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has come to be; and wherever one looks, whether to the ground, or to the walls, or to the columns of the city, or to one's neighbors, one seems to see night and deep gloom; so full of dejection is everything. Everywhere there is a silence full of horror and desolation, and that longed-for noise of the crowd has been extinguished, and just as if all were sinking into the earth, so speechlessness now holds the city, and all seem like stones, and as if held by some tongue-fetter by the calamity they maintain a most heavy quiet, and so great a quiet as would have been if enemies had attacked and destroyed everyone at once with fire and sword. Now is a fitting time to say: Send for the wailing women, and let them come; and for the skillful women, and let them utter a voice. Let your eyes run down with water, and your eyelids pour down tears; O mountains, take up a lamentation, and hills, a dirge. Let us call all creation to sympathy for our troubles. A city so great, and the head of those that lie under the dawn, is in danger of being snatched from the midst of the inhabited world; now she who had many children has suddenly become childless, and there is no one to help. For the one who has been insulted has no equal on earth; for the emperor is the summit and head of all people on the earth. For this reason, let us flee to the king above; let us call on him for help; unless we should enjoy favor from above, no comfort remains for what has happened.

3. I wished to end the discourse here; for the souls of those in pain do not wish to draw out long speeches; but just as a thick cloud, having come to be and having intercepted the sun's ray, turns all its light 49.37 back; so indeed a cloud of despondency, whenever it stands before our soul, does not allow the passage of speech to be easy, but chokes it and holds it inside with great force. And this happens not only to those who speak, but also to those who listen. For just as it does not allow it to leap forth from the soul of the speaker with ease, so too it does not permit it to fall into the mind of the listeners with its proper force. For this reason the Jews once, being enslaved to clay and brick-making, did not endure to hear Moses often speaking great things about their salvation, since despondency made their mind inaccessible to the word, and blocked up their hearing. I myself, therefore, wished to stop what has been said here; but I considered that the nature of a cloud not only blocks the forward course of the ray, but often suffers the opposite itself; for when the sun, falling upon it hotter, continually wears away the cloud, it has often torn it in the middle, and shining out suddenly, fell brightly on the eyes of the beholders; This I myself expect to do today, and as the word continually converses with your souls, and lingers for a long time, I hope that the cloud of despondency will be broken, and that your mind will be illumined again by the accustomed teaching. But give me your soul, give me your hearing for a little while; shake off despondency; let us return to our former habit, and just as we are always accustomed to come here with cheerfulness, so let us do now, casting everything upon God. This will contribute to the very resolution of our calamity. For if He sees us listening to His words with exactness, and our philosophy not being refuted by the difficulty of the time, He will quickly take hold, and will make a calm and a good change from the present storm. For the Christian ought to differ from unbelievers in this also, in bearing all things nobly, and being winged by the hope of things to come, to be superior to the assault of human evils. The faithful one stands upon the rock, for this reason he is unconquered by the assaults of the waves. For if the waves of temptations are raised, they do not reach his feet; this one is higher than all

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γέγονε· καὶ ὅπουπερ ἂν ἴδῃ τις, κἂν εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, κἂν εἰς τοὺς τοίχους, κἂν εἰς τοὺς κίονας τῆς πόλεως, κἂν εἰς τοὺς πλησίον, νύκτα ὁρᾷν δοκεῖ καὶ ζόφον βαθύν· οὕτω πάντα πολλῆς γέμει τῆς κατηφείας. Σιγὴ πανταχοῦ φρίκης γέμουσα καὶ ἐρημία, καὶ ὁ ποθεινὸς ἐκεῖνος τοῦ πλήθους ἔσβεσται θόρυβος, καὶ καθάπερ ἁπάντων εἰς τὴν γῆν καταδυόντων, οὕτως ἀφωνία τὴν πόλιν κατέχει νῦν, καὶ τοῖς λίθοις ἐοίκασιν ἅπαντες, καὶ ὥσπερ τινὶ γλωττοπέδῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ κατεχόμενοι βαρυτάτην κατέχουσιν ἡσυχίαν, καὶ τοσαύτην, ὅσηπερ ἂν εἰ πολεμίων ἐπελθόντων καὶ πάντας ὁμοῦ πυρὶ καὶ σιδήρῳ δαπανησάντων ἐγένετο. Εὔκαιρον νῦν εἰπεῖν· Ἀποστείλατε πρὸς τὰς θρηνούσας, καὶ ἐλθέτωσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς σοφὰς, καὶ φθεγξάσθωσαν. Ῥεέτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν ὕδωρ, καὶ τὰ βλέφαρα ὑμῶν καταγέτω δάκρυα· οἱ βουνοὶ, λάβετε κοπετὸν, καὶ τὰ ὄρη, θρῆνον. Καλέσωμεν τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν εἰς συμπάθειαν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν. Πόλις οὕτω μεγάλη καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω κειμένων ἡ κεφαλὴ, ἐκ μέσης ἀναρπασθῆναι κινδυνεύει τῆς οἰκουμένης· νῦν ἡ πολύπαις ἄπαις ἐξαίφνης γεγένηται, καὶ ὁ βοηθήσων οὐδείς. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ὑβρισθεὶς ὁμότιμόν τινα ἔχων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· βασιλεὺς γάρ ἐστι κορυφὴ καὶ κεφαλὴ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὴ πρὸς τὸν ἄνω καταφεύγωμεν βασιλέα· ἐκεῖνον καλέσωμεν εἰς βοήθειαν· εἰ μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύσοιμεν εὐνοίας, οὐδεμία λείπεται τοῖς γεγενημένοις παραμυθία.

γʹ. Ἐβουλόμην ἐνταῦθα καταλῦσαι τὸν λόγον· οὐ γὰρ ἐθέλουσι τῶν ὀδυνωμένων αἱ ψυχαὶ μακροὺς ἀποτείνειν λόγους· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ νεφέλη τις πυκνὴ γενομένη, καὶ τὴν ἡλιακὴν ἀκτῖνα ὑπεκδραμοῦσα, ἀποστρέφει 49.37 τὴν αὐγὴν πᾶσαν εἰς τοὐπίσω· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἀθυμίας νέφος, ἐπειδὰν στῇ πρὸ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας, οὐκ ἀφίησιν εὔκολον γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ λόγου διάβασιν, ἀλλ' ἀποπνίγει καὶ συνέχει μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀνάγκης ἔνδον αὐτόν. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν λεγόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων γίνεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος ψυχῆς οὐκ ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ἐκπηδῆσαι μετ' εὐκολίας, οὕτως οὐδὲ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων διάνοιαν ἐμπεσεῖν συγχωρεῖ μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοί ποτε τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ δουλεύοντες, τοῦ Μωσέως πολλάκις μεγάλα περὶ τῆς αὐτῶν λέγοντος σωτηρίας ἀκούειν οὐκ ἠνείχοντο, τῆς ἀθυμίας ἄβατον ποιούσης τῷ λόγῳ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐμφραττούσης. Ἠβουλόμην μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνταῦθα καταλῦσαι τὰ εἰρημένα· ἀλλ' ἐννοήσας ὅτι οὐκ ἀντιφράττει μόνον νεφέλης φύσις τὴν εἰς τὸ πρόσω φορὰν τῆς ἀκτῖνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον αὐτὴ πάσχει πολλάκις· ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος θερμότερος προσπεσὼν διηνεκῶς τρίβῃ τὸ νέφος, μέσον τε αὐτὸ διέῤῥηξε πολλάκις, καὶ ἀθρόον ἐκλάμψας φαιδρὸς ταῖς τῶν ὁρώντων προσέπεσεν ὄψεσι· τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκῶ ποιήσειν σήμερον, καὶ τοῦ λόγου συνεχῶς ὁμιλοῦντος ὑμῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐνδιατρίβοντος, ῥαγήσεσθαι ἐλπίζω τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ νέφος, καὶ καταλάμψειν ὑμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν τῇ εἰωθυίᾳ πάλιν διδασκαλίᾳ. Ἀλλ' ἐπίδοτέ μοι τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ὑμετέραν, ἐπίδοτέ μοι τὴν ἀκοὴν μικρόν· ἀποτινάξασθε τὴν ἀθυμίαν· ἐπὶ τὸ πρότερον ἔθος ἐπανέλθωμεν, καὶ ὥσπερ εἰώθαμεν ἀεὶ μετ' εὐθυμίας ἐνταῦθα παραγίνεσθαι, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ποιῶμεν, τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ῥίψαντες. Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡμῖν τῆς συμφορᾶς συμβαλεῖται τὴν λύσιν. Ἂν γὰρ ἴδῃ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀκροωμένους τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων, καὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἐλεγχομένην τῇ τοῦ καιροῦ δυσκολίᾳ, ταχέως ἀντιλήψεται, καὶ ποιήσει τὴν γαλήνην καὶ μεταβολὴν ἀγαθὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ παρόντος χειμῶνος. Τὸν γὰρ Χριστιανὸν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῶν ἀπίστων διαφέρειν χρὴ, ἐν τῷ φέρειν γενναίως ἅπαντα, καὶ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι πτερούμενον ἀνώτερον εἶναι τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν προσβολῆς. Ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἕστηκεν ὁ πιστὸς, διὰ τοῦτο ταῖς τῶν κυμάτων ἀχείρωτός ἐστι προσβολαῖς. Ἂν γὰρ ἐπαρθῇ τὰ κύματα τῶν πειρασμῶν, οὐκ ἐφικνεῖται τῶν ἐκείνου ποδῶν· οὗτος ὑψηλότερος τῆς ἁπάσης