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to regain health and to wash away the weakness remaining in them from the illness, but the waters, even when the winds have ceased, for a long time remain tossed and moved, being carried and drawn back again with much force, and they themselves need time to return to a pure calm. But I have spoken these introductory words to your reverence not without reason, but so that you may learn that we are sending this letter to you of necessity. For even if we have destroyed the tyranny of despondency and demolished its acropolis by our previous letters, nevertheless our discourse still needs to persevere greatly, so that it may work a deep peace in you, and having wiped out the memory of all the disturbances that arose from it, may show you a bright and solid calm, and establish you in great cheerfulness.

For this is our earnest endeavor, not only to deliver you from despondency, but also to fill you with lasting and great gladness. For it is possible, if you are willing. For the things of cheerfulness lie not in the immovable laws of nature, which it is impossible for us to move or change, but in the free reasonings of the will, which are easy for us to handle. And you know, if you remember, previously—for the time in between is not long—that I spent many long discourses on these matters, when I continually referred to the histories which I brought forth. For is it not the nature of cheerfulness to stand not so much in the nature of things as in the mind of men? Since, then, this is the case, and many who were surrounded by wealth considered life to be no life, while others living in extreme poverty were more cheerful than all. And some, enjoying bodyguards and glory and honors, often cursed their own life, while others, obscure and from obscure origins and known to no one, considered themselves more blessed than many. For cheerfulness lies not in the nature of things, but in the mind of men; for I will not cease constantly repeating this. Do not give up, brother, but rise up and stretch out your hand to this discourse and grant us this fine assistance, so that we may completely rescue you from the bitter captivity of your thoughts. For if you yourself are not willing to make as much effort as we are, our remedy will be of no benefit. And what wonder is it, if this happens in our case? For if God, who is all-powerful, when he exhorts and counsels, and the one who hears does not obey what is said, nothing more is ever gained, but this will even be a greater provision for punishment for the one who did not obey. And Christ, making this clear, said: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. For this very reason, lamenting Jerusalem, he said: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children, and you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Knowing this, my most God-beloved master, labor and strive and force yourself, having the assistance of what has been said, to push out and cast away with great vehemence the thoughts that trouble you and cause such great turmoil and confusion. But, that you will do this and endure our exhortation, I think no one should doubt. But you must now prepare swords and spears and bows and arrows and a breastplate and shield and greaves, so that with some you may be defended, and with others you may strike and demolish and make dead the thoughts of turmoil that attack you. From where, then, shall we prepare for you these engines and slings, so as not to allow the enemies to approach even near, but to drive them away as far as possible with great excess from despondency itself? Having philosophized a little about it and shown,

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ἐπανελθεῖν τὴν ὑγίειαν καὶ ἀπονίψασθαι τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἐναπομείναντα αὐτοῖς μαλακισμόν, τὰ δὲ ὕδατα καὶ τῶν πνευμάτων παυσαμένων ἐπὶ πολὺ σαλευόμενα καὶ κινούμενα μένει φερόμενά τε καὶ πολλῇ πάλιν ἐπαναγόμενα τῇ ῥύμῃ καὶ δεῖται καὶ αὐτὰ χρόνου, ὥστε εἰς καθαρὰν ἐπανελθεῖν τὴν γαλήνην. Ταῦτα δέ μοι εἴρηται τὰ προοίμια πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ ταύτην ἀναγκαίως σοι πέμπομεν τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὴν τυραννίδα κατελύσαμεν τῆς ἀθυμίας καὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν κατεσκάψαμεν διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν γραμμάτων, ἀλλ' ὅμως πολλῆς ἔτι χρεία τῷ λόγῳ τῆς προσεδρείας, ἵνα σοι καὶ βαθεῖαν ἐργάσηται εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν μνήμην πάντων τῶν ἐξ ἐκείνης γενομένων ἐξαλείψας θορύβων λευκήν σοι καὶ παγίαν δείξῃ γαλήνην καὶ ἐν πολλῇ σε καταστήσῃ τῇ εὐθυμίᾳ.

Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον οὐκ ἀθυμίας ἀπαλλάξαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἐμπλῆσαι διηνεκοῦς καὶ πολλῆς. ∆υνατὸν γάρ, ἐὰν θέλῃς. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀκινήτοις τῆς φύσεως νόμοις, οὓς ἀναμοχλεῦσαι ἡμῖν ἀδύνατον καὶ μεταθεῖναι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐλευθέροις τῆς προαιρέσεως λογισμοῖς, οὓς μεταχειρίζειν ἡμῖν ῥᾴδιον, τὰ τῆς εὐθυμίας ἀπόκειται. Καὶ οἶδας, εἴ γε μέμνησαι, καὶ πρῴην-οὐ γὰρ πολὺς ὁ μεταξὺ χρόνος- πολλούς μοι καὶ μακροὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀναλωθέντας λόγους, ὅτε δὴ συνεχῶς ἐπέλεγον ταῖς ἱστορίαις, ἃς εἰς μέσον ἦγον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων οὕτως ὡς ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τῆς εὐθυμίας ἵστασθαι πέφυκεν; Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦτο τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον καὶ πολλοὶ τῷ πλούτῳ περιρρεόμενοι τὸν βίον ἀβίοτον ἐνόμισαν εἶναι, ἕτεροι δὲ πενίᾳ συζῶντες ἐσχάτῃ πάντων εὐθυμότεροι διετέλεσαν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν δορυφορίας ἀπολαύοντες καὶ δόξης καὶ τιμῶν πολλάκις ἑαυτῶν ἐπηράσαντο τῇ ζωῇ, οἱ δὲ ἄσημοι καὶ ἐξ ἀσήμων καὶ οὐδενὶ γνώριμοι πολλῶν ἑαυτοὺς μακαριωτέρους εἶναι ἐνόμισαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τῆς εὐθυμίας· οὐ γὰρ παύσομαι συνεχῶς τοῦτο ἐπᾴδων. Μὴ ἀναπέσῃς, ἀδελφέ, ἀλλὰ διανάστηθι καὶ χεῖρα ὄρεξον τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὴν καλὴν ταύτην παράσχου συμμαχίαν ἡμῖν, ἵνα σε ὁλοσχερῶς ἐξαρπάσωμεν τῆς πικρᾶς τῶν λογισμῶν αἰχμαλωσίας. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ βουληθείης καὶ αὐτὸς τοσαύτην σπουδὴν ποιήσασθαι, ὅσην καὶ ἡμεῖς, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ὄφελος ἔσται τῆς ἰατρείας. Καὶ τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τοῦτο συμβαίνει; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πάντα δυνάμενος Θεός, ὅταν παραινῇ καὶ συμβουλεύῃ, ὁ δὲ ἀκούων μὴ πείθηται τοῖς λεγομένοις, οὐδέποτε γίνεταί τι πλέον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεῖζον ἔσται κολάσεως ἐφόδιον τοῦτο τῷ μὴ πεισθέντι. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον, νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θρηνῶν τούτου γε αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἔλεγεν· Ἱερουσαλήμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἀποκτέννουσα τοὺς προφήτας καὶ λιθοβολοῦσα τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους πρὸς αὐτήν. Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε. Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Ταὐτοῦν εἰδώς, δέσποτά μου θεοφιλέστατε, κάμνε καὶ φιλονίκει καὶ βιάζου τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων ἔχων συμμαχίαν ἐξωθεῖσθαι καὶ ἐκβάλλειν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος τοὺς ταράττοντάς σε λογισμοὺς καὶ θόρυβον καὶ ζάλην ἐμποιοῦντας τοσαύτην. Ἀλλ', ὅτι μὲν ἐργάσῃ τοῦτο καὶ ἀνέξῃ τῆς παραινέσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας, οὐδένα οἶμαι δεῖν ἀμφιβάλλειν. ∆εῖ δέ σοι κατασκευάσαι λοιπὸν ξίφη καὶ δόρατα καὶ τόξα καὶ βέλη καὶ θώρακα καὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ κνημῖδας, ὥστε τοῖς μὲν φράττεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ βάλλειν καὶ κατασκάπτειν καὶ νεκροὺς τιθέναι τοὺς ἐπιόντας σοι τῆς ταραχῆς λογισμούς. Πόθεν οὖν σοι τὰ μηχανήματα ταῦτα καὶ τὰς σφενδόνας κατασκευάσομεν, ὥστε μηδὲ ἐγγὺς ἀφεῖναι προσιέναι τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀλλ' ὡς πορρωτάτω μετὰ πολλῆς ἀπελαύνειν τῆς ὑπερβολῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας αὐτῆς; Ὀλίγα τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς φιλοσοφήσαντες καὶ δείξαντες,