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a boat, through which it was necessary to cut off the rush of the disorderly winds. Such a thing also is anger, a useful instrument, that it might awaken our sleepiness, that it might put vigor into the soul, that it might make us more vehement in our indignation on behalf of the wronged, that it might make us punishers of those who plot against us. For this reason indeed he says, Be angry, and do not sin. If this were not possible, he would not have commanded it. For no one commands impossible things. Introducing, therefore, an apostolic law, and an evangelical philosophy, and having said the same things as Christ, he adds another exhortation, saying thus: What you say in your hearts, be pricked with remorse upon your beds. What is it that has been said? For it seems to be unclear. In the time after dinner, he says, when you are going off to sleep, when you are about to lie down, and with no one present there is much quiet, a deep calm with no one disturbing you, raise up the tribunal of your conscience, demand an accounting from it, and what wicked things you planned during the day, whether weaving deceits, or tripping up your neighbor, or receiving corrupt desires, bring these things into the middle in that time of quiet, and having set your conscience against these improper thoughts, tear them to shreds, and demand a penalty, stretch the sinning mind upon the rack. For this is it, "Be pricked with remorse," instead of, "Prick, pierce what you said in your hearts during the day;" that is, "What wicked plans you considered, these upon your beds," "in that time of quiet, punish, chastise them;" when neither friend disturbs, nor servant provokes, nor the crowd of affairs presses, then take account of what has been lived through during the day. And why did he not say of words and deeds, but of wicked thoughts? Teaching this out of an abundance. For if it is necessary to punish wicked plans, so that they might not go forth into action; much more is it necessary to chastise the soul for its deeds and words. Let this be done each day, and do not fall asleep beforehand, O man, until you have recounted 55.52 the sins committed by you during the day; and you will surely be more hesitant on the next day to attempt the same things. And what you do in the case of money, and you do not endure for two days to pass, without settling accounts with your servant, so that confusion may not arise from forgetfulness, do this also in the case of your actions each day; in the evening demand a settling of accounts from the soul, and condemn the sinning thought, hang it as on a piece of wood, and torture it, and command it no longer to attempt the same things. Have you seen a most excellent treatment, how it uses both preventative and corrective medicines? For to command not to fall into sins, holds the place of a preventative medicine; such as, Be angry, and do not sin; but the phrase, What you say in your hearts, be pricked with remorse upon your beds, is of a corrective one. For after sinning, he again brings medicines, introducing the cure from the sinner himself. Let us therefore use this treatment, which has no difficulty. But if the soul does not endure to remember its trespasses, being ashamed and blushing, say to it: There is no profit to you from not remembering, but even much harm. For if you do not remember by yourself now, then your sins will lie before the eyes of all. But if you recount these things now, you will both be quickly delivered from those, and you will not easily fall into others. For the soul, fearing the evening judgment, lest it be caught again by the same verdict, and be stretched and scourged, becomes more hesitant concerning sin; and so great is the profit of the matter, that if we should do it continuously for only a month, we shall henceforth establish ourselves in a habit of virtue. Let us not then overlook so great a good. For he who has established this tribunal here, will not give

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σκάφος, δι' ὧν τῶν ἀτάκτων πνευμάτων τὴν ῥύμην ἐκκόπτειν ἔδει. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ ὀργή ἐστιν, ὄργανον χρήσιμον, ἵνα τὸ ὑπνηλὸν ἡμῶν διεγείρῃ, ἵνα τόνον ἐντιθῇ τῇ ψυχῇ, ἵνα σφοδροτέρους ἐργάζηται πρὸς τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἀγανακτήσεις, ἵνα τιμωροὺς ποιῇ τοῖς ἐπιβούλοις. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτό φησιν, Ὀργίζεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἦν δυνατὸν τοῦτο, οὐκ ἂν ἐπέταξε. Τὰ γὰρ ἀδύνατα οὐδεὶς ἐπιτάττει. Εἰσάγων τοίνυν νόμον ἀποστολικὸν, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν εὐαγγελικὴν, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ εἰπὼν ἅπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἑτέραν προστίθησι παραίνεσιν οὕτω λέγων· Ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε. Τί ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; ∆οκεῖ γὰρ ἀσαφὲς εἶναι. Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῷ μετὰ τὰ δεῖπνα, φησὶν, ἡνίκα ἂν πρὸς ὕπνον ἀπίητε, ἡνίκα ἂν μέλλητε κατακλίνεσθαι, καὶ μηδενὸς παρόντος πολλὴ ἡ ἡσυχία, βαθεῖα ἡ γαλήνη μηδενὸς διενοχλοῦντος, τὸ δικαστήριον ἔγειρον τοῦ συνειδότος, εὐθύνας ἀπαίτησον αὐτὸ, καὶ ἃ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἐβουλεύσω πονηρὰ, ἢ δόλους ῥάπτων, ἢ τὸν πλησίον ὑποσκελίζων, ἢ ἐπιθυμίας δεχόμενος διεφθαρμένας, ταῦτα ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἡσυχίας ἐκείνης εἰς μέσον ἀγαγὼν, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἐπιστήσας τοῖς ἀτόποις τούτοις λογισμοῖς, κατάξαινε αὐτοὺς, καὶ δίκην ἀπαίτει, κατάτεινε τὴν ἁμαρτοῦσαν διάνοιαν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, τὸ, Κατανύγητε ἀντὶ τοῦ, Νύξατε, κεντήσατε ἅπερ εἴπατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν μεθ' ἡμέραν· τουτέστιν, Ἃ ἐλογίσασθε πονηρὰ βουλεύματα, ταῦτα ἐν ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἡσυχίας ἐκείνης κολάζετε, τιμωρήσασθε· ὅταν μήτε φίλος ἐνοχλῇ, μήτε οἰκέτης παροξύνῃ, μήτε πραγμάτων ὄχλος ἐπείγῃ, τότε τῶν μεθ' ἡμέραν βεβιωμένων ποιεῖσθε λόγον. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ εἶπε ῥημάτων καὶ ἔργων, ἀλλ' ἐνθυμημάτων πονηρῶν; Ἐκ περιουσίας τοῦτο παιδεύων. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ πονηρὰ βουλεύματα δεῖ κολάζειν, ὥστε μὴ εἰς ἔργον ἐξιέναι· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐπιστύφειν δεῖ τὴν ψυχήν. Τοῦτο καθ' ἑκάστην γενέσθω τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ μὴ πρότερον καθυπνώσῃς, ἄνθρωπε, ἕως ἂν ἀναλο 55.52 γίσῃ τὰ μεθ' ἡμέραν σοι πεπλημμελημένα· καὶ πάντως ὀκνηρότερος ἔσῃ τῇ ἐπιούσῃ πρὸς τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρῆσαι. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀργυρίων ποιεῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχῃ δύο παρελθεῖν ἡμέρας, καὶ μὴ θεῖναι πρὸς τὸν οἰκέτην λόγον, ὥστε μὴ σύγχυσιν γενέσθαι τῇ λήθῃ, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων ποίει καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ λογοθέσιον ἀπαίτει τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ καταδίκαζε τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα λογισμὸν, ἀνάρτησον ὡς ἐπὶ ξύλου, καὶ βασάνισον, καὶ παράγγελλε μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρεῖν. Εἶδες ἰατρείαν ἀρίστην, πῶς καὶ προφυλακτικοῖς καὶ διορθωτικοῖς κέχρηται φαρμάκοις; Τὸ μὲν γὰρ παραγγέλλειν μὴ περιπίπτειν εἰς ἁμαρτήματα, προφυλακτικοῦ φαρμάκου χώραν ἐπέχει· οἷον, Ὀργίζεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· τὸ δὲ, Ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε, διορθωτικοῦ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἁμαρτεῖν, πάλιν ἐπάγει φάρμακα, παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτόντος τὴν ἰατρείαν εἰσάγων. Ποιώμεθα τοίνυν τὴν ἰατρείαν ταύτην, οὐδεμίαν δυσκολίαν ἔχουσαν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἡ ψυχὴ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν πλημμελημάτων, αἰσχυνομένη καὶ ἐρυθριῶσα, εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· Οὐδέν σοι κέρδος ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ μνημονεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ ἡ βλάβη. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ μνημονεύσῃ κατὰ σαυτὴν νῦν, τότε πρὸ τῶν ἁπάντων ὀφθαλμῶν κείσεταί σοι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ἂν δὲ νῦν ἀναλογίσῃ ταῦτα, κἀκείνων ἀπαλλαγήσῃ ταχέως, καὶ ἑτέροις οὐ περιπεσῇ ῥᾳδίως. Ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ δεδοικυῖα τὴν ἑσπερινὴν δίκην, μὴ πάλιν ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ἁλῷ ψῆφον, καὶ κατατείνηται καὶ μαστιχθῇ, ὀκνηροτέρα γίνεται περὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· καὶ τοσοῦτον τὸ κέρδος τοῦ πράγματός ἐστιν, ὅτι μῆνα μόνον ἂν συνεχῶς αὐτὸ ποιήσωμεν, ἐν ἕξει λοιπὸν ἀρετῆς ἑαυτοὺς καταστήσομεν. Μὴ δὴ περιίδωμεν τοσοῦτον καλόν. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα καθίσας τὸ δικαστήριον, οὐ δώσει