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rest and does not find it; for he is king of all things in the waters. And again of wisdom it says, The haunts of her houses are secure (27,31). If this is so, then the quarrelsome and talkative and wrathful woman is wickedness, which makes the one living with her quarrelsome and talkative and wrathful. 104 A desirable treasure will rest upon the mouth of a wise man: The wisdom of the Lord will rest in the heart of a wise man; but foolish men will destroy it. A wise man mounted fortified cities: Wisdom is a fortified city, in which the wise dwell, casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble: Mouth and tongue, soul and mind; and by soul they mean anger and desire, which some call the passible part of the soul. An ungodly man all the day long desires evil desires: It is characteristic of angels never to desire evil desires; of humans, sometimes to desire and sometimes not to desire evil desires; and of demons, always to desire evil desires. For All the day long signifies 'throughout life.' Such also is Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long, instead of 'throughout life.' A horse is prepared for the day of war: By horse he means the mind. For, it says, You will mount upon your horses, and your horsemanship is salvation. And of Paul the Lord says, To bear my name. A good name is more to be chosen than great wealth (edd. πολύς): He called the virtue signified by its own name a good name; for that name is good which has a good meaning. Thus we will not praise an unjust woman called Justice, but the one who has justice, even if she is named Injustice. Rich and poor have met one another, and the Lord made them both (edd. the Lord made): The rich man through almsgiving purifies anger, acquiring love; but the poor man is taught to be humble-minded through poverty. The generation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord: These are the generations of Noah; these are the generations of Abraham. Thorns and snares are in crooked ways: And the Lord says to Adam: The earth will bring forth thorns and thistles for you, that is, the soul. And by thorns and thistles he means sins, from which also the crown of Christ was woven; for he himself took away the sin of the world. The rich will rule over the poor: In the age to come, those who have been enriched in everything, in all knowledge and 105 all wisdom, will rule over the impure and those deprived of this wealth. But who are the servants and who are the masters, it is not necessary to publish now, because the discourse concerning them is mystical and deeper. But he will bring to an end the vanity of his works: The Lord brings the vanity of works to an end through virtue and knowledge. He who gives gifts obtains victory and honor: He calls the virtues the gifts of man, through which, conquering the devil, he presents himself as honored to God, and takes away his own soul from the demons who possessed it. Cast out a pestilent person from the council (edd. a pestilent person from the council), and strife will go out with him: He called the worst state a council, from which the wise Solomon wishes a man to be cast out through spiritual teaching; and 'strife' signifies contentiousness. And by 'pestilent person' he can also mean the devil, whom one must drive out from the soul; for if he settles in it, through impurity he dishonors all right reasonings. And the apostle also shows the soul to be a council, through which he introduces accusing and defending reasonings; for he says, Between one another their thoughts accusing or even defending them. And where there is accusation and defense, there is also a council. A king shepherds with his lips: The Lord who preserves our souls, he himself also shepherds us through spiritual knowledge, which knowledge he who transgresses his law despises. And it should be noted that Christ, being king, is said through the

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ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκει· αὐτὸς γὰρ βασιλεύς ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι. καὶ πάλιν τῆς σοφίας Στεγναί φησιν αἱ διατριβαὶ οἵκων αὐτῆς (27,31). εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ μάχιμος καὶ γλωσσώδης καὶ ὀργίλος ἡ κακία ἐστίν, ἥτις τὸν συζῶντα αὐτῇ ποιεῖ μάχιμον καὶ γλωσσώδη καὶ ὄργιλον. 104 Θησαυρὸς ἐπιθυμητὸς ἀναπαύσεται ἐπὶ στόματος σοφοῦ: Σοφία κυρίου ἀναπαύσεται ἐν καρδίᾳ σοφοῦ· ἄφρονες δὲ ἄνδρες διαφθεροῦσιν αὐτήν. Πόλεις ὀχυρὰς ἐπέβη σοφός: Σοφία ἐστὶν πόλις ὀχυρά, ἐν ᾗ οἱ σοφοὶ κατοικοῦσιν, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὃς φυλάσσει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν, διατηρεῖ ἐκ θλίψεως τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ: Στόμα καὶ γλῶσσαν, ψυχὴν καὶ νοῦν· ψυχὴν δέ φασιν θυμὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν, ὅπερ τινὲς παθητικὸν μέρος ὀνομάζουσι τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἀσεβὴς ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπιθυμεῖ ἐπιθυμίας κακάς: Ἀγγέλων μὲν τὸ μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν ποτὲ ἐπιθυμίας κακάς· ἀνθρώπων δὲ τὸ ποτὲ μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἐπιθυμίας κακάς· δαιμόνων δὲ τὸ ἀεὶ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἐπιθυμίας κακάς. τὸ γὰρ Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὸ διὰ βίου δηλοῖ. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ Ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ἴσθι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ τοῦ διὰ βίου. Ἵππος ἑτοιμάζεται εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμου: Ἵππον λέγει τὸν νοῦν. Ἐπιβήσῃ γάρ φησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου, καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου σωτηρία. καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου ὁ κύριος Τοῦ βαστάσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου φησίν. Αἱρετώτερον ὄνομα καλὸν ἢ πλοῦτος πολύ (edd. πολύς): Τὴν σημαινομένην ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκείου ὀνόματος ὄνομα εἶπεν καλόν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα καλόν ἐστιν, ὅπερ ἔχει τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀγαθόν. οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν ἄδικον γυναῖκα δικαιοσύνην καλουμένην ἐπαινέσομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, κἂν ἀδικία ὀνομάζηται. Πλούσιος καὶ πτωχὸς συνήντησαν ἀλλήλοις, ἀμφοτέρους δὲ ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος (edd. ὁ κύρ. ἐποί.): Ὁ μὲν πλούσιος διὰ τῶν ἐλεημοσυνῶν καθαίρει θυμόν, κτώμενος τὴν ἀγάπην· ὁ δὲ πένης διὰ τῆς πενίας ταπεινοφρονεῖν ἐκδιδάσκεται. Γενεὰ σοφίας, φόβος κυρίου: Αὗται αἱ γενέσεις Νῶε· αὗται αἱ γενέσεις Ἀβραάμ. Τρίβολοι καὶ παγίδες ἐν ὁδοῖς σκολιαῖς: Καὶ ὁ κύριος τῷ Ἀδὰμ φησίν· Ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι ἡ γῆ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἡ ψυχή. ἀκάνθας δὲ καὶ τριβόλους λέγει τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφ' ὧν καὶ ὁ στέφανος ἐπλάκη τοῦ Χριστοῦ· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦρεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Πλούσιοι πτωχῶν ἄρξουσιν: Ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι οἱ ἐν παντὶ πλουτισθέντες, ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ 105 πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἄρξουσι τῶν ἀκαθάρτων καὶ ἐστερημένων τούτου τοῦ πλούτου. τίνες δὲ οἱ οἰκέται καὶ τίνες οἱ δεσπόται, νῦν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον δημοσιεύειν, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν λόγον μυστικὸν καὶ βαθύτερον. Ματαιότητα δὲ ἔργων αὐτοῦ συντελέσει: Τὴν ματαιότητα τῶν ἔργων διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ κύριος καὶ τῆς γνώσεως συντελεῖ. Νίκην καὶ τιμὴν περιποιεῖται ὁ τὰ (edd. om.) δῶρα διδούς: ∆ῶρα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς ἀρετὰς ὀνομάζει, δι' ὧν νικῶν τὸν διάβολον τίμιον ἑαυτὸν παρέχει τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κτησαμένων, αὐτὴν δαιμόνων. Ἔκβαλε λοιμὸν ἐκ συνεδρίας (edd. ἐκ συνεδρίου λοιμ.), καὶ συνεξελεύσεται αὐτῷ νεῖκος: Τὴν χειρίστην κατάστασιν συνέδριον εἶπεν, ἀφ' ἧς ὁ σοφὸς Σολομὼν ἐκβάλλεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον βούλεται διὰ πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας· τὸ δὲ νεῖκος τὴν φιλονεικίαν σημαίνει. δύναται δὲ λοιμὸν καὶ τὸν διάβολον λέγειν, ὃν δεῖ ἀποδιώκειν τῆς ψυχῆς· ἐὰν γὰρ καθίσῃ ἐν αὐτῇ, διὰ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀτιμάζει. συνέδριον δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποδείκνυσι, δι' ὧν κατηγοροῦντας λογισμοὺς εἰσάγει καὶ ἀπολογουμένους· Μεταξὺ γάρ φησιν ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων. ὅπου δὲ κατηγορία καὶ ἀπολογία, ἐκεῖ καὶ συνέδριον. Χείλεσι ποιμαίνει βασιλεύς: Ὁ διατηρῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν κύριος, αὐτὸς καὶ διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς γνώσεως ποιμαίνει ἡμᾶς, ἥντινα γνῶσιν φαυλίζει ὁ παραβαίνων τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ. σημειωτέον δὲ ὅτι βασιλεὺς ὢν ὁ Χριστὸς λέγεται διὰ τῆς