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having striven, were ignorant of this. For nothing is of equal value to the soul, as one of the poets from outside has said. I know that by not wrestling against the struggle of the evil one you have become weaker, I know that you stand in the midst of the flame of pleasures; but if you say to the enemy, that we do not serve your pleasures, and we do not worship the root of all your evils, if you raise your eye upward, the Savior will perhaps shake the flame, and will burn up those who cast you into the fire, but to you in the midst of the furnace he will send a cloud and dew and a whistling wind, so that the fire does not even touch your thoughts and your conscience; only do not burn yourself up. For often all the weapons and engines from without have not been strong enough to take the fortified cities, but the betrayal of one or two citizens dwelling within has handed them over to the enemies without a struggle. And now let none of the thoughts within betray you, and even if the enemy brings countless engines from without, he will bring them in vain.

4 You have, by the grace of God, many and great ones who suffer with you, who anoint you, who tremble for your soul; the holy Valerius of God, his most precious brother in all things Florentius, Porphyrius wise in the wisdom of Christ, and many others. These lament every day on your behalf and have not ceased praying; and they would have long ago obtained what they asked for, if you had been willing to release yourself even a little from the snares of the enemy. How then is it not strange that others do not even now despair of your salvation, but pray to receive back their member whole, while you, having fallen once, are unwilling to rise, but lie there, all but crying out to the enemy: "Slaughter, strike, do not spare"; "Does not he who falls rise again?" said the divine oracle. But you fight against this and contradict it; for to despair after falling is nothing other than to say that he who falls does not rise again. Do not, I beseech you, do not wrong yourself so much; do not pour so much grief upon us. I do not say this now, when you are not yet in your twentieth year, but even if after doing many things and living your whole life in Christ, in extreme old age you suffered such an outrage, not even then would it be good to despair, but to keep in mind the thief who was justified on the cross, those who worked at the eleventh hour and received the wages for the whole day. And just as it is not good to cause those who have fallen at the final goal to despair, if they are of sound mind, so it is not safe to be nourished by this hope and to say that: after these things ... For now I will enjoy the pleasures of life, and later after laboring a little I will receive the wages for the whole time. For I remember you often saying, when they gave you wicked counsel as you frequented the theaters: "What then? Even if in this short time I end my life well, how shall I go to him who said: 'Do not delay to turn to the Lord, nor put it off from day to day.'" Recover this thought, and fear the thief; for so Christ calls our departure from here, because it comes upon us when we do not know. Consider the cares of life, those that are private, those that happen in common, the fears of rulers, the envy of citizens, the danger often hanging over us to the very end, the toils, the hardships, the servile flatteries not even befitting zealous slaves, and that the fruit of these toils ends here, than which what could be more grievous? But for many it has not even happened to enjoy that for which they toiled, but having spent their prime of life in toils and dangers, when they hoped to receive their wages, they departed having nothing with them. And not unjustly. For if one will scarcely see the earthly king with confidence after enduring many dangers and accomplishing many wars, how will anyone be able to see the heavenly king, having lived and served another for the whole time? 5 Shall I speak, if you wish, also of the cares at home, those of a wife, of children, of servants. It is grievous not to have children, and grievous also to have them; for the one is in vain

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ἐλάσαντες ἠγνόησαν τοῦτο. Ψυχῆς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀντάξιον, καὶ τῶν ἔξωθέν τις ποιητικὸς ἔφη. Οἶδα ὅτι οὐ παλαίων πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ πάλην ἀσθενέστερος γέγονας, οἶδα ὅτι ἐν μέσῃ τῶν ἡδονῶν ἕστηκας τῇ φλογί· ἀλλ' ἐὰν εἴπῃς πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρόν, ὅτι ταῖς ἡδοναῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν, καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν πάντων τῶν κακῶν σου οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν, ἐὰν τείνης ἄνω τὸ ὄμμα, τινάξει τάχα τὴν φλόγα ὁ Σωτήρ, καὶ τοὺς ἐμβαλόντας σε εἰς τὸ πῦρ κατακαύσει, σοὶ δὲ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ καμίνῳ νεφέλην καὶ δρόσον ἀποστελεῖ καὶ πνεῦμα διασυρίζον, ὡς μηδὲ τῶν λογι σμῶν σου καὶ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἅψασθαι τὸ πῦρ· μόνον σαυτὸν μὴ κατακαύσῃς. Καὶ γὰρ τὰς ὀχυρὰς τῶν πόλεων ὅπλα μὲν πάντα πολλάκις καὶ μηχανήματα τῶν ἔξωθεν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν καθελεῖν, προδοσία δὲ ἑνὸς ἢ δύο τῶν ἔνδον οἰκούντων πολιτῶν ἀπονητὶ παρέδωκεν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. Καὶ νῦν μηδείς σε τῶν ἔνδον προδότω λογισμῶν, κἂν μυρία προσάγῃ μηχανήματα ἔξωθεν ὁ ἐχθρός, προσάξει μάτην.

4 Πολλοὺς ἔχεις Θεοῦ χάριτι καὶ μεγάλους τοὺς συναλγοῦντας, τοὺς ἀλείφοντας, τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς τρέμοντας ψυχῆς· τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ θεοῦ Βαλέριον, τὸν πάντα αὐτῷ τιμιώτατον ἀδελφὸν Φλωρέντιον, τὸν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ σοφίαν σοφὸν Πορφύριον, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλούς. Οὗτοι καθ' ἑκάστην ὀλοφύρονται τὴν ἡμέραν ὑπὲρ σοῦ καὶ εὐχόμενοι οὐκ ἐπαύσαντο· καὶ ἔτυχον δ' ἂν ὧν ἐδέοντο πάλαι, εἰ μικρὸν γοῦν ἀπολῦσαι σαυτὸν ἠθέλησας τῶν τοῦ πολεμίου βρόχων. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον ἑτέρους μὲν μηδὲ νῦν ἀπογνῶναί σου τὴν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ δι' ὅλου τὸ μέλος αὐτῶν ἀπολαβεῖν εὔχεσθαι, σὲ δὲ ἅπαξ πεσόντα μὴ θέλειν ἀναστῆναι, ἀλλὰ κεῖσθαι, μόνον οὐχὶ βοῶντα πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρόν· Σφάττε, παῖε, μὴ φείσῃ· «Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται;» ὁ θεῖος ἔφη χρησμός. Σὺ δὲ μάχῃ τούτῳ καὶ ἀντιλέγεις· τὸ γὰρ πεσόντα ἀπογνῶναι, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν ἢ ὅτι ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται. Μή, παρακαλῶ, μὴ τοσοῦτον ἀδικήσῃς σαυτόν· μὴ τοσαύτην ἡμῶν καταχέῃς ὀδύνην. Οὐ λέγω νῦν, ὅτε οὔπω εἰκοστὸν ἄγεις ἔτος, ἀλλὰ εἰ καὶ πολλὰ ποιήσας καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα βίον ἐν Χριστῷ ζήσας, ἐν ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ τοσαύτην ἔπαθες τὴν ἐπήρειαν, οὐδὲ τότε ἀπογνῶναι καλόν, ἀλλ' ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν τὸν ἐν σταυρῷ δικαιωθέντα λῄστην, τοὺς περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ἐργασαμένους ὥραν, καὶ ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας ἀπειληφότας τὸν μισθόν. Ὥσπερ δὲ οὐ καλὸν τοὺς ἐν ἐσχάτῳ τέρματι πεσόντας ἀπελπίζειν, ἐὰν σωφρονῶσιν, οὕτως οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς ταύτῃ τρέφεσθαι τῇ ἐλπίδι καὶ λέγειν ὅτι· μετὰ ταῦτα ... Τέως μὲν ἀπολαύσω τῶν ἡδέων τοῦ βίου ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγον πονέσας τοῦ παντὸς ἀπολήψομαι χρόνου τοὺς μισθούς. Καὶ γὰρ μέμνημαί σου πολλάκις εἰρηκότος, ἡνίκα ἄν σοι πονηρὰ παρῄνουν εἰς μουσεῖα φοιτῶντι· «Τί δαί; κἂν ἐν τῷ βραχεῖ χρόνῳ τούτῳ καλῶς καταλύσω τὸν βίον, πῶς ἀπελεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν εἰρηκότα· «Μὴ μέλλε ἐπιστρέφειν πρὸς Κύριον, μηδὲ ἀναβάλλου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας.» Τοῦτον ἀνάκτησαι τὸν λογισμόν, καὶ δεῖσον τὸν κλέπτην· οὕτως γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐνθένδ' ἡμῶν ἔξοδον καλεῖ, διὰ τὸ ἀγνοοῦσιν ἐφίστασθαι. Ἐννόησον τὰς τοῦ βίου φροντίδας, τὰς ἰδίᾳ, τὰς κοινῇ γινομένας, τοὺς τῶν ἀρχόντων φόβους, τὸν τῶν πολιτῶν φθόνον, τὸν μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων πολλάκις ἐπαρτηθέντα κίνδυνον, τοὺς πόνους, τὰς ταλαιπωρίας, τὰς κολακείας τὰς δουλοπρεπεῖς καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἀνδραπόδων τοῖς σπουδαίοις προσηκούσας, τούτων δὲ τῶν πόνων τὸν καρπὸν ἐνθάδε τελευτᾶν, οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀλγεινότερον; Πολλοῖς δὲ οὐδὲ ἀπολαῦσαι ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπόνεσαν συνέβη, ἀλλὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν πόνοις καὶ κινδύνοις ἀναλώσαντες, ἡνίκα ἤλπισαν ἀπολήψεσθαι τοὺς μισθούς, ἀπῆλθον οὐδὲν ἔχοντες μεθ' ἑαυτῶν. Καὶ οὐκ ἀδίκως. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλέα μετὰ τὸ πολλοὺς μὲν ὑπομεῖναι κινδύνους, πολλοὺς δὲ ἀνύσαι πολέμους, μόλις τις ὄψεται μετὰ παρρησίας, πῶς τὸν οὐράνιον ἰδεῖν δυνήσεταί τις τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἑτέρῳ ζήσας καὶ στρατευσάμενος; 5 Εἴπω, βούλει, καὶ τὰς οἴκοι φροντίδας τὰς τῆς γυναικός, τὰς τῶν παίδων, τὰς τῶν οἰκετῶν. Ἀλγεινὸν μὴ κτήσασθαι παῖδας, ἀλγεινὸν καὶ κεκτῆσθαι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ μάτην ἐστὶν