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Having conceived, she gave birth; but that which is beyond nature, this is what is sought; how he begat Eve his wife and daughter. Even if God created her, nevertheless he borrowed the rib from Adam. Therefore, also, when fashioning her, he cast a sleep and an ecstasy upon Adam, and took one of his ribs, and filled up its place with flesh. But nevertheless he put Adam to sleep even in an ecstasy, from whom it was not hidden what God did in secret; for Adam only saw Eve; he touched his own side, and found the missing part, having given it with an addition of flesh, and having received a rational creature. Therefore, when God brought the woman to Adam to see what he would call her, Adam, answering to God, said, "Why have you brought this one to me as a stranger, Master? I am not astonished at the sight. For I have recognized my flesh. You have graced me with a rational creature; even if it differs in form, yet it is united in nature. Let her be called Woman; for out of man she was taken, and from the rib she was formed. Let her therefore be under my hand. For she was not taken from the head, but from the side." During the first seven-year period is the eruption of teeth; and during the second, the time for emitting fertile seed. The third, the growth of beards. The fourth, an increase toward strength. The fifth, in turn, the season for marriage. The sixth, the beginning of understanding. The seventh, the improvement of both, and the co-increase of mind and reason. The eighth, the perfection in each. And during the ninth, the mildness and gentleness of the passions, having been tamed to a greater degree. And during the tenth, the desirable end of life, while the bodily members are still intact. For long old age is wont to trip up and take away from each one. The physician Hippocrates, says there are seven 95.1109 ages: that of an infant, a child, a youth, a young man, a man, an elder, an old man. And that these are measured by sevens, but not in sequence. He says thus: "In the nature of man there are seven seasons, which they call ages: infant, child, youth, young man, man, elder, old man. And an infant is up to seven years, that is, of the casting out of teeth. A child until the production of seed, to twice seven. A youth until the growing of the beard, to thrice seven; a young man until the growth of the whole body, to four times seven. A man until one less than fifty; an elder, until fifty, up to seven times eight. And from then on, an old man." It is possible in the thirtieth year for the same man to become a grandfather. For he reaches puberty around the fourteenth year of age, in which he sows, and what is sown, being born within a year, again in the fifteenth year begets one like himself. Everything that has a beginning also admits of an end. And that which admits of an end is susceptible to corruption.

TITLE 9. -Concerning free will; that it is given to us by God, and it is in our power

to be saved and to be lost. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today; life and the

death I have set before your face, and the blessing, and the curse. I said to my soul: "I am your salvation." The Lord made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his own counsel. He has set before you fire and water; to which you will, you may stretch out your hand. Before man are life and death, and whichever he pleases will be given to him. Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey. If you wish to do well, God is ready to provide. "I have set," he says, "before your face life and death, good and evil, two opposed natures." Weigh them against each other in the tribunal of yourself; balance them accurately, what is more profitable for you, to choose temporary pleasure, and through it to receive eternal death, or, having chosen the hardship in the practice of virtue, to use it as a means for eternal delight. The evils in Hades do not have God as their cause, but 95.1112 ourselves. For the beginning and root of all sin is that which is in our power, and that which

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συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν· τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον· πῶς Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ θυγατέρα ἐγέννησεν. Εἰ καὶ Θεὸς αὐτὴν ἐδημιούργησεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὴν πλευρὰν ἐδανείσατο. Ὅθεν καὶ διαπλάττων αὐτὴν, ὕπνον ἐνέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἔκστασιν, καὶ ἔλαβεν μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσε σάρκα ἀντ' αὐτῆς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἐν ἐκστάσει ὕπνωσε τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ὃν οὐκ ἔλαθεν ὃ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν ἐν κρυφῇ· μόνον γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὴν Εὔαν· ἥψατο τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πλευρᾶς, καὶ εὗρε τὸ λεῖπον μετὰ προσθήκης σαρκὸς δεδωκὼς, καὶ λογικὸν ζῶον ὑποδεξάμενος. Ὅθεν καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσαγαγόντος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἰδεῖν τί καλέσει αὐτὴν, ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἀδὰμ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, εἶπεν, Τί μοι ταύτην ὡς ξένην παρήγαγες, ∆έσποτα; οὐκ ἐκπλήττομαι τῇ θέᾳ. Ἐγνώρισα γάρ μου τὴν σάρκα. Ἐχαρίσω μοι ζῶον λογικὸν, εἰ καὶ διαφέρει τῷ σχήματι, ἀλλ' ἥνωται τῇ φύσει. Γυνὴ καλείσθω· ἐξ ἀνδρὸς γὰρ ἐλήφθη, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς ἐπλάσθη. Ἔστω οὖν ὑπὸ χεῖρα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐλήφθη, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς. Κατὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην ἑπταετίαν ἔκφυσις ὀδόντων ἐστίν· κατὰ δὲ τὴν δευτέραν, καιρὸς τοῦ προίεσθαι σπέρμα γόνιμον. Τρίτη δὲ, γενείων αὔξησις. Τετάρτη δὲ, πρὸς ἰσχὺν ἐπίδοσις. Πέμπτη δ' αὖ γάμων ὥρα. Ἕκτη, συνέσεως ἀρχή. Ἡ δὲ ἑβδόμη, βελτίωσις ἀμφοῖν, καὶ συναύξησις νοῦ καὶ λόγου. Ὀγδόη δὲ, ἡ ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τελείωσις. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐννάτην, ἡ ἐπιείκεια καὶ πραότης τῶν παθῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἡμερωθέντων. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν δεκάτην, τὸ εὐκταῖον τοῦ βίου τέλος, ἔτι τῶν ὀργανικῶν μελῶν συνεστηκότων. Φιλεῖ γὰρ τὸ μακρὸν γῆρας ἕκαστον ὑποσκελίζειν καὶ παραιρεῖσθαι. Ἰατρὸς Ἱπποκράτης, ἡλικίας ἑπτὰ 95.1109 εἶναι φησί· παιδίου, παιδὸς, μειρακίου, νεανίσκου, ἀνδρὸς, πρεσβύτου, γέροντος. Ταύτας δὲ μετρεῖσθαι μὲν ἑβδομάσιν, οὐ μὴν ταῖς κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· Ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει ἑπτά εἰσιν ὧραι, ἃς ἡλικίας καλέουσιν· παιδίον, παῖς, μειράκιον, νεανίσκος, ἀνὴρ, πρεσβύτης, γέρων. Καὶ παιδίον μέν ἐστιν ἄχρι ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν, τουτέστι τῆς τῶν ὀδόντων ἐκβολῆς. Παῖς δὲ ἄχρι γονῆς ἐκφύσεως, εἰς τὰ δὶς ἑπτά. Μειράκιον ἄχρι γενείου λαχνώσεως, ἐς τὰ τρὶς ἑπτά· νεανίσκος δὲ ἄχρις αὐξήσεως ὅλου τοῦ σώματος, ἐς τὰ τετράκις ἑπτά. Ἀνὴρ δ' ἄχρις ἑνὸς δέοντος πεντήκοντα· πρεσβύτης δὲ, ἄχρι πεντήκοντα, ἐς τὰ ἑπτάκις ὀκτώ. Τὸ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν, γέρων. ∆υνατὸν ἐν τριακοστῷ ἔτει αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον πάππον γενέσθαι. Ἡβᾷν μὲν περὶ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην ἡλικίαν, ἐν ᾗ σπείρει, τὸ δὲ σπαρὲν ἐντὸς ἐνιαυτοῦ γενόμενον, πάλιν πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τὸ ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ γεννᾷν. Πᾶν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχον, καὶ τέλος ἐπιδέχεται. Τὸ δὲ τέλος ἐπιδεχόμενον, φθορᾶς ἐστι δεκτικόν.

ΤΙΤΛ. Θʹ. -Περὶ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου· ὅτι δέδοται ἡμῖν παρὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστι

σωθῆναι καὶ ἀπολέσθαι. ∆ιαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν σήμερον τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν

θάνατον δέδωκα ἐπὶ προσώπου ὑμῶν, καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν, καὶ τὴν κατάραν. Εἶπον τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Σωτηρία σου εἰμὶ ἐγώ. Κύριος ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐποίησεν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ἐν χειρὶ διαβουλίου αὐτοῦ. Παρέθηκέν σοι πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ, οὗ ἐὰν θέλῃς ἐκτείνοις τὴν χεῖρά σου. Ἐναντία ἄνθρωπον ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν εὐδοκήσῃ αὐτῷ. Ἰδοὺ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι. Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ᾧ ἐμπαριστάνετε ἑαυτοὺς δούλους εἰς ὑπακοὴν, δοῦλοί ἐστε ᾧ ὑπακούετε. Θέλουσιν ὑμῖν εὖ πράττειν, Θεὸς ἕτοιμος εἰς τὸ παρέχειν. Τέθεικα, φησὶ, πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακὸν, δύο ἀντικειμένας φύσεις. Ἀντιστάθμησον αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ σεαυτοῦ κριτηρίου· ζυγοστάτησον ἀκριβῶς, τί σοι λυσιτελέστερον, τὴν πρόσκαιρον ἑλέσθαι ἡδονὴν, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τὸν αἰώνιον λαβεῖν θάνατον, ἢ τὴν ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει τῆς ἀρετῆς ἑλόμενον κακοπάθειαν, ταύτῃ προξένῳ χρήσασθαι τῆς αἰωνίου τρυφῆς. Τὰ ἐν ᾄδου κακὰ, οὐχὶ Θεὸν ἔχει τὸν αἴτιον, ἀλλ' 95.1112 ἡμᾶς αὐτούς. Ἀρχὴ γὰρ καὶ ῥίζα πάσης ἁμαρτίας τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸ