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Both I and she are from the one God and Father; “for I said,” he says, “that your wisdom is a sister.” 65 5, 19 Let a hind of friendship and a foal of your graces converse with you; let your own guide you and be with you at all times; for by conducting yourself in this friendship you will be one of many. If “grace and friendship set free,” and virtue and knowledge set a rational soul free, then grace and friendship are virtue and knowledge. And if the hind is born from friendship, and the foal from grace, then the hind is a symbol of contemplation, and the foal of dispassion; for the one is naturally from virtues, the other from knowledge. 66 Proper to the rational nature are virtue and the knowledge of God. 67 To be one of many is to have a multitude of theorems. And the multitude is of those who are being helped. 68 5, 20 do not be much with a strange woman, nor be held in arms that are not your own The phrase “do not be much with a strange woman,” some will think is said concerning outside wisdom, with which it is not necessary to linger because of the hidden deceptions; but others will take it concerning wickedness and will interpret not being much with it thus: that it is not possible for one who is human to abstain completely from evil thoughts, yet it is possible not to linger in them; and that it names evil thoughts “strange arms” which hold the soul and do not escape the notice of God who knows the heart.

69 6, 1 My son, if you become surety for your friend, you will give your hand to an enemy Everyone who becomes surety for Christ, the friend of the apostles, as righteousness and truth, gives his own soul to the enemies who are accustomed to war against men on account of friendship with the Savior; for friendship is spiritual knowledge of God, according to which the saints are also called friends of God. Thus also John the Baptist was a friend of the bridegroom, and Moses and the apostles; “for no longer,” he says, “do I call you servants, but friends.” “Arouse,” he says, through prayers and supplications, “your friend for whom you have become surety,” saying: “guard me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner” and “from an unjust man rescue me” and “on account of my enemies, do not give me over into the hands of those who afflict me,” “because for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 70 6, 4 give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids Sleep of the soul is sin in act; slumber is the unclean thought first forming in the soul. Therefore the word also forbids sleep before slumber; “for it was said,” he says, “to those of old: You shall not murder; but I say: You shall not be angry.” And here also the law seems to me to forbid sleep, and the gospel of Christ slumber, if indeed the one cuts off sin in act, and the other the wickedness first forming in the mind. 71 6, 6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, and having seen its ways, emulate it and become wiser than it; 6, 7 for since it has no tillage, nor anyone to compel it, nor is under a master, 6, 8.1 it prepares its food in the summer It should be noted here that he calls the ant’s natural and harmonious movement wisdom; for indeed one who is wiser is said to be wiser than a wise person. And how is it not under a master, if all things are servants of God? Or perhaps God is called master in two ways, as creator and as one who is known. Therefore Paul also writes: “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God,” clearly according to virtue and knowledge, “you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” But if the ant, being irrational, has no share in such an end, it is clearly also free from such servitude; rightly, then, it is said that the ant is not under a master according to this mastery, and again that it is under a master as having God for its creator. 72 6, 8α.1 Or go to the bee ... 6, 8β.1 whose labors

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ἐγώ τε καὶ αὐτὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς γεγόναμεν θεοῦ καὶ πατρός· «εἶπον γάρ, φησίν, τὴν σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι.» 65 5, 19 ἔλαφος φιλίας καὶ πῶλος σῶν χαρίτων ὁμιλείτω σοι· ἡ δὲ ἰδία ἡγείσθω σου καὶ συνέστω σοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ· ἐν γὰρ ταύτῃ τῇ φιλίᾳ συμπεριφερόμενος πολλοστὸς ἔσῃ Εἰ «χάρις καὶ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ», ἀρετὴ δὲ καὶ γνῶσις ἐλευθεροῖ ψυχὴν λογικήν, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ φιλία ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσίς ἐστιν. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἔλαφος ἐκ τῆς φιλίας, ὁ δὲ πῶλος ἐκ τῆς χάριτος γεννᾶται, ἡ μὲν ἔλαφός ἐστιν θεωρίας σύμβολον, ὁ δὲ πῶλος τῆς ἀπαθείας· ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρετῶν, ἡ δὲ ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. 66 Ἰδία τῆς λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ. 67 Τὸ πολλοστὸν εἶναι τὸ πλῆθός ἐστιν ἔχειν θεωρημάτων. Πλῆθος δέ ἐστιν τῶν ὠφελουμένων. 68 5, 20 μὴ πολὺς ἴσθι πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν μηδὲ συνέχου ἀγκάλαις ταῖς μὴ ἰδίαις Τὸ «μὴ πολὺς ἴσθι πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν», τινὲς μὲν περὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας νομίσουσι λέγεσθαι, πρὸς ἣν χρονίζειν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον διὰ τὰς ἐγκεκρυμμένας ἀπάτας· τινὲς δὲ περὶ τῆς κακίας ἐκλήψονται καὶ τὸ μὴ πολὺν εἶναι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἑρμηνεύσουσιν οὕτως, ὅτι οὐ δυνατὸν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα παντάπασιν ἀπέχεσθαι πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, μὴ χρονίζειν μέντοιγε ἐν αὐτοῖς δυνατὸν καὶ ὅτι ἀγκάλας τὰς ἀλλοτρίας τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς ὀνομάζει τοὺς συνέχοντας τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ μὴ λανθάνοντας τὸν καρδιογνώστην θεόν.

69 6, 1 υἱέ, ἐὰν ἐγγύῃ σὸν φίλον, παραδώσεις σὴν χεῖρα ἐχθρῷ Πᾶς ὁ τὸν

φίλον τῶν ἀποστόλων Χριστὸν ἐγγυώμενος ὡς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν παραδίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῖς εἰωθόσι πολεμεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα φιλίαν· φιλία γάρ ἐστιν πνευματικὴ γνῶσις θεοῦ, καθ' ἣν καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι φίλοι χρηματίζουσι τοῦ θεοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς φίλος ἦν τοῦ νυμφίου καὶ Μωσῆς καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι· «οὐκέτι γάρ, φησίν, ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους.» «Παρόξυνε δέ», φησίν, διὰ προσευχῶν καὶ δεήσεων, «καὶ τὸν φίλον σου ὃν ἐνεγυήσω» λέγων· «φύλαξόν με, κύριε, ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ» καὶ «ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥῦσαί με» καὶ «ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου μὴ παραδῷς με εἰς χεῖρας θλιβόντων με», «ὅτι ἕνεκέν σου θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς». 70 6, 4 μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασιν μηδὲ ἐπινυστάξῃς σοῖς βλεφάροις Ὕπνος μέν ἐστι ψυχῆς ἡ κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτία· νυσταγμὸς δὲ τὸ πρῶτον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ συνιστάμενον ἀκάθαρτον νόημα. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νυσταγμοῦ ὁ λόγος τὸν ὕπνον κωλύει· «ἐρρέθη γάρ, φησί, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις· οὐ φονεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω· οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ φαίνεταί μοι τὸν ὕπνον κωλύων ὁ νόμος, τὸν δὲ νυσταγμὸν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἴγε ὁ μὲν περικόπτει τὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν, τὸ δὲ τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν πρῶτον συνισταμένην κακίαν. 71 6, 6 ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρέ, καὶ ζήλωσον ἰδὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος· 6, 7 ἐκείνῳ γὰρ γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὤν, 6, 8.1 ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφήν Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα ὅτι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φυσικὴν καὶ ἐναρμόνιον κίνησιν σοφίαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ σοφώτερος σοφοῦ σοφώτερος λέγεται. Πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, εἴγε τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ θεοῦ; Ἢ μήποτε ὁ θεὸς δεσπότης λέγεται διχῶς, ὡς δημιουργὸς καὶ ὡς γινωσκόμενος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφει· «νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ», δηλονότι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν, «ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Εἰ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου τέλους ἄμοιρός ἐστιν ὁ μύρμηξ, ἄλογος ὤν, δηλονότι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δουλείας ἐλεύθερος, καλῶς οὖν λέγεται μὴ εἶναι ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὁ μύρμηξ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν δεσποτείαν καὶ εἶναι πάλιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὡς δημιουργὸν ἔχων τὸν θεόν. 72 6, 8α.1 ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν ... 6, 8β.1 ἧς τοὺς πόνους