The reasonable person, therefore, must say to himself, whenever he applies his mind to the sins of others: Am I not perhaps also like that? Let wine not be drunk daily for the purpose of intoxication, nor be sought after as water. For both are creations of God; but water is necessary, while wine was made for the sake of helping the body. But he who first has his tongue bound, who shines fire as it were from his eyes, whose legs tremble and who is insensible, receives a deadly medicine, not making iron into a sickle or any of the things that work the earth, but fashioning it into a sword or a spear and transforming the economy of God. For the wine-drinker, though it is necessary to drink in winter because of the cold until he is not chilled, and in summer for the therapy of the inner parts, misusing it, talks nonsense and, like dogs or swine, boiling over with the flow of the remedy, behaves disgracefully. But we must not, as if living prodigally, misuse the creations of God, drawing thirst to the point of drunkenness, but we should partake of drink for the sake of not being thirsty; as many as gulp down wine like those suffering from a burning fever, will very soon die on account of their lack of self-control. And one must also avoid gluttony, partaking of a few necessary things. For just as a sick body needs many and countless medicines, so also the soul, unfortunate on its own account, wants to be filled with almost even skins. And if someone should ask the reason, it invents a bodily passion. To whom it must be said: Does not every practice, strengthened by a doctrine of the mind, have an easily defensible proof, so that even for an adulterer and a murderer and a runaway a great defense is found, that what is done by them is done well? But he who spoke to the one asking the cause of evil and who answered "doctrine" spoke out most wonderfully. Therefore one must use food for the purpose of not being hungry. But he who is not so, wants, as much as is in his power, to walk about as a hundred-handed and fifty-headed being, seeking three-headed and six-handed Geryons, having practiced gluttony with many hands and more mouths. Wealth must in no way be praised, but poverty must not be reviled. For the one is strengthened by tested matter, but the end of matter is decay and worms and grubs and fire and falls and robbers and a tyrant; but the other is separated from the present age, and seeks only the truth, distracted by nothing temporary. These things I have set before you in writing, wishing to admonish you to be untroubled, and hastening to prepare you for what is perfect and virtuous. For one who is not so runs outside the rule given to him and on account of his disorderliness becomes disqualified from the contest; and even if he should very wretchedly receive help from the noble athletes, having enjoyed food or drink or clothing, nevertheless he is no less uncrowned.

Ῥητέον οὖν τῷ εὐγνώμονι πρὸς ἑαυτόν, ἐπειδάν τινων ἁμαρτήμασι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ χρήσῃ νοῦν· Μήτι ἄρα κἀγὼ τοι οῦτος; Ὁ δὲ οἶνος μήτε ὁσημέραι ἐπὶ τὸ μεθύειν πινέσθω, μήτε ὡς ὕδωρ ἐπιζητείσθω. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἑκάτερα θεοῦ ποιή ματά ἐστιν· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ ἀναγκαῖον, ὁ δὲ οἶνος βοη θείας χάριν τοῦ σώματος γέγονεν. Ὁ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν γλῶτταν δεσμευόμενος, πῦρ δὲ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν λάμπων, τρέμων δὲ καὶ τὰς βάσεις καὶ ἀναισθητῶν, φάρμακον προσίεται θανάσιμον, τὸν μὲν σίδηρον οὐ ποιῶν δρέπανον ἤ τι τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν γῆν, μάχαιραν δὲ αὐτὸν ἢ λόγχην κατασκευάζων καὶ μεταπλάττων τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν οἰκονομίαν. Ὁ γὰρ οἰνοποτῶν, δέον τοῦ μὲν χειμῶνος διὰ τὸ κρύος πίνειν μέχρι τοῦ μὴ ·ιγοῦν, τοῦ δὲ θέρους διὰ τὴν τῶν ἐντὸς θερα πείαν, παραχρώμενος δὲ αὐτῷ ληραίνει καὶ δίκην κυνῶν ἢ συῶν, ·εύματι τῆς θεραπείας ὑπερζέων, ἀσχημονεῖ. Χρὴ δὲ μὴ καθάπερ ἀσωτευομένους ἡμᾶς παραχρῆσθαι τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ ποιήμασιν, τὴν δίψαν εἰς τὴν μέθην ἕλκοντας, ἀλλὰ μεταλαμβάνειν ποτοῦ χάριν τοῦ μὴ διψᾶν· ὅσοι δὲ ·οφῶντες τὸν οἶνον καθάπερ οἱ πυρέττοντες καυσωνιζόμενοι πίνουσιν, ὅσον οὐδέπω διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν τεθνήξονται. Παραιτητέον δὲ καὶ τὴν λιχνείαν, ὀλίγων τινῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων μεταλαμβάνοντα. Καθάπερ γὰρ σῶμα νοσοῦν πολλῶν καὶ μυρίων δεῖται φαρμάκων, οὕτως καὶ ἡ δι' αὑτὴν ἀτυχοῦσα ψυχὴ μονονουχὶ καὶ δερμάτων ἐμπίπλασθαι βούλε ται. Κἂν πύθηταί τις τὸ αἴτιον, πάθος ἀναπλάττει σωμα τικόν. Πρὸς οὓς ·ητέον· Oὐ πᾶν ἐπιτήδευμα δόγματι τῆς ἐννοίας κρατυνόμενον εὐαπολόγητον ἔχει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ὡς καὶ μέχρι μοιχοῦ καὶ φονέως καὶ δραπέτου πολλὴν εὑρίσκεσθαι τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ὅτι καλῶς πράττεται τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῶν γινόμενον; Ὁ δὲ εἰπὼν πρὸς τὸν πυνθανόμενον τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ ἀποκρινόμενος δόγμα πάνυ θαυμαστῶς ἐξεφώνησεν. Τρο φαῖς ἄρα χρηστέον ἐπὶ τὸ μὴ πεινᾶν. Ὁ δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτος ἑκα τοντάχειρ, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ, βούλεται περιπατεῖν καὶ πεντηκοντακέφαλος, Γηρυόνας τρικεφάλους καὶ ἑξάχειρας ζη τῶν, πολλαῖς χερσὶ καὶ πλείοσι στόμασι λαιμαργεῖν ἐπιτε τηδευκώς. Ἐγκωμιαστέον δὲ πλοῦτον μὲν οὐδαμῶς, πενίαν δὲ οὐ λοιδορητέον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐξηλεγμένης ὕλης κρατύνεται, φθορὰ δὲ τὸ τέλος ὕλης ἐστὶν καὶ σκώληκες καὶ εὐλαὶ καὶ πῦρ καὶ πτώσεις καὶ λῃσταὶ καὶ τύραννος· ἡ δὲ κεχώρισται μὲν τοῦ νῦν αἰῶνος, ζητεῖ δὲ τὸ ἀληθὲς μόνον, ὑπὸ μηδενὸς περισπωμένη προσκαίρου. Ταῦτα δὲ ὑμῖν ἐγγράφως ὑπε θέμην, νουθετεῖν βουλόμενος τὸ ἀτάραχον, καταρτίζειν τε ὑμᾶς πρὸς τὸ τέλειον καὶ ἐνάρετον σπεύδων. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ τοι οῦτος ἔξω τρέχει τοῦ δοθέντος αὐτῷ κανόνος καὶ διὰ τὸ ἄτακτον ἔξαθλος γίνεται· κἂν πάνυ ταλαιπώρως τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν γενναίων ἀθλητῶν ἐπικουρίας τύχῃ, βρώσεως ἢ πόσεως ἢ ἐσθῆτος ἀπολαύσας, ὅμως οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀστεφάνωτός ἐστιν.