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being cast down, bear many and shameful scars of defeat. But if some, having even forced their way through the rush of worldly distractions, have been able to look against the war of the evil one, yet they have not endured such contests, but are lacking in the ascetic ones by a great and infinite measure. For the one is zealous to hold on to his rights and contentiously struggles in disputes about present things; but the other yields even his rights to those who dispute them, fulfilling, 'From him who takes what is yours, do not demand it back.' The one, having been struck, struck back, and having been wronged, did wrong in return, and in this way supposes he has equality; but the other endures to such a degree, until he produces satiety in the one doing wrong or even in the one striking. And the one is zealous to master all the pleasures of the body, but the other spends his time in a surfeit of pleasures. How then could the worldly man be considered a combatant when judged against the ascetic? But consider also another thing, which it is usual for those who attend to the present life to experience, when they scrutinize the affairs of ascetics. For whenever the ascetic, after long want, should think it good to support the body with food, they wish him to be, as it were, bodiless and immaterial, either not partaking of food, or of the very least. And if they see the ascetic not being entirely unsparing of his body, but at least in some part ministering to its existing need, they revile and slander him, and call them gluttonous and voracious, extending the insolence and drunken abuse against the one to all; not considering that they themselves, eating twice, and some of them even three times a day, the richest and fattest foods, gorging themselves on an immense bulk of meats, and pouring in a measureless quantity of wine, thus gape at their tables, like puppies released from their chains after a long want. But those who are truly ascetics use the driest food, and having little nourishment along with weakness, and once in the whole day; who indeed have decided to live by rule, and this eating moderately and with knowledge, they rightly, at the time of eating, supply the need to the body with an outspoken conscience. For this reason, it is fitting that our freedom should not be judged by another's conscience. For if we partake with grace, why are we blasphemed for that for which we give thanks? choosing want and plainness of food with as much gladness as they do not even choose the most splendid and varied preparation of a table full of dainties. But if any of the said men should be known for his understanding and reverence, and should hold our life in respect, to share a table with him, if there should be need of this with consideration, is not unreasonable.

CHAPTER 7. That one ought not to make frequent and unexamined

journeys. And one ought not, under pretext of visiting and meeting with the brethren,

to make many and frequent journeys (for this too is a certain diabolical device, the enemy trying by such a method to paralyze the stability and order of our life, and to cast us into love of pleasure and various instabilities of thoughts); but in quiet communing with ourselves, to both examine and correct the sins of the soul. For he who has just left the world in his disposition has what is praiseworthy from his inclination toward noble things; but he does not yet possess the perfection of virtues; and often he has not even considered the way of their right accomplishment, but he needs, having examined himself in quiet, to perceive the disorderly impulses and movements of the soul, and to struggle nobly against these, and with better reasonings to correct the disorders; for the order of a soul is virtue's

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βαλλόμενοι, πολλὰ καὶ αἰσχρὰ τῆς ἥττης τὰ στί γματα φέρουσιν. Εἰ δέ πού τινες, καὶ τὴν φορὰν τῶν βιωτικῶν περισπασμῶν βιασάμενοι, ἀντιβλέψαι πρὸς τὸν τοῦ πονηροῦ δεδύνηνται πόλεμον, ἀλλ' οὖν γε οὐ τοιού τους ἀγῶνας διήνεγκαν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ καὶ ἀπείρῳ τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν ἀσκητικῶν λειπομένους. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῶν δικαίων κρατεῖν ἐσπούδακε καὶ φιλονείκως διαγωνίζεται ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὰ παρόντα ἀμφισβητήσεσιν· ὁ δὲ καὶ τῶν δικαίων τοῖς ἀμφισ βητοῦσι παραχωρεῖ, πληρῶν τὸ, Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴρον τος τὰ σὰ, μὴ ἀπαίτει. Ὁ μὲν, τυπτηθεὶς, ἀντ ετύπτησε, καὶ ἀδικηθεὶς, ἀντηδίκησε, καὶ ταύ τῃ τὸ ἴσον ἔχειν ὑπολαμβάνει· ὁ δὲ καρτερεῖ μέχρι τοσούτου, ἄχρι κόρον τῷ ἀδικοῦντι ἢ καὶ τῷ παίοντι ἐμποιήσει. Καὶ ὁ μὲν πασῶν τῶν τοῦ σώμα τος ἡδονῶν κρατεῖν διεσπούδακεν, ὁ δὲ ἐν κόρῳ διατρίβει τῶν ἡδονῶν. Πῶς· οὖν ἂν καὶ ἀγωνι στὴς ὁ βιωτικὸς νομισθείη πρὸς τὸν ἀσκητὴν κρινό μενος; Σκόπησον δὲ καὶ ἕτερον, ὅπερ πάσχειν σύν ηθες τοῖς τῷ παρόντι βίῳ προσέχουσιν, ἡνίκα ἂν τὰ περὶ τοὺς ἀσκητὰς ἐξετάζωσιν. Ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ὁ ἀσκητὴς ἐκ μακρᾶς τῆς ἐνδείας ὑπερείδειν τὸ σῶμα τροφῇ καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγήσαιτο, καθάπερ ἀσώμα τόν τε καὶ ἄϋλον, ἢ οὐ μετέχειν τροφῆς, ἢ τῆς ἐλα χίστης θέλουσι. Κἂν ἴδωσι τὸν ἀσκητὴν μὴ πάντη τοῦ σώμα τος ἀφειδῶς ἔχοντα, ἀλλὰ μέρει γοῦν τινι τὴν ὑπάρ χουσαν ἔνδειαν θεραπεύοντα, λοιδοροῦσι καὶ δια βάλλουσι, καὶ πολυσίτους τινὰς καὶ λαιμάργους ἀποκαλοῦσι, τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς ὕβριν καὶ παροινίαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πάντας ἐκτείνοντες· οὐ λογιζόμενοι, ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν δὶς, ἔνιοι δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας σιτούμενοι σιτίων τὰ παχύτατα καὶ πιότατα, ἀπεί ρου τε ὄγκου κρεῶν ἐμφορούμενοι, καὶ οἴνου πλῆ θος ἄμετρον ἐγχεόμενοι, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς τραπέζας κεχήνασιν, ὥσπερ σκύλακες μετὰ μακρὰν ἔνδειαν τῶν δεσμῶν ἀφεθέντες. Οἱ δέ γε κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀσκηταὶ τροφῇ τε ξηροτάτῃ κέχρηνται, καὶ ὀλίγον ἐχούσῃ σὺν ἀσθενείᾳ τὸ τρόφιμον, καὶ παρὰ 31.1365 πᾶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν ἅπαξ· οἵ γε τάξει διαζῇν ἐγνω κότες, καὶ τοῦτο μετρίως καὶ ἐπιστημόνως σι τούμενοι, εἰκότως παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς σιτήσεως τὴν χρείαν μετ' εὐπαῤῥησιάστου τοῦ συνειδότος χορηγοῦσι τῷ σώματι. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο προσήκει μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν κρίνεσθαι ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδή σεως. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς χάριτι μετέχομεν, τί βλασφη μούμεθα ὑπὲρ ὧν ἡμεῖς εὐχαριστοῦμεν; τὴν ἔνδειαν καὶ τὴν τῆς τροφῆς εὐτέλειαν μετὰ τοσαύτης εὐ φροσύνης αἱρούμενοι, μεθ' ὅσης οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ὑπέρλαμπρον καὶ παντοδαπῆ τῆς πολυόψου τρα πέζης παρασκευήν. Εἰ δέ τις τῶν εἰρημένων ἀν θρώπων ἐπὶ συνέσει καὶ εὐλαβείᾳ γνώριμος εἴη, καὶ δι' αἰδοῦς ἄγοι τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον, τούτῳ κοι νωνεῖν τραπέζης, εἰ τούτου δεήσειεν ἐπεσκεμμένως, οὐκ ἄλογον.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ζʹ. Ὅτι οὐ χρὴ συχνὰς καὶ ἀβασανίστους ποιεῖσθαι τὰς

προόδους. Χρὴ δὲ μηδὲ προφάσει τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπι σκέψεώς τε καὶ συντυχίας

πολλὰς καὶ συχνὰς ποιεῖ σθαι τὰς ἐκδημίας (ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο διαβολική τις ἐπίνοια, πειρωμένου τοῦ ἐχθροῦ διὰ τῆς τοιαύ της μεθόδου τὸ εὐσταθὲς ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ τεταγμένον τῆς ζωῆς παραλύειν, καὶ εἰς φιληδονίας καὶ λογισμῶν ἀκαταστασίας διαφόρους ἐμβάλλειν)· καθ' ἡσυχίαν δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ὁμιλοῦντας, διασκέπτεσθαί τε καὶ ἐπαν ορθοῦν τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἁμαρτήματα. Ὁ γὰρ ἄρτι τὸν κόσμον τῇ διαθέσει καταλιπὼν, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς πρὸς τὰ καλὰ νεύσεως τὸ ἐπαινετὸν ἔχει· οὔπω δὲ τὸ τέλειον τῶν ἀρετῶν κέκτηται· πολλάκις δὲ οὐδὲ διανενόηται τὸν τρόπον τῆς αὐτῶν κατορθώσεως, ἀλλὰ δεῖται, καθ' ἡσυχίαν ἑαυτὸν ἐπισκεψάμενος, κατιδεῖν τε τὰς ἀτάκτους τῆς ψυχῆς ὁρμὰς καὶ κινή σεις, καὶ ταύταις γενναίως ἀνταγωνίσασθαι, καὶ τοῖς κρείττοσι λογισμοῖς τὰς ἀταξίας ἐπανορθώσασθαι· τάξις γὰρ ψυχῆς ἀρετῆς