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to look at what lies before him, nor to walk outside that narrow path; but he said that he contrived these things against the machinations of the evil demon. "For," he said, "lest he war against me over great things, trying to steal my moderation and justice, arming my anger, inflaming my desire, preparing me to be inflamed with pride and to be puffed up, and plotting all other such things against my soul, I try to transfer the war to these small things; where, even if he wins, he does not do great damage, and if defeated, he becomes more ridiculous, since he is unable to prevail even in small things. Since, therefore, I know this war is less dangerous—for one who is struck in these matters does not suffer great loss; for what harm is there in seeing a field or in raising one's eye to the sky?—, I shift him to this kind of battle. For here he can neither strike nor destroy; for these are not death-bearing arrows, being free of those iron barbs." The great Acacius said that he had heard these things and admired his wisdom, and marveled at his martial courage and experience. For this reason he also offered this narrative, as something worthy of admiration and memory for those who desire to learn such things. 4.8 This fame of his, spreading everywhere, drew to him all lovers of virtue. And the rams of the excellent flock of the most divine Julian the Elder, whose narrative we related before, also arrived. For when that wondrous man, having reached the end of his life, passed on to the better life, James the Persian and Agrippas, the leaders of that flock, ran to the great Eusebius, considering it better to be led well than to lead. And as for James, whom I have already mentioned before, having taught his virtue in summary, I will now also show clear proof of his consummate philosophy. For when the divine Eusebius was making his departure from here, he entrusted him with the care of the flock, and though he declined the guardianship, he did not persuade those who desired that care, he went away to another flock, choosing to be pastured rather than to pasture, and after living for a very long time, he thus ended this life. Therefore Agrippas succeeded to that leadership, a man priding himself in many other good things, but preeminently in the purity of his soul, on account of which he also continually received the vision of the divine beauty and, set on fire by the torch of that love, he continually wet his cheeks with tears. 4.9 And when he too had lawfully shepherded that choice and divine flock for a long time, and then departed from life, the divine David, of whose sight I too enjoyed, took over the leadership, a man who "had truly put to death, according to the divine apostle, the members that are on earth." For he profited so much from the teaching of the great Eusebius, that he spent forty-five years in that school of thought, and lived all this time without temper and anger. For not even after he became leader did anyone ever see him overcome by this passion, and this, though countless things, as is likely, compelled it. For one hundred and fifty men were shepherded by his right hand, some of them at the peak of virtue and imitating the life in heaven, others just growing their wings, and being taught to leap over and fly beyond the earth. But nevertheless, though there were so many being instructed in divine things, and some also transgressing, as is likely—for it is not easy for one who has just begun to do everything rightly—that divine man remained unmoved, as if bodiless, with no pretext rousing him to anger. 4.10 This I received not only by hearing but also by experience. For once, desiring

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κείμενον θεωρεῖν, οὔτε τῆς στενῆς ἐκείνης ἔξω βαδίζειν ὁδοῦ· τὸν δὲ φάναι ταῦτα τεχνάζειν πρὸς τὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος μηχανήματα. "Ἵνα γάρ, ἔφη, μὴ περὶ μεγάλων μοι πολεμῇ, σωφροσύνην κλέπτειν πειρώμενος καὶ δικαιο σύνην καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ὁπλίζων καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξάπτων καὶ φλεγμαίνειν τῷ τύφῳ καὶ ἐξογκοῦσθαι παρασκευάζων καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα τοιαῦτα κατὰ τῆς ἐμῆς τυρεύων ψυχῆς, εἰς τὰ σμικρὰ ταῦτα μεταφέρειν πειρῶμαι τὸν πόλεμον· ἔνθα καὶ νικήσας οὐ μεγάλα λωβᾶται, καὶ ἡττηθεὶς καταγελα στότερος γίνεται, ἅτε δὴ μηδὲ ἐν τοῖς μικροῖς περιγενέσθαι δυνάμενος. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἀκινδυνότερον τοῦτον οἶδα τὸν πόλεμον-οὐ μεγάλα γὰρ ὁ ἐν τούτοις βαλλόμενος ζημιοῦται· ποία γὰρ βλάβη τὸ πεδίον ἰδεῖν ἢ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνατεῖναι τὸ ὄμμα; -, εἰς τοῦτο αὐτὸν τῆς παρατάξεως τὸ εἶδος μεθίστημι. Τῇδε γὰρ οὔτε βαλεῖν οὔτε ἀνελεῖν δύναται· ταῦτα γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι θανατηφόρα τὰ βέλη, τῶν σιδηρῶν ἐκείνων ἀκίδων ἀπηλλαγμένα." Ταῦτα ἀκηκοέναι ὁ μέγας ἔφη Ἀκάκιος καὶ ἄγασθαι τῆς σοφίας καὶ τὴν πολεμικὴν θαυμάσαι ἀνδρείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπειρίαν. Οὗ χάριν ὡς ἀξιάγαστόν τε καὶ ἀξιομνημό νευτον τοῖς τὰ τοιάδε μανθάνειν ἐφιεμένοις καὶ τόδε προσέφερε τὸ διήγημα. 4.8 Τοῦτο τὸ κλέος αὐτοῦ πάντοσε διαθέον εἵλκυσεν ἅπαντας πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐραστάς. Ἀφίκοντο δὲ καὶ τοῦ θειοτάτου Ἰουλιανοῦ τοῦ Πρεσβύτου οὗ πρόσθεν τὸ διήγημα διεξήλθομεν τῆς ἀρίστης ποίμνης οἱ κτίλοι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ τοῦ βίου τὸ τέρμα καταλαβὼν εἰς τὴν ἀμείνω μετέβη ζωήν, Ἰάκωβος ὁ Πέρσης καὶ Ἀγρίππας οἱ τῆς ἀγέλης ἐκείνης ἡγούμενοι πρὸς τὸν μέγαν Εὐσέβιον ἔδραμον τοῦ ἡγεμονεύειν τὸ καλῶς ἄγεσθαι ἄμεινον ἡγησάμενοι. Τοῦ δὲ Ἰακώβου, οὗ καὶ ἤδη πρόσθεν ἀπεμνημόνευσα, ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τούτου διδάξας τὴν ἀρετήν, καὶ νῦν δὲ τῆς ἄκρας αὐτοῦ φιλοσοφίας τεκμήριον ἐναργὲς ἀποδείξω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος Εὐσέβιος, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκδημίαν ποιούμενος, αὐτὸν τοῦ ποιμνίου παρηγγύησε προστατεύειν, καὶ παραι τούμενος τὴν κηδεμονίαν τοὺς τῆς ἐπιμελείας ἐκείνης ἐφιεμένους οὐκ ἔπειθεν, εἰς ἑτέραν ᾤχετο ποίμνην, νέμεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ νέμειν αἱρούμενος καὶ χρόνον πλεῖστον ἐπιζήσας, οὕτω τόνδε τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν. ∆ιαδέχεται τοίνυν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐκείνην Ἀγρίππας, ἀνὴρ πολλοῖς μὲν καὶ ἄλλοις κομῶν ἀγαθοῖς, διαφερόντως δὲ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότητι δι' ἣν καὶ τοῦ θείου κάλλους διηνεκῶς τὴν φαντασίαν δεχόμενος καὶ τῷ τοῦ ἔρωτος ἐκείνου πυρσῷ πυρπολούμενος δάκρυσι κατέβρεχε διηνεκέσι τὰς παρειάς. 4.9 Καὶ τούτου δὲ ἐπὶ χρόνῳ πολλῷ τὴν ἔκκριτον ἐκείνην καὶ θείαν ποίμνην ἐννόμως ποιμάναντος, εἶτα τὸν βίον ὑπεξελθόντος, ∆αυΐδης ὁ θεῖος, οὗ κἀγὼ τῆς θέας ἀπέλαυσα, τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρέλαβεν, ἀνὴρ "νεκρώσας τῷ ὄντι, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον, τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς". Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπώνατο τῆς Εὐσεβίου τοῦ μεγάλου διδασκαλίας, ὡς πέντε μὲν καὶ τετταράκοντα ἔτη ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ φροντιστηρίῳ διάγειν, θυμοῦ δὲ χωρὶς καὶ ὀργῆς πάντα τοῦτον διαβιῶναι τὸν χρόνον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐθεάσατό τις αὐτὸν πώποτε τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους ἥττω γενόμενον, καὶ ταῦτα μυρίων, ὡς εἰκός, ἀναγκαζόντων. Ἄνδρες γὰρ πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου δεξιᾶς ἐποιμαίνοντο, οἱ μὲν ἄκροι τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτείαν μιμούμενοι, οἱ δὲ ἄρτι πτεροφυήσαντες, καὶ τὴν γῆν ὑπεράλλεσθαί τε καὶ ὑπερπέτεσθαι διδασκόμενοι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν τὰ θεῖα παιδευομένων καί τι καὶ παραβαινόντων, ὡς εἰκός-οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν ἄρτι φοιτῶντα κατορθοῦν ἅπαντα ῥᾴδιον-, ἔμενεν ἀκίνητος, οἷά τις ἀσώματος, ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ, οὐδεμιᾶς αὐτὸν προφάσεως εἰς θυμὸν ἐγει ρούσης. 4.10 Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἀκοῇ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πείρᾳ παρέλαβον. Ἐπιθυμήσας γάρ ποτε