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in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. The sharing of sufferings provides comfort to those who are in pain; and just as to suffer something terrible alone has an inconsolable evil, so to find another who has fallen into the same evils makes the blow lighter. 2. Therefore, that we may not fall down in all the things that seem to trouble us, let us pay close attention to the histories of the Scriptures; for from them we will receive a starting point for much endurance, being comforted not only by the fellowship of those who have suffered the same things, but also by learning the way of deliverance from the terrible things brought upon us, and after the relief to remain again in the same state, and neither to fall into laziness, nor to be lifted up into despair. For for those who are faring ill to be humbled and brought low and to show much reverence, is nothing wonderful; for this is the nature of temptations, it compels even those with a heart of stone to do this, to be grieved; but it is characteristic of a reverent soul, one that has God continually before its eyes, never to fall into forgetfulness even after the deliverance from temptations; which the Jews continually suffered. Wherefore also the prophet, mocking them, said: When He slew them, then they sought Him, and they returned, and rose early to God. And Moses, being conscious of this very thing in them, continually advised them, saying: When you have eaten and drunk and are full, take heed to yourself, lest you forget the Lord your God. This, at any rate, also happened; for Jacob ate, he says, and grew fat, and was thickened, and the beloved one kicked. Wherefore one must not marvel at the saints for this reason, that while the affliction itself was at its height, they were so reverent and philosophical, but that even when the winter had passed and a calm had come, they remained in the same gentleness and zeal. And one must especially marvel at that horse which is able to walk rhythmically without a bridle; but if, with a muzzle and bridle restraining it, it is well-behaved, that is nothing wonderful; for one must attribute the good order not to the nobility of the animal, but to the constraint of the bridle. This can also be said of the soul, that to be quiet when fear is pressing upon it is nothing wonderful; but when the temptations have passed, and one has removed the bridle of fear, then show me the philosophy of the soul, and all its good order. But I am afraid that, in wanting to accuse the Jews, I may accuse our own way of life; since we too, when we were shaken by famine and plague and hail and 49.302 drought and conflagrations and the uprising of enemies, was not the church crowded every day by the multitude of those gathered? and great was our philosophy and contempt for the affairs of this life, and neither the desire for money, nor the longing for glory, nor the appetite and lust for licentiousness, nor any other wicked thought troubled us then, but you all gave yourselves over to piety, with supplication and tears; and the fornicator was chaste then, the resentful one turned to reconciliations, the covetous was bent toward almsgiving, the angry and audacious was changed to humility and meekness; and when God scattered that wrath, and brought the winter to an end, and made a calm out of so many waves, we returned again to our former preoccupations. And yet I did not cease then, at the very time of the temptations, to foretell these things, and to testify beforehand; but nevertheless nothing more came of it for us, but as a dream and a passing shadow, so you cast all those things out of your mind. For this very reason I am afraid now more than then, and what I said then, I fear now more greatly, lest we draw upon ourselves evils more grievous than the former ones, and then receive an incurable blow from God. For when someone, sinning continually, obtains forgiveness from God, then gains nothing from this forbearance, the

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μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος. Ἡ δὲ κοινωνία τῶν παθῶν τοῖς ὀδυνωμένοις παρέχει παραμυθίαν· καὶ καθάπερ τὸ μόνον παθεῖν τι δεινὸν, ἀπαραμύθητον ἔχει τὸ κακὸν, οὕτω τὸ εὑρεῖν ἕτερον τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσόντα κακοῖς κουφοτέραν ἐργάζεται τὴν πληγήν. βʹ. Ἵν' οὖν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς δοκοῦσιν ἡμᾶς ἐνοχλεῖν μὴ καταπίπτωμεν, μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσέχωμεν ταῖς τῶν Γραφῶν ἱστορίαις· πολλῆς γὰρ ὑπομονῆς ἐντεῦθεν ληψόμεθα ἀφορμὴν, οὐ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ παθόντων παραμυθούμενοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μανθάνειν τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἡμῖν δεινῶν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἄνεσιν μένειν πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς, καὶ μήτε εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐκπίπτειν, μήτε εἰς ἀπόνοιαν αἴρεσθαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κακῶς πράττοντας συστέλλεσθαι καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι καὶ πολλὴν εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν πειρασμῶν φύσις καὶ τοὺς λιθίνην ἔχοντας καρδίαν καταναγκάζει τοῦτο ποιεῖν, τὸ λυπεῖσθαι· ψυχῆς δέ ἐστιν εὐλαβοῦς, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐχούσης διηνεκῶς πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀπαλλαγὴν μηδέποτε εἰς λήθην ἐμπεσεῖν· ὅπερ Ἰουδαῖοι συνεχῶς ἔπασχον. ∆ιὸ καὶ σκώπτων αὐτοὺς ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· Ὅταν ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, τότε ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπέστρεφον, καὶ ὤρθριζον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ Μωϋσῆς δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦτο αὐτὸ συνειδὼς, παρῄνει συνεχῶς λέγων· Φαγὼν καὶ πιὼν καὶ ἐμπλησθεὶς, πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἐγένετο· Ἔφαγε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἐλιπάνθη, καὶ ἐπαχύνθη, καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος. ∆ιόπερ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο χρὴ θαυμάζειν τοὺς ἁγίους, ὅτι τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῆς ἀκμαζούσης, οὕτως ἦσαν εὐλαβεῖς καὶ φιλόσοφοι, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος παρελθόντος καὶ γαλήνης γινομένης, ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔμενον ἐπιεικείας καὶ σπουδῆς. Καὶ ἵππον δὲ ἐκεῖνον θαυμάζειν μάλιστα χρὴ τὸν χωρὶς χαλινοῦ δυνάμενον εὔρυθμα βαδίζειν· ἂν δὲ, κημοῦ καὶ χαλινοῦ κατέχοντος αὐτὸν, εὐτακτῇ, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· οὐ γὰρ τῇ εὐγενείᾳ τοῦ ζώου, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ τοῦ χαλινοῦ τὴν εὐταξίαν λογίσασθαι χρή. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ ψυχῆς ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι φόβου μὲν ἐπικειμένου ἠρεμεῖν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· ὅταν δὲ παρέλθωσιν οἱ πειρασμοὶ, καὶ τὸν χαλινὸν τοῦ φόβου περιέλῃ τις, τότε μοι δεῖξον φιλοσοφίαν ψυχῆς, καὶ τὴν εὐταξίαν ἅπασαν. Ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι μὴ, βουλόμενος Ἰουδαίων κατηγορεῖν, τῆς ἡμετέρας κατηγορήσω πολιτείας· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἡνίκα ἐσαλευόμεθα ἀπό τε λιμοῦ καὶ λοιμοῦ καὶ χαλάζης καὶ 49.302 ἀβροχίας καὶ ἐμπρησμῶν καὶ ἐπαναστάσεως ἐχθρῶν, οὐχὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἡ ἐκκλησία τῷ πλήθει τῶν συναγομένων ἐστενοχωρεῖτο; καὶ πολλή τις ἦν ἡμῶν ἡ φιλοσοφία καὶ ὑπεροψία τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ οὔτε χρημάτων πόθος, οὔτε δόξης ἐπιθυμία, οὔτε ὄρεξις καὶ ἔρως ἀσελγείας, οὔτε ἄλλος τις λογισμὸς πονηρὸς τότε ἠνώχλει, ἀλλὰ πάντες εἰς θεοσέβειαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεδώκατε, μετὰ δεήσεως καὶ δακρύων· καὶ ὁ πόρνος μὲν ἐσωφρόνει τότε, ὁ δὲ μνησίκακος ἐπὶ τὰς καταλλαγὰς ἐτρέπετο, ὁ πλεονέκτης πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ἐκάμπτετο, ὁ ὀργίλος καὶ θρασὺς εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ πραότητα μετεβάλλετο· καὶ ἐπὰν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκείνην διεσκέδασε, καὶ τὸν χειμῶνα παρήγαγε, καὶ γαλήνην ἐποίησεν ἐκ τοσούτων κυμάτων, εἰς τὰς πρότερον πάλιν ἐπανήλθομεν προλήψεις. Καίτοι γε οὐκ ἐπαυόμην τότε παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν τῶν πειρασμῶν προλέγων ταῦτα, καὶ προδιαμαρτυρόμενος· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ἐγένετό τι πλέον, ἀλλ' ὡς ὄναρ καὶ σκιὰν παρελθοῦσαν, οὕτως ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα τῆς διανοίας ἐξεβάλετε. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο δέδοικα νῦν μᾶλλον ἢ τότε, καὶ ὃ τότε ἔλεγον, νῦν δέδοικα μειζόνως, μὴ χαλεπώτερα τῶν προτέρων ἐπισπασώμεθα κακὰ, καὶ τότε δεξώμεθα πληγὴν ἀνίατον ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτε γάρ τις συνεχῶς ἁμαρτάνων συγγνώμης τυγχάνει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἶτα μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ταύτης κερδάνῃ ὁ