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it causes pain by its cold, teaching us that it alone is not sufficient for giving life, and for the care of living things. Thus the sun not only delights us with the striking of its rays, and teaches us the difference of visible bodies, of both sizes and colors, but it also causes pain by the hotter striking of its rays; and if the charioteer of the 83.580 universe, having set the air in motion, does not bring us cool breezes, this sun, worshipped by the foolish, utterly burns everything, and takes away the life of its worshippers. Therefore none of the elements by itself happens to be a provider of life, nor indeed do all of them mixed together, without the power that governs all things, become causes of any good. For it is possible to see again the air having become temperate, the rain having been provided to the earth in season, the sun having used its rays without causing pain, the breezes of the winds having been set in motion in order, the farmers having diligently tilled the earth, having cast their seeds as usual, and yet neither the earth gratefully yielding its fruits, nor the nature of men remaining free from disease. But the ruler of all things does these things, persuading us not to trust in creation, nor to attribute to it the cause of good things, but to believe in its Creator. Since, therefore, you have seen the air also enjoying the providence of God, and because of Him having sufficed for so many thousands of years, and being neither consumed by breathing animals, nor flowing out from the bodies containing it, come, let us lead you to the earth, the common nurse, and mother, and tomb; from which is your clay body, and the mouth that speaks great things against the Maker, according to the vision of Daniel. Behold, therefore, before all other things, its position, and the variety of its forms. For it is not all level, nor steep, but has been divided into mountains, and glens, and plains. And one might see in the midst of great plains hills raised up high, and between the mountains, certain sloping and smooth places, in the shape of sea bays. And the Maker divided the mountains themselves for the need of men, and having set them apart with deep cliffs, He contrived paths for the winter waters, and fashioned for men easy roads in difficult places. And the mountains provide materials for the art of builders, while the plains give in return an abundance of grain to those who dwell in the mountains. And the variety of its position not only nourishes, but also delights the sight of men; for monotony is wont to quickly bring on satiety. Tell me, who is the one who so arranged these things? who is the one who placed in them such power, so that so many cycles of years have not exhausted their treasure? who is the one who keeps existing things unmoved? who urges on the streams of the rivers? who pushes forth the birth-pangs of the springs? Behold them here, gushing forth on the peaks of the mountains, and pouring their streams down from above; and there, not even appearing at the foot of the 83.581 mountains, but from the deepest wells providing streams to men. For lest you should think that the nature of water rushes upwards of its own accord, the Maker teaches you through facts that water, obeying the divine word and effortlessly taking the mountain peaks, does not, even when forced by your art, rise to the surface of the plains; but you dig and deepen the wells, and you enjoy the waters, drawing them up from below; for you are a fellow servant, but not the maker of the elements. But for the Maker it is easy, not only to draw up the nature of water to a mountain peak, but even into the midst of the air, and to sweeten the bitter, and to solidify the fluid, and to dissolve the bound, and to separate the continuous, and to stop the flowing, and to show that which is by nature borne downwards running up, and to heat the cold without fire. And He does these things for you, the ungrateful one, so that you may enjoy also hot springs not made by hands, so that the things of the bod

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ἀνιᾷ τῷ κρυμῷ, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, ὡς οὐκ ἀρκεῖ μόνος εἰς ζωογονίαν, καὶ τῶν ζώντων τὴν θερα πείαν. Οὕτως ὁ ἥλιος οὐ μόνον εὐφραίνει τῇ προσ βολῇ τῶν ἀκτίνων ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν διαφορὰν ἡμᾶς τῶν ὁρωμένων διδάσκει σωμάτων, ὄγκων τε καὶ χρωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνιᾷ τῇ θερμοτέρᾳ προσ βολῇ τῶν ἀκτίνων· κἂν μὴ τὸν ἀέρα κινήσας ὁ τοῦ 83.580 παντὸς ἡνίοχος αὔρας ἡμῖν ψυχρὰς προσενέγκῃ, ὁ προσκυνηθεὶς οὗτος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνοήτων ἥλιος ἄρδην ἐμπίπρησιν ἅπαντα, καὶ τὸ ζῇν ἀφαιρεῖται τῶν προσ κυνούντων. Οὐδὲν τοιγαροῦν τῶν στοιχείων αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τῆς ζωῆς τυγχάνει παρεκτικὸν, οὔτε μὴν ἅπαντα κοινῇ κεραννύμενα, δίχα τῆς τὰ πάντα κυβερνώσης δυνάμεως, ἀγαθοῦ τινος αἴτια γίνεται. Ἔστι γὰρ πάλιν ἰδεῖν, εἰς εὔκρατον μὲν τὸν ἀέρα γεγενημένον, ἐπὶ καιρὸν δὲ τὸν ὑετὸν παρασχε θέντα τῇ γῇ, ἀλύπως τὸν ἥλιον ταῖς ἀκτῖσι χρησάμενον, τὰς τῶν ἀνέμων αὔρας κινηθείσας ἐν τάξει, τοὺς γηπόνους ἐπιμελῶς τὴν γῆν γεωργήσαν τας, συνήθως καταβαλόντας τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ οὔτε τὴν γῆν εὐγνωμόνως ἐκτίσασαν τοὺς καρ ποὺς, οὔτε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν ἄνοσον διαμεί νασαν. Ταῦτα δὲ ποιεῖ τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις, πείθων ἡμᾶς μὴ τῇ κτίσει θαῤῥεῖν, μηδ' εἰς αὐτὴν ἀναφέ ρειν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ταύτης ∆η μιουργῷ πιστεύειν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν εἶδες, καὶ τὸν ἀέρα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπολαύοντα προμηθείας, καὶ δι' ἐκεῖνον τοσαύταις ἐτῶν χιλιάσιν ἀρκέσαντα, καὶ μήτε ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναπνεόντων ζώων δαπανηθέντα, μήτε ἐκτὸς τῶν συνεχόντων αὐτὸν σωμάτων ἐκρεύσαντα, δεῦρό σε πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἀγάγωμεν, τὴν κοινὴν τρο φὸν, καὶ μητέρα, καὶ τάφον· ἐξ ἧς σου τὸ σῶμα τὸ πήλινον, καὶ τὸ στόμα τὸ κατὰ τοῦ Πλάστου λαλοῦν μεγάλα, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ὀπτασίαν. Βλέπε τοιγαροῦν ταύτης πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὴν θέσιν, καὶ τῶν σχημάτων τὴν ποικιλίαν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὑπτία πᾶσα, οὔτε προσάντης, ἀλλ' εἰς ὄρη, καὶ νάπας, καὶ πεδία διῄρηται. Ἴδοι δ' ἄν τις πεδίων ἐν μέσῳ μεγάλων λόφους εἰς ὕψος ἐγηγερμένους, καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν ὀρῶν, πρηνεῖς τινας τόπους καὶ λείους, ἐν κόλπων τινῶν θαλαττίων σχήματι. Καὶ τὰ ὄρη δὲ αὐτὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων διεῖλεν ὁ Ποιητὴς, καὶ εἰς κρημνοὺς διαστήσας βα θεῖς, τοῖς χειμερίοις ὕδασι τὰς πορείας ἐμηχανή σατο, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εὐπόρους ἐν ταῖς δυσχω ρίαις τὰς ὁδοὺς ἐτεκτήνατο. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὄρη παρέχει τῇ τῶν οἰκοδόμων τέχνῃ τὰς ὕλας, τὰ δὲ πεδία τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι διαιτωμένοις ἀντιδίδωσι τῶν πυρῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν. Καὶ τὸ ποικίλον τῆς θέσεως οὐ τρέφει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τέρπει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ὄψεις· φιλεῖ γὰρ τὰ μονοειδῆ ταχὺν ἐπάγειν τὸν κόρον. Εἰπέ μοι, τίς ὁ ταῦθ' οὕτω διακοσμήσας; τίς ὁ τοσ αύτην αὐτοῖς ἐναποθέμενος δύναμιν, ὥστε τοσού τους ἐνιαυτῶν κύκλους μὴ δαπανῆσαι τὸν θησαυρόν; τίς ὁ τὰ ὄντα διαφυλάττων ἀκίνητα; τίς ἐπείγει τῶν ποταμῶν τὰ ῥεύματα; τίς ὠθεῖ τῶν πηγῶν τὰς ὠδῖνας; Βλέπε ταύτας ὧδε μὲν, ἐν ταῖς τῶν ὀρῶν κορυφαῖς ἀναβλυζούσας, καὶ ἄνωθεν κάτω προχεούσας τὰ ῥεύματα· ἐκεῖ δὲ, οὐδ' ἐν ταῖς 83.581 ὑπωρείαις φαινομένας, ἀλλ' ἐκ βαθυτάτων φρεάτων παρεχούσας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ νάματα. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃς αὐτόματον ᾄττειν ἄνω τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν, διδάσκει σε ὁ Ποιητὴς διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ πειθόμενον τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὰς ἀκρω ρείας ἀπόνως καταλαμβάνον, οὐδὲ βιαζόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς τέχνης, εἰς τὴν τῶν πεδίων ἄνεισιν ἐπιφά νειαν· ἀλλ' ὀρύττεις μὲν καὶ βαθύνεις τὰ φρέατα, ἀπολαύεις δὲ τῶν ὑδάτων κάτωθεν ἀνιμώμενος· ὁμόδουλος γὰρ, ἀλλ' οὐ ποιητὴς τῶν στοιχείων ὑπάρχεις. Τῷ δὲ Ποιητῇ ῥᾴδιον, οὐκ εἰς ἀκρώρειαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἀέρα μέσον ἀνασπᾶσαι τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τὴν πικρὰν γλυκᾶναι, καὶ πῆξαι τὴν λελυμένην, καὶ λῦσαι τὴν δεδεμένην, καὶ τὴν συνεχῆ διακρῖναι, καὶ τὴν ῥοώδη στῆσαι, καὶ τὴν κάτω φέρεσθαι πεφυκυῖαν ἀνατρέχουσαν δεῖξαι, καὶ τὴν ψυχρὰν δίχα πυρὸς θερμῆναι. Καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ διὰ σὲ τὸν ἀχάριστον, ἵν' ἔχῃς ἀπο λαύειν καὶ θερμῶν ἀχειροποιήτων, ἵνα τὰ τοῦ σώ