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to our dog, and it must be taught to destroy only the wolves, and not to devour the sheep, showing all gentleness towards all men.

CHAPTER 15. Of the thoughts, only that of vainglory is very complex, and the whole

almost embracing the world, and opening the doors to all the demons, just as 79.1217 a wicked traitor of a good city. Therefore it also greatly humbles the mind of the anchorite, filling it with many words and things, and corrupting his prayers through which he strives to heal all the wounds of his soul. All the defeated demons increase this thought, and again through it they all gain entry into souls, making the last state truly worse than the first. And from this thought is born that of pride, he who cast down from heaven to earth the seal of the likeness and the crown of beauty. But leap away from this, and do not delay, lest we betray our life to others, and our living to the merciless. Fervent prayer puts this demon to flight, and to do nothing willingly of those things that contribute to accursed glory. When the mind of the anchorites attains a little impassibility, then, having acquired the horse of vainglory, it immediately rides through the cities, being filled with unmixed praise from glory, to which, by a dispensation, the spirit of fornication, having met it, and having shut it up in one of the pigsties, teaches it no longer to leave its bed before perfect health, nor to imitate the unruly among the sick, who, still carrying remnants of their weakness in themselves, give themselves over to roads and untimely baths, and fall into relapsing illnesses. Therefore, remaining seated, let us rather attend to ourselves, as, while we advance in virtue, we become hard to move towards wickedness, and being renewed in knowledge, we acquire a multitude of various theorems, and being exalted again through prayer we will behold more clearly the light of our Savior.

CHAPTER 16. I cannot write of all the wicked deeds of the demons,

and I am ashamed to recount their evil arts, fearing for the more simple of those who will read this. But concerning the spirit of fornication, hear of its craftiness. When someone has acquired impassibility in the appetitive part, and the shameful thoughts have finally become tepid, at that point it introduces men and women playing with one another, and makes the anchorite a spectator of shameful acts and poses. But this temptation is not of those that last long; for intense prayer, and a most strict diet with vigils, and the exercise of spiritual theorems drive it away like a waterless cloud. But there are times when it even touches the flesh, forcing it towards irrational burning, and this all-wicked one devises countless other things as well, which it is not necessary to publicize and commit to writing. A boiling of anger stirred up against the demon also helps greatly against these thoughts, which anger it especially fears when it is disturbed at the thoughts and destroys its 79.1220 intentions; and this is what is meant by, “Be angry, and do not sin.” This is a useful medicine to be administered to the soul in such temptations. The demon of anger also imitates this demon, and it too fashions images of one's parents, or friends, or relatives, or household members being insulted and struck by unworthy people, and stirs up the anger of the anchorites, so that they say or do something wicked towards those who appear in their mind, to whom it is necessary not to pay attention, and to quickly snatch oneself away from such things

7

τῷ ἡμετέρῳ κυνὶ, καὶ διδακτέον αὐτὸν, τοὺς λύκους μόνους διαφθείρειν, καὶ μὴ τὰ πρόβατα κατεσθίειν, πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνύμενον πραότητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΕʹ. Μόνος τῶν λογισμῶν ὁ τῆς κενοδοξίας ἐστὶ πολύυλος, καὶ ὅλην

σχεδὸν περιλαμβάνων τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς δαίμοσιν ὑπανοίγων τὰς θύρας, ὥσπερ 79.1217 τις προδότης πονηρὸς ἀγαθῆς γενόμενος πόλεως. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάνυ ταπεινοῖ τοῦ ἀναχωροῦντος τὸν νοῦν, πολλῶν λόγων αὐτὸν καὶ πραγμάτων πληρῶν, καὶ τὰς προσευχὰς αὐτοῦ λυμαινόμενος δι' ὧν πάντα τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ τραύματα θεραπεύειν σπουδάζει. Τοῦτον τὸν λογισμὸν συναύξουσι πάντες ἡττηθέντες οἱ δαίμονες, καὶ πάλιν δι' αὐτοῦ πάντες εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς λαμβάνουσιν εἴσοδον, ποιοῦντες ὄντως τὰ ἔσχατα, χείρονα τῶν πρώτων. Ἐκ τούτου δὲ γεννᾶται τοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ ὁ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τὸ ἀποσφράγισμα τῆς ὁμοιώσεως, καὶ τὸν στέφανον τοῦ κάλλους ἀπ' οὐρανῶν εἰς γῆν κατασείσας. Ἀλλ' ἀποπήδησον τούτου, καὶ μὴ χρονίσῃς, ἵνα μὴ προδῶμεν ἄλλοις τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν, καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον ἀνελεήμοσι. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν δαίμονα φυγαδεύει ἐκτενὴς προσευχὴ, καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ἑκόντα ποιεῖν, τῶν συντελούντων πρὸς τὴν ἐπάρατον δόξαν. Ὅταν ὀλίγης ἀπαθείας τῶν ἀναχωρούντων ὁ νοῦς ἐπιλάβηται, τότε κενοδοξίας ἵππον κτησάμενος, εὐθέως ἐλαύνει κατὰ τὰς πόλεις, ἄκρατον ἐκ τῆς δόξης ἐμφορούμενος ἔπαινον, ᾧ, κατ' οἰκονομίαν, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πορνείας ἀπαντῆσαν, καὶ εἰς ἕνα τῶν συφεῶν ἀποκλεῖσαν τοῦτον, παιδεύει αὐτὸν μηκέτι πρὸ τῆς τελείας ὑγείας καταλιμπάνειν τὴν κλίνην, μηδὲ τοὺς ἀτάκτους τῶν ἀῤῥώστων μιμεῖσθαι, οἵτινες, ἔτι λείψανα τῆς ἀσθενείας ἐν ἑαυτοῖς περιφέροντες, ὁδοῖς ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ λουτροῖς ἀκαίροις ἐπιδιδόασι, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς νοσήμασι περιπίπτουσι. ∆ιόπερ καθεζόμενοι μᾶλλον προσέχωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, ὡς, προκόπτοντες μὲν ἐν ἀρετῇ, δυσκίνητοι πρὸς κακίαν γινόμεθα, ἀνακαινούμενοι δὲ ἐν τῇ γνώσει, ποικίλων προσλαμβάνομεν πλῆθος θεωρημάτων, ὑψούμενοι δὲ πάλιν κατὰ τὴν προσευχὴν φανερώτερον τὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐποπτεύσομεν φῶς.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιϛʹ. Πάσας μὲν τὰς κακουργίας τῶν δαιμόνων γράφειν οὐ δύναμαι,

καὶ τὰς κακοτεχνίας αὐτῶν καταλέγειν αἰσχύνομαι, δεδοικὼς τῶν ἐντευξομένων τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους. Πλὴν δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς πορνείας, ἄκουε πανουργίαν. Ὅταν τις τοῦ ἐπιθυμητικοῦ μέρους κτήσηται ἀπάθειαν, καὶ οἱ αἰσχροὶ λογισμοὶ λοιπὸν ὑπόψυχροι γένωνται, τὸ τηνικαῦτα εἰσάγει ἄνδρας τε, καὶ γυναῖκας παίζοντας μετ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ αἰσχρῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ σχημάτων τὸν ἀναχωρητὴν καθίστησι θεατήν. Ἀλλ' οὗτος ὁ πειρασμὸς οὐκ ἔστι τῶν χρονιζόντων· προσευχὴ γὰρ σύντονος, καὶ δίαιτα στενωτάτη μετὰ ἀγρυπνίας, καὶ γυμνασίας θεωρημάτων πνευματικῶν ὥσπερ νέφος αὐτὸν ἄνυδρον ἐπελαύνει. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν ἐφάπτεται, πρὸς τὴν ἄλογον πύρωσιν αὐτὰς ἐκμοχλεύων, καὶ ἄλλα δέ τινα μυρία προσμηχανᾶται ὁ παμπόνηρος οὗτος, ἅπερ οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον δημοσιεῦσαι, καὶ γραφῇ παραδοῦναι. Συμβάλλεται δὲ σφόδρα πρὸς τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ ζέσις θυμοῦ κατὰ τοῦ δαίμονος κινηθεῖσα, ὅνπερ θυμὸν μάλιστα δέδοικεν ἐπὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς ταρασσόμενον, καὶ διαφθείροντα, αὐτοῦ τὰ 79.1220 νοήματα· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, «Ὀργίζεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε.» Χρήσιμον τοῦτο φάρμακον ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις πειρασμοῖς τῇ ψυχῇ προσαγόμενον. Μιμεῖται δὲ καὶ ὁ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦτον τὸν δαίμονα, καὶ πλάττει, καὶ αὐτός τινας τῶν γεγεννηκότων, ἢ φίλων, ἢ συγγενῶν, ἢ οἰκείων ὑβριζομένους, καὶ τυπτομένους ὑπὸ ἀναξίων, καὶ τῶν ἀναχωρούντων ἀνακινεῖ τὸν θυμὸν, ὥστε φθέγξασθαί τι πονηρὸν, ἢ ποιῆσαι πρὸς τοὺς φαινομένους κατὰ διάνοιαν, οἷς οὐ προσέχειν ἀναγκαῖον, καὶ ταχέως ἐξαρπάζειν ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων