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calls. But 83.621 indeed I am like those swimming in the sea, and on every side being washed over by the waves, and desiring to reach the land, having dared the sea of the wisdom of the arts, striving to escape the assault of oncoming thoughts, as of some waves, and to run to the end, and to reach it as a sea-shore. Leaving aside, therefore, all the others, I shall proceed in my discourse to the art of grammar, which is more rational than the others, and fitting for the rational animal. This art, therefore, discovered letters, and defined them by number, and joined them to one another, and made pairings of syllables; then, by joining two and three syllables together, it taught the reading of words; and having composed and woven these together, it produced the single harmony of speech. From this, countless books were filled with ancient words; some, of sacred and divine and mystical things, others, of external learning; which, through a variety of meters, beauty of words, and harmony of composition, while veiling the mythical, both delights the ear, and becomes a weapon for the pious against the disciples of impiety. Through this knowledge, when absent we speak to one another, and those who are many days’ journey apart, and have many stages separating them in between, send to one another by hand the offspring of our thought. And the tongue, the first instrument of speech, is idle, but the right hand serves the word, and handling the pen, engraves on the paper the conversation with a friend; and the vehicle of speech becomes no longer tongue and mouth, but a hand that has practiced the art over time, and has learned accurately the composition of the letters. For this reason the Creator fashioned our hands in such a way, split into five fingers, and set the thumb opposite the four. For it was not possible for every kind of action to be performed with fingers set equally. But now, with the thumb set opposite the others, we hold a stylus very easily, and a spade, and a mattock, and a saw, and an axe, and a hammer, and tongs, and all the tools that are of art. Having considered, therefore, through reason, how much providence you have enjoyed in creation, how many arts and sciences He has given you not only for living, but also for living well, using great generosity for your care, how great an abundance of good things He has graced you with, how He provides for your life to be pleasant with the needs met by the arts, that He has devised for not only what is necessary, but also what is beyond necessity to flow to you from every side, cast out the ungratefulness of your tongue, teach it to praise, be subject to the Lord, and beseech Him. Learn to cry out with the Prophet: “Your knowledge has been made wonderful to me; 83.624 it is grown strong, I cannot attain to it.” To Him be glory now and ever, and unto the ages. Amen. DISCOURSE V. A proof from the subjection of the irrational animals. How great is the care of the Creator of all things for our nature, you know clearly, O friends and companions, and you have no need of the teaching of these words. For continually receiving the springs of His benefactions from thence, you offer up the hymn to the Giver according to your ability. But since some, suffering from great insensibility, are not aware of the divine gifts, but while revelling in God-given good things, belch forth ungrateful words against the one who made them, our discourse of necessity, having quickly surveyed creation, and having brought human nature into the midst, has shown in each part, both of creation and of our own nature, the providence of God appearing most clearly. And

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καλεῖ. Ἀλλὰ 83.621 γὰρ ἔοικα τοῖς ἐν πελάγει νηχομένοις, καὶ παντα χόθεν περικλυζομένοις τοῖς κύμασι, καὶ τὴν ἤπειρον καταλαβεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦσι, τοῦ πελάγους τῆς τῶν τε χνῶν σοφίας κατατολμήσας, φιλονεικῶν μὲν διαφυ γεῖν τῶν ἐπιόντων ἐνθυμημάτων οἷόν τινων κυμά των τὴν προσβολὴν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ τέλος δραμεῖν, καὶ ὡς ἀκτὴν θαλαττίαν καταλαβεῖν. Τὰς ἄλλας τοίνυν ἁπά σας καταλιπὼν, ἐπὶ τὴν γραμματικὴν βαδιοῦμαι τέχνην τῷ λόγῳ, ἣ τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶ λογικωτέρα, καὶ ἐμπρέπουσα τῷ ζώῳ τῷ λογικῷ. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἐξεῦρε μὲν στοιχεῖα, καὶ ἀριθμῷ περιώρισε, συνέζευξε δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς ἄλληλα, καὶ συλλαβῶν συζυγίας εἰργάσατο· εἶτα δύο καὶ τρεῖς κατὰ ταυτὸν συνάψασα συλλαβὰς, τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐδίδαξε τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν· συνθεῖσα δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἐξυφήνασα, μίαν τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἁρμονίαν εἰρ γάσατο. Ἐντεῦθεν βίβλοι μυρίαι λόγων ἀρχαίων ἐπλήσθησαν· αἱ μὲν, ἱερῶν καὶ θείων καὶ μυστικῶν, αἱ δὲ, τῆς ἔξωθεν παιδείας· ἣ ποικιλίᾳ μέτρων, καὶ ὀνομάτων κάλλει, καὶ συνθήκης ἁρμονίᾳ τὸ μυθῶδες συγκαλύπτουσα, τέρπει μὲν τὴν ἀκοὴν, ὅπλον δὲ τοῖς εὐσεβέσι κατὰ τῶν τῆς ἀσεβείας γίνεται τροφίμων. ∆ιὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀπόντες ὁμιλοῦμεν ἀλλή λοις, καὶ οἱ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀφεστηκότες, καὶ πολλοὺς σταθμοὺς ἐν μέσῳ διατειχίζοντας ἔχοντες, πέμπομεν ἀλλήλοις διὰ χειρῶν τὰ τῆς ἐννοίας κυή ματα. Καὶ ἀργεῖ μὲν ἡ γλῶττα, τὸ πρῶτον ὄρ γανον τοῦ λόγου, ὑπουργεῖ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ ἡ δεξιὰ, καὶ μεταχειριζομένη τὸν κάλαμον, ἐγχαράττει τῷ χάρτῃ τὴν πρὸς τὸν φίλον διάλεξιν· καὶ γίνεται ὄχημα τοῦ λόγου, οὐκέτι γλῶττα καὶ στόμα, ἀλλὰ χεὶρ ἀσκήσασα τῷ χρόνῳ τὴν τέχνην, καὶ τῶν στοιχείων τὴν συνθήκην ἀκριβῶς ἐκμαθοῦσα. Τούτου χάριν ὁ Ποιητὴς τοιαύτας ἡμῖν ἐτεκτήνατο τὰς χεῖρας, εἰς πέντε δακτύλους διεσχισμένας, ἀντέταξε δὲ τοῖς τέ τρασι τὸν μέγαν. Οὔτε γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν ἐν ἴσοις διακειμένοις δακτύλοις, παντοδαπὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐνερ γεῖσθαι. Νῦν δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀντικειμέ νου, καὶ γραφίδα μάλα ῥᾳδίως κατέχομεν, καὶ σκα πάνην, καὶ δίκελλαν, πρίονά τε, καὶ σκέπαρνον, καὶ σφύραν, καὶ πυράγραν, καὶ πάντα ὅσα τέχνης ἐστὶν ὄργανα. Θεωρήσας τοιγαροῦν διὰ τοῦ λόγου, ὅσης περὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν τῆς προνοίας ἀπήλαυσας, ὁπόσας σοι τέχνας καὶ ἐπιστήμας οὐ μόνον εἰς τὸ ζῇν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ εὖ ζῇν ἐδωρήσατο, πολλῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ περὶ τὴν σὴν χρησάμενος θεραπείαν, ὅσην σοι κεχάρισται φορὰν ἀγαθῶν, ὅπως θυμήρη σοι τὸν βίον ταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν τε χνῶν πραγματεύηται χρείαις, ὅτι σοι οὐ μόνον τὴν χρείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πέρα τῆς χρείας ἐπιῤῥεῖν παν ταχόθεν ἐμηχανήσατο, ἔκβαλε τὴν ἀχαριστίαν τῆς γλώττης, δίδαξον αὐτὴν εὐφημεῖν, ὑποτάγηθι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἱκέτευσον αὐτόν. Μάθε βοᾷν μετὰ τοῦ Προφήτου· «Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ, 83.624 ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν.» Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. ΛΟΓΟΣ Εʹ. Ἀπόδειξις ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων ὑποταγῆς. Ὅση τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ περὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν κηδεμονία, ὑμεῖς μὲν ἴστε σαφῶς, ὦ φίλοι καὶ θιασῶται, καὶ τῆς τῶν λόγων διδασκαλίας οὐ δεῖσθε. Τὰς γὰρ πηγὰς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν διηνεκῶς ἐκεῖθεν δεχόμενοι, εἰς δύναμιν τῷ χορηγῷ τὸν ὕμνον προσφέρετε. Ἐπειδὴ δέ τινες πολλὴν ἀναλγη σίαν νοσοῦντες, τῶν θείων οὐκ ἐπαισθάνονται δω ρεῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς θεοσδότοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶντες, ἀχαρίστους κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος φωνὰς ἐρυγγά νουσιν, ἀναγκαίως ὁ λόγος, καὶ τὴν κτίσιν σὺν τά χει πολλῷ περινοστήσας, καὶ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἀνθρω πείαν εἰς μέσον παραγαγὼν, ὑπέδειξεν ἐν ἑκάστῳ μορίῳ, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν ἐναργῶς μάλα προφαινομένην. Καὶ