uncritical and rash, and of those assenting to whatever they encounter, whatever it may be, even if it happens to be false, and of those often contradicting, even if something true has been said, and he trained this by these aforementioned and other varied arguments; for this part of philosophy is multifaceted, accustoming us not to cast forth testimonies rashly or at random and then again to deny them, but to examine accurately not only the obvious things (for many things are at first plausible and seemly, having rushed into our ears as true under specious phrases, being insidious and false, having snatched and received a vote of truth from us, not long after were detected as being unsound and not trustworthy, having feigned the truth in vain; and it easily showed us to have been ridiculously deceived, and to have rashly borne witness to things which we least ought to have; and then again other things, serious and not boastful, or lying in untrustworthy phrases seeming paradoxical and most unbelievable of all, and at once rejected as false and undeservedly scorned, then later, to those who have traced them out and understood them accurately, were understood to be the truest of all and simply invincible, those things previously considered rejectable and unapproved), not indeed only the obvious and prominent things, which are sometimes deceitful and sophistical, but to search out the inner things and to test each one by tapping it, lest it sound somehow unsound, and first to satisfy ourselves in these matters, thus he taught us also to agree with those outside and to declare our judgment on each matter. In this way the critical part of our soul concerned with words and arguments was rationally trained; not according to the judgments of fine rhetoricians, whether something is Greek or barbarian in its expression; this small and unnecessary study; but this most necessary thing for all, Greeks and barbarians alike, and wise and simple and in general (lest my discourse be long in going through each art and pursuit) for all men who have chosen any life whatsoever; if indeed for all who converse about anything whatsoever it is a matter of care and concern not to be deceived.

8 And not this which dialectic alone has as its part to set right; but again the humble part of our soul, astonished by the great work and wonder-working and varied and all-wise creation of the cosmos, and wondering irrationally, and cowering in amazement, and knowing not how to reason at all, like irrational animals, he would arouse and set it aright with other studies, the physical ones, clarifying each of the things that exist, and distinguishing them very wisely into their primary elements, and then weaving into his discourse and going through the nature of the whole and of each part and the multifaceted turning and change of things in the cosmos; until, bringing by his clear teaching and arguments, which he had both learned and discovered concerning the sacred economy of the whole and its blameless nature, he instilled in our souls a rational wonder instead of an irrational one. This study, which is lofty and divine, the most lovely physiology teaches to all. What need is there to speak of the sacred studies, geometry, beloved by all and undisputed, and astronomy that travels the heavens? Which indeed he impressed upon our souls, each one, teaching or reminding or I know not what to say, making the one, geometry, as it were a foundation for all, being unshakable, and a sort of secure base; and leading us up even to the highest things through astronomy, as if through a kind of heaven-high ladder of each study he prepared for us a heaven that could be traversed.

9 But those things which are the chief of all, and for the sake of which especially the whole race of philosophers toils, as from a varied plantation, of all the other studies and of long philosophy receiving good fruits, the divine virtues concerning character, from which comes the untroubled and stable state of the soul's impulses; and free from pain and impassive to all evils, but well-ordered and stable

ἄκριτον καὶ προπετές, συγκατατιθεμέ νων τε τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσιν, ὁποῖά ποτ' ἂν ᾖ, κἂν ψευδῆ τύχῃ, καὶ ἀντιλεγόντων πολλάκις, κἂν ἀληθῆ τινα εἰρημένα ᾖ, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκπαιδεύων τούτοις τε τοῖς προειρημένοις καὶ ἑτέροις ποικίλοις λόγοις· πολυειδὲς γὰρ τουτὶ τὸ μέρος τῆς φιλοσοφίας, συνεθίζον μὴ εἰκῇ μηδ' ὡς ἔτυχε ῥίπτειν τε τὰς μαρτυρίας καὶ πάλιν ἀνανεύειν, ἀλλ' ἐξετάζοντας ἀκριβῶς μὴ τὰ προφανῆ μόνον (πολλὰ γὰρ ἔνδοξα αὐτόθεν καὶ σεμνοειδῆ, ὑπὸ εὐσχήμοσι ταῖς φωναῖς εἰσδραμόντα εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡμῶν ὡς ἀληθῆ, ὕπουλα ὄντα καὶ ψευδῆ, συναρπάσαντα καὶ λαβόντα ψήφισμα ἀληθείας παρ' ἡμῶν, μετ' οὐ πολὺ σαθρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀξιόπιστα κατε φωράθη ὄντα, μάτην τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑποκρινόμενα· καὶ ἡμᾶς εὐκόλως ἀπέφηνε καταγελάστως ἐξηπατημένους, κἀπιμαρτυρήσαντας εἰκῇ οἷς ἥκιστα ἐχρῆν· πάλιν τε αὖ ἕτερα σεμνὰ μὲν καὶ οὐκ ἀλαζονευόμενα μέν, ἢ οὐκ ἀξιοπίστοις ταῖς φωναῖς κείμενα παράδοξα καὶ πάντων ἀπιστότατα δοκοῦντα, αὐτόθεν τε ἀποδοκιμασθέντα ὡς ψευδῆ καὶ ὑβρισθέντα ἀναξίως, εἶθ' ὕστερον ἐξιχνεύσασι καὶ κατανοήσασιν ἀκριβῶς πάντων ἀληθέστατα καὶ ἄμαχα ἀτεχνῶς εἶναι κατενοήθη, τὰ τέως ἀπόβλητα καὶ ἀδόκιμα νομισθέντα), μὴ δὴ τὰ προφανῆ μόνον καὶ προκύπτοντα, ἔστι δ' ὅτι δολερὰ καὶ σεσοφισμένα, τὰ δ' ἔνδον διερευνωμένους μὲν καὶ περικρούοντας ἕκαστον, μή πή τι σαθρὸν ἠχῇ, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς πιστουμένους ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον, οὕτως καὶ τοῖς ἐκτὸς συνομολογεῖν καὶ ἀποφαίνε σθαι περὶ ἑκάστων ἐδίδασκεν. Οὕτως μὲν τὸ περὶ τὰς λέξεις καὶ τοὺς λόγους κριτικὸν ἡμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος λογικῶς ἐξεπαιδεύετο· οὐ κατὰ τὰς καλῶν ῥητόρων κρίσεις, εἴ τι Ἑλληνικὸν ἢ βάρβαρόν ἐστι τῇ φωνῇ· τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον μάθημα· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο πᾶσιν ἀναγκαιότατον Ἕλλησί τε καὶ βαρβάροις, καὶ σοφοῖς καὶ ἰδιώταις καὶ ὅλως (ἵνα μὴ μακρὸς εἴη μοι λόγος ἑκάστας τέχνας καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα ἐπεξιών) πᾶσιν ἀν θρώποις τοῖς ὁντινοῦν βίον ἑλομένοις· εἴ γε πᾶσι τοῖς περὶ ὁτουδήποτε κοινολογουμένοις μέλει τε καὶ διεσπούδασται μὴ ἠπατῆσθαι.

8 Καὶ μὴ τοῦθ' ὅπερ εἶδος διαλεκτικὴ κατορ θοῦν μόνη εἴληχε· τὸ δέ γε πάλιν ταπεινὸν τῆς ψυχῆς <ἡ>μῶν, ἐκτεθαμβημένων μὲν τῇ μεγαλουργίᾳ καὶ θαυματουργίᾳ καὶ ποικίλῃ καὶ πανσόφῳ δημιουργίᾳ τῇ τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ τεθαυμακότων μὲν ἀλόγως ὑπεπτηχότων δὲ ὑπὸ ἐκπλήξεως, εἰδότων δὲ οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἐπιλογίσασθαι δίκην ἀλόγων ζώων, ἐξεγείρων καὶ ἀνορθῶν μαθήμασιν ἑτέροις, τοῖς φυσικοῖς, σαφηνίζων ἕκαστα τῶν ὄντων, καὶ διακρίνων καὶ μάλα σοφῶς εἰς τὰ πρώτιστα στοιχεῖα, κᾆτ' ἐπιπλέκων τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐπιπορευόμενος τήν τε τῶν ὅλων καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ μέρους ἑκάστου φύσιν τροπήν τε τὴν πολυειδῆ καὶ μεταβολὴν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ· ἕως φέρων ὑπὸ σαφοῦς τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας καὶ λόγων, ὧν τε ἔμαθεν ὧν τε ἐξεύρετο περὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων οἰκονομίας τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ φύσεως τῆς ἀμωμήτου, ἀντὶ ἀλόγου λογικὸν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐγκατέθετο θαῦμα. Τοῦθ' ὃ δὴ μάθημα ὑψηλὸν καὶ ἔνθεον ὂν ἡ ἐρασμιωτάτη πᾶσιν ἐκδιδάσκει φυσιολογία. Τί δεῖ λέγειν τὰ τῶν ἱερῶν μαθημάτων, γεωμετρίαν μὲν τὴν πᾶσι φίλην καὶ ἀναμφισ βήτητον καὶ ἀστρονομίαν τὴν μετεωροπόρον; Ἃ δὴ ἕκαστα ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐνετυποῦτο διδάσκων ἢ ἀναμι μνήσκων ἢ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι χρὴ λέγειν, τὴν μὲν ὡς ὑποβά θραν πάντων ἁπλῶς ποιησάμενος οὖσαν ἄσειστον, τὴν γεωμετρίαν, καὶ κρηπίδα τινὰ ἀσφαλῆ· ἀνάγων δὲ καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἀνωτάτω διὰ τῆς ἀστρονομίας, ὥσπερ διὰ κλίμακός τινος οὐρανομήκους ἑκατέρου τοῦ μαθήματος βατὸν ἡμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν παρασκευάσας.

9 Ἃ δὲ ἁπάντων ἐστὶ κορυφαιότατα, καὶ ὧν μάλιστα ἕνεκα πᾶν τὸ φιλόσοφον διαπονεῖται γένος, ὥσπερ ἐκ φυτείας ποικίλης, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων μαθημάτων καὶ φιλοσοφίας μακρᾶς καρποὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἐκδεχόμενον τὰς θείας ἀρετὰς τὰς περὶ ἦθος, ἐξ ὣν ἡ ἀτάραχος καὶ εὐσταθὴς τῶν ὁρμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς κατάστασις γίνεται· καὶ ἀλύπους μὲν καὶ ἀπαθεῖς ἁπάντων κακῶν, εὐτάκτους δὲ καὶ εὐσταθεῖς