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flashing through. If, then, they should now be persuaded, and, ceasing from their great error and intoxication, should pursue the truth, perhaps some gain would come to them even from their fall; since to be disciplined is often for the good of those who suffer it. But if they should remain of the same mind, and still cling to their idols, not even being chastened by calamity, which instructs even the foolish. Jeremiah so mourns Jerusalem that he commands even lifeless things to lament, and calls forth a tear from the walls. But for these, what lament will be found worthy? Or who would mourn the present things, leaving aside the future punishment to be wept for, on account of which they acted foolishly, and were estranged, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator; and not only this, but they even rose up against those who worship God, and raised an impious hand, worthy of such evils?

ΚΘʹ. So then, let this be as is pleasing to God. Who knows if God who looses the bound, and brings up from the gates of death him who is heavy and bowed down, who does not desire the death of the sinner, but his return, who enlightened and gave understanding to us who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, will one day take these up also, and shepherd them 35.701 with the shepherd's rod, having laid aside the heavy and iron one? But for me, my discourse will again run to the same song of victory: Bel has fallen, Dagon is shattered, Sharon has become a marsh, Lebanon is ashamed. No longer will they tell the fool to rule, the immovable and senseless company of idols; nor will they seek the fly-god of Ekron, or anything more ridiculous than this; no longer will they frequent the groves and the high places, and every well-wooded and shady mountain; no longer will they sacrifice their sons and their daughters to demons, for which Israel was long ago reproached by the prophets. But what are these things to me? I will turn to present and our own matters. No longer will they look upon our holy houses with an evil eye; no longer will they defile with polluted blood the altars that bear the name of the most pure and bloodless sacrifice; nor will they disgrace the holy places with godless altars; no longer will they plunder and profane votive offerings, mixing greed with impiety; no longer will they insult the gray hairs of priests, the gravity of deacons, the modesty of virgins; no longer will they release the filth of swine upon the entrails of disemboweled saints, so that they might be filled with both the food and the entrails at once; no longer will they bring fire to the tombs of martyrs, as if to prevent the contest of others by the dishonors against them; no longer will they consume with fire the relics of saints, dishonoring them together with the most dishonorable bones, and give them to the winds, so that they might deprive such ones even of the honor that is due; no longer, having formed a seat of pestilence, will they revel in blasphemies against bishops, and presbyters, and moreover prophets, and apostles, and Christ himself; no longer will they celebrate against us, having excluded us by a law of counterfeit education, as if they would at the same time stop up our tongues.

Λʹ. Give me your royal and sophistical speeches, your inescapable syllogisms and arguments; let us see what sort of things the fishermen and rustics among us utter. Take away the sound of your 35.704 songs, and the music of your instruments, my prophet commands you; but let David sing again with freedom, he who struck down the lofty Goliath with mystical stones, who conquered many through gentleness, and through spiritual harmony healed Saul who was choked by the evil demon. Let the torchbearer extinguish the fire; let the wise and holy virgins light their own lamps for the bridegroom; let the hierophant put away his harlot's robe; priests, clothe yourselves with righteousness, and a garment of glory instead of a spirit of despair, and Christ the great and spotless tunic, our adornment.

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διᾴττουσα. Εἰ μὲν οὖν νῦν μεταπεισθεῖεν, καὶ, τῆς πολλῆς παυσά μενοι πλάνης καὶ μέθης, μεταδιώξαιεν τὴν ἀλή θειαν, τάχα ἄν τι γένοιτο κέρδος αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ πτώ ματος· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ παιδευθῆναι πολλάκις εἰς καλὸν τοῖς πάσχουσιν· εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένοιεν γνώμης, καὶ περιέχοιντο τῶν εἰδώλων ἔτι, μηδὲ, ὃ καὶ τοὺς ἠλιθίους παιδεύει, σωφρονισθεῖεν τῇ συμφορᾷ. Τὴν μὲν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θρηνεῖ τοσοῦτον Ἱερεμίας, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ἀψύχοις διακελεύεται θρῆνον, καὶ τῶν τειχῶν προκαλεῖται δάκρυον. Τούτοις δὲ τίς εὑρεθήσεται θρῆνος ἐπάξιος; Ἢ τίς ἂν ὀδύραιτο τὰ παρόντα, ἀφεὶς τὰ τῆς μελλούσης δακρύειν κο λάσεως, ἀνθ' ὧν ἠφρονεύσαντο, καὶ ἐμακρύνθησαν, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς λατρεύουσι τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαν έστησαν, καὶ χεῖρα ἐπανετείναντο δυσσεβῆ καὶ τοιούτων κακῶν ἀξίαν;

ΚΘʹ. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν, ὅπη τῷ Θεῷ φίλον, οὕτως ἐχέτω. Τίς οἶδεν εἰ ὁ λύων τοὺς πεπεδημένους Θεὸς, καὶ ἀνάγων ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου τὸν βαρύν τε καὶ κάτω νεύοντα, ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ τὸν θάνα τον, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ὁ καὶ ἡμᾶς καθημένους ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φωτίσας καὶ συνετί σας, καὶ τούτους ποτὲ ἀναλήψεται, καὶ ποιμανεῖ 35.701 τῇ ποιμαντικῇ ῥάβδῳ, τὴν βαρεῖαν καὶ σιδηρᾶν κα ταθέμενος; Ἐμοὶ δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπινίκιον ἀναδραμεῖται ὁ λόγος· Ἔπεσε Βὴλ, συνετρίβη ∆αγὼν, ἕλη ἐγένετο ὁ Σαρὼν, κατῃσχύνθη ὁ Λίβα νος. Οὐκ ἔτι εἴπωσι τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν, τῷ ἀκι νήτῳ καὶ ἀναισθήτῳ τῶν εἰδώλων συντάγματι· οὐδὲ ζητήσουσι μυῖαν θεὸν Ἀκκαρὼν, ἢ εἴ τι ταύτης ἐστὶ γελοιότερον· οὐκ ἔτι τὰ ἄλση περινοήσουσι καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος εὔκομον καὶ κατάσκιον· οὐκ ἔτι θύσουσι τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας τοῖς δαιμονίοις, ὅπερ πάλαι ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ὠνειδίζετο. Ἀλλὰ τί τούτων ἐμοί; Πρὸς τὰ παρόντα καὶ ἡμέτερα τρέψομαι. Οὐκ ἔτι τοῖς ἱεροῖς οἴκοις ἡμῶν πονηρὸν ἐμβλέψουσιν· οὐκ ἔτι μιανοῦσιν αἵματι μιαρῷ τὰ τῆς καθαρωτάτης καὶ ἀναι μάκτου θυσίας ἐπώνυμα θυσιαστήρια· οὐδὲ βω μοῖς ἀθέοις τὰ ἄβατα καταισχυνοῦσιν· οὐκ ἔτι συλήσουσι καὶ βεβηλώσουσιν ἀναθήματα, πλεονεξίαν ἀσεβείᾳ μίξαντες· οὐκ ἔτι καθυβρίσουσι πολιὰν ἱερέων, σεμνότητα διακόνων, αἰδὼ παρθένων· οὐκ ἔτι σπλάγχνοις ἁγίων ἀνατμηθέντων ἐπ αφήσουσι συῶν μιαρίαν, ἵν' ὁμοῦ τε τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τῶν σπλάγχνων ἐμφορηθῶσιν· οὐκ ἔτι προσάξουσι πῦρ μαρτύρων μνήμασιν, ὡς ἄλλων ἐφέξοντες ἄθλησιν ταῖς κατ' αὐτῶν ἀτιμίαις· οὐκ ἔτι πυρὶ κατ αναλώσουσιν ἁγίων λείψανα, ὀστοῖς ἀτιμοτάτοις συνατιμάσαντες, καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις δώσουσιν, ἵνα καὶ τῆς ὀφειλομένης τιμῆς τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀποστερήσω σιν· οὐκ ἔτι καθέδραν λοιμῶν συγκροτήσαν τες, ταῖς κατ' ἐπισκόπων, καὶ πρεσβυτέρων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ προφητῶν, καὶ ἀποστόλων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ βλασφημίαις ἐντρυφήσουσιν· οὐκ ἔτι πανη γυρίσουσι καθ' ἡμῶν, νόμῳ τῆς κιβδήλου παιδεύσεως ἀποκλείσαντες, ὡς ὁμοῦ τούτῳ καὶ τὰς γλώσσας ἡμῶν ἐμφράξοντες.

Λʹ. ∆ός μοι τοὺς λόγους σου τοὺς βασιλικούς τε καὶ σοφιστικοὺς, τοὺς ἀφύκτους συλλογισμούς σου καὶ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα· ἴδωμεν οἷα καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν οἱ ἁλιεῖς καὶ ἄγροικοι φθέγγονται. Μετάστησον ἦχον ᾠδῶν 35.704 σου, καὶ ψαλμὸν ὀργάνων σου, διακελεύεταί σοι προφήτης ἐμός· ᾀδέτω δὲ αὖθις σὺν ἐλευθερίᾳ ∆αβὶδ, ὁ τὸν ὑψηλὸν Γολιὰθ λίθοις μυστικοῖς καταβα λὼν, ὁ διὰ τῆς πραότητος νικήσας πολλοὺς, καὶ διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἁρμονίας θεραπεύσας Σαοὺλ τὸν τῷ πονηρῷ δαίμονι συμπνιγόμενον. Σβεσάτω τὸ πῦρ ὁ δᾳδοῦχος· ἁπτέτωσαν τῷ νυμφίῳ αἱ φρόνιμοι καὶ ἱεραὶ παρθένοι τὰς ἑαυτῶν λαμπάδας· ἀποθέσθω τὴν πορνικὴν ἱεροφάντης στολήν· ἱερεῖς ἐνδύσασθε δικαιοσύνην, καὶ καταστολὴν δόξης ἀντὶ πνεύματος ἀκηδίας, καὶ τὸν μέγαν καὶ ἄσπιλον χιτῶνα Χρι στὸν, τὸ ἡμέτερον κόσμημα.