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Methymna, and the others; but I did not know the fruit of the vine cultivated there. But now through your diligence I have learned of it; and I marvel at both the whiteness of its appearance and the subtlety of its taste; perhaps time will add to its pleasure, if it does not cause it to turn. For it ruins wines, just as it does bodies and plants and buildings and other man-made things. But it is entirely useless to me, if indeed it is its nature to make long-lived those who drink it, according to your word. For I am no lover of long years; since the billows of life are many and hard; but rather I was pleased to learn of the monk's health. For in truth I had this care pricking me as well; but I was not accusing the doctors unjustly. For the affliction required such a cure. I have sent to your nobility a small jar of honey, such as the Cilician bees produce, having gathered it from the flowers of the storax tree. 14 ALEXANDRA. If I considered only the nature of the suffering that has befallen you, I too would have needed comforters, not only because I consider your affairs my own, both your joys and whatever else there may be, but also because I have especially loved that wonderful and truly praiseworthy person. But since a divine decree has moved him from here and has transferred him to a better life, I both scatter the cloud of despondency from my own soul and I beseech your reverence to conquer the passion of despondency with reason and to apply to your soul in due season the charm of the divine words; for it is for this reason that from our swaddling-clothes we draw, as a kind of nipple, the honey of the Holy Scripture, so that whenever a passion assails us we might apply the alexipharmic medicine of the teaching of the Spirit. And we know how very difficult and exceedingly painful it is, for one who has had experience of a worthy love, to be suddenly bereft of the beloved, and for one who has been fortunate to fall into misfortune. But for those who have sense and use sound reason, nothing human is unexpected; for none of these things is stable or sure, not beauty, not wealth, not health of body, not the prestige of office; not anything else of what is admired among the majority. For some have fallen from extreme wealth into utter poverty; others, having lost their health, wrestle with all kinds of afflictions; others, priding themselves on the distinction of their family, drag the heaviest yoke of slavery. And the body's beauty is marred by sickness and ravaged by old age. Very wisely the governor of all things allowed none of these things to be lasting or permanent; so that those who have obtained them, fearing the changes, might lower their brow, and knowing their fickle nature might not trust in temporary things, but might have their hopes in the giver of good things. Knowing these things, I ask your excellency to consider human nature; for you will find it to be mortal and to have received from the beginning the sentence of death. For to Adam the God of all said: You are earth and to earth you shall return. And he who pronounced the sentence is true, and experience is the witness. For there is one entrance into life for all, according to the divine Scripture, and the exit is the same, and everyone who is born awaits the tomb. And not all live for an equal time; but some die prematurely, some after reaching manhood, and some after experiencing the troubles of old age; so also those who have accepted the yoke of marriage are separated; for it is necessary that either the husband depart first, or the wife receive the end of her life before him. And some received lamentations immediately after the bridal chamber; others after living together a short time. Therefore let the commonality of the suffering be enough as a starting point for reason

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Μήθυμναν, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας· ἠγνόουν δὲ τὸν τῆς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τρεφομένης ἀμπέλου καρπόν. Νῦν δὲ τοῦτον διὰ τῆς σῆς φιλοπονίας μεμάθηκα· καὶ θαυμάζω τό τε τοῦ εἴδους λευκὸν καὶ γεύσεως τὸ λεπτόν· τὴν δὲ ἡδονὴν ὁ χρόνος ἴσως προσθήσει, εἰ μὴ τροπίαν ἐργάσαιτο. Λωβᾶται γὰρ καὶ οἴνοις, ὥσπερ αὖ καὶ σώμασι καὶ φυτοῖς καὶ οἰκοδομαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις χειροποιήτοις. Ἐμοὶ δὲ ἄχρηστός ἐστι παντελῶς, εἴγε πολυχρονίους κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον ποιεῖν τοὺς πίνοντας πέφυκεν. Μακρῶν γὰρ ἔγωγε χρόνων οὐκ ἐραστής· ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ τοῦ βίου τὰ κλυδώνια· μᾶλλον δὲ ἥσθην τοῦ μονάζοντος τὴν ὑγίειαν μαθών. Τῷ ὄντι μὲν γὰρ εἶχον καὶ ταύτην με νύττουσαν τὴν φροντίδα· τῶν δὲ ἰατρῶν οὐκ ἐν δίκῃ κατηγόρουν. Τοιαύτης γὰρ τὸ πάθος θεραπείας ἐδεῖτο. Ἀπέ στειλά σου τῇ εὐγενείᾳ σταμνίον μέλιτος, οἷον αἱ Κίλισσαι μελιττουργοῦσι μέλιτται, τοῦ στύρακος περισυλῶσαι τὰ ἄνθη. 14 ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΑ. Εἰ μὲν μόνην τοῦ συμβεβηκότος ὑμῖν πάθους ἐλογιζόμην τὴν φύσιν, τῶν ψυχαγωγούντων ἂν ἐδεήθην κἀγώ, οὐ μόνον τῷ τὰ ὑμέτερα οἰκεῖα κρίνειν καὶ τὰ θυμήρη καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὁποῖά ποτ' ἂν ᾖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην καὶ ὄντως ἀξιέπαινον κεφαλὴν διαφερόντως ἠγαπηκέναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὅρος αὐτὸν θεῖος ἐνθένδε μετέστησε καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀμείνω μετέ θηκε βιοτήν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ἀποσκεδάννυμι τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ νέφος καὶ τὴν σὴν παρακαλῶ σεμνοπρέπειαν νικῆ σαι τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ πάθος τῷ λογισμῷ καὶ εἰς καιρὸν προσ ενεγκεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν θείων λόγων τὴν ἐπῳδήν· τούτου γὰρ δὴ χάριν εὐθὺς ἐκ σπαργάνων οἷόν τινα θηλὴν ἕλκομεν τῆς ἱερᾶς Γραφῆς τὴν μέλιτταν, ἵν' ὅταν ἡμῖν προσπέσῃ πάθος προσ ενέγκωμεν ἀλεξίκακον φάρμακον τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ Πνεύμα τος. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὡς παγχάλεπον καὶ λίαν ἐστὶν ἀλγεινόν, ἀξιεράστου τινὸς ἐν πείρᾳ γεγενημένον ἔρημον ἐξαπίνης τοῦ ποθουμένου γενέσθαι, καὶ ἐν εὐκληρίᾳ γενόμενον δυσκληρίᾳ περιπεσεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι καὶ σώφρονι λογισμῷ κεχρημένοις, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀδόκητον· οὐδὲν γὰρ τού των σταθερὸν οὐδὲ βέβαιον, οὐ κάλλος, οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐκ εὐεξία σώματος, οὐκ ἀξιώματος ὄγκος· οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν παρὰ τοῖς πλείστοις θαυμαζομένων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἄκρας εὐπορίας εἰς πενίαν ἐσχάτην μετέπεσον· οἱ δὲ τὴν ὑγίειαν ἀποβαλόντες παντοδαποῖς παλαίουσι πάθεσιν· ἄλλοι περιφανείᾳ σεμνυνό μενοι γένους τὸν βαρύτατον ἕλκουσι τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν. Τῷ δὲ κάλλει τοῦ σώματος καὶ νόσος λωβᾶται καὶ γῆρας λυμαί νεται. Μάλα δὲ σοφῶς τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις οὐδὲν τούτων εἴασε διαρκὲς οὐδὲ μόνιμον· ἵνα τὰς μεταβολὰς δεδιότες οἱ τούτων τετυχηκότες καταστέλλωσι τὴν ὀφρύν, καὶ τὸν τούτων εὔριπον ἐπιστάμενοι μὴ τοῖς προσκαίροις θαρρῶσιν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγὸν ἔχωσι τὰς ἐλπίδας. Ταῦτα τὴν σὴν εἰδυῖαν θαυμασιότητα, τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν καταμαθεῖν ἀξιῶ· εὑρήσεις γὰρ αὐτὴν θνητὴν οὖσαν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δεξαμέ νην τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὅρον. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ . Ἀψευδὴς δὲ ὁ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκών, καὶ μάρτυς ἡ πεῖρα. Μία γὰρ πάν των εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον , κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφήν, ἔξ οδός τε ἴση , καὶ πᾶς γεννώμενος προσμένει τὸν τάφον. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἴσον ἅπαντες βιοτεύουσι χρόνον· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν πρόωροι τελευτῶσιν, οἱ δὲ εἰς ἄνδρας τελέσαντες, οἱ δὲ καὶ τῶν τοῦ γήρως ἀνιαρῶν πειραθέντες· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῦ γάμου δεξάμενοι τὸν ζυγὸν διαζεύγνυνται ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ τὸν ἄνδρα προαπ ελθεῖν, ἢ τὴν γυναῖκα προτέραν δέξασθαι τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν παστάδα τοὺς θρήνους ἐδέξαντο· οἱ δὲ ὀλίγον συμβιώσαντες χρόνον. Ἀπόχρη τοίνυν καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τοῦ πάθους ἀφορμὴν τῷ λογισμῷ