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He who is childish in mind is no different from an infant in age. So it is not surprising that the same passions are often found in both. 31.953 And neither, in those things where propriety is preserved for the elders on account of their age, should the young, through association, improperly rush to them before their time. Therefore, for the sake of this arrangement and for general decorum, the dwelling of the children and of the more mature must be separated. And at the same time, the house of the ascetics will not have noise during the study of the lessons, which is necessary for the young. But let the prayers appointed for the day be common to both children and elders; for to the children it is a habituation to compunction from the zeal of the more mature, and for those more advanced the help from the infants in prayers is not small; but let separate studies, and ways of life regarding sleep and wakefulness, and the time, measure, and quality of food be fittingly set apart for the children. Let one be appointed over such ones who is advanced in age, is above the others in experience, and has a testimony for long-suffering; so that the sins of the young may be corrected with fatherly compassion on the one hand, and with skillful reason on the other, applying to each offense its proper remedies, so that the same thing may both contain a censure of the sin and become an exercise in passionlessness for the soul. For example, did he get angry at his peer? Let him be compelled to minister to this one and to serve him in proportion to his offense. For habituation to humility, as it were, cuts out the angry part of the soul, since arrogance for the most part produces anger in us. Did he touch food outside the proper time? Let him be without food for the greater part of the day. Was he found guilty of eating immoderately or unseemly? let him be compelled, being barred from food at the time for food, to watch the others eating with self-control, so that he is both punished by the abstinence and taught decorum. Did he utter an idle word, an insult to his neighbor, a lie, or anything else of the forbidden things? Let him be disciplined by his stomach and by silence. And the study of letters must also be suited to the purpose; so that they use names from the Scriptures, and instead of myths, the stories of wondrous deeds are narrated to them, and they are educated with maxims from the Proverbs, and that prizes be set before them for memorizing both names and things, so that the purpose may be accomplished for them with delight and relaxation, without grief and without stumbling. And attentiveness of mind, and the 31.956 habituation of not being distracted, could easily be engendered in such ones through correct training, if they were continually questioned by their supervisors as to where they have their mind and what they are turning over in their thoughts. For the simplicity and guilelessness of their age, and its unsuitability for falsehood, easily confesses the secrets of the soul; but so as not to be continually caught in forbidden things, such a one would flee improper thoughts, and continually he will recall himself from what is improper, fearing the shame that comes from reproofs. The soul, therefore, being still malleable and tender, and like pliable wax easily stamped with the forms impressed upon it, must be led immediately and from the beginning to every practice of good things; so that when reason has been added and the faculty of discernment has arrived, there might be a course from the initial elements and the transmitted patterns of piety, with reason suggesting what is useful, and habit producing ease in acting rightly. Then also the profession of virginity must be accepted, as now being firm, and proceeding from one's own will and judgment after the full development of reason; after which both honors and punishments are given by the just judge to those who sin or those who do right, according to the worth of their deeds. And one should take the leaders of the churches as witnesses of the decision, so that through them the sanctification of the body might be consecrated to God like some offering, and there may be confirmation of what is being done through the

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οὐδὲν τοῦ νηπίου καθ' ἡλικίαν ὁ ταῖς φρεσὶ νηπιάζων. Ὥστε οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθη πολλάκις ἐν ἀμφοτέροις εὑρίσκεσθαι. 31.953 Μήτε μὴν ἐν οἷς διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τὸ πρέπον τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις σώζεται, πρὸς ταῦτα τοὺς νέους διὰ τῆς συναναστροφῆς πρὸ καιροῦ ἀπρεπῶς προπε τεύεσθαι. Ταύτης τε οὖν τῆς οἰκονομίας ἕνεκεν καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς σεμνότητος διωρίσθαι χρὴ τῶν παίδων καὶ τῶν τελειοτέρων τὴν οἴκησιν. Καὶ ἅμα οὐδὲ θόρυβον ἕξει ὁ οἶκος τῶν ἀσκητῶν ἐν τῇ μελέτῃ τῶν δι δαγμάτων ἀναγκαίᾳ οὔσῃ τοῖς νέοις. Ἀλλὰ προσ ευχαὶ μὲν κοιναὶ καὶ παισὶ καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ἔστω σαν, αἱ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν διατετυπωμέναι· τοῖς τε γὰρ παιδίοις ἐθισμὸς ἐκ τοῦ ζήλου τῶν τελειοτέρων πρὸς κατάνυξιν, καὶ τοῖς προάγουσιν οὐ μικρὰ ἐν προσευχαῖς ἡ παρὰ νηπίων βοήθεια· μελέται δὲ ἰδιάζουσαι, καὶ δίαιται κατά τε ὕπνον καὶ ἐγρή γορσιν, καὶ τροφῆς καιρὸν, καὶ μέτρον καὶ ποιότη τα παιδίοις πρεπόντως ἀφωρίσθω. Ἐπιτετάχθω δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὁ καθ' ἡλικίαν προήκων, καὶ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους ὢν, καὶ μαρτυρίαν ἔχων ἐπὶ μακροθυμίᾳ· ὥστε πατρικῇ μὲν εὐσπλαγχνίᾳ, λόγῳ δὲ ἐπιστημονικῷ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν νέων ἐπανορθοῦσθαι, οἰκείας ἑκάστῳ πταίσματι τὰς θε ραπείας προσάγοντα, ὥστε τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπι τίμησιν ἔχειν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος, καὶ γυμνάσιον ἀπαθείας τῇ ψυχῇ γίνεσθαι. Οἷον, ὠργίσθη πρὸς τὸν ὁμήλικα; τοῦτον θεραπεῦσαι, καὶ ὑπηρετῆσαι αὐτῷ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τοῦ τολμήματος ἀναγκασθήτω. Ὁ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἐθισμὸς οἷον ἐκτέ μνει τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ θυμούμενον, τῆς ἐπάρσεως ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἡμῖν τὴν ὀργὴν ἐμποιούσης. Ἥψατο βρωμάτων παρὰ καιρόν; ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς ἡμέρας ἀπόσιτος ἔστω. Ἀμέτρως ἢ ἀσχημόνως σιτούμενος κατεγνώσθη; κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τροφῆς εἰργόμε νος τῶν σιτίων, ὁρᾷν τοὺς ἄλλους κατ' ἐπιστήμην ἐσθίοντας ἀναγκαζέσθω, ὥστε καὶ κολάζεσθαι τῇ ἀποχῇ, καὶ διδάσκεσθαι τὴν σεμνότητα. Λόγον ἀφῆ κεν ἀργὸν, ὕβριν εἰς τὸν πλησίον, ψεῦδος, ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων; Τῇ τε γαστρὶ καὶ τῇ σιωπῇ σωφρονιζέσθω. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων μελέτην οἰκείαν εἶναι τῷ σκοπῷ· ὥστε καὶ ὀνόμασιν αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ ἀντὶ μύθων τὰς τῶν παραδόξων ἔργων ἱστορίας αὐτοῖς διηγεῖσθαι, καὶ γνώμαις παιδεύειν ταῖς ἐκ τῶν Παροιμιῶν, καὶ ἆθλα μνήμης ὀνομάτων τε καὶ πραγμάτων αὐτοῖς προτιθέναι, ὥστε μετὰ τερπνότητος καὶ ἀνέσεως ἀλύπως αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπροσκόπως τὸν σκοπὸν διανύ εσθαι. Καὶ ἡ προσοχὴ δὲ τῆς διανοίας, καὶ ὁ 31.956 τοῦ μὴ μετεωρίζεσθαι ἐθισμὸς, εὐκόλως ἂν διὰ τῆς ὀρθῆς ἀγωγῆς τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐγγένοιτο, εἰ παρὰ τῶν ἐπιστατούντων συνεχῶς ἀνακρίνοιντο, ποῦ ἔχουσι τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τί στρέφουσιν ἐν τοῖς λο γισμοῖς. Τὸ γὰρ ἁπλοῦν τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ ἄδολον, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ψεῦδος ἀνεπιτήδειον, ἐξαγορεύει μὲν εὐκόλως τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς ψυχῆς· ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ μὴ συνεχῶς ἐγκαταλαμβάνεσθαι τοῖς ἀπηγορευμένοις, ὁ τοιοῦτος φεύγοι ἂν τὰς τῶν ἀτόπων ἐννοίας, καὶ συνεχῶς ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἀτόπων ἀνακαλέσεται, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐλέγχων αἰσχύνην φοβούμενος. Εὔπλαστον οὖν ἔτι οὖσαν καὶ ἁπαλὴν τὴν ψυ χὴν, καὶ ὡς κηρὸν εὔεικτον, ταῖς τῶν ἐπιβαλλομέ νων μορφαῖς ῥᾳδίως ἐκτυπουμένην, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀγαθῶν ἄσκησιν εὐθὺς καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐνάγεσθαι χρή· ὥστε τοῦ λόγου προσγενομένου, καὶ τῆς δια κριτικῆς ἕξεως προσελθούσης, δρόμον ὑπάρχειν ἐκ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς στοιχείων, καὶ τῶν παραδοθέντων τῆς εὐσεβείας τύπων, τοῦ μὲν λόγου τὸ χρήσιμον ὑποβάλ λοντος, τοῦ δὲ ἔθους εὐμάρειαν πρὸς τὸ κατορθοῦν ἐμποιοῦντος. Τότε καὶ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς παρθενίας προσίεσθαι δεῖ, ὡς ἤδη βεβαίαν, καὶ ἀπὸ γνώμης οἰκείας καὶ κρίσεως γινομένην μετὰ τὴν τοῦ λό γου συμπλήρωσιν· μεθ' ὃν καὶ τιμαὶ, καὶ τι μωρίαι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἢ τοῖς κατορθοῦσι παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἔργων ἀξίαν δί δονται. Μάρτυρας δὲ τῆς γνώμης τοὺς προεστῶ τας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν παραλαμβάνειν, ὥστε δι' αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν τοῦ σώματος ὥσπερ τι ἀνάθημα τῷ Θεῷ καθιεροῦσθαι, καὶ βεβαίωσιν εἶναι τοῦ γι νομένου διὰ τῆς