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CHAPTER 17. Concerning pride. Pride is a swelling of the soul filled with ichor; if it ripens, it will burst, and will cause great disgust. The flashing of lightning foretells the sound of thunder, and the presence of vainglory proclaims pride. The soul of the proud ascends to a great height, and from there casts him down into the abyss. He who has separated himself from God suffers from pride, and ascribes his achievements to his own power. Just as one who steps on a spider's web, falling through, is brought down, so falls the one who trusts in his own power. Much fruit bends down the branches of a tree, and a multitude of virtue humbles the mind of a man. Rotten fruit is useless to the farmer, and the virtue of a proud man is not useful to God. A stake supports a fruit-laden branch, and the fear of God a virtuous soul. Just as the weight of the fruit smites down the branch, so pride casts down a virtuous soul. Do not give your soul to pride, and you will not see dreadful phantoms. For the soul of the proud is abandoned by God, and becomes a delight for demons. At night he imagines a multitude of beasts approaching, and by day he is disturbed by thoughts of cowardice; sleeping he leaps up continually, and waking he cowers at the shadow of a bird. The sound of a leaf has terrified the proud man, and the sound of water has broken his soul. For he who a little while before set himself against God, and denied His help, is later terrified by insignificant phantoms. 79.1164

CHAPTER 18. Pride cast down an archangel from heaven, and made him fall to the earth like lightning. But humility leads a man up to heaven, and prepares him to dance with the angels. Why are you lifted up, O man, being clay, and by nature rottenness, and do you raise yourself above the clouds? consider your nature, that you are earth, and ash, and after a little while you are dissolved into dust, now haughty, and after a little while a worm. Why do you lift up your neck which after a little while will rot? Great is a man who is helped by God; he was abandoned, and he recognized the weakness of his nature. You have nothing that you did not receive from God; why then do you pride yourself on what is another's as if it were your own? why do you adorn yourself with the grace of God as if with your own possession? Acknowledge the Giver, and do not be greatly lifted up; you are a creature of God, do not slight the Creator; you are helped by God, do not deny the Benefactor. You have ascended to a height of life, but He has guided you; you have achieved virtue, but He has worked it. Confess Him who has exalted you, that you may remain steadfast in the height; recognize your fellow man, that he is of the same substance. Do not through boasting deny your kinship. CHAPTER 19. He is humble, and moderate; but the same Creator formed them both. Do not despise the humble man; for he stands more securely than you; he walks on the ground, and does not fall quickly; but the lofty one, if he should fall, will be utterly broken. A proud monk is a rootless tree, and he will not bear the assault of the wind. A walled city is a mind free from pride, and he who dwells in it will be safe. A breeze of wind lifts up a mote, and an assault of recklessness lifts up the proud man; a bubble having burst will disappear, and the memory of the proud perishes. The word of a humble man is a soothing balm for the soul, but that of the proud man is filled with boasting. The prayer of a humble man persuades God, but the supplication of a proud man provokes God. Humility is the coping-stone of a house and guards him who has ascended securely. When you ascend to the height of the virtues, then you have great need of security. For he who has fallen from the ground quickly rises, but he who has fallen from a height is in danger of death. A precious stone is fitting in a setting of gold, and the humility of a man is made bright by many virtues.

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΖʹ. Περὶ ὑπερηφανίας. Ὑπερηφανία ἐστὶν οἴδημα ψυχῆς ἰχῶρος

πεπληρωμένον· ἐὰν πεπανθῇ, ῥαγήσεται, καὶ ποιήσει ἀηδίαν πολλήν. Ἀστραπῆς ἔκλαμψις, ἦχον προμηνύει βροντῆς, καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν εὐαγγελίζεται παρουσία κενοδοξίας. Εἰς ὕψος μέγα ἀναβαίνει ὑπερηφάνου ψυχὴ, κακεῖθεν αὐτὸν εἰς βυθὸν καταβάλλει. Ὑπερηφανίαν νοσεῖ ὁ ἀποστήσας ἑαυτὸν Θεοῦ, καὶ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἐπιγράφων τὰ κατορθώματα. Ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ ἐπιβὰς ἀράχνῃ διαπεσὼν κατηνέχθη κάτω, οὕτω πίπτει ὁ θαῤῥῶν τῇ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει. Καρπὸς πολὺς κατακάμπτει κλῶνας δένδρου, καὶ ἀρετῆς πλῆθος ταπεινοῖ φρόνημα ἀνδρός. Καρπὸς σεσηπὼς ἄχρηστος γεωργῷ, καὶ ἀρετὴ ὑπερηφάνου οὐ χρησιμεύει Θεῷ. Χάραξ βαστάζει κλῶνα κατάκαρπον, καὶ φόβος Θεοῦ ἐνάρετον ψυχήν. Ὥσπερ βάρος καρποῦ καταράσσει κλῶνα, οὕτω ὑπερηφανία ἐνάρετον καταβάλλει ψυχήν. Μὴ δῷς ὑπερηφανίᾳ σὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς φαντασίας φρικτάς. Ψυχὴ γὰρ ὑπερηφάνου ἐγκαταλιμπάνεται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, καὶ γίνεται δαιμόνων ἐπίχαρμα. Νύκτωρ φαντάζεται θηρίων ἐπερχομένων πλῆθος, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας ταράσσεται ὑπὸ λογισμῶν δειλίας· καθεύδων ἐξάλλεται συνεχῶς, καὶ ἐγρηγόρως καταπτήσσει σκίαν ὀρνέου. Φωνὴ φύλλου, ἐπτόησεν ὑπερήφανον, καὶ ὕδατος ἦχος κατέκλασεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν. Ὁ γὰρ πρὸ μικροῦ ἑαυτὸν ἀντιτάσσων Θεῷ, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου βοήθειαν ἀρνούμενος, ὕστερος ἐκδειματοῦται, ὑπὸ φαντασμάτων εὐτελῶν. 79.1164

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΗʹ. Ὑπερηφανία ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ κατέβαλεν ἀρχάγγελον, καὶ ὡς

ἀστραπὴν ἐποίησε πεσεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς. Ταπεινοφροσύνη δὲ, ἄνθρωπον ἀνάγει εἰς οὐρανὸν, καὶ μετὰ ἀγγέλων χορεύειν παρασκευάζει. Τί μετεωρίζῃ, ἄνθρωπε, πηλὸς ὢν, καὶ σαπρία τῇ φύσει, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς νεφέλας ἐπαίρῃ; ἐπισκέψαι σου τὴν φύσιν ὅτι γῆ εἶ, καὶ σποδὸς, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον εἰς κόνιν ἀναλύῃ, ἄρτι σοβαρὸς, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον σκώληξ. Τί τὸν αὐχένα ἐπαίρεις τὸν μετ' ὀλίγον σηπόμενον; Μέγα ἄνθρωπος βοηθούμενος παρὰ Θεοῦ· ἐγκατελείφθη, καὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐπέγνω τῆς φύσεως. Οὐδὲν ἔχεις, ὃ μὴ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἔλαβες· τί οὖν τῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ ἐναμβλύνῃ ὡς σῷ; τί τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἰδίῳ κτήματι ἐγκαλλωπίζῃ; Ἐπίγνωθι τὸν δεδωκότα, καὶ μὴ ἐπαίρου πολύ· κτίσμα Θεοῦ εἶ, μὴ ἀθέτει τὸν Κτίσαντα· βοηθῇ παρὰ Θεοῦ, μὴ ἀρνοῦ τὸν εὐεργέτην. Εἰς ὕψος ἀνέβης πολιτείας, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ὡδήγησε· κατώρθωσας ἀρετὴν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ἐνήργησεν. Ὁμολόγει τὸν ὑψώσαντα, ἵνα μείνῃς ἐν τῷ ὕψει βέβαιος· ἐπίγνωθι τὸν ὁμόφυλον, ὅτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστιν οὐσίας. Μὴ δι' ἀλαζονείας ἀρνοῦ τὴν συγγένειαν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΘʹ. Ταπεινὸς ἐκεῖνος, καὶ σύμμετρος· ἀλλ' ὁ αὐτὸς δημιουργὸς ἔπλασε τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους. Μὴ καταφρονήσῃς ταπεινοῦ· ἕστηκε γάρ σου ἀσφαλέστερος· ἐπὶ γῆς βαδίζει, καὶ οὐ πίπτει ταχέως· ὁ δὲ ὑψηλὸς, ἐὰν πέσῃ, συντριβήσεται. Ὑπερήφανος μοναχὸς δένδρον ἄῤῥιζον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκῃ προσβολὴν ἀνέμου. Πόλις τετειχισμένη, ἄτυφον φρόνημα, καὶ ὁ ἐνοικῶν αὐτῇ ἄσυλος ἔσται. Μετεωρίζει κάρφος αὖρα ἀνέμου, καὶ ὑπερήφανον ἐπαίρει ἀπονοίας προσβολή· πομφόλυξ ῥαγεῖσα ἀφανισθήσεται, καὶ μνήμη ὑπερηφάνου ὄλλυται. Λόγος ταπεινοῦ μάλαγμα ψυχῆς, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ὑπερηφάνου ἀλαζονείας πεπλήρωται Προσευχὴ ταπεινοῦ ἐπικάμπτει Θεὸν, παροξύνει δὲ τὸν Θεὸν δέησις ὑπερηφάνου. Στέφανος δώματός ἐστιν ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καὶ τὸν ἀνελθόντα τηρεῖ ἀσφαλῶς. Ὅταν ἀνέλθῃς εἰς τὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν ὕψος, τότε πολλή σοι χρεία τῆς ἀσφαλείας. Ὁ γὰρ πεσὼν ἀπ' ἐδάφους, ταχέως ἐγείρεται, ὁ δὲ πεσὼν ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ, εἰς θάνατον κινδυνεύει. Λίθος τίμιος ἐμπρέπει σιαλώματι χρυσίου, καὶ πολλαῖς ἀρεταῖς φαιδρύνεται ταπείνωσις ἀνδρός.