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the debt, but for us, who have more, it is less. This one must say instead of all and before all: Do not praise too much the smooth course of life, He who knows how to think of things greater than what is seen; Lest somehow for me there be an impassable height, And for you, the ease of the course be precipitous. My sorrowful state is better than your fine one. Have you ever seen of oxen, one in the manger large, Lifted up, gleaming with its fleshiness, 437 Tossing its neck, and the other with its head bowed down, Wizened, ugly with the marks of husbandry; Then the one being kept for slaughter, And the other feeding both itself and its master. Of these, which is more fortunate, do you think? Is it not the lean one, worn out by the yoke? It is clear. But to you breadth is dear, Even if it be evil and composed of evil. Or will you also praise the bulk of one with dropsy? Or does the frenzied one also seem to you to be strong? Is the sweet thing always a saving medicine? The bitter has often saved many; But the sweet for the most part leads to the worse. To a son, is not a father's rod venerable To one who has sense? But to whom kindness is an evil, 438 He is neither a son, nor is he struck with a rod. And what if you wrestle, like Job, for a crown? Sing these things to yourself, and you will be more at ease, Making a comfort for your toil, And with gratitude acquiring hope. For it is the mark of a bad servant to revere his master when he is smiling; but to consider him bad when he is striking. One must accept every turn of the rudder, By which He guides me out of struggle and storm, Until He brings me to anchor in calm harbors; If indeed He did not build the ship in vain, But for a good and favorable end. 7. Concerning intellectual substances. And as when rain comes through the clearing air, 439 Meeting the clouds in repellent arcs, A ray of the sun bends the many-colored rainbow, And all around it the nearby ether flashes, With dense circles and others dissolving without; Such is also the nature of the lights, from the highest Light always reflecting its rays upon lesser minds. Truly, He is the source of lights, a light neither to be named, Nor to be grasped, fleeing the speed of the mind as it draws near, Always running out ahead of all minds, so that with longings We may be stretched toward an ever new height. And these are the lights Second from the Trinity which has royal glory, Shining angels, unseen, who indeed the throne Standing around the great [throne], since they are swift minds, 440 Fire and divine spirits, running quickly through the air, Eagerly they minister to His great commands, Simple, and intellectual, and translucent, neither from flesh Coming (for flesh, since it was created, will perish again), Nor going to flesh, but remaining what they were made. I wished to say they are entirely unwearied; but hold back the horse Though it is very eager, restraining it with the bits of the mind. And some indeed are attendants of the great God; And others then rule the whole cosmos with their aids, One having one charge, another another from the King, Watching over men, and cities, and all nations, And witnesses of rational sacrifices for mortals. O soul, what will you do? My speech trembles, having embarked upon heavenly 441 Beauties; and a mist has met me, And I do not know whether to set my speech forward or to retreat. As when a traveler, crossing a rugged river, Suddenly sprang back, and holds himself back though eager, And his heart beats fast about the stream; Need fixed his courage, but fear checked his impulse; Often he lifted his foot over the water, and often again He drew back, and while they contended, necessity conquered fear. So also for me, approaching the unseen divinity, There is fear on the one hand to place the attendants of the pure high-ruler Under sin, a form sated with light, Lest I somehow spread a path of evil for more people. And fear to engrave the unchangeable good in my words, 442 As long as I see some crooked ruler of evil. For it was not of the Good to plant the nature of evil in us, Or to bring forth toil and hatred for His own friends; Nor for an opposing evil to rise up Later, or to have an unoriginated nature like the Lord. Thus to me, as I was distressed, God put such a thought in my mind. First, the pure nature of the Godhead is always unchangeable, Instead of one, never many. For what

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τὸ χρέος, Ἡμῖν δ' ἔλαττον τοῖς τυχοῦσι πλειόνων. Ὃδ' ἀντὶ πάντων καὶ πρὸ πάντων χρὴ λέγειν· Μὴ σφόδρ' ἐπαίνει τοῦ βίου τὸ εὔδρομον, Ὁ μεῖζον εἰδὼς τῶν ὁρωμένων φρονεῖν· Μή πως ἐμοὶ μὲν ὕψος ᾖ τὸ δύσβατον, Σοὶ δ' ἀμφίκρημνον τοῦ δρόμου τὸ εὐπετές. Ἐμοῦ τὸ λυπρὸν κρεῖσσον ἢ τὸ σὸν καλόν. Βοῶν ποτ' εἶδες τὸν μὲν ἐν φάτνῃ μέγαν, Ἐπῃρμένον, στίλβοντα τῇ εὐσαρκίᾳ, 437 Τραχηλιῶντα, τὸν δὲ κάτω νενευκότα, Ῥικνὸν, δυσειδῆ συμβόλοις γεωργίας· Ἔπειτα τὸν μὲν εἰς σφαγὴν τηρούμενον, Τὸν δὲ τρέφονθ' αὑτόν τε καὶ τὸν δεσπότην. Τούτων τίς ἐστιν εὐτυχέστερος, δοκεῖς; Οὐχ ὁ στενός τε, καὶ ζυγῷ τετρυμμένος; Εὔδηλον. Ἀλλὰ σοί γε τὸ πλάτος φίλον, Κἂν ᾖ κακόν τε καὶ κακῷ συγκείμενον. Ἢ καὶ τὸν ὄγκον ὑδεριῶντος αἰνέσῃς; Ἢ καὶ φρενοπλὴξ ἰσχύειν σοι φαίνεται; Τὸ δ' ἡδὺ πάντως φάρμακον σωτήριον; Πολλοὺς τὸ πικρὸν ἐξέσωσε πολλάκις· Τὸ δ' ἡδὺ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ὡς τὰ πόλλ' ἄγει. Υἱῷ δὲ πατρὸς ῥάβδος οὐ σεβασμία Τῷ νοῦν ἔχοντι; τῷ δὲ κακὸν ἡ χρηστότης 438 Οὔτ' ἐστὶν υἱὸς, οὔτε ῥάβδῳ πλήσσεται. Τί δ' εἰ παλαίεις, ὡς Ἰὼβ, ὑπὲρ στέφους; Ἔπᾳδε σαυτῷ ταῦτα, καὶ ῥᾴων ἔσῃ, Παρηγόρημα τοῦ πονεῖν ποιούμενος, Τῷ δ' εὐχαρίστῳ κτώμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα. ∆ούλου κακοῦ γὰρ, προσγελῶντα μὲν σέβειν Τὸν δεσπότην· πλήττοντα δ' ἡγεῖσθαι κακόν. ∆έον δέχεσθαι πᾶσαν οἴακος στροφὴν, Ὧ μ' ἐκ πάλης τε καὶ ζάλης διεξάγει, Ἕως ἂν ὅρμοις εὐδίοις προσορμίσῃ· Εἴπερ γε τὴν ναῦν μὴ μάτην ἐπήξατο, Ἀλλ' εἰς καλόν τε κἀπιδέξιον τέλος. Ζʹ. Περὶ νοερῶν οὐσιῶν. Οἵη δ' ὑετίοιο κατ' ἠέρος εὐδιόωντος, 439 Ἀντομένη νεφέεσσιν ἀποκρούστοις περιωγαῖς, Ἀκτὶς ἠελίοιο πολύχροον ἶριν ἑλίσσει, Ἀμφὶ δέ μιν πάντη σελαγίζεται ἐγγύθεν αἰθὴρ, Κύκλοισιν πυκινοῖσι καὶ ἔκτοθε λυομένοισι· Τοίη καὶ φαέων πέλεται φύσις, ἀκροτάτοιο Φωτὸς ἀποστίλβοντος ἀεὶ νόας ἥσσονας αὐγαῖς. Ἤτοι ὁ μὲν πηγὴ φαέων, φάος οὔτ' ὀνομαστὸν, Οὔθ' ἑλετὸν, φεῦγόν τε νόου τάχος ἐγγὺς ἰόντος, Αἰὲν ὑπεκπροθέον πάντων φρένας, ὥς κε πόθοισι Τεινώμεσθα πρὸς ὕψος ἀεὶ νέον. Οἱ δέ τε φῶτα ∆εύτερα ἐκ Τριάδος βασιλήϊον εὖχος ἐχούσης, Ἄγγελοι αἰγλήεντες, ἀειδέες, οἵ ῥα θόωκον Ἀμφὶ μέγαν βεβαῶτες, ἐπεὶ νόες εἰσὶν ἐλαφροὶ, 440 Πῦρ καὶ πνεύματα θεῖα δι' ἠέρος ὦκα θέοντες Ἐσσυμένως μεγάλῃσιν ὑποδρήσσουσιν ἐφετμαῖς, Ἁπλοῖ τε, νοεροί τε, διαυγέες, οὔτ' ἀπὸ σαρκῶν Ἐρχόμενοι (σάρκες γὰρ ἐπεὶ πάγεν αὖθις ὀλοῦνται), Οὔτ' ἐπὶ σάρκας ἰόντες, ὅπερ δ' ἐγένοντο μένοντες. Ἤθελον εἰπεῖν πάμπαν ἀτειρέες· ἀλλ' ἄνεχ' ἵππον Καὶ μάλα θερμὸν ἐόντα, νόου ψαλίοισιν ἐέργων. Καί ῥ' οἱ μὲν μεγάλοιο παραστάται εἰσὶ Θεοῖο· Οἱ δ' ἄρα κόσμον ἅπαντα ἑαῖς κρατέουσιν ἀρωγαῖς, Ἄλλην ἄλλος ἔχοντες ἐπιστασίην παρ' ἄνακτος, Ἄνδρας τε, πτόλιάς τε, καὶ ἔθνεα πάνθ' ὁρόωντες, Καὶ λογικῶν θυέων ἐπιίστορες ἡμερίοισι. Θυμὲ, τί καὶ ῥέξεις; τρομέει λόγος οὐρανίοισι 441 Κάλλεσιν ἐμβεβαώς· ἀχλὺς δέ μοι ἀντεβόλησεν, Οὐδ' ἔχω ἢ προτέρω θεῖναι λόγον ἢ ἀναδῦναι. Ὡς δ' ὅτε τρηχαλέῳ ποταμῷ περάων τις ὁδίτης Ἐξαπίνης ἀνέπαλτο, καὶ ἴσχεται ἱέμενός περ, Πολλὰ δέ οἱ κραδίη πορφύρεται ἀμφὶ ῥεέθρῳ· Χρειὼ θάρσος ἔπηξε, φόβος δ' ἐπέδησεν ἐρωήν· Πολλάκι ταρσὸν ἄειρεν ἐφ' ὕδατι, πολλάκι δ' αὖτε Χάσσατο, μαρναμένων δὲ, φόβον νίκησεν ἀνάγκη. Ὣς καὶ ἐμοὶ θεότητος ἀειδέος ἐγγὺς ἰόντι, Τάρβος μὲν καθαροῖο παραστάτας ὑψιμέδοντος Θεῖναι ὑπ' ἀμπλακίῃ, φωτὸς κεκορημένον εἶδος, Μή πω καὶ πλεόνεσσιν ὁδὸν κακίης στορέσαιμι. Τάρβος δ' ἄτροπον ἐσθλὸν ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι χαράξαι, 442 Μέσφ' ὅτε καὶ σκολιόν τιν' ὁρῶ κακίης μεδέοντα. Οὔτε γὰρ ἦν ἀγαθοῖο, κακοῦ φύσιν ἄμμι φυτεῦσαι, Ἠὲ μόθον προφέρειν καὶ ἔχθεα οἷσι φίλοισιν· Οὔτε μὲν ἀντιθόωκον ἀναστῆναι κακότητα Ὕστατον, ἢ καὶ ἄναρχον ἔχειν φύσιν ὥσπερ ἄνακτα. Ὧδέ μοι ἀσχαλόωντι Θεὸς νόον ἔμβαλε τοῖον. Πρῶτον μὲν Θεότητος ἁγνὴ φύσις ἄτροπος αἰεὶ, Ἀνθ' ἑνὸς οὔ ποτε πολλά. Τί γὰρ