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let him be expected, and that he will appear more brilliant than him, and that he will eclipse all men in the affairs of life; then, in the midst of these hopes, let someone approach and discourse with him about this philosophy, and persuade him, having scorned all those things, to put on a coarse garment, and having left the city, to flee to the mountain, and to plant there and to water and to carry water, and indeed to do all the other things of the monks, things that seem to be both menial and shameful; and let him be barefoot, and let him sleep on the ground, and let this handsome young man, who continued in so much luxury and honor and had such hopes, become thin and pale, and let him be clothed in a garment meaner than his own servants; have we given the accuser sufficient pretexts, and have we sufficiently fashioned the adversary? But if not sufficiently, we will provide him other excuses. For along with these things, let him also move every device to persuade his son otherwise, and all in vain, as if his son were standing on a rock, and proving himself superior to the rivers and the rain and the winds; and let such a man lament, and let him shed tears, so as to further inflame the anger against us, and let him continually make such accusations to everyone he meets. I planted, I nourished, I have labored through my whole life, doing and suffering all things which are likely to happen from this child-rearing; I had good hopes, I conversed with tutors, I summoned teachers, I spent money, I often kept vigil, caring for his good conduct, for his education, so that he would fall short of none of his ancestors, so that he might appear more brilliant than all; I expected that he would bear my old age with me, as time went on I planned for a wife and marriage, for office, and for power. But suddenly, as if some thunderbolt or squall falling from somewhere, has overwhelmed a my47.334 riad-measure cargo ship full of many goods, that had traversed a vast sea, and was sailing with a fair wind, and was now at the very harbor, a little before its mouth, and not only the fear of utter poverty, but also of a pitiful death and destruction, lest the storm should surround the head of the one who owned such riches; so indeed has it happened to me now. For the accursed and destroyers and deceivers—for let him say these things indeed, we will not differ—having snatched away from such hopes the nourisher of my old age, like some robber-chiefs led him away to their own dens, and so bewitched him with their incantations, that he chose to stand nobly against iron and against fire and against wild beasts and against anything whatsoever, rather than to return to his former prosperity; and what is indeed more grievous, is that having persuaded him of these things they pretend to see his advantage more than we do. Empty are the houses, empty are the fields; full of dejection and shame are the farmers, full are the servants; and cheerful at my misfortunes are my enemies, but my friends cover their faces. And no thought prevails with me, except to set fire and burn everything, both houses and fields and herds of oxen and flocks of sheep. For where will these things be useful to me hereafter, since he who was to use them is no more, but has become a captive, and is serving among savage barbarians a slavery more bitter than any death? I have clothed all my servants in black garments, I have sprinkled their heads with ashes, I have set up choirs of women, I have ordered them to lament more grievously, than if they saw a dead body. But pardon me for doing this; for my grief is greater than that. I seem hereafter to be annoyed by the light, and I am disgusted with its very rays, whenever I call to mind the appearance of that miserable child, whenever I see him clothed more dishonorably than those meanest rustics, and sent forth to more dishonorable tasks; whenever I think of his inflexibility, I am consumed with fire, I am torn apart, I am rent asunder.

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προσδοκάσθω, καὶ λαμπρότερον αὐτοῦ φανήσεσθαι, καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτὸν ἀποκρύψειν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς· εἶτα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐλπίδων τούτων προσερχέσθω τις, καὶ διαλεγέσθω περὶ ταύτης αὐτῷ τῆς φιλοσοφίας, καὶ πειθέτω πάντων ἐκείνων καταγελάσαντα περιβαλέσθαι ἱμάτιον ἁδρὸν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀφέντα πρὸς τὸ ὄρος φυγεῖν, καὶ φυτεύειν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἄρδειν καὶ ὑδροφορεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὴ πάντα τὰ τῶν μοναχῶν ποιεῖν, τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι καὶ εὐτελῆ καὶ ἐπονείδιστα· ἔστω δὲ καὶ ἀνυπόδετος, καὶ χαμαὶ καθευδέτω, γενέσθω δὲ καὶ λεπτὸς καὶ ὠχρὸς ὁ καλὸς νεανίας οὗτος, ὁ ἐν τοσαύτῃ τρυφῇ καὶ τιμῇ διατελῶν, καὶ τοιαύτας ἔχων ἐλπίδας, καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ εὐτελεστέραν περικείσθω στολήν· ἆρα ἱκανὰς ἐδώκαμεν τῷ κατηγόρῳ τὰς λαβὰς, καὶ ἀρκούντως συνεπλάσαμεν τὸν ἀνταγωνιστήν; Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀρκούντως, καὶ ἑτέρας αὐτῷ παρέξομεν προφάσεις. Μετὰ γὰρ τούτων καὶ πάντα κινείτω τὰ μηχανήματα πρὸς τὸ μεταπεῖσαι τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ πάντα εἰκῆ, καθάπερ ἐπὶ πέτρας ἑστῶτος αὐτοῦ τοῦ παιδὸς, καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ τοῦ ὑετοῦ καὶ τῶν πνευμάτων ἀνωτέρου γινομένου· θρηνείτω δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ προβαλέτω δάκρυα, ὥστε μᾶλλον ἐμπρῆσαι τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν θυμὸν, καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοιαῦτα κατηγορείτω συνεχῶς ἐντυγχάνων. Ἐφύτευσα, ἔθρεψα, ἐταλαιπωρήθην διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡλικίας, πάντα ποιῶν καὶ πάσχων, ἅπερ ἐκ τῆς παιδοποιίας ταύτης συμβαίνειν εἰκός· χρηστὰς εἶχον ἐλπίδας, διελέχθην παιδαγωγοῖς, παρεκάλεσα διδασκάλους, ἀνήλωσα χρήματα, ἠγρύπνησα πολλάκις ὑπὲρ εὐκοσμίας φροντίζων, ὑπὲρ παιδεύσεως, ὅπως μηδενὸς οὕτω τῶν προγόνων λείποιτο τῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἁπάντων φανείη λαμπρότερος· συνδιοίσειν μοι τοῦτον τὸ γῆρας προσεδόκησα, προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου περὶ γυναικὸς ἐβουλευόμην καὶ γάμου, περὶ ἀρχῆς, καὶ δυναστείας. Ἀλλ' ἐξαίφνης, ὥσπερ τις σκηπτὸς ἢ καταιγίς ποθεν ἐπιπεσοῦσα, μυ47.334 ριαγωγὸν ὁλκάδα καὶ πολλῶν γέμουσαν φορτίων, καὶ μακρὸν διανύσασαν πέλαγος, καὶ ἐξ οὐρίας πλέουσαν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ λοιπὸν οὖσαν τῷ λιμένι, μικρὸν πρὸ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ κατέκλυσε, καὶ μὴ μόνον πενίας τῆς ἐσχάτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ θανάτου τοῦ ἐλεεινοῦ καὶ ἀπωλείας δέος, μὴ τῇ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα πεπλουτηκότος κεφαλῇ περιστήσειεν ὁ χειμών· οὕτω δή μοι συμβέβηκε νῦν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐπάρατοι καὶ λυμεῶνες καὶ πλάνοι λεγέτω γὰρ δὴ καὶ ταῦτα, οὐ διοισόμεθα ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων ἐλπίδων ἀναρπάσαντές μοι τὸν γηροτρόφον, καθάπερ τινὲς λῄσταρχοι πρὸς τὰς αὐτῶν καταλύσεις ἀπήγαγον, καὶ οὕτω ταῖς αὐτῶν κατεγοήτευσαν ἐπῳδαῖς, ὡς ἑλέσθαι καὶ πρὸς σίδηρον καὶ πρὸς πῦρ καὶ πρὸς θηρία καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν στῆναι γενναίως, ἢ πρὸς τὴν προτέραν εὐπραγίαν ἐπανελθεῖν· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα πείσαντες μᾶλλον ἡμῶν προσποιοῦνται τὸ συμφέρον ὁρᾷν. Ἔρημοι μὲν οἰκίαι, ἔρημοι δὲ ἀγροί· κατηφείας δὲ καὶ αἰσχύνης μεστοὶ μὲν οἱ γεωργοὶ, μεστοὶ δὲ οἰκέται· καὶ φαιδροὶ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐχθροὶ, ἐγκαλύπτονται δὲ οἱ φίλοι. Παρ' ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐδεμία γνώμη κρατεῖ, ἀλλ' ἢ ὥστε πῦρ ἐπαφεῖναι καὶ φλέξαι πάντα, καὶ οἰκίας καὶ ἀγροὺς καὶ ἀγέλας βοῶν καὶ ποίμνια προβάτων. Ποῦ γὰρ ἔσται μοι χρήσιμα ταῦτα λοιπὸν, ἐκείνου τοῦ χρησομένου τούτοις οὐκ ὄντος, ἀλλ' αἰχμαλώτου γενομένου, καὶ παρὰ βαρβάροις ἀνημέροις δουλεύοντος θανάτου παντὸς πικροτέραν δουλείαν; Περιέβαλον μελαίνῃ στολῇ τοὺς οἰκέτας ἅπαντας, κατέπασα τέφρᾳ τὰς κεφαλὰς, χοροὺς ἔστησα γυναικῶν, ἐκέλευσα χαλεπώτερον αὐτὰς κατακόπτεσθαι, ἢ εἰ νεκρὸν ἑώρων. Σύγγνωτε δέ μοι τοῦτο ποιοῦντι· μεῖζον ἐκείνου τὸ πένθος ἐμοί. Παρενοχλεῖσθαι δοκῶ λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀηδῶς ἔχω τὰς ἀκτῖνας, ὅταν εἰς νοῦν λάβω τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ ταλαιπώρου παιδὸς ἐκείνου, ὅταν τῶν εὐτελεστέρων ἀγροίκων ἐκείνων ἀτιμότερον αὐτὸν ἠμφιεσμένον ἴδω, καὶ ἐπ' ἔργα ἀτιμότερα τοῦτον προπεμπόμενον· ὅταν ἐννοήσω αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀκαμπὲς, κατακαίομαι, διασπῶμαι, διαῤῥήγνυμαι.