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honoring much, since you also desire it, not of your mind alone, since also of stronger might, 675 so that not even my sight alone beheld the visible, though looking very intently, far from the great Phaethon; But He himself shone upon my eyes, and to my eyes He himself appeared. Two are the portions from the great God for the better part, the first and the last, and one also is from me. He made the good acceptable, and bestows strength. But I myself come in the middle, a runner in the stadium, not very nimble, not without honor, stretching my limbs in the leaps, having Christ as breath, Christ as strength, an admirable happiness, Who makes me both seeing and swift-running. But without him, all mortals are idle playthings, and living corpses, stinking with their sins. 676 For you have not seen a bird flying outside the air, nor has a sea-running dolphin flown outside the water. So too without Christ a mortal does not lift a footstep. Therefore do not boast too much to me, nor think to have strength in your mind, even if you are very wise. Nor, looking upon someone lower, be lifted up high, as if you rule over all, and are driving closer to the goal. He remained within the goal, who did not see the goal of the journey. Not to tremble too much, and not to be too exultant. He has set your height on the earth, let hope lift you to heaven, for God is angry at great arrogance. Seize one thing with your hands, hope for another, and yield to it; 677 And this is of moderation, to know the measures of one's own life. It is an equal evil to set good things away from hope, And to have great confidence that it is easy to be the best. In either way you would set a wrong standing on the path in your mind. Let the watchful javelin always lie in your hand; Neither to send it beyond the command of great Christ, nor to bring it short; the target is unhit from either side. Often the excessive is also useless, when, desiring new glory, we might shoot too high. If you are proud, I will remind you from where you came into life, who you were before, who you were hidden in the womb, and who you will be hereafter, dust, and food for worms, bearing nothing more than the most insignificant among the dead. 678 If you are humble, you are a creation of Christ, and breath, and a revered portion, whence you were brought, heavenly, earthly, a created god, an unforgettable work, journeying through the sufferings of Christ to imperishable glory. For this reason, do not gratify the flesh, nor love the excesses of this life, but build a better temple. For mortal man is a temple of the great God, which he made, moving from the earth, ever journeying to heaven. This I bid you to keep fragrant in all deeds and words, always having God within, always being best, truly, not seemingly. Do not lead a ship with ruddy cheeks, of goodly color, or gleaming with beautiful figure-heads upon the back of the sea; 679 but one good in its bolts, fair-sailing, well-fitted by the hands of the ship-builder, bearing you swiftly through the swell. Let every man go forward, and let all hold fast to God, he who is wise, he who is strong, he who is rich, and he who is in need, to the unfailing foundation. From there let the stern-cables be fastened for all, but for me most of all, who sit on a high seat, leading the people with sacrifices to heaven; for whom the burden of dishonoring Christ with a darkened mind, 680 is as great as the good glory is when I draw near to the Godhead. For indeed the measures of life follow the measures of God, and the measures of God follow the measures of life. Thus, if you would think with me, you might pursue a steadfast life here, both here and hereafter, with God's better guidance, when the shadowy day of this life is dissolved.

X. On virtue. I hear many things, and may I not speak in vain, 681 But it is the work

of the word that is right. Whether, then, some of the friends of God, seeing you as a youth, for whom it is fitting to observe all the things of the young, giving good signs of your life (for the saying is that the lion is revealed by its claws), shared their wonder with each other out of pleasure,

Or whether Providence, which devises all things well, also wishing the right things for you, gives a path for the word to deeds, so that, being anticipated as good, you might have your reputation as a kind of pledge of your piety, being called by God.

Let whoever wishes conjecture this, 682 But what I hear, this I come to say, that your soul looks to a great height, And the

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περ τίοντος, ἐπεὶ καὶ σεῖο μενοινῆς, Οὔτε σέο φρενὸς οἶον, ἐπεὶ καὶ κρείσσονος ἀλκῆς, 675 Ὡς οὐδ' ὄψις ἔμοιγε μόνη θηήσατο λευστὰ, Καὶ μάλα δερκομένη περ, ἑκὰς μεγάλου Φαέθοντος· Αὐτὸς δ' ὄμματ' ἔλαμψε, καὶ ὄμμασιν αὐτὸς ἐφάνθη. ∆οιαὶ μὲν μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ πρὸς κρείσσονα μοῖραι, Πρώτη θ' ὑστατίη τε, ἴη δέ τε καὶ παρ' ἐμοῖο. Κεῖνος δεκτὸν ἔθηκε καλοῦ, καὶ κάρτος ὀπάζει. Αὐτὸς δ' ἐν μεσάτῳ σταδιηδρόμος οὐ μάλ' ἐλαφρὸς Ἔρχομαι, οὐκ ἀγέραστος, ἐν ἅλμασι κῶλα τιταίνων Χριστὸν ἔχων πνοιὴν, Χριστὸν σθένος, ὄλβον ἀγητὸν, Ὅς με καὶ ὠπήεντα καὶ εὐδρομέοντα τίθησι. Κείνου δ' ἐκτὸς, ἅπαντες ἐτώσια παίγνια θνητοὶ, Καὶ νέκυες ζώοντες, ὀδωδότες ἀμπλακίῃσιν. 676 Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠέρος ἐκτὸς ἴδες πωτώμενον ὄρνιν, Οὐδὲ μὲν ὕδατος ἐκτὸς ἁλίδρομος ἔπτατο δελφίς. Ὣς οὐδὲ Χριστοῖο δίχα βροτὸς ἴχνος ἀείρει. Τῷ μή μοι λίην μεγαλίζεο, μηδ' ἐπὶ σεῖο Κάρτος ἔχειν πραπίδεσσι, καὶ εἰ μάλα πάνσοφος εἴης. Μηδέ τιν' εἰσορέων χθαμαλώτερον ὑψόσ' ἀερθῇς, Ὡς πάντων κρατέων, καὶ τέρματος ἆσσον ἐλαύνων. Τέρματος ἐντὸς ἔμεινεν, ὃς οὐκ ἴδε τέρμα πορείης. Λίην μὴ τρομέειν, λίην δέ τε μὴ βλεμεαίνειν. Εἰς γῆν ὕψος ἔθηκεν, ἐς οὐρανὸν ἐλπὶς ἄειρε, Καί ῥ' ὑπεροπλίῃσι Θεὸς κοτέει μεγάλῃσι. Μάρπτε τὸ μὲν χείρεσσι, τὸ δ' ἔλπεο, τῷ δ' ὑπόεικε· 677 Καὶ τὸ σαοφροσύνης, μέτρ' ἴδμεναι ἧς βιοτῆτος. Ἶσόν τι κακόν ἐστιν ἀπ' ἐλπίδος ἐσθλὰ τίθεσθαι, Καὶ μέγα θάρσος ἔχειν, ὡς εὐπετὲς ἔμμεν' ἄριστον. Ἀμφοτέρως κεν ὁδοῖο κακὴν στάσιν ἐν φρεσὶ θείης. Αἰεί σοι τὸ βέλεμνον ἐπίσκοπον ἐν χερὶ κείσθω· Μηδὲν ὑπερπέμπειν Χριστοῦ μεγάλοιο ἐφετμῆς, Μηδὲ μὲν ἐντὸς ἄγειν· ἀβλὴς σκοπὸς ἀμφοτέρωθεν. Πολλάκι καὶ τὸ περισσὸν ἀχρήϊον, εὖτε νέοιο Κύδεος ἱμείροντες, ὑπέρτονα τοξεύοιμεν. Ἢν μεγαλοφρονέῃς, μνήσω σ' ὅθεν ἐς βίον ἦλθες, Τίς μὲν ἔης τοπάροιθε, τίς ἐν σπλάγχνοισιν ἐκεύθου, Τίς δ' ἄρ' ἔσῃ μετέπειτα, κόνις, καὶ σητὸς ἐδωδὴ, Μηδὲν ἀκιδνοτάτοιο φέρων πλέον ἐν νεκύεσσιν. 678 Ἢν χθαμαλοφρονέῃς, πλάσμα Χριστοῖο τέτυξαι, Καὶ πνοὴ, μοίρη τε σεβάσμιος, ἔνθεν ἐπήχθης, Οὐράνιος, χθόνιος, τυκτὸς Θεὸς, ἔργον ἄληστον, Τοῖς Χριστοῦ παθέεσσιν ἐς ἄφθιτον εὖχος ὁδεύων. Τοὔνεκα μὴ σάρκεσσι χαρίζεο, μὴ τὰ περισσὰ Τοῦδε βίου φιλέειν, νηὸν δέ τε λῴονα τεύχειν. Νηὸς γὰρ μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ βροτὸς, ὅνπερ ἔτευξε Κινύμενος γαίηθεν, ἐς οὐρανὸν αἰὲν ὁδεύων. Τόν περ ἐγὼ κέλομαί σε θυώδεα πᾶσι φυλάσσειν Ἔργμασιν ἠδὲ λόγοισιν, ἀεὶ Θεὸν ἐντὸς ἔχοντα, Αἰὲν ἄριστον ἐόντα, ἐτήτυμον, οὐ δοκέοντα. Μὴ ναῦν μιλτοπάρῃον, ἐΰχροον, ἢ παρασήμοις Κάλλεσιν ἀστράπτουσαν ἄγειν ἐπὶ νῶτα θαλάσσης· 679 Ἀλλ' ἐσθλὴν γόμφοισιν, ἐΰπλοον, εὖ ἀραρυῖαν Χείρεσι ναυπηγοῖο, δι' οἴδματος ὦκα φέρουσαν. Πᾶς μὲν ἴοι προπάροιθε, Θεοῦ δέ τε πάντες ἔχοισθε, Ὃς σοφὸς, ὃς σθεναρὸς, ὃς πλούσιος, ὅς τ' ἐπιδευὴς, Ἕρματος ἀψεύστοιο. Πρυμνήσια κεῖθεν ἀνήφθω Πᾶσιν, ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα, ὃς ἕζομαι ὑψιθόωκος, Λαὸν ἄγων θυέεσσι πρὸς οὐρανὸν, ᾧ τόσον ἄχθος Χριστὸν ἀτιμάζοντι μελαινομέναις πραπίδεσσιν, 680 Ὁσσάτιον κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἐπὴν θεότητι πελάζω. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ μέτροισι Θεοῦ καὶ μέτρα βίοιο Ἕσπεται, ὡς δὲ μέτροισι βίου καὶ μέτρα Θεοῖο. Ὧδ' ἄν μοι φρονέων, βίον ἔμπεδον ἐνθάδ' ἐλαύνοις Ἐνθάδε καὶ μετέπειτα Θεοῦ σὺν ἀρείονι πομπῇ, Λυθέντος σκιόεντος ἐν ἤματι τοῦδε βίοιο.

Ιʹ. Περὶ ἀρετῆς. Πολλῶν ἀκούω, καὶ λέγοιμι μὴ μάτην, 681 Ἀλλ' ἔργον ἐστὶ

τοῦ λόγου τὸ δεξιόν. Εἴτ' οὖν τινές σε τῶν φίλων Θεοῦ νέον, Οἷς πάντα τηρεῖν ἐμμελὲς τὰ τῶν νέων, ∆ιδόντα χρηστὰ τοῦ βίου γνωρίσματα (Καὶ γὰρ λέοντ' ὄνυξι δηλοῦσθαι λόγος), Ἔδωκαν ἀλλήλοις τὸ θαῦμ' ὑφ' ἡδονῆς, Εἴθ' ἡ καλῶς τὰ πάντα μηχανωμένη Πρόνοια καὶ σοὶ βουλομένη τὰ δεξιὰ, Ὁδὸν δίδωσι τὸν λόγον τοῖς πράγμασιν, Ὡς ἂν προληφθεὶς τῷ νομίζεσθαι καλὸς, Οἶόν τιν' ἀῤῥαβῶνα τὴν φήμην ἔχῃς Τῆς εὐσεβείας, ἐκ Θεοῦ καλούμενος. Εἰκαζέτω μὲν τοῦτο ὅστις βούλεται, 682 Ὃ δ' οὖν ἀκούω, τοῦτο ἔρχομαι φράσων, Ὅτι μέγα πρὸς ὕψος ἡ ψυχὴ βλέπει, Καὶ τὴν