8

may turn them away from profitable admonition. Do not refuse to be admonished, even if you are a gnostic; for if the practical is separated from the gnostic, there is need of one who joins the harmony of both virtues by the terrible justice of the judgment. He who casts the paternal commandment out of his ear, will also be disobedient to the commandment of the law, do not only speak with delight of the achievements of the Fathers, but also demand of yourself to be a most toilsome worker of these things. He who seeks more laboriously what sort of thought is opposed by what sort of labor, is found to be a craftsman in the struggle against delusion, and in all your noetic labors, if one of them is lacking, he who plundered it sneaks in its place. Remember with the understanding of labors to guard your heart, lest forgetfulness of the care for better things plunder it and hand it over to the captivity of thoughts; for forgetfulness of captivity leaps toward wickedness, so that with the mind stolen by the former, the latter may readily enter. The mind, being stolen from God, and removed from memory, also sins indifferently through the external senses; for such a one is unable to discipline his hearing and tongue, because he has released the love of labors from external things. He who loves to hear one who blames someone else, the two of them cooperate with two cooperating spirits; for evil-hearing happens to be a co-worker of accusation, and they love each other to the ruin of the heart.

CHAPTER 17. Shut your ears to slander, so that you may not sin doubly with

them, by habituating yourself to a terrible passion, and not stopping them from slandering. The mocker plunders the soul of better things, digging through unsound hearing with slanders; but he who escapes the abusive tongue of his neighbor also banishes his own abuse; he who provides pleasing hearing to the abuser, milks the venom of a beast into his ears. Let not your ear taste this 79.1116 bitter antidote, lest you too mix such a one for another, do not bewitch your ear with slanders, lest having been sold to passion, you serve a multiplicity of passions; for one of the many passions, having found a place in you, brings others into the same enclosure; then the ruling faculty is enslaved by a multitude of evils, when, having been yoked to passion, it unyokes the labors. He who tries to investigate the thoughts of others, does not in fact investigate his own actions, do not mock the departed as one who lived carelessly, so that you may not out of habit toward the living become a bitter judge of the dead as well; do not pay attention to those who stumble with an arrogant thought that elevates you as a judge, but attend to yourself with a sober thought, and as an examiner of your own actions. Groan when you stumble, and do not be puffed up when you succeed do not boast of being above reproach, so that you do not put on evil as an adornment. For some, being unable to be known for piety, have hastened to be known even for wickedness; while others, having grown in envy, hurl pretexts, despising those who are steadfast in the virtues. Some who are rumored among their neighbors for vile things, clothe themselves in a venerable life, not so that they may lament their vile stumblings with labors, but so that they may overshadow the rumors of censure. But do not adorn yourself for him who deceives you, nor exult in being deceived; for if you engage in serious things for a mere name, you are working not for God, but for men, do not have confidence in one who lives without labor, even if a great name parades for him; there is a friend for the sake of appearance, and time becomes his accuser.

CHAPTER 18. Acquire a friend who fears mockery, so that you may find a covering for your

stumblings, but hide what is envied in you more than the one who envies. When your friend, being diminished by the praises of your labors, turns to envy, so as to also hurl words of vainglory at your labors among those around, in order to overshadow the reputation that spreads about you with his jests, then not by his malice

8

ἐπωφελοῦς νουθεσίας ἀποστήσωσι. Μὴ ἀπαναίνου νουθετούμενος, κἂν γνωστικὸς ὑπάρχῃς· ἐὰν γὰρ τὸ πρακτικὸν τῆς γνωστικῆς ἀποζευχθῇ, χρεία τοῦ ζευγνύντος τὴν ὁποτέρων τῶν ἀρετῶν ἁρμονίαν τῇ φρικτῇ τῆς κρίσεως δίκῃ. Ὁ τὴν πατρῴαν ἐντολὴν ἐκ τοῦ ὠτὸς ἐκτινάσσων, καὶ νομικῆς ἐντολῆς παρήκοος ἔσται, μὴ μόνον κατορθώματα Πατέρων τερπόμενος λάλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ σεαυτὸν ἐργάτην τούτων πονικώτατον ἀπαίτει. Ὁ πονικώτερον ἐπιζητῶν οἷός τε οἵῳ πόνῳ λογισμὸς ἀντίκειται, τεχνίτης ἐν πάλῃ κατὰ τῆς πλάνης εὑρίσκεται, ἐν ὅλοις δὲ τοῖς νοεροῖς σου πόνοις, οἷς ἐὰν ἐλλείψῃ, ὁ τοῦτον συλήσας ἀντ' αὐτοῦ παρεισδύει. Μνημόνευε τῇ συνέσει τῶν πόνων συντηρεῖν τὴν καρδίαν, μήπως ἡ λήθη τῆς τῶν κρειττόνων μερίμνης ταύτην συλήσασα τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ παραδῷ· ἡ γὰρ λήθη τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας προσπηδᾷ τῇ κακίᾳ, ἵνα ὑπ' ἐκείνης τοῦ νοῦ κλαπέντος, ἑτοίμως αὕτη παρεισέλθοι, νοῦς κλεπτόμενος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, καὶ μνήμης μακρυνόμενος, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐκτὸς αἰσθήσεων ἀδιαφόρως ἁμαρτάνει· ἀκοὴν γὰρ καὶ γλῶτταν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀδυνατεῖ παιδαγωγῆσαι, ὅτι τὸ φίλτρον τῶν πόνων ἐκ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἐξαφῆκεν. Ὁ φιλῶν ἐξακούειν τοῦ ψέγοντος τὸν δεῖνα, δυσὶ συνεργοῖς πνεύμασι συνεργοῦσιν οἱ δύο· ἡ γὰρ κακηκοΐα τῆς κατηγορίας συνεργὸς τυγχάνει, καὶ ἐρῶσιν ἀλλήλων εἰς λύμην καρδίας.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΖʹ. Ἐκ τῶν καταλαλιῶν τὰ ὦτά σου φράξον, ἵνα μὴ διττῶς σὺν

αὐτοῖς ἀνομήσῃς, σαυτὸν μὲν δεινῷ πάθει ἐθίζων, γλωσσαλγεῖν δὲ ἐκείνους οὐκ ἀνακόπτων. Ψυχὴν τῶν κρειττόνων ὁ φιλοσκώπτης λῃστεύει, σαθρὰν ἀκοὴν διαβολαῖς διορύττων· ὁ δὲ διαδρῶν τὴν τοῦ πέλας λοίδορον γλῶσσαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν λοιδορίαν φυγαδεύει· ἡδεῖς ἀκοὰς ὁ τῷ λοιδόρῳ παρέχων, ἰὸν θηρὸς τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀμέλγει. Μὴ γευέσθω τὸ οὗς σου τῆς 79.1116 πικρᾶς ταύτης ἀντιδότου, μή πως τοιαύτην καὶ σὺ συγκεράσῃς ἑτέρῳ, μὴ γοητεύου καταλαλιαῖς τὸ οὗς σου, ἵνα μὴ πάθει πραθεὶς, πολυπαθείᾳ δουλεύσῃς· ἓν γὰρ τῶν πολλῶν πάθος τόπον ἐν σοὶ εὑρὼν, εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν σηκὸν καὶ ἄλλα συνεισφέρει· τότε πλήθει κακῶν ὁ ἡγεμὼν δουλοῦται, ὅταν πάθει ζευχθεὶς τοὺς πόνους ἀποζεύξῃ. Ὁ τὰς ἑτέρων σκέψεις πειρώμενος ἐρευνᾷν, τὰς ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις ἕργῳ οὐκ ἐρευνᾷ, μὴ ὡς ἀμελῶς ζήσαντα, τὸν ἀποβιώσαντα σκῶπτε, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ἐκ συνηθείας τῶν ζώντων, καὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ γένῃ πικρὸς δικαστής· μὴ τοῖς πταίουσιν ἔπεχε λογισμῷ ἀλαζόνι ἐπαίροντί σε ὡς δικαστὴν, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ πρόσεχε λογισμῷ νήφοντι, καὶ τῶν σῶν πράξεων δοκιμαστῇ. Στένε πταίων, καὶ μὴ φυσῶ κατορθῶν ἀκαταφρόνητος εἶναι μὴ μεγαλαύχει, ὅπως μὴ ὡς κόσμον τὸ κακὸν ἐνδύσῃ. Τινὲς γὰρ ἀπὸ εὐλαβείας μὴ δυνάμενοι γνωσθῆναι, ἔσπευσαν, κἂν ἀπὸ κακίας οὕτω γνωσθῆναι· ἕτεροι δὲ αὐξηθέντες τῷ φθόνῳ, προφάσεις ἀκροβολοῦσι, τοὺς εὐσταθοῦντας ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐξουθενοῦσι. Τοῖς πέριξ τινὲς εἰς φαῦλα θρυλλούμενοι, βίον σεμνὸν ἀμφιέννυνται, οὐχ ἵνα τὰ φαῦλα πταίσματα τοῖς πόνοις θρηνήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῶν ψόγων τὰς φήμας σκιάσωσιν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τῷ ἀπατῶντί σε καλλωπίζου, μηδὲ τῷ ἀπατᾶσθαι ἐναγάλλου· ἐὰν γὰρ δι' ὄνομα ψιλὸν τῶν σπουδαίων ἐφάπτῃ, οὐ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐργάζῃ, μὴ παῤῥησίαν ἄγε τῷ ἀπόνως βιοῦντι, κἂν ὄνομα τούτῳ μέγα πομπεύῃ· ἔστι φίλος πρὸς προσώπου χάριν, καὶ χρόνος κατήγορος τούτου γίνεται.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΗʹ. ∆εδοικότα φίλον σκώπτην κτῆσαι, ἵνα σκέπην εὕρῃς τῶν σῶν

πταισμάτων, τὸ δὲ φθονούμενον ἐν σοὶ κρύπτε μᾶλλον τοῦ φθονοῦντος. Ὅταν ὁ σὸς φίλος ταῖς σαῖς τῶν πόνων εὐφημίαις ἐλαττούμενος εἰς φθόνον ἐκτραπῇ, ὡς καὶ τοῖς πέριξ ῥήματα κενοδοξίας ἀκοντίζειν σου τοῖς πόνοις, ὅπως τὴν διατρέχουσαν περὶ σοῦ δόξαν συσκιάσῃ τοῖς σοῖς σκώμμασι, τότε μὴ τῇ ἐκείνου βασκανίᾳ