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and very clearly, seeing the Master of all directing the creation which He made, and leading and bearing all things in rhythm and order, and the harmony befitting each of the things that come to be, contemplating both beauty and utility together in all of creation, and in each part of it both of these shining forth, they willingly blind themselves, or rather seeing, they act shamelessly, and receiving the gifts of Providence, they revile the things they receive, and through the things they enjoy, they make war on the Guardian. Therefore, what we said yesterday about the heaven, and the sun, and the moon, and the other luminaries would have been sufficient, if they were willing to listen with good judgment, to persuade them to be sober-minded and to praise their Benefactor. But lest one of those who have set the moon as a limit to Providence, and have said that it extends only to this, and have declared it to be very petty, should take the balance of our words as a pretext for blasphemy, come now, O beloved, let us bring you down again from there through the air to the earth, and guiding you again little by little as on the previous day, let us point out that it is seen and shown even in the smallest parts of creation to those who are willing to pay attention, and simply to those who possess a created nature, always accompanying them in common and individually. Therefore, proceeding on our way, let us examine the nature of the air, how it is most subtle, and slipping through, and easily escaping, and needing things to contain it; 83.577 Therefore the Maker of all things, having created heaven and earth, poured it out in the middle, and having contrived for it an unbreakable wall by means of these two bodies, and declared it a co-worker of life for the living bodies between them. For by breathing this, we human beings live, and of the irrational animals, as many as are winged, and creeping, and amphibious, have this as a co-worker of life. This, when it is moved, provides us the breezes of the winds; this, when it is condensed, sends irrigation from the clouds to the earth; light, using this as a vehicle, feasts the sight of those who see; this, mediating between the sun and the earth, tempers the intensity of its ray, and by its own moisture and coolness, soothing its dryness and heat, it contrives for us a painless enjoyment of the light. But lest you think the air is the cause of these goods, learn that the heat of the sun puts its excessiveness to sleep. For no one could bear the unmixed coldness of the air; and the winter season is a witness; for in this season the sun, running towards the more southern parts of the pole, and leaving the more northern and middle parts, gives the air license to use its nature; for which reason, no longer being consumed in the same way by the heat of the sun, but becoming dense and frequent, it sends forth heavy rain, and whipping it up by the more violent assault of the winds, it turns it into snow and hail, and the dew that drips in the clear skies it congeals by a breeze, and by its coldness produces the frost; and these things, even if from afar, it nevertheless casts off when warmed by the sun. And it is possible from this also to understand accurately the providence of God. For since the usefulness of the elements is much and great, and with the usefulness, the beauty is much, and the grace ineffable, the all-wise one has arranged for things that seem to be painful to happen through them, so that we may not believe these to be gods, but works of God, directed and governed as He directs. For this reason the air, the co-worker of our life, which we all breathe to live, this common treasure, both of the poor and of those who boast in wealth, of slaves and masters, of commoners and kings, which those adorned in purple do not breathe more than the poor man, but all human nature has been honored with equality in respect to its use, not only gladdens us with breaths, and with breezes, and with the provision of rain, but also

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καὶ λίαν προφανῶς, τὸν ἁπάντων ∆εσπότην ὁρῶντες ἣν ἐποίη σεν ἰθύνοντα κτίσιν, καὶ πάντα ἐν ῥυθμῷ καὶ τάξει ἄγοντά τε καὶ φέροντα, καὶ τὴν ἁρμονίαν ἑκά στῳ τῶν γινομένων ἐμπρέπουσαν, κάλλος ὁμοῦ καὶ χρείαν ἐν ἁπάσῃ θεωροῦντες τῇ κτίσει, καὶ ἐν ἑκά στῳ δὲ μορίῳ ταύτης ἄμφω ταῦτα διαλάμποντα, ἑκόντες τυφλώττουσι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁρῶντες ἀναισχυν τοῦσι, καὶ τὰ δῶρα τῆς Προνοίας λαμβάνοντες, οἷς λαμβάνουσι λοιδοροῦνται, καὶ δι' ὧν ἀπολαύουσι, τῷ Κηδεμόνι πολεμοῦσιν. Ἤρκει μὲν οὖν, εἴπερ ἤθελον εὐγνωμόνως ἀκούειν, καὶ τὰ χθὲς ἡμῖν εἰρημέ να περὶ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἡλίου, καὶ σελήνης, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φωστήρων, πεῖσαι αὐτοὺς σωφρονεῖν, καὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνεῖν. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις τῶν τὴν σελήνην ὅρον τῇ Προνοίᾳ τεθεικότων, καὶ μέχρι ταύ της αὐτὴν διήκειν εἰρηκότων, καὶ λίαν αὐτὴν σμι κρολόγον ἀποφηναμένων, ἐφόδιον εἰς βλασφημίαν λάβῃ τῶν λόγων τὴν συμμετρίαν, δεῦρο δή σε πάλιν, ὦ φιλότης, ἐκεῖθεν διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν κατα βιβάσωμεν, καὶ κατὰ βραχύ σε πάλιν καθάπερ τῇ προτεραίᾳ ποδηγήσαντες, ὑποδείξωμεν καὶ ἐν τοῖς βραχυτάτοις τῆς κτίσεως μορίοις φαινομένην ταύτην καὶ δεικνυμένην τοῖς προσέχειν ἐθέλουσι, καὶ ἁπα ξαπλῶς τοῖς γεννητὴν λαχοῦσι φύσιν, κοινῇ καὶ ἰδίᾳ συμπαρομαρτοῦσαν ἀεί. Ὁδῷ τοίνυν βαδίζοντες, ἐξετάσωμεν τοῦ ἀέρος τὴν φύσιν, πῶς λεπτοτάτη μέν ἐστι, καὶ διολισθαί νουσα, καὶ ῥᾳδίως διαφεύγουσα, καὶ τῶν συνεχόντων 83.577 δεομένη· ∆ιὸ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Ποιητὴς, οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν δημιουργήσας, ἐν μέσῳ τοῦτον διέχεε, καὶ τού τῳ τεῖχος ἀῤῥαγὲς διὰ τῶν δύο τούτων σωμάτων μηχανησάμενος, καὶ αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐν μέσῳ τούτων ἐμ ψύχοις σώμασι ζωῆς συνεργὸν ἀποφήνας. Τοῦτον γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀναπνέοντες ζῶμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων δὲ ζώων ὅσα πτηνὰ, καὶ ἑρπετὰ, καὶ ἀμφί βια, τοῦτον ἔχει τῆς ζωῆς συνεργόν. Οὗτος κινούμε νος, τῶν ἀνέμων ἡμῖν παρέχει τὰς αὔρας· οὗτος πυκνούμενος, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν νεφῶν ἀρδείαν παραπέμ πει τῇ γῇ· τούτῳ τὸ φῶς ὀχήματι κεχρημένον, ἑστιᾷ τῶν ὁρώντων τὰς ὄψεις· οὗτος ἡλίῳ καὶ γῇ μεσι τεύων, τὸ σφοδρὸν τῆς ἀκτῖνος κεράννυσι, καὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ὑγρότητι καὶ ψυχρότητι, τὴν ἐκείνου κατα πραΰνων ξηρότητα καὶ θερμότητα, ἄλυπον ἡμῖν πραγματεύεται τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ νομίσῃς αἴτιον τουτωνὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸν ἀέρα, μάθε ὡς καὶ τούτου τὴν ἀμετρίαν ἡ τοῦ ἡλίου κοι μίζει θερμότης. Ἀκραιφνῆ γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἤνεγκε τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος ψυχρότητα· καὶ μάρτυς ἡ χειμέριος ὥρα· ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ νοτιώτερα τοῦ πόλου διατρέχων ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ τὰ βορειότερα καὶ τὰ μέσα καταλιμπάνων, ἄδειαν δίδωσι τῷ ἀέρι κεχρῆσθαι τῇ φύσει· οὗ χάριν, μηκέτι ὁμοίως δαπανώμενος ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου θερμότητος, πυκνούμενος δὲ καὶ συχνὸς γινόμενος, καὶ ὑετὸν ἀφίησι λαῦρον, καὶ τῇ σφοδροτέρᾳ τῶν ἀνέμων προσβολῇ τοῦτον ἐξαφρίζων, εἰς νιφετὸν μεταπήγνυσι καὶ χάλαζαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς καθαραῖς αἰθρίαις ἀποστάζουσαν δρόσον τῇ αὔρᾳ πηγνὺς, ψυχρότητι τὴν πάχνην ἐργάζεται· καὶ ταῦτα εἰ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῷ ἡλίῳ θερμαινόμενος ἀπο βάλλει. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀκριβῶς καταμαθεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν προμήθειαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὴ καὶ μεγάλη τῶν στοιχείων ἡ χρεία, καὶ πρὸς τῇ χρείᾳ, πολὺ τὸ κάλλος, καὶ ἄῤῥητος ἡ ὥρα, τὰ δοκοῦντα λυπηρὰ γίνεσθαι διὰ τούτων ὁ πάνσοφος ᾠκονόμησεν, ἵνα μὴ θεοὺς, ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ ποιήματα ταῦτα εἶναι πι στεύωμεν, ἰθυνόμενά τε καὶ κυβερνώμενα ᾗ ἂν ἐκεῖ νος ἰθύνῃ. Τούτου χάριν ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν συνεργὸς ἀὴρ, ὃν ἀναπνέοντες διαζῶμεν ἅπαντες, ὁ κοινὸς οὗτος θησαυρὸς, καὶ πενομένων καὶ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ βρενθυομένων, οἰκετῶν καὶ δεσποτῶν, ἰδιωτῶν καὶ βασιλέων, ὃν οὐ μᾶλλον τοῦ πένητος ἀναπνέουσιν οἱ τῇ ἁλουργίδι κοσμούμενοι, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἰσομοιρίᾳ κατὰ τὴν τούτου χρείαν ἅπασα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις τετίμηται, οὐ μόνον ἡμᾶς εὐφραίνει ταῖς ἀναπνοαῖς, καὶ ταῖς αὔραις, καὶ τῇ τοῦ ὑετοῦ χορηγίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ