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how heavy the matter is and burdensome. For despondency is a cruel torment of souls, a certain unspeakable pain and a penalty more bitter than any penalty and punishment. For it imitates a venomous worm, fastening not only on the flesh, but on the soul itself; and it is a decay not of bones, but also of the mind; and a perpetual executioner, not tearing the sides, but also ruining the power of the soul; and a perpetual night and rayless darkness and winter and storm and a hidden fever burning more fiercely than any flame, and a war that has no truce, and a disease that overshadows many visible things. For both the sun and the nature of this transparent air seem to annoy those who are so disposed. And at midday it mimics deep night. Therefore the wonderful prophet, declaring this, said: The sun will set for them at noon, not as though the star were disappearing, nor as though its usual course were being interrupted, but as the despondent soul imagining night in the brightest part of the day. For the darkness of the night is not like the night of despondency, which comes not according to the law of nature, but is gathered from the darkening of the thoughts, being something fearful and unbearable, having a relentless face, more savage than any tyrant, not quickly yielding to any who attempt to dispel it, but often holding the captured soul more firmly than adamant, when the soul itself has not made much use of philosophy.

Why must I say many things, speaking about it from my own resources, when it is possible to go to those who have been captured by it and from there learn all its power? Rather, if it seems good for now, let us first make the proof of it from another source. For when Adam committed that grievous sin and condemned the common race of all men, he was then condemned to toil; but she who sinned a greater sin—so much greater that his sin, compared to that one, is not even considered a sin (for *Adam was not deceived*, it says, *but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression*)—this one, then, who was deceived and was in the transgression and prepared the deadly drug both for herself and for her husband, is condemned to greater sorrow, as it is able to wear one down more than toil. For, it says, *I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your groaning.* *In sorrow you shall bring forth children.* Nowhere labor, nowhere sweat, nowhere toil, but despondency and groaning and the punishment from this, being equivalent to labors and countless deaths, or rather even much more severe. And yet what is worse than death? Does not this seem to be the chief of evils among men, the fearful and unbearable thing, worthy of countless lamentations? Did not Paul say that this was the penalty for the most grievous transgression? For he said that those who unworthily touch the sacred mysteries and partake of that awesome table pay this penalty, saying thus: *For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.* And do not all lawgivers condemn those who commit irreparable offenses to this punishment? And did not God threaten this as the final punishment in the law for those who commit great offenses? Was it not for fear of this that that patriarch, overcoming even nature itself, allowed his own wife to be given over to barbaric pleasures and to Egyptian tyranny?

And he both orchestrated the drama of the outrage and urged his wife to act out this difficult tragedy with him, and he is not ashamed to state the reason for such a scene. *For it shall be,* he says, *that when they see you so radiant in your prime and captivating in the beauty of your appearance, they will kill me, but they will keep you for themselves.* *Say, therefore, that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me for your sake, and my soul shall live because of you.* Did you see the fear, did you see the trembling shaking that lofty and philosophical soul? Did you see the

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ὅπως βαρὺ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ἐπαχθές. Ἡ γὰρ ἀθυμία ψυχῶν ἐστι βασανιστήριον χαλεπόν, ὀδύνη τις ἄρρητος καὶ δίκη δίκης ἁπάσης καὶ τιμωρίας πικροτέρα. Καὶ γὰρ σκώληκα μιμεῖται ἰοβόλον, οὐχὶ τῆς σαρκὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς καθαπτομένη τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ σής ἐστιν οὐχὶ ὀστέων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διανοίας καὶ δήμιος διηνεκὴς οὐ πλευρὰς καταξέων, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύναμιν ψυχῆς λυμαινόμενος καὶ νὺξ διηνεκὴς καὶ σκότος ἀφεγγὲς καὶ χειμὼν καὶ ζάλη καὶ πυρετὸς ἀφανὴς πάσης φλογὸς σφοδρότερον κατακαίων καὶ πόλεμος ἀνακωχὴν οὐκ ἔχων καὶ νόσος πολλοὺς τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπισκοτοῦσα. Ὅ τε γὰρ ἥλιος ἥ τε τοῦ ἀέρος φύσις τούτου τοῦ διειδοῦς τοῖς οὕτω διακειμένοις παρενοχλεῖν δοκεῖ. Καὶ ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ μέσῃ νύκτα μιμεῖται βαθεῖαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ θαυμά σιος προφήτης τοῦτο δηλῶν ἔλεγε· δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος αὐτοῖς ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ, οὐχ ὡς ἀφανιζομένου τοῦ ἄστρου, οὐδ' ὡς τοῦ συνήθους διακοπτομένου δρόμου, ἀλλ' ὡς τῆς ἀθυμούσης ψυχῆς ἐν τῷ φανοτάτῳ τῆς ἡμέρας νύκτα φανταζομένης. Οὐ γὰρ τοιοῦτον τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ σκότος, οἵα τῆς ἀθυμίας ἡ νύξ, οὐ κατὰ νόμον φύσεως παραγινομένη, ἀλλὰ κατὰ λογισμῶν σκότωσιν συναγομένη, φοβερά τις οὖσα καὶ ἀφόρητος, ἀμείλικτον ἔχουσα τὸ πρόσωπον, τυράννου παντὸς ὠμοτέρα, οὐδενὶ ταχέως εἴκουσα τῶν διαλύειν αὐτὴν ἐπιχειρούντων, ἀλλ' ἀδάμαντος στερρότερον κατέχουσα πολλάκις τὴν ἁλοῦσαν ψυχήν, ὅταν αὐτὴ μὴ πολλὴ ᾖ κεχρημένη τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ.

Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν οἴκοθεν περὶ αὐτῆς ἀποφαινόμενον, παρὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας ἐλθεῖν κἀκεῖθεν αὐτῆς τὴν ἰσχὺν ἅπασαν καταμαθεῖν. Μᾶλλον δέ, εἰ δοκεῖ τέως, πρότερον ἑτέρωθεν αὐτῆς ποιησώμεθα τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ὅτε γὰρ ἥμαρτεν Ἀδὰμ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκείνην τὴν χαλεπὴν καὶ τὸ κοινὸν καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων κατεδίκασε γένος, μόχθῳ τότε κατεδικάζετο· ἡ δὲ μείζονα ἁμαρτοῦσα καὶ οὕτω μειζόνως τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὴν τούτου πρὸς ἐκείνην συγκρινομένην μηδὲ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι νομίζεσθαι-Ἀδὰμ γὰρ οὐκ ἠπατήθη, φησίν, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀπατηθεῖσα ἐν παραβάσει γέγονεν-αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ ἀπατηθεῖσα καὶ ἐν παραβάσει γενομένη καὶ τὸ δηλητήριον καὶ ἑαυτῇ καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ κατασκευάσασα φάρμακον πλείονι τῇ λύπῃ κατακρίνεται ὡς κατατεῖναι δυναμένη τοῦ μόχθου μειζόνως. Πληθύνων γάρ, φησί, πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου. Ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα. Οὐδαμοῦ πόνος, οὐδαμοῦ ἱδρώς, οὐδαμοῦ μόχθος, ἀλλ' ἀθυμία καὶ στεναγμὸς καὶ ἡ ἐντεῦθεν τιμωρία καὶ πόνων καὶ μυρίων θανάτων ἀντίρροπος οὖσα μᾶλ λον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρα. Καίτοι τί θανάτου χεῖρον; Οὐχὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακῶν, τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἀφόρητον καὶ μυρίων ἄξιον θρήνων τοῦτο εἶναι δοκεῖ; Οὐχὶ παρανομίας τῆς χαλεπωτάτης ταύτην ἔφησε δίκην ὁ Παῦλος; Τοὺς γὰρ ἀναξίως τῶν ἱερῶν ἁπτομένους μυστηρίων καὶ τῆς φρικτῆς ἐκείνης μετέχοντας τραπέζης ταύτην ἔφησε τίνειν δίκην οὕτω λέγων· διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄρρωστοι καὶ κοιμῶνται ἱκανοί. Οὐχὶ καὶ νομοθέται πάντες τοὺς τὰ ἀνήκεστα πλημμελοῦντας τούτῳ καταδικάζουσι τῷ ἐπιτιμίῳ; Καὶ ὁ Θεὸς δὲ οὐ ταύτην ἐσχάτην ἠπείλησε τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοῖς μεγάλα πλημμελοῦσιν; Οὐ διὰ τὸν τούτου φόβον ὁ πατριάρχης ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν νικήσας τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κατεδέξατο ἡδυπαθείαις ἐκδοῦναι βαρβαρικαῖς καὶ Αἰγυπτιακῇ τυραννίδι;

Καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς ὕβρεως αὐτός τε κατεσκεύαζε καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα παρεκάλει τὴν χαλεπὴν ταύτην συνυποκρίνασθαι τραγῳδίαν αὐτῷ καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν αἰσχύνεται τιθεὶς τῆς τοιαύτης σκηνῆς. Ἔσται γάρ, φησίν, ὡς ἂν ἴδωσί σε οὕτω τῇ ὥρᾳ λάμπουσαν καὶ τῷ κάλλει τῆς ὄψεως κρατοῦσαν, ἀποκτενοῦσί με, σὲ δὲ περιποιήσονται. Εἰπὲ οὖν, ὅτι ἀδελφή μου εἶ, ἵνα εὖ μοι γένηται διὰ σὲ καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου ἕνεκέν σου. Εἶδες φόβον, εἶδες τρόμον κατασείοντα τὴν ὑψηλὴν ἐκείνην καὶ φιλόσοφον ψυχήν; Εἶδες τὸν