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to guard it, lest, having lost it, he also lose his great labor, and having rejected the grace of God, he become unworthy of eternal life. For what did it profit Solomon to receive quickly the grace of wisdom, and to lose it? Therefore, do not lose heart, if you do not quickly receive your request. For if the good Master knew that, in quickly receiving the grace, you would not lose it, He was ready to grant it even before you asked for it. But now, caring for you, He does this. For if the one who received the talent, and kept it safe, was condemned because he did not put it to use; how much more will the one who lost it be condemned? Knowing these things, therefore, whether we receive it sooner or later, let us remain giving thanks to the Lord; because all that the Master does, He ordains for our salvation; only let us not, losing heart, cease from our petition. For this reason the Lord told the parable about the widow, who by her persistence swayed the unjust judge, so that we too by persistence might receive our requests. For from this both our faith and our love for God are shown, when, even not receiving quickly, we remain giving thanks to Him. Let us, therefore, give thanks to Him always, so that we may be deemed worthy to obtain His eternal goods; because to Him belongs the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CHAPTER 2. Concerning the attention to thoughts, and that not evil is the

body, as some have supposed. First, then, one must in every 31.1340 way control thought,

applying a sober supervision of the mind, so as not to allow the soul to yield readily through thoughtless impulses to the body's attractions. For the sight of the body is the eye, but the vision of the soul is the intellect which is connate with it; yet not as one thing in another, but soul and intellect are the same thing; being a certain natural and not an imported power of the rational part of the soul. For when the soul, stirring its intellectual part, which was naturally sown in it by the Holy Trinity who made it, deliberates on what is necessary and fitting, then it escapes the outrages of the body; foreseeing and bridling its disorderly movements, it maintains the calm that is proper to it, and in undisturbed leisure it is engaged in natural contemplations; on the one hand, gazing intently, as far as is possible, upon the holy and adorable Trinity, and considering the inaccessibility of the divine glory because of the excess of its splendor, the transparency of its blessedness, the infinity of its wisdom, the firm and waveless quality of its tranquility, its impassible and immovable nature. For to whom nothing unexpected could ever happen, as to one who has stored up the knowledge of all things that are and that will be, and has grasped the universe, and holds all things in hand, and with nothing at all able to oppose or even look against Him; it follows that for this One there is continuous calm and tranquility. For the sudden circumstances of unexpected events are wont to produce disturbances in the minds of men. So that he whom no evil troubles, but every virtue and whatever is good follows, would rejoice, according to reason, with an immovable and unending joy. For joy is a follower of virtue and goodness, as the Prophet says: The Lord will rejoice in His works. A soul, therefore, that preserves its intellectual part in vigilance and in its proper activities will be established in the aforesaid contemplations, and will train its own character toward what is right and just, orderly and peaceful. But whenever it ceases from thinking and being clear in the proper contemplations,

6

φυλάττειν, ἵνα μὴ, ἀπολέσας αὐτὸ, ἀπολέσῃ καὶ τὸν πολὺν αὐτοῦ κάματον, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀθετήσας, ἀνάξιος γένηται τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς. Τί γὰρ ὠφέλησε τὸν Σολο μῶντα ταχέως λαβόντα τὴν χάριν τῆς σοφίας, καὶ ἀπολέσαντα αὐτήν; Μὴ οὖν ὀλιγοψύχει, εἰ μὴ λάβῃς ταχέως τὸ αἴ τημα. Εἰ γὰρ ᾔδει ὁ ἀγαθὸς ∆εσπότης, ὅτι, τα χέως λαμβάνων τὴν χάριν, οὐκ ἀπολεῖς αὐτὴν, ἕτοι μος ἦν καὶ πρὸ τοῦ αἰτῆσαί σε αὐτὴν παρασχεῖν. Νῦν δὲ κηδόμενός σου τοῦτο ποιεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ λαβὼν τὸ τάλαντον, καὶ σῶον αὐτὸ φυλάξας, διότι μὴ ἐπρα γματεύσατο αὐτὸ, κατεκρίθη· πόσῳ μᾶλλον κατα κριθήσεται ὁ ἀπολέσας αὐτό; Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες, εἴτε ταχύτερον εἴτε βραδύτερον λάβωμεν, μείνωμεν εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ· ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ποιεῖ ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας οἰκονομεῖ· μό νον ἡμεῖς μὴ ὀλιγοψυχήσαντες παυσώμεθα τῆς αἰτή σεως. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο τὴν παραβολὴν εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος περὶ τῆς χήρας, ἣ διὰ τῆς παραμονῆς αὐτῆς ἐπ έκαμψε τὸν ἄνομον κριτὴν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τῆς παραμονῆς λαμβάνωμεν τὰ αἰτήματα ἡμῶν. Ἔνθεν γὰρ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν δείκνυται, ὅταν, καὶ μὴ λαμβάνοντες ταχὺ, μένωμεν εὐχαριστοῦντες αὐτῷ. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν οὖν αὐ τῷ διαπαντὸς, ἵνα καταξιωθῶμεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν αἰω νίων αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν· ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Βʹ. Περὶ τῆς τῶν λογισμῶν ἐπιστάσεως, καὶ ὅτι οὐ κακὸν τὸ

σῶμα, ὥς τινες ὑπειλήφασιν. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν κρατητέον ἐκ παντὸς τρό 31.1340 που τὸν λογισμὸν,

νηφάλιον ἐφιστῶντας τὴν τῆς δια νοίας ἐπισκοπὴν, ὡς ἂν μὴ συγχωρεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ ταῖς ἀπερισκέπτοις ὁρμαῖς ῥᾳδίως πρὸς τὰς τοῦ σώματος ἀνθολκὰς ἐνδιδόναι. Βλέψις μὲν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς, ὅρασις δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ συμφυὴς αὐτῇ νοῦς· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἕτερον ἐν ἑτέρῳ, ἀλλὰ ταὐτὸν ψυχή τε καὶ νοῦς· δύναμις ὑπάρχων φυσική τις καὶ οὐκ ἐπείσακτος τοῦ λογιστικοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἡνίκα μὲν γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ, τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἀνακινοῦσα νοερὸν, τὸ φυσικῶς ἐγκατεσπαρμένον αὐτῇ παρὰ τῆς πεποιη κυίας αὐτὴν ἁγίας Τριάδος, βουλεύεται τὰ δέοντά τε καὶ προσήκοντα, τηνικαῦτα διαφεύγει τὰς τοῦ σώματος ἐπηρείας· τάς τε ἀτάκτους αὐτοῦ κινήσεις προορωμένη καὶ ἐπιστομίζουσα, γαλήνην τε ἄγει τὴν αὐτῇ πρέπουσαν, καὶ ἐν ἀπερικτυπήτῳ σχολῇ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν θεωρήμασι γίνεται· τοῦτο μὲν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ προσκυνητὴν Τριάδα, κατὰ τὸ ἐνὸν, ἀτενὲς ἐνορῶσα, καὶ ἀναλογιζομένη τὸ τῆς θείας δόξης ἀπρόσιτον διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς λαμπρότητος, τὸ τῆς μακαριότητος διαυγὲς, τὸ τῆς σοφίας ἀπέραν τον, τὸ τῆς ἀταραξίας πεπηγὸς καὶ ἀκύμαντον, τὴν ἀπαθῆ καὶ ἀκίνητον φύσιν. Ὧ γὰρ μηδὲν ἐξ ἀδο κήτου συμπίπτειν δύναιτ' ἂν, οἷα δὴ τεθησαυρισμέ νῳ τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν τε ὄντων τῶν τε ἐσομένων ἁπάν των, καὶ περιδεδραγμένῳ τῶν ὅλων, καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα τὰ σύμπαντα ἔχοντι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀντιπεσεῖν καὶ ἀντιβλέψαι γοῦν ὅλως δυνάμενον· τούτῳ ἀκόλουθον παρεῖναι γαλήνην καὶ ἀταραξίαν διηνεκῆ. Αἱ γὰρ τῶν ἀνελπίστων πραγμάτων αἰφνίδιοι περιστάσεις τὰς ταραχὰς ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διανοίαις ἐμποιεῖν πεφύκασιν. Ὥστε ᾧ μηδεμία κακία παρενοχλεῖ, πᾶσα δὲ ἀρετὴ καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι καλὸν ἕπεται, οὗτος εὐφραί νοιτο ἂν κατὰ λόγον εὐφροσύνην ἀκίνητόν τε καὶ ἀτελεύτητον. Ἀρετῆς γὰρ καὶ ἀγαθότητος ὀπαδὸς ἡ εὐφροσύνη, καθὼς ὁ Προφήτης φησίν· Εὐφραν θήσεται Κύριος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ. Ψυχὴ τοίνυν ἡ τὸ νοερὸν αὐτῆς ἐν νήψει καὶ ταῖς προσηκούσαις ἐνεργείαις διαφυλάττουσα ἔν τε τοῖς προειρημένοις θεωρήμασι καταστήσεται, καὶ τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἦθος πρὸς τὸ ὀρθὸν καὶ δίκαιον, κόσμιόν τε καὶ εἰρηνικὸν ἐξασκήσει. Ἡνίκα δ' ἂν τοῦ διανοεῖ σθαι καὶ ἐντρανίζειν τοῖς καθήκουσι θεωρήμασιν ἀπολήξῃ,