19

17.1 And when heard, you bring delight, and when read through what you write you provide us with more effective joys. And great thanks to the good God who caused the truth to be in no way diminished in the betrayal of those who supposedly prevail, but through you has fulfilled the advocacy of the word of piety. They, therefore, like hemlock or aconite or any other man-killing herb, having flourished for a short time will quickly be withered. But to you the Lord will provide a flourishing and ever new reward for the things spoken on behalf of his name. In return for which also may the Lord grant you all abundance of household and to pass the blessing on to your children's children. And the most noble children, the clear characters of your goodness, I saw gladly and embraced and I pray for them whatever their father himself would pray.

18.τ TO MACARIUS AND JOHN

18.1 Neither do the toils of farming seem strange to farmers, nor is the winter storm at sea unexpected for sailors, nor is the summer sweat surprising to hired laborers, nor indeed for those who have chosen to live piously is the affliction in the present world unpracticed. But to each of the aforementioned a fitting and familiar toil is joined; not chosen for its own sake, but for the enjoyment of good things that are expected. For hopes, holding together and composing the whole life of men, console the difficulty in each of these things. Therefore, of those who toil for the fruits of the earth or on the earth, some were completely cheated of their hopes, having their enjoyment only in imagination, while for those for whom the end happened to turn out according to their mind, there was need of a second hope again, the first having quickly passed by and withered. But only for those who have toiled for piety has falsehood not made their hopes disappear, nor has an end ruined their labors, as the firm and lasting kingdom of heaven succeeds. Therefore, let not false slander disturb you, nor let the threat of rulers frighten you; let not the laughter and insolence of acquaintances grieve you, nor condemnation from those who pretend to care with a pretense of advice, as long as the word of truth contends on our side. But let right reason fight against all things, calling to become its ally the Teacher of piety, our Lord Jesus Christ, for whose sake it is sweet to suffer evil and a gain to die.

19.τ TO GREGORY, HIS FRIEND

19.1 A letter came to me lately from you, precisely yours, not so much by the character of the handwriting as by the style of the letter. For the words were few, representing much thought. To which we did not reply immediately, because we ourselves were away from home, and the letter-carrier, having delivered the letter to one of our associates, departed and was gone. But now we address you through Peter, at once paying the debt of an address, and also providing an occasion for a second letter. And in any case there is no toil in a Laconic letter, such as are those that always arrive to us from you.

20.τ TO LEONTIUS THE SOPHIST

19

17.1 Καὶ ἀκουόμενος εὐφραίνεις, καὶ ἀναγινωσκόμενος δι' ὧν γράφεις

ἐνεργεστέρας ἡμῖν παρέχεις εὐφροσύνας. Καὶ χάρις πολλὴ τῷ ἀγαθῷ Θεῷ τῷ μηδὲν ἐλαττωθῆναι ποιή σαντι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν τῇ προδοσίᾳ τῶν δῆθεν ὑπερκρα τούντων, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμῶν τὴν συνηγορίαν τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀναπληρώσαντι. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, ὡς τὸ κώνειον ἢ τὸ ἀκόνιτον καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλη ἀνδροφόνος βοτάνη, πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀνθήσαντες ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται. Ὑμῖν δὲ ἀνθηρὸν καὶ ἀεὶ νέον ὁ Κύριος τὸν μισθὸν τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ λαληθέντων παρέξει. Ἀνθ' ὧν καὶ παράσ χοι ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος πᾶσαν εὐθηνίαν οἴκου καὶ εἰς παῖδας παίδων τὴν εὐλογίαν διαβιβάσαι. Τὰ δὲ εὐγενέστατα παιδία, τοὺς ἐναργεῖς τῆς σῆς χρηστότητος χαρακτῆρας, εἶδον ἡδέως καὶ περιεπτυξάμην καὶ εὔχομαι αὐτοῖς ὅσα ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ πατὴρ εὔξῃ.

18.τ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΩ ΚΑΙ ΙΩΑΝΝΗ

18.1 Οὔτε γεωργοὺς οἱ κατὰ γεωργίαν ξενίζουσι πόνοι, οὔτε ναύταις ὁ κατὰ

θάλασσαν χειμὼν ἀπροσδόκητος, οὔτε τοῖς μισθαρνοῦσιν ὁ θερινὸς ἱδρὼς παράδοξος, οὔτε μὴν τοῖς εὐσεβῶς ζῆν ἑλομένοις ἡ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα κόσμον θλίψις ἀμελέτητος. Ἀλλ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων οἰκεῖος καὶ γνώριμος συνέζευκται πόνος· οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν αἱρετός, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀπόλαυσιν ἀγαθῶν προσδοκωμένων. Ἐλπίδες γάρ, πάντα τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον συνέχουσαι καὶ συγκροτοῦ σαι, τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τούτων παραμυθοῦνται δυσκολίαν. Τῶν μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ γῆς καρπῶν ἢ τῶν κατὰ γῆν πονούντων οἳ μὲν παντάπασιν ἐψεύσθησαν τῶν ἐλπίδων, μέχρι μόνης φαντασίας τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχοντες, οἷς δὲ καὶ κατὰ γνώμην ἐκβῆναι συνέβη τὸ τέλος δευτέρας ἐδέησε πάλιν ἐλπίδος, παραδραμούσης καὶ μαρανθείσης ἐν τάχει τῆς προτέρας. Μόνοις δὲ τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καμοῦσιν οὐ ψεῦδος ἠφάνισε τὰς ἐλπίδας, οὐ τέλος ἐλυμήνατο τοῖς ἄθλοις, βεβαίας καὶ μονίμου διαδεχομένης τῆς τῶν οὐρα νῶν βασιλείας. Μὴ τοίνυν ὑμᾶς ταραττέτω διαβολὴ ψευδής, μηδὲ φοβείτω τῶν κρατούντων ἀπειλή· μὴ γέλως λυπείτω καὶ ὕβρις τῶν γνωρίμων, μηδὲ κατάγνωσις παρὰ τῶν κήδεσθαι προσποιουμένων παραινέσεως προσποιήσει, ἕως ἂν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡμῖν συναγωνίζηται λόγος. Ἀντιμα χέσθω δὲ τοῖς πᾶσι λογισμὸς ὀρθός, σύμμαχον παρακαλῶν γενέσθαι αὐτῷ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ∆ιδάσκαλον, τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, δι' ὃν καὶ τὸ κακοπαθεῖν ἡδὺ καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος.

19.τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩ ΕΤΑΙΡΩ

19.1 Γράμμα ἦλθέ μοι πρῴην παρὰ σοῦ, ἀκριβῶς σόν, οὐ τοσοῦτον τῷ

χαρακτῆρι τῆς χειρὸς ὅσον τῷ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἰδιώματι. Ὀλίγα γὰρ ἦν τὰ ῥήματα, πολλὴν διάνοιαν παριστῶντα. Πρὸς ἃ εὐθὺς μὲν οὐκ ἀπεκρινάμεθα, διότι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπεδημοῦμεν, ὁ δὲ γραμματηφόρος ἑνὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἡμῖν ἐπιδοὺς τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο. Ἀλλὰ νῦν διὰ Πέτρου προσφθεγγόμεθά σε, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἀπο τιννύντες τῆς προσηγορίας τὸ χρέος, ὁμοῦ δὲ ἀφορμὴν δευτέρων γραμμάτων παρέχοντες. Πάντως δὲ οὐδεὶς πόνος Λακωνικῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ὁποῖαί εἰσιν αἱ παρὰ σοῦ ἑκάστοτε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικνούμεναι.

20.τ ΛΕΟΝΤΙΩ ΣΟΦΙΣΤΗ