4

meeting its cycle; so that out of the twenty-four hours of the day and night, this is the one hour that is additionally spent on the body; and the remaining hours the ascetic is occupied in the labor of the mind. Sleep is light and easily shaken off, naturally following from a spare diet; and by deliberate practice, it is interrupted by anxieties about great things. For to be overcome by a deep slumber, with one's limbs relaxed, so as to provide leisure for unseemly fantasies, puts those who sleep thus in a daily death. But what dawn is to others, midnight is to the ascetics of piety, especially as the nocturnal quiet grants leisure to the soul, with neither eyes nor ears sending harmful sounds or sights to the heart, but the mind alone by itself being with God, and correcting itself by the memory of its sins, and setting for itself boundaries for the avoidance of evil, and seeking from God cooperation toward the perfection of its endeavors. (These things are from us to you, O dear friend, narratives of brotherly love. And do you yourself deign to repay us with your holy prayers, so that we may be delivered from the present evil age, and from wicked men, and being freed from all sin, or rather being separated from the very enemy and plotter against our life, we may see the God of all with a pure heart in full knowledge, through the grace of the Lord, etc.)

150 {1To Amphilochius, as from Heracleides.}

1 I remember what was once said between us, and of what things I myself said, and what I heard from your nobility, I have not forgotten. And now a public life does not hold me. For even if in my heart I am the same and have not yet put off the old man, yet at least in my appearance and in having removed myself far from the affairs of life, I seem at last to have set foot, as it were, upon the path of the life according to Christ. But I sit by myself, like those who are about to set out to sea, watching what is to come. For those who sail need winds for a good voyage, but we need one who will lead us by the hand and guide us safely through the salty waves of life. For I consider myself to need first a bridle for my youth, then goads for the race of piety. And the agent of these is clearly discourse, at one time correcting our disorder, at another arousing the sluggishness of the soul. Again I have need of other medicines, so as to wash off the filth from habit. For you know that we, who have for a long time been accustomed to the marketplace, are lavish with words, and unguarded against the fantasies from the evil one that form in the mind. We are also overcome by honor and do not easily put away thinking something of ourselves. For these things I consider that I need a great and experienced teacher. Then, indeed, also for the eye of the soul to be cleansed, so that, all the darkness from ignorance having been removed, like some rheum, it may be able to gaze upon the beauty of the glory of God, I judge to be no small task, nor one that brings little benefit. That your eloquence perceives these things, and desires that someone exist for this help, I know well; and if God ever grants that I may come to the same place with your decency, I shall clearly learn more about the things I ought to be concerned with. For now, because of much ignorance, I am not even able to recognize how many things I lack; except that I have not at all repented of my first impulse, nor does my soul shrink from the goal of the life according to God, for which you were concerned on my behalf, acting well and appropriately for yourself, lest turning back I should become a pillar of salt, which a certain woman suffered, as I hear. But still the external offices also

4

περίοδον ἀπαντῶσα· ὡς ἐκ τῶν εἴκοσι τεσσάρων ὡρῶν τοῦ ἡμερονυκτίου μίαν εἶναι ταύτην τὴν προσαναλισκομένην τῷ σώματι· τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς ἐν τῇ κατὰ νοῦν ἐργασίᾳ ἀπασχολεῖσθαι τὸν ἀσκητήν. Ὕπνοι δὲ κοῦφοι καὶ εὐαπάλλακτοι, φυσικῶς ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ λεπτῷ τῆς διαίτης· κατ' ἐπιτήδευσιν δὲ ταῖς περὶ τῶν μεγάλων μερίμναις διακοπτόμενοι. τὸ γὰρ βαθεῖ κάρῳ κατακρατεῖσθαι, λυομένων αὐτοῦ τῶν μελῶν, ὥστε σχολὴν ἀτόποις φαντασίαις παρέχειν, ἐν καθημερινῷ θανάτῳ ποιεῖ τοὺς οὕτω καθεύδοντας. ἀλλ' ὅπερ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ ὄρθρος ἐστίν, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀσκηταῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ μεσονύκτιον, μάλιστα σχολὴν τῇ ψυχῇ τῆς νυκτερινῆς ἡσυχίας χαριζομένης, οὔτε ὀφθαλμῶν οὔτε ὠτῶν βλαβερὰς ἀκοὰς ἢ θέας ἐπὶ καρδίαν παραπεμπόντων, ἀλλὰ μόνου καθ' ἑαυτὸν τοῦ νοῦ τῷ Θεῷ συνόντος, καὶ διορθουμένου μὲν ἑαυτὸν τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν ἡμαρτημέ νων, ὅρους δὲ ἑαυτῷ τιθέντος πρὸς τὴν ἔκκλισιν τοῦ κακοῦ, καὶ τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ συνεργίαν εἰς τὴν τελείωσιν τῶν σπουδαζομένων ἐπιζητοῦντος. (Ταῦτά σοι παρ' ἡμῶν, ὦ φίλη κεφαλή, ἀδελφικῆς ἀγάπης διηγήματα. αὐτὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς ταῖς ὁσίαις σου εὐχαῖς ἀμείβεσθαι καταξίωσον, ὅπως ῥυσθείημεν ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πονηροῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀπαλλαγέντες πάσης ἁμαρτίας, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐπιβούλου τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν χωρισθέντες, καθαρᾷ τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων ἐν ἐπιγνώσει ὀψόμεθα, διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Κυρίου κτλ.)

150 {1Ἀμφιλοχίῳ, ὡς παρὰ Ἡρακλείδου.}

1 Ἐγὼ καὶ τῶν ὁμιληθέντων ἡμῖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποτὲ μέμνημαι, καὶ ὧν τε

αὐτὸς εἶπον, ὧν τε ἤκουσα παρὰ τῆς εὐγενείας σου, οὐκ ἐπιλέλησμαι. καὶ νῦν βίος μέν με δημόσιος οὐ κατέχει. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ ὁ αὐτός εἰμι καὶ οὔπω τὸν παλαιὸν ἀπεδυσάμην ἄνθρωπον, πλὴν τῷ γε σχήματι καὶ τῷ μακρὰν ἐμαυτὸν ποιῆσαι τῶν τοῦ βίου πραγμάτων, ἔδοξα λοιπὸν οἷον ἐπιβεβηκέναι τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν πολιτείας. καθέζομαι δὲ ἐπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ὥσπερ οἱ εἰς πέλαγος ἀφιέναι μέλλοντες, ἀποσκοπεύων τὸ μέλλον. οἱ μὲν γὰρ πλέοντες ἀνέμων χρῄζουσι πρὸς τὴν εὔπλοιαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ χειραγωγήσοντος ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀσφαλῶς διὰ τῶν ἁλμυρῶν κυμάτων τοῦ βίου παραπέμψοντος. χρῄζειν γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν λογίζομαι πρῶτον μὲν χαλινοῦ πρὸς τὴν νεότητα, ἔπειτα κέντρων πρὸς τὸν δρόμον τῆς εὐσεβείας. τούτων δὲ πρόξενος λόγος δηλονότι, νῦν μὲν παιδαγωγῶν ἡμῶν τὸ ἄτακτον, νῦν δὲ τὸ νωθρὸν τῆς ψυχῆς διεγείρων. πάλιν μοι χρεία φαρμάκων ἑτέρων, ὥστε τὸν ἐκ τῆς συνηθείας ἀποπλύνασθαι ῥύπον. οἶδας γὰρ ὅτι ἡμεῖς, οἱ πολὺν χρόνον ἐνεθισθέντες τῇ ἀγορᾷ, ἀφειδῶς μὲν ἔχομεν τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀφυλάκτως δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ συνισταμένας ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ φαντασίας. ἡττήμεθα δὲ καὶ τιμῆς καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς τι φρονεῖν οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἀποτιθέμεθα. πρὸς ταῦτα μεγάλου μοι δεῖν καὶ ἐμπείρου λογίζομαι διδασκάλου. ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποκαθαρθῆναι, ὥστε πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἐπισκότησιν, οἷόν τινα λήμην, ἀφαιρεθέντα, δύνασθαι ἐνατενίζειν τῷ κάλλει τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ μικροῦ ἔργου κρίνω, οὐδ' ἐπ' ὀλίγον τὴν ὠφέλειαν φέρειν. Ἃ καὶ τὴν σὴν λογιότητα συνορᾷν, καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖν ὑπάρξαι τινὰ εἰς ταύτην τὴν βοήθειαν ἀκριβῶς ἐπίσταμαι· καὶ ἐάν ποτε δῷ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ταὐτὸν ἀφικέσθαι τῇ κοσμιότητί σου, δηλονότι πλείονα μαθήσομαι ὑπὲρ ὧν φροντίζειν με χρή. νῦν γὰρ ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἀμαθίας οὐδὲ ὅσων ἐνδεής εἰμι γνωρίζειν δύναμαι· πλήν γε ὅτι οὐδὲν μετεμέλησέ μοι τῆς πρώτης ὁρμῆς, οὐδὲ ὀκλάζει μου ἡ ψυχὴ πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν βίου, ὅπερ ἠγωνίασας ἐπ' ἐμοί, καλῶς καὶ προσηκόντως ἑαυτῷ ποιῶν, μήποτε στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω στήλη γένωμαι ἁλός, ὅπερ γυνή τις ἔπαθεν, ὥσπερ ἀκούω. ἀλλ' ἔτι μέν με καὶ αἱ ἔξωθεν ἀρχαὶ