired hymnody through these in the all-night vigils and the philosophy pursued through these in the churches. What, then, is the device of this ineffable and divine pleasure, which the great David poured over the teachings, by which the lesson has become so acceptable to the nature of men? Perhaps it is easy for everyone to state the reason why we pursue the study of these things with pleasure; for one might say that singing the words is the reason for going through these things with pleasure. But I, even if this is true, say that we must not pass it by unexamined. For the philosophy through melody seems to signify something greater than is in the mind of the many. What then is it that I say? I heard one of the wise men setting forth the argument concerning our nature, that man is a kind of small world, having all the elements of the great world in himself. And the arrangement of the universe is a kind of musical harmony, fitted to itself in many ways and diversely according to a certain order and rhythm, and singing in concert with itself and never being torn away from this symphony, even if a great difference is seen in 5.31 each of the things that exist. For as it happens with the plectrum of one who skillfully touches the notes and brings forth the melody in the variety of sounds, so if any uniform in

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τοιοῦτον τοῖς μήπω τῆς ἀκηράτου καὶ θείας ἡδονῆς γευσαμένοις, δι' οὗ συμπαραδεχθήσεται τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰ διδάγματα, διά τινος τῶν τὴν αἴσθησιν εὐφραινόντων ἐφηδυνό μενα, καθάπερ καὶ τοῖς ἰατροῖς ποιεῖν σύνηθες, ὅταν τι πικρόν τε καὶ δύσληπτον τῶν ἀλεξητηρίων φαρμάκων 5.29 εὔληπτον ποιῶσι τοῖς ἀρρωστοῦσι τῇ τοῦ μέλιτος ἡδονῇ παραρτύοντες. εἰ δὲ τελείως ἡμῖν ἡ εἰσαγωγὴ τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τετεχνολόγηται, ὡς δεῖν πρότερον μὲν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων χωρίσαι τὰ ἐναντία τῶν ἐπιτηδευ μάτων, εἶτα ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν τῷ ἰδίῳ γνωρίσματι σημειώσα σθαι, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τὸ μὲν ἀποσεμνῦναι τῷ λόγῳ, τὸ δὲ φευκτὸν ἐκ διαβολῆς ἀπεργάσασθαι, τοῖς τε τῶν ἐπισήμων ἀνδρῶν ὑποδείγμασιν ἐπιρρῶσαι πρὸς ἑκάτερον τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ταῖς μερικαῖς ὑποθήκαις τήν τε πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἄγουσαν ὁδὸν ὑποδεῖξαι καὶ ἀποτρέψαι τοῦ χείρονος, τό τε κατεσκλη κὸς καὶ ἀνδρῶδες τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡδὺ ποιῆσαι τοῖς νηπιάζουσι διά τινος τῶν εὐφραινόντων τὴν αἴσθησιν ἡμῶν γλυκαινόμενον, καιρὸς ἂν εἴη κατανοῆσαι πῶς διὰ τῆς θεωρηθείσης ταύτης τεχνολογίας πᾶσα προῆκται ἡμῖν ἡ διὰ τῶν ψαλμῶν διδασκαλία τῆς τε κακίας ἀπείργουσα καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐφελκομένη.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Γʹ

Πρῶτον τοίνυν, ἐκ γὰρ τῶν τελευταίων ἀρχόμεθα τῆς ἐξετάσεως,

σκοπήσωμεν τὴν ἐπίνοιαν, δι' ἧς οὕτω σκληράν τε καὶ σύντονον οὖσαν τὴν κατ' ἀρετὴν πολιτείαν τήν τε τῶν μυστηρίων αἰνιγματώδη διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὴν ἀπόρρητόν τε καὶ κεκρυμμένην δυσεφίκτοις θεωρήμασι θεολογίαν οὕτως εὔληπτόν τε καὶ γλυκεῖαν ἐποίησεν, ὡς μὴ μόνον τε λείοις ἀνδράσι τοῖς ἤδη κεκαθαρμένοις τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητή ρια τὴν διδασκαλίαν ταύτην σπουδάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ἴδιον γενέσθαι κτῆμα καὶ νηπίοις ὥς τι τῶν ἀθυρμάτων ἡδονὴν φέρειν καὶ τοῖς παρηλικεστέροις ἀντὶ 5.30 βακτηρίας τε καὶ ἀναπαύσεως γίνεσθαι, τόν τε φαιδρυνό μενον ἑαυτοῦ νομίζειν εἶναι τῆς διδασκαλίας ταύτης τὸ δῶρον καὶ τὸν σκυθρωπῶς ἐκ περιστάσεως διακείμενον δι' αὐτὸν οἴεσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην τῆς γραφῆς χάριν δεδόσθαι· ὁδοιποροῦντές τε πρὸς τούτοις καὶ θαλαττεύοντες ἄνθρωποι, ἤ τισιν ἐπιδιφρίοις ἐργασίαις προσασχολούμενοι καὶ πάντες ἁπαξαπλῶς ἐν πᾶσιν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες, ἐν ὑγιείᾳ τε καὶ ἀρρωστίᾳ, ζημίαν ποιοῦνται τὸ μὴ διὰ στόματος τὴν ὑψηλὴν ταύτην διδασκαλίαν φέρειν. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὰ συμπόσια καὶ αἱ γαμικαὶ φαιδρότητες ὡς μέρος εὐφροσύνης τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ταύτην ἐν ταῖς θυμηδίαις παραλαμβάνουσιν, ἵνα παρῶμεν τὴν ἔνθεον ἐν ταῖς παννυχίσι διὰ τούτων ὑμνῳδίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐσπουδασμένην ἐν τούτοις φιλοσοφίαν. Τίς οὖν ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς ἀφράστου ταύτης καὶ θείας ἡδονῆς, ἣν κατέχεε τῶν διδαγμάτων ὁ μέγας ∆αβίδ, δι' ἧς οὕτω γέγονεν εὐπαράδεκτον τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ μάθημα; πρόχειρον μὲν ἴσως παντὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν, καθ' ἣν ἐν ἡδονῇ τὴν ἐν τούτοις μελέτην ποιούμεθα· τὸ γὰρ μελῳδεῖν τὰ ῥήματα εἴποι τις ἂν αἴτιον εἶναι τοῦ μεθ' ἡδονῆς περὶ τούτων διεξιέναι. ἐγὼ δὲ κἂν ἀληθὲς ᾖ τοῦτο, φημὶ δεῖν μὴ παριδεῖν ἀθεώρητον. ἔοικε γὰρ μεῖζόν τι ἢ κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάνοιαν ὑποσημαίνειν ἡ διὰ τῆς μελῳδίας φιλοσοφία. τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ φημί; ἤκουσά τινος τῶν σοφῶν τὸν περὶ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν διεξιόντος λόγον, ὅτι μικρός τις κόσμος ἐστὶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος πάντα ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὰ τοῦ μεγάλου κόσμου. ἡ δὲ τοῦ παντὸς διακόσμησις ἁρμονία τίς ἐστι μουσικὴ πολυειδῶς καὶ ποικίλως κατά τινα τάξιν καὶ ῥυθμὸν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡρμοσμένη καὶ ἑαυτῇ συνᾴδουσα καὶ μηδέποτε τῆς συμφωνίας ταύτης διασπωμένη, εἰ καὶ πολλή τις ἐν 5.31 τοῖς καθ' ἕκαστον ἡ τῶν ὄντων διαφορὰ θεωρεῖται. οἷον γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλήκτρου γίνεται τοῦ τεχνικῶς ἁπτομένου τῶν τόνων καὶ τὸ μέλος ἐν τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῶν φθόγγων προάγοντος, ὡς εἴγε μονοειδής τις ἐν