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XVII. Concerning the differences of life, and against false priests. He is a painter

excellent, who on tablets engraves True forms, that seem to breathe and see; Not he who, having mixed many and beautiful colors in vain, Shows a painted meadow from his tablets. And I praised a sea-faring ship, not for its figureheads' Beauty, nor for the shining ornaments of its stern; But one which the hands of the shipwright with bolts most excellently Gave, having made it bold against the waves. And an army is best, warlike instead of beautiful, And a dazzling house is second to a well-built one. So it is also with the lives of mortals. The one is immortal, whom fear Brings to Christ, a stranger to woven wickedness, 1263 Steadfast, unshaken, without grief. But he who is most wicked, Within is weak, while having strength without, Quickly-doomed, like one struck with madness, for whom all things Are whirling, they of unsteady mind. Such also is the spirit of the priests of the renowned Christ. The one is a servant of weak mortal man, Bending to the times, a reed much-bent by the winds, Of all kinds of evil not a cure, but a type. But the other with trembling and holy hands Brings the gift, doing grace to the flesh of Christ, And to the great sufferings, which God endured here, A ransom for our ancestral sufferings; By whom alone he lives and is delighted; for whom indeed he cleaves His heart from earthly things, rising up from here. 1264 He gives his mind to good men, but to the wicked He is as unbending as a jagged rock of adamant; Nor does he turn to wealth and great thrones, Nor to the glory of mortals that is dragged along here; Nor having the skin of a king, of a mighty lion, Does he hide a foxy servitude within, A corpse-eater, a cunning plotter, reckless, one thing in some things, another in others, Being stolen by all manner of forms of wickedness. But ever increasing his mind with pure thoughts, He already touches the heavenly Trinity, Whose image he has established in his own heart, Beholding one glory in three beauties, And making the people godlike with pure sacrifices, Lastly he brings the bloodless sacrifices of the soul. 1265 Desiring to be one of these (I will not hide it), And already having my foot within the porch, When I saw unseemly deeds, and grievous evil-stitching, I drew back and set my foot outside, Truly I toiled much even among other faithless men, Among whom the sound of our tongue still exists. Stones for me, but for them a Trinity, a newly-fashioned godhead; With such gifts of hospitality we entertained each other. But even so I yielded, leaving a word no longer unfaithful, Being struck from all sides by our waves. I lie here; tread upon me, tread upon me, evil envy. Truly perhaps soon you I will check, even when hidden in the uttermost ends, And confined in the dark entrails of a beast, Of a sea-monster, as Jonah once sank. 1266 My body indeed in its entrails; but my mind with unrestrained rushes Will go, where it wishes, even though confined. This alone of good things will be free, neither to be restrained, Nor to be taken, the mind that is raised to Christ. Not a table-companion of a mortal king, as before, Gregory, carrying little pleasure in a pouch, Lying in the midst, downcast and speechless, Holding breathless panting, feasting on servile things. No judge will make me pay with a seat, or a councilor, Or with one who grovels on the ground, measuring out breaths. Nor will I embrace bloody hands, nor of a beard Will I take hold, so as to obtain a little favor; Nor to a sacred feast, a birthday, or of one who died, Or some wedding feast, running with many others, 1267 All things as prey for my jaws, and others for my attendants I will make, with the rapacious hands of a Briareus; And late leading a cargo-ship, a breathing tomb, back to my house I will drag, afflicting my wretched belly, Bearing the panting of satiety, to another rich feast Hurrying, before I have dispersed the former excess. Nor indeed being a president in holy places, Either alone, or when many are gathered into one, Will I speak things pleasing to the ears, having cast out the things of the Spirit, So that I might be well-disposed, having the affection of many, And delighting in applause, and dancing in theaters, A cliff-walker of conflicting words, Like prize-winners, and with much-bending outrages, Or even a rival to raging charioteers; 1268 Not having brandished anger, nor of a burning body

25

ΙΖʹ. Περὶ τῶν τοῦ βίου διαφορῶν, καὶ κατὰ ψευδιερέων. Ζωγράφος ἐστὶν

ἄριστος, ὃς ἐν πινάκεσσι χαράσσει Μορφὰς ἀτρεκέας, ἔμπνοα δερκομένας· Οὐχ ὃς χρώματα πολλὰ καὶ εὔχροα μὰψ ἐπιμίξας, Λειμῶνα γραπτὸν δείκνυσιν ἐκ πινάκων. Νῆα δὲ ποντοπόρειαν ἐπῄνεσα, οὐ παρασήμοις Κάλλεσιν, οὐ πρύμνης ἄνθεσι λαμπομένην· Ἀλλ' ἢν ναυπηγοῖο χέρες γόμφοισιν ἄριστα ∆ῶκαν πηξάμεναι κύμασι θαρσαλέην. Καὶ στρατός ἐστιν ἄριστος, ἀρήϊος ἀντὶ καλοῖο, Καὶ δόμος αἰγλήεις δεύτερος εὐπαγέος. Ὣς δὲ βίων βροτέων. Ὁ μὲν ἄμβροτος, ὅν τινα Χριστῷ Τάρβος ἄγει, πλεκτῆς ἀλλότριον κακίης, 1263 Ἔμπεδον, ἀστυφέλικτον, ἀπενθέα. Ὃς δὲ κάκιστος, Ἔνδοθεν ἀδρανέων, ἔκτοθε κάρτος ἔχων, Ὠκύμορον, φρενοπλῆξιν ὁμοίϊον, οἷσιν ἅπαντα ∆ινήεντα πέλει ἀστατέουσι νόον. Τοῖος καὶ Χριστοῖο μεγακλέος ἀρητῆρσι Θυμός. Ὁ μὲν βροτέου λάτρις ἀεισθενέος, Κλινόμενος καιροῖσι, δόναξ πολύκαμπτος ἀήταις, Παντοίης κακίης οὐκ ἄκος, ἀλλὰ τύπος Αὐτὰρ ὅ γε τρομερῇσι καὶ εὐαγέσιν παλάμῃσι ∆ῶρον ἄγει, Χριστοῦ σαρκὶ χαριζόμενος, Καὶ μεγάλοις παθέεσσιν, ἅπερ Θεὸς ἐνθάδ' ἀνέτλη, Ῥύσιον ἀρχεγόνων ἡμετέρων παθέων· Ὧ ζώει μούνῳ καὶ τέρπεται· ᾧ ῥα κεάζει Θυμὸν ἀπὸ χθονίων ἔνθεν ἀνιστάμενος. 1264 Ἀνθρώπων δ' ἀγαθοῖσι διδοῖ φρένα, τοῖς δὲ κακοῖσι Κάμπτεται, ὅσσα λίθος ὀκρυόεις ἀδάμας· Οὐδ' ὅ γ' ἐπιστρέφεται πλούτου μεγάλων τε θοώκων, Οὐ δόξης βροτέης ἐνθάδε συρομένης· Οὐδὲ δορὴν βασιλῆος ἔχων βριαροῖο λέοντος, Κεύθει κερδῴην ἔνδοθι δουλοσύνην, Νεκροβόρος, δολόμητις, ἀτάσθαλος, ἄλλος ἐν ἄλλοις Παντοδαποῖς κακίης εἴδεσι κλεπτόμενος. Ἀλλὰ νόον καθαροῖσι νοήμασιν αἰὲν ἀέξων, Ἤδη καὶ Τριάδος ἅπτεται οὐρανίης, Ἧς τύπον ἐστήριξεν ἐνὶ πραπίδεσσιν ἑῇσι, Κῦδος ἓν ἐν τρισσοῖς κάλλεσι δερκόμενος, Καὶ λαὸν θυέεσσιν ἁγνοῖς θεοειδέα τεύχων, Ὑστάτιον ψυχῆς θύματ' ἄναιμα φέρει. 1265 Τῶν μὲν ἐγὼ ποθέων εἷς ἔμμεναι (οὐκ ἐπικεύσω), Ἤδη καὶ προθύρων ἔνδοθι ταρσὸν ἔχων, Ὡς ἴδον αἴσυλα ἔργα, κακοῤῥαφίην τ' ἀλεγεινὴν, Ἂψ ἀναχασσάμενος ἐκτὸς ἔθηκα πόδα, Ἦ μὴν πόλλ' ἐμόγησα καὶ εἰν ἄλλοισιν ἀπίστοις, Οἷσιν ἔνι γλώσσης ἦχος ἔθ' ἡμετέρης. Λᾶες ἐμοὶ, κείνων δὲ Τριὰς, θεότης νεόπηκτος· Τοίοις ἀλλήλους ξεινίσαμεν ξενίοις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ὑπόειξα, λιπὼν λόγον οὐκέτ' ἄπιστον, Πάντοθεν ἡμετέροις κύμασι βαλλόμενος. Κεῖμ'· ἐπίβαιν', ἐπίβαινε, κακὲ φθόνε. Ἦ τάχα δή σε Σχήσω, καὶ πυμάτοις πείρασι κευθόμενος, Καὶ θηρὸς ζοφεροῖσιν ἐνὶ σπλάγχνοισιν ἐερχθεὶς, Κήτεος εἰναλίου, ὥς ποτ' Ἰωνᾶς ἔδυ. 1266 Σῶμα μὲν ἐν σπλάγχνοισι· νόος δ' ἀδέτοισιν ἐρωαῖς Βήσεται, οἷ κ' ἐθέλει, καί περ ἐεργόμενος. Τοῦτ' ἀγαθῶν μόνον ἔσται ἐλεύθερον, οὔτε καθεκτὸν, Οὔθ' ἑλετὸν, Χριστῷ νοῦς ἀναειρόμενος. Οὐ θνητοῦ βασιλῆος ὁμέστιος, ὡς τοπάροιθεν, Γρηγόριος, θυλάκῳ ἦρα φέρων ὀλίγην, Κείμενος ἐν μέσσοισι, κατηφιόων καὶ ἄναυδος, Ἄπνοον ἆσθμα φέρων, δούλια δαινύμενος. Οὐχ ἕδρῃ τίσει με δικασπόλος, ἠὲ συνέδρῳ, Ἠὲ χαμαιπετέϊ, πνεύματι μέτρα νέμων. Οὐδὲ χέρας φονίους προσπτύξομαι, οὐδὲ γενείου ∆ράξομαι, ὥστ' ὀλίγης ἀντιτυχεῖν χάριτος· Οὐδ' ἱερὴν ἐπὶ δαῖτα, γενέθλιον, ἠὲ θανόντος, Ἤ τινα νυμφιδίην σὺν πλεόνεσσι θέων, 1267 Πάντα τὰ μὲν γναθμοῖσιν ἑλώρια, τὰ δ' ἄρ' ὀπηδοῖς Θήσομαι, ἁρπαλέαις Βριαρέω παλάμαις· Ὀψὲ δὲ φορτίδ' ἄγων, τάφον ἔμπνοον, ἂψ ἐπὶ δῶμα Ἕλξω, τὴν μογερὴν γαστέρα τειρόμενος, Ἆσθμα κόροιο φέρων, ἄλλην ἐπὶ δαῖτα παχείην Σπεύδων, πρὶν προτέρην ὕβριν ἀποσκεδάσαι. Οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδὲ πρόεδρος ἐὼν ἱεροῖς ἐνὶ χώροις, Ἢ μόνος, ἢ πλεόνων εἰς ἓν ἀγειρομένων, Φθέγξομαι οὔασι τερπνὰ, τὰ Πνεύματος ἔκτοθι ῥίψας, Ὥς κεν ἔοιμι πρόφρων, φίλτρον ἔχων πλεόνων, Τερπόμενός τε κρότοισι, καὶ ἐν θεάτροισι χορεύων, Κρημνοβάτης ἐπέων ἀντικορυσσομένων, Ἀθλοφόροισιν ὁμοῖα, πολυγνάμπτοισί τε λώβαις, Ἢ καὶ μαινομένοις ἀντίπαλ' ἡνιόχοις· 1268 Οὐ χόλον αἰχμάσας, οὐ σώματος αἰθομένοιο