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nor law-courts; for they do not wrong one another, they do not desire more, they are persistently disposed only toward work; for which reason they also drive the drones out of the gates, as those who do not endure to labor, but idly consume the labor of others. They hate rule by many and democracy; they have one leader, it is dear to them to obey him. And each of these things they either do or experience, not by understanding words, nor by reading laws, nor by frequenting teachers; for among them no one is wiser than another, nor does the elder know more than the younger; but all alike pursue each of the things mentioned, not with rational knowledge, 83.628 but having received from the Maker of all things by nature that industrious and beautiful work. But for you, each of these things is a source of benefit. For you, the rational being, learn from the irrational, to loathe the idle life as harmful, and to pursue eagerly the labors of virtue, and from every quarter to gather its possession; to seek least of all a rule which is not fitting, but to manage rightly and justly that which comes to you, to consider possessions as common, to offer the enjoyment of them to those in need. For to those who are of sound mind, and preserve the character of nature undefiled, the inborn reason is sufficient for instruction, but for those who corrupt this, and who have chosen a beastly life, the rapacious and flesh-eating one, the well-ordered state of the irrational creatures is set forth as a true rebuke. Therefore the Maker, providing for your benefit, adorned the kinds of irrational creatures with certain natural advantages, so that from them too you might be able to reap benefit. And Solomon is a witness of this, exhorting you and saying: “Go to the ant, O sluggard, and be zealous for his ways.” Or go to the bee, and learn how industrious she is, and how reverently she carries out her work; whose labors both kings and commoners apply for health. And the God of all things himself also bears witness, saying through the Prophet: “The turtledove and the grasshopper and the swallow, sparrows of the field, have known the times of their coming; but my people have not known the judgments of the Lord.” And again through Isaiah: “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's manger; but Israel does not know me, and my people do not understand me.” Thus the natural advantages of the irrational accuse those who are honored with reason. For this reason the Prophet, lamenting and bemoaning the fall of men into irrationality, cried out: “Man, being in honor, did not understand; he is compared to the senseless beasts, and is made like them.” For this reason the prophets call some men wolves, others, lions lying in wait, others, dogs barking against their feeder, others, heifers driven by the gadfly, others, serpents and offspring of vipers, others, asps that stop their ears, and do not hear the charmers. And just as they applied the names of beasts to wicked characters, so they have assigned names from praiseworthy animals to simple and guileless souls. For it is possible to find a soul adorned with the simplicity of faith called a dove and a turtledove. By this name also the bridegroom in the mystical book of the songs 83.629 addresses the Church, and he calls the obedient souls that love the shepherd, sheep. “For my sheep,” he says, “hear my voice, and I know my own, and am known by my own.” And again: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” And elsewhere: “He will place the lambs on his right, but the goats on his left.” And again eagles, those that fly high, and are free from earthly things, and possess a pure eye of the soul, and desire the mystical body, he named in the holy Gospels. For concerning those at the time of the

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οὔτε δικαστήρια· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀδικοῦσιν ἀλλήλας, οὐκ ἐφίενται τοῦ πλείονος, πρὸς μόνην ἐπιμόνως διάκεινται τὴν ἐργασίαν· διὸ καὶ τοὺς κη φῆνας ἔξω τῶν πυλῶν ἀπελαύνουσιν, ὡς πονεῖν οὐκ ἀνεχομένους, ἀργῶς δὲ τὸν ἀλλότριον ἀναλίσκοντας πόνον. Μισοῦσι πολυαρχίαν καὶ δημοκρατίαν· ἕνα ἔχουσιν ἡγεμόνα, ἐκείνῳ πείθεσθαι φίλον αὐταῖς. Καὶ τούτων ἕκαστον ἢ δρῶσιν ἢ πάσχουσιν, οὐ λόγων ἐπαΐουσαι, οὐδὲ νόμους ἀναγινώσκουσαι, οὐδὲ πρὸς διδασκάλους φοιτῶσαι· οὐδεμία γὰρ παρ' ἐκείναις σοφωτέρα τῆς ἑτέρας, οὐδὲ πλείονα οἶδε τῆς νεω τέρας ἡ πρεσβυτέρα· πᾶσαι δὲ ὁμοίως ἕκαστα τῶν εἰρημένων μετίασιν, οὐκ ἐν λογικῇ γνώσει, 83.628 ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ φύσει λαβοῦσαι παρὰ τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν φιλόπονον ἐκείνην καὶ φιλόκαλον ἐρ γασίαν. Σοὶ δὲ τούτων ἕκαστον ὠφελείας ὑπόθεσις. Μανθάνεις γὰρ παρὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ὁ λογικὸς, τὸν μὲν ἀργὸν ὡς βλαβερὸν βδελύττεσθαι βίον, τοὺς δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνους προθύμως μεταδιώκειν, καὶ πανταχόθεν τὴν ταύτης ἐρανίζεσθαι κτῆσιν· ἀρχὴν, τὴν μὲν οὐ προσήκουσαν, ἥκιστα ζη τεῖν, τὴν δὲ προσγινομένην, ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως οἰ κονομεῖν, κοινὰ τὰ ὄντα νομίζειν, προτιθέναι τοῖς δεομένοις τὴν τούτων ἀπόλαυσιν. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ εὖ φρονοῦσι, καὶ τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῆς φύσεως ἀκήρατον διασώζουσι, ἀρκεῖ πρὸς διδασκαλίαν ὁ ἔμφυτος λόγος, τοῖς δὲ τοῦτον διαφθείρουσι, καὶ θηριώδη βίον προελο μένοις, τὸν ἁρπακτικόν τε καὶ ὠμοβόρον, ἔλεγ χος ἀληθὴς πρόκειται τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ εὔτακτος πολι τεία. Τῆς σῆς τοιγαροῦν προμηθούμενος ὠφελείας ὁ Ποιητὴς, φυσικοῖς τισι πλεονεκτήμασι διεκόσμησε τῶν ἀλόγων τὰ γένη, ἵν' ἔχῃς κἀντεῦθεν τὴν ὠφέ λειαν καρποῦσθαι. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ Σολομὼν, παρακελευόμενός σοι καὶ λέγων· «Ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρὲ, καὶ ζήλωσον τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.» Ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλιτταν, καὶ μάθε ὡς ἐργάτις ἐστὶ, τήν τε ἐργασίαν ὡς σεμνὴν ποιεῖ ται· ἧς τοὺς πόνους βασιλεῖς τε καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγίειαν προσφέρονται. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου λέγων· «Τρυγὼν καὶ τέττιξ καὶ χελιδὼν, ἀγροῦ στρουθία, ἔγνωσαν και ροὺς εἰσόδων αὑτῶν· ὁ δὲ λαός μου οὐκ ἔγνω τὰ κρί ματα Κυρίου.» Καὶ πάλιν διὰ Ἡσαΐου· «Ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον, καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὑτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἐμὲ οὐ συνῆκε.» Κατηγορεῖ τοίνυν τῶν λόγῳ τετιμημένων τὰ φυσικὰ τῶν ἀλόγων πλεονεκτήματα. Τούτου χάριν ὀλοφυρό μενος ὁ Προφήτης, καὶ τραγῳδῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν εἰς ἀλογίαν μετάπτωσιν, ἐβόα· «Ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοὺς μὲν, λύκους οἱ προφῆται προσαγορεύουσι, τοὺς δὲ, λέοντας ἐνεδρεύοντας, τοὺς δὲ, κύνας τοῦ τρο φέως καθυλακτοῦντας, τοὺς δὲ, δαμάλεις παροιστρώ σας, τοὺς δὲ, ὄφεις καὶ ἐχιδνῶν γεννήματα, τοὺς δὲ, ἀσπίδας βυούσας τὰ ὦτα, καὶ ἐπῳδῶν οὐκ ἀκουούσας. Ὥσπερ δὲ τοῖς πονηροῖς ἤθεσι τὰς τῶν θηρίων προσ ηγορίας ἐπέθεσαν, οὕτω ταῖς ἁπλαῖς καὶ ἀκακοήθεσι ψυχαῖς ἐκ τῶν ἐπαινουμένων ζώων τὰς προσηγορίας τεθείκασιν. Ἔστι γὰρ εὑρεῖν καὶ περιστερὰν καὶ τρυγόνα τῇ ἁπλότητι πίστεως κεκοσμημένην προσ αγορεύειν ψυχήν. Τούτῳ τῷ προσρήματι καὶ τὴν Ἐκ κλησίαν ὁ νυμφίος ἐν τῷ μυστικῷ τῶν ᾀσμάτων 83.629 προσαγορεύει βιβλίῳ, καὶ πρόβατα δὲ τὰς εὐπειθεῖς καὶ τοῦ ποιμένος ἐρώσας ὀνομάζει ψυχάς. «Τὰ πρό βατα γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, καὶ γινώσκω τὰ ἐμὰ, καὶ γινώσκομαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐμῶν.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός· ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβά των.» Καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «Στήσει τοὺς ἀμνοὺς ἐκ δεξιῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἐρίφους ἐξ εὐωνύμων.» Καὶ ἀετοὺς δὲ πάλιν τοὺς ὑψιπέτεις, καὶ τῶν γηΐνων ἀπηλλαγ μένους, καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα καθαρὸν κεκτημέ νους, καὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ σώματος ἐφιεμένους, ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὠνόμασε. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν κατὰ τὸν τῆς