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35 The passions of the soul have their origins from men; but those of the body from the body; and the passions of the body self-control cuts off, but those of the soul, spiritual love.

36 Those who preside over the psychic passions persevere until death; but those of the somatic passions withdraw more quickly; and the other demons are like the rising or setting sun, touching some one part of the soul; but the noonday demon is accustomed to encompass the whole soul and to suffocate the mind. Therefore, sweet is the withdrawal after the emptying of the passions; for then the memories are only bare; and the struggle is no longer for combat, but prepares the monk for contemplation of it.

37 Whether the thought moves the passions, or the passions the thought, must be considered; for to some the first seems true, but to others the second.

38 The passions are naturally moved by the senses; and in the presence of love and self-control they will not be moved, but in their absence they will be moved; anger requires more remedies than desire, and for this reason love is called great because it is a bridle for anger; this even that holy Moses, in his natural works, symbolically named the serpent-fighter.

39 The soul is accustomed to be kindled to thoughts by the prevailing stench among the demons, when it perceives them approaching, having been shaped by the quality of the vexing passion.

t40- 53 Counsels 40 It is not possible at every time to fulfill the usual rule, but one must pay attention

to the time and try to perform the possible commandments as much as one can; for the demons themselves are not ignorant of such times. Wherefore, moving against us, they hinder what is possible to be done, and compel us to do what is not possible to be done; for they prevent the sick from giving thanks for their pains and being patient with those who serve them; and again they urge the weak to practice self-control and the weary to stand and chant psalms.

41 When we are forced to stay for a short time in cities or in villages, then most of all holding more firmly to self-control we shall associate with worldly people, lest our mind, having become gross and deprived of its usual diligence because of the present time, should do something unwise and become a fugitive, being struck by the demons.

42 You shall not pray when tempted, before speaking some words with anger towards the one afflicting you; for with your soul being shaped by the thoughts, it happens that the prayer is not even pure; but if you say something to them with anger, you confuse and destroy the thoughts of the adversaries. For anger is naturally disposed to work this also upon better thoughts.

43 But it is necessary also to recognize the differences of the demons, and to note their times; and we shall know them from the thoughts, and the thoughts from the things, which of the demons are rare and more grievous, and which are continuous and lighter, and which are those that rush in suddenly and seize the mind for blasphemy. And it is necessary to know these things, so that when the thoughts begin to move their own matters, before we are cast far from our proper state, we may utter something to them and signify the one who is present; for thus both they themselves would easily with God

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35 Τὰ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔχει τὰς ἀφορμάς· τὰ δὲ τοῦ σώματος ἐκ τοῦ σώματος· καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ σώματος πάθη περικόπτει ἐγκράτεια, τὰ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγάπη πνευματική.

36 Οἱ μὲν τῶν ψυχικῶν προεστῶτες παθῶν ἄχρι θανάτου προσκαρτεροῦσιν· οἱ δὲ τῶν σωματικῶν θᾶττον ὑποχωροῦσιν· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι δαίμονες ἀνατέλλοντι ἢ δύνοντι τῷ ἡλίῳ ἐοίκασιν, ἑνός τινος μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐφαπτόμενοι· ὁ δὲ μεσημβρινὸς ὅλην περιλαμβάνειν εἴωθε τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐναποπνίγειν τὸν νοῦν. ∆ιὸ γλυκεῖα ἡ ἀναχώρησις μετὰ τὴν τῶν παθῶν κένωσιν· τότε γὰρ αἱ μνῆμαι μόνον εἰσὶ ψιλαί· καὶ ἡ πάλη οὐ πρὸς ἀγῶνα λοιπόν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς θεωρίαν αὐτῆς παρασκευάζει τὸν μοναχόν.

37 Πότερον ἡ ἔννοια τὰ πάθη κινεῖ, ἢ τὰ πάθη τὴν ἔννοιαν προσεκτέον· τισὶ μὲν γὰρ ἔδοξε τὸ πρότερον, τισὶ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον.

38 Ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσθήσεων πέφυκε κινεῖσθαι τὰ πάθη· καὶ παρούσης μὲν ἀγάπης καὶ ἐγκρατείας οὐ κινηθήσεται, ἀπούσης δὲ κινηθήσεται· πλειόνων δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ὁ θυμὸς δεῖται φαρμάκων, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μεγάλη λέγεται ἡ ἀγάπη ὅτι χαλινός ἐστι τοῦ θυμοῦ· ταύτην καὶ Μωσῆς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἅγιος ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς συμβολικῶς ὀφιομάχην ὠνόμασεν.

39 Πρὸς τὴν ἐπικρατοῦσαν δυσωδίαν ἐν τοῖς δαίμοσιν εἴωθεν ἀνάπτεσθαι πρὸς λογισμοὺς ἡ ψυχή, ὅταν αὐτῶν ἐγγιζόντων ἀντιλαμβάνηται, τῷ τοῦ παρενοχλοῦντος πάθει πεποιωμένη.

t40- 53 Ὑποθῆκαι 40 Οὐκ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ δυνατὸν ἐκτελεῖν τὸν συνήθη κανόνα, προσέχειν δὲ

δεῖ τῷ καιρῷ καὶ τὰς ἐνδεχομένας ἐντολὰς ὡς ἕνι μάλιστα πειρᾶσθαι ποιεῖν· τοὺς γὰρ καιροὺς καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς τοιούτους οὐκ ἀγνοοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες. Ὅθεν κινούμενοι καθ' ἡμῶν, τὰ μὲν δυνατὰ γενέσθαι κωλύουσι, τὰ δὲ μὴ δυνατὰ γενέσθαι πράττειν ἡμᾶς καταναγκάζουσι· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας εὐχαριστεῖν μὲν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀλγηδόσι καὶ μακροθυμεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπηρετοῦσιν ἀποκωλύουσιν· ἀτονοῦντας δὲ πάλιν ἐγκρατεύεσθαι καὶ βεβαρημένους ἑστῶτας ψάλλειν προτρέπονται.

41 Ὅταν ἐν πόλεσιν ἢ ἐν κώμαις ἐπ' ὀλίγον ἀναγκαζώμεθα διατρίβειν, τότε μάλιστα σφοδρότερον τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐχόμενοι τοῖς κοσμικοῖς συνεσόμεθα, μήποτε παχυνθεὶς ἡμῶν ὁ νοῦς καὶ τῆς συνήθους ἐπιμελείας διὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν στερηθεὶς πράξῃ τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων καὶ γένηται φυγάς, ὑπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων βαλλόμενος.

42 Οὐ πρότερον προσεύξῃ πειραζόμενος, πρὶν εἰπεῖν τινα ῥήματα μετ' ὀργῆς πρὸς τὸν θλίβοντα· τῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς σου πεποιωμένης τοῖς λογισμοῖς, συμβαίνει μηδὲ καθαρὰν γενέσθαι τὴν προσευχήν· ἐὰν δὲ μετ' ὀργῆς εἴπῃς τι πρὸς αὐτούς, συγχεῖς τε καὶ ἐξαφανίζεις τῶν ἀντικειμένων τὰ νοήματα. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ὀργὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κρειττόνων νοημάτων ἐργάζεσθαι πέφυκεν.

43 ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιγινώσκειν, καὶ τοὺς καιροὺς αὐτῶν σημειοῦσθαι· εἰσόμεθα δὲ ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν, τοὺς δὲ λογισμοὺς ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων, τίνες τῶν δαιμόνων σπάνιοι καὶ βαρύτεροι, καὶ ποῖοι συνεχεῖς καὶ κουφότεροι, καὶ τίνες οἱ ἀθρόως εἰσπηδῶντες καὶ πρὸς βλασφημίαν τὸν νοῦν ἁρπάζοντες. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ἵν' ὅταν ἄρξωνται οἱ λογισμοὶ τὰς ἰδίας ὕλας κινεῖν, πρὶν ἢ πολὺ τῆς οἰκείας ἐκβαλώμεθα καταστάσεως, φθεγγώμεθά τι πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν παρόντα σημαίνωμεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν αὐτοί τε ῥᾳδίως σὺν Θεῷ