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they hide their activities, and persuaded by the word of the one who made them, they made a treaty of eternal friendship, and this, though they are without soul and have no mind to govern them, but nevertheless they remain, keeping the boundary from the beginning. For the Maker governs creation, and He has not left the vessel He has made without a pilot, but being Himself both the shipwright and the planter of the material, and at the same time having crafted the material and woven the vessel, He continues to hold the rudders. And the cycle of so many years and the longest time bear witness, not having corrupted the vessel, but showing it safe and pure, not only to the first ones, but also to their late-born descendants. Since, therefore, you have seen, O friend, in heaven the. 83.565 providence of God made manifest, come, let us guide you to the remaining parts of creation; and just as infants first beginning to walk, taking hold of your right hand, let us prepare to go around creation little by little. Come down, therefore, from the heavens, as to some first step, the sun, and do not fear the conflagration, but step upon it and look around; for it will not burn you who are well-disposed toward the Maker, but it will point out to you the Creator, commanding it to use the energy of its nature in a contrary way. For fire by nature loves its upward motion, just as water its downward course. And it is not possible to lead the latter from the foot of a mountain to its summit, nor to persuade the former to send its flame downward; but even if one should strive ten thousand times, holding a torch or a firebrand, to carry it downward with his hand, the flame goes upward again, and darts against the hand that holds it, and does not forsake the impulse it received from the beginning, but stands upon the boundaries of its nature. But to the Maker all things are easy. For that which does not obey your right hand, yields to the nods of the Creator. And it is possible to see the sun and moon, and the choir of stars, giving their backs to the heaven, but sending their rays downward; for they are slaves of their possessor, and their nature is the boundary set by the one who made them. For the nature of fire does not obey you, nor does it depart from its own activity; for it is a fellow-servant; but obeying the nods of the Maker, it is transformed, and the upward-moving nature becomes downward-moving. Thus the nature of waters, being fluid and unsubstantial, He leads and carries aloft, and drawing them up from below, He places them between heaven and earth, supported by nothing, but suspended and hanging by word alone. But for now, do not desire to hear anything about the clouds, nor wish to run, not yet having learned to walk, but proceeding through creation little by little, learn the course of piety. See, therefore, here also the providence of God, presiding over the sun and moon and the other luminaries, and, as with some voice, commanding them to bear torches for men, and not simply to bear torches, but according to a distribution of time. For the sun, by rising, makes the day, but by setting and, as it were, hiding itself, it gives way to the night, whose gloom the Creator mingles with the moon and stars. And it is possible to see them like some sisters, I mean the day and the night, borrowing time from each other for the need of men, and again gratefully repaying it. For when the winter is ending, and the spring is dawning, when men's labors concerning their work are more numerous, both journeys and travels abroad, and departures from harbors, and the sea is calm, and freed from the winter's harshness, and the earth, luxuriant with crops, calls the farmer to its care, and the plants call the planter to pruning and cleansing and watering, and 83.568 the care by digging, at that time the day borrows from the night, increasing for men the time for work; and it is taken little by little, so that it may not harm those who use it by its suddenness. For more labor, happening suddenly, greatly injures bodies that have remained idle for a very long time. For this reason, little by little

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κρύπτουσιν ἐνεργείας, καὶ τῷ τοῦ πεποιηκότος λόγῳ πεισθέντες, τὴν δι' αἰῶνος φιλίαν ἐσπείσαντο, καὶ ταῦτα ἄψυχα ὄντα, καὶ νοῦν κυβερνήτην οὐκ ἔχοντα, ἀλλ' ὅμως μένει τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὅρον φυλάττοντα. Κυβερνᾷ γὰρ τὴν κτίσιν ὁ Ποιητὴς, καὶ οὐ κατέλιπεν ἀκυβέρνητον ὃ πεποίηκε σκάφος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὢν καὶ ναυπηγὸς, καὶ τῆς ὕλης φυτουργὸς, καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὸν τήν τε ὕλην δημιουργήσας, καὶ τὸ σκάφος ὑφάνας, κατέχων δια τελεῖ τὰ πηδάλια. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τῶν τοσούτων ἐνιαυ τῶν ὁ κύκλος, καὶ ὁ μακρότατος χρόνος, μὴ δια φθείρας τὸ σκάφος, σῶον δὲ αὐτὸ, καὶ ἀκραιφνὲς, οὐ μόνον τοῖς πρώτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὀψιγόνοις ἐπι δεικνύς. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν εἶδες, ὦ φίλος, ἐν οὐρανῷ τὴν τοῦ. 83.565 Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν φαινομένην, φέρε σε ξεναγήσωμεν ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κτίσεως μέρη· καὶ καθάπερ τὰ βρέφη τὸ πρῶτον τοῦ βαδίζειν ἀρξάμενα, τῆς δεξιᾶς σου λαβόμενοι, κατὰ βραχὺ τὴν κτίσιν περι νοστῆσαι παρασκευάσωμεν. Κατάβηθι τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν, οἷον εἴς τινα βαθμὸν πρῶτον τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ μὴ δείσῃς τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπίβηθι καὶ πε ρισκόπησον· οὐ γὰρ ἐμπρήσει σε εὐγνωμόνως περὶ τὸν Ποιητὴν διακείμενον, ἀλλ' ὑποδείξει σοι τὸν ∆η μιουργὸν, ἐναντίως κεχρῆσθαι τῇ τῆς φύσεως ἐνερ γείᾳ κελεύοντα. Φιλεῖ μὲν γὰρ τὸ πῦρ κατὰ φύσιν τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω φορὰν, ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸν ἐπὶ τὸ πρανὲς δρόμον. Καὶ οὔτε τοῦτο ἐξ ὑπωρείας εἰς ἀκρώρειαν ἀνάγειν δυνατὸν, οὔτε ἐκεῖνο πεῖσαι κάτω πέμψαι τὴν φλόγα· ἀλλὰ κἂν μυριάκις τις φιλονει κήσει, λαμπάδα κατέχων, ἢ δᾷδα, κάτω ταύτην μετ ενεγκεῖν τῇ χειρὶ, ἡ φλὸξ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω πάλιν χωρεῖ, καὶ κατὰ τῆς κατεχούσης ᾄττει χειρὸς, καὶ ἣν ἔλα χεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁρμὴν οὐκ ἐᾷ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρων τῆς φύσεως ἕστηκε. Τῷ δὲ Ποιητῇ πάντα ῥᾴδια. Τὸ γὰρ τῇ σῇ μὴ πειθόμενον δεξιᾷ, τοῖς τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ νεύμασιν εἴκει. Καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἀστέρων χορὸν, τῷ μὲν οὐρανῷ τὰ νῶτα διδόντας, κάτω δὲ τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀφιέντας· δοῦλα γάρ ἐστι τοῦ κεκτικότος, καὶ φύσις αὐτοῖς ὁ τοῦ ποιή σαντος ὅρος. Σοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐ πείθεται τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ φύσις, οὐδὲ τῆς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας ἐξίσταται· ὁμόδου λος γὰρ ὑπάρχει· τοῖς δὲ τοῦ Ποιητοῦ νεύμασι πει θομένη, μεταῤῥυθμίζεται, καὶ κατωφερὴς ἡ ἀνωφερὴς γίγνεται φύσις. Οὕτω τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν, ῥοώδη τε καὶ χαύνην οὖσαν, ἄγει καὶ φέρει μετέωρον, καὶ κάτωθεν ἀνέλκων, μέσην οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἵστησιν, ἐπ' οὐδενὸς ἐρηρεισμένην, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ μόνῳ ᾐωρημένην καὶ κρεμαμένην. Ἀλλὰ τέως περὶ τῶν νεφῶν μηδὲν ἀκοῦσαι ποθήσῃς, μηδὲ δρα μεῖν ἐθελήσῃς, οὐδέπω βαδίζειν μεμαθηκὼς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ βραχὺ τὴν κτίσιν ὁδεύων, μάθε τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸν δρόμον. Βλέπε τοιγαροῦν κἀνταῦθα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν, ἐφεστῶσαν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φωστῆρσι, καὶ οἷόν τινι φωνῇ παρακελευομέ νην δᾳδουχεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς δᾳδου χεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χρόνου διανομήν. Ἀνίσχων μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος τὴν ἡμέραν ποιεῖ, δυόμενος δὲ καὶ οἱονεὶ κρυπτόμενος, παραχωρεῖ τῇ νυκτὶ, ἧς τὸ ζοφῶδες διὰ σελήνης καὶ ἀστέρων ὁ ∆ημιουργὸς κεράννυσι. Καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν οἷόν τινας ἀδελφὰς, τὴν ἡμέραν φημὶ καὶ τὴν νύκτα, παρ' ἀλλήλων δανειζομένας εἰς χρείαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν χρόνον, καὶ πάλιν εὐγνω μόνως ἀποδιδούσας. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ χειμῶνος λήγοντος, καὶ τοῦ ἔαρος ὑπολάμποντος, ἡνίκα πλείους τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ περὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν πόνοι, ὁδοιπορίαι τε καὶ ἐκδημίαι, καὶ ἀπὸ λιμένων ἀναγωγαὶ, καὶ θάλαττα ἐστορεσμένη, καὶ τῆς χειμερινῆς ἀπηλλαγ μένη τραχύτητος, καὶ ἡ γῆ τοῖς ληΐοις κομῶσα τὸν γηπόνον εἰς ἐπιμέλειαν καλεῖ, καὶ τὰ φυτὰ τὸν φυ τουργὸν εἰς τομὴν καὶ κάθαρσιν καὶ ἀρδείαν, καὶ 83.568 τὴν διὰ σκαπάνης ἐπιμέλειαν, τηνικαῦτα δανείζεται παρὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἡ ἡμέρα, αὔξουσα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν τῆς ἐργασίας καιρόν· κατὰ βραχὺ δὲ κομίζεται, ἵνα μὴ τῷ ἀθρόῳ τοῖς χρωμένοις λυμήνηται. Πλείων γὰρ ἐξαίφνης ὁ πόνος γιγνόμενος, λωβᾶται λίαν τοῖς ἀργοῖς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διαμείνασι σώμασι. Τούτου χάριν κατὰ βραχὺ