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of the body. This then is the mixture of the precious creation, 689 Which I think is another world, great in its vastness. And so that, overflowing with light and with beauty, He might give some of the beautiful to me also, and my work Was by His will, of the highest of both lives Then indeed, having shown beforehand and having distinguished by word, Having added the law as a helper to the creation, He made me a worker of the beautiful with free will, So that from battle and struggle I might bear crowns; For it is better, than to live free of limits. This is for you the account of my composition. But it here is always with very many turnings Shaken, being whirled both up and down, In the midst of evil things and good, Through which it, wretched one, is tried by fire and tested, 690 Like gold in the purifying coals. But later what we have sown will be brought forth As fruits, by the just judgment of God, And the winepresses of the books are ready to receive the harvest. And since these things are so, he who the law Keeps, and reveres the portion of God which he has, And in every deed and word and turn of mind As undefiled as possible and not among the deceived. And in no way being mired by what is fleeting, But drawing the dust backwards towards heaven, (O, of the greatest and wise mystery!) To become a god, he will have as a reward for his labors, A god by adoption, indeed, but full of the highest light, Of which he has gathered the first-fruits here in moderation. 691 But whoever of the bond towards the worse and of entanglement Has inclined, and having appeared an ally to those below, And a slave of the flesh and a friend to fleeting things, Insults his divine nobility by his life, Even if he runs most prosperously in unstable things, Exulting in light dreams and shadows, Being rich, and living in luxury and lifted up on thrones, Alas for the weight of the scourges from there! Truly the first of evils is to fall from God. Hearing these things, then, and being persuaded, you at least, Walk the right-hand path, but leave the wicked one, If you obey me at all, a genuine counselor. And I know it is better to obey, and you will accept my word. For there being three things, as the ancients say, 692 With which the good counselor ought to be armed, Namely experience, and friendship, and boldness, Of these you will find nothing lacking in me. As for experience, I have advanced so far, As is likely for those who have toiled long And for a long time have conversed with the wise Through books, and with the words of divinely-inspired doctrines, From a sweet spring and one to be drawn from by the prudent, From which we have also drawn out some small depth. And of the second of which I spoke, I mean good-will, The proof is greatest; for these things I wish for you Which formerly, dearest friend, I recommended for myself, When my thoughts ran together with dangers Of a bitter sea, by which I was brought together to God; 693 For fear is often the beginning of salvation. But of boldness, may you never have experience, Neither mine, indeed, nor of these strangers to you; But you will not receive it if you are persuaded by my words; For you will be worthy of praise, not of blame. Since these things are so, come, give yourself to me, Give, and let us give to God, whom you will receive when given. For this becomes the nature of the giver. And so by examining you may attain the truth. And there are some also among the Greeks who are wise, Yet not wise, indeed; for how could we call them wise Those who have been ignorant of the most excellent nature, God, the first cause of all good things? Whose nature is indeed a patron for those who are wise, 694 And the order of things seen and things understood; But those who either have completely cast out from their account The Divine, or have denied providence, Or have set limits, lest God grow weary in saving. Of whom some, using sight as their teacher, Have given to the stars, their fellow-servants, the power, By which they guide all things, being themselves led very badly; And others have worshipped the shameful forms of beasts, Having fallen further; and others the shadows of demons, And have invented myths as advocates for their passions, And have set up pillars worthy of their folly, Shrines of matter, and the works of a hand. Who then is so unwise, as to consider these men wise? Nevertheless, let them be, if it seems so, wise. 695 You would find these men in their other doctrines Both inconsistent and at variance in some In their accounts concerning intelligible and visible things, Of God's providence, of forms, and of fate, Of infinite matter, and of the composition of bodies, Of soul, and of mind, and of the error of the senses; From which come both the Stoas and the raised eyebrows of personages, And the Academies and the entanglements of the Pyrrhonists, Skepticisms, suspensions of judgment, the triflings of sophists; Inconsistent in these things, but all equally Praisers of the beautiful and of one mind,

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σώματος. Μίξις μὲν ἥδε πλάσματος τοῦ τιμίου, 689 Ὃν κόσμον ἄλλον οἴομ' ἐν μακρῷ μέγαν. Ὡς ἂν δὲ, φωτὶ πλημμυρῶν καὶ τῷ καλῷ, ∆ῴη τι κἀμοὶ τοῦ καλοῦ, ἔργον τ' ἐμὸν Ἦ τῷ θελῆσαι, τῆς ἄκρας ἀμφοῖν βίοιν Τότε δὴ προδείξας καὶ διαστείλας λόγῳ, Προσθεὶς βοηθὸν τὸν νόμον τῷ πλάσματι, Αὐθαίρετόν μ' ἔθηκεν ἐργάτην καλοῦ, Ὡς ἐκ μάχης τε καὶ πάλης στέφη φέρειν· Κρεῖσσον γὰρ, ἢ ζῇν τερμόνων ἐλεύθερον. Οὗτος λόγος σοι τῆς ἐμῆς συμπήξεως. Ἡ δὲ στροφαῖς μὲν ἐνθάδε πλείσταις ἀεὶ ∆ονεῖτ', ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω στροβουμένη, Μέση πονηρῶν πραγμάτων καὶ δεξιῶν, ∆ι' ὧν πυροῦται καὶ δοκιμάζετ' ἀθλία, 690 Ὡς χρυσὸς ἐν ἄνθραξι τοῖς καθαρτικοῖς. Ἀλλ' ὕστερον πραχθήσεθ' ὧν ἐσπείραμεν Καρποὺς, δικαίῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κριτηρίῳ, Ληνοί θ' ἕτοιμοι τῶν βίβλων λαβεῖν θέρος. Οὕτω δὲ τούτων κειμένων, ὁ μὲν νόμον Τηρῶν, Θεοῦ τε μοῖραν ἣν ἔχει σέβων, Ἐν παντί τ' ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ νοῦ στροφῇ Ἄχραντος ὡς μάλιστά τ' ἠπατημένων. Καὶ τῷ ῥέοντι μηδὲν ἰλυσπώμενος, Ἕλκων δὲ τὸν χοῦν ἔμπαλιν πρὸς οὐρανὸν, (Ὢ τοῦ μεγίστου καὶ σοφοῦ μυστηρίου!) Θεὸς γενέσθαι, τῶν πόνων ἕξει γέρας, Θεὸς θετὸς μὲν, ἀλλ' ἄκρου φωτὸς γέμων, Οὗ τῇδ' ἀπαρχὰς μετρίως ἐδρέψατο. 691 Ὅστις δὲ δεσμοῦ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον καὶ πλοκῆς Νεύσας, ὁμόσπονδός τε τοῖς κάτω φανεὶς, ∆οῦλός τε σαρκὸς καὶ ῥέουσι προσφιλὴς, Τὴν θείαν εὐγένειαν ὑβρίζει βίῳ, Κἂν ὡς μάλιστα εὐδρομῇ τοῖς ἀστάτοις, Κούφοις ὀνείροις καὶ σκιαῖς γαυρούμενος, Πλουτῶν, τρυφῶν τε καὶ θρόνοις ἐπηρμένος, Φεῦ τοῦ ταλάντου τῶν ἐκεῖθεν μαστίγων! Ἦ τῶν κακῶν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκ Θεοῦ πεσεῖν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἀκούων καὶ πεπεισμένος σύ γε, Τὴν δεξιὰν βάδιζε, τὴν φαύλην δ' ἔα, Εἰ μοί τι πείθῃ γνησίῳ παραινέτῃ. Λῷον δὲ πείθεσθ' οἶδα, καὶ δέξῃ λόγον. Τριῶν γὰρ ὄντων, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ πάλαι, 692 Οἷς τὸν ἀγαθὸν σύμβουλον ὡπλίσθαι χρεὼν, Ἐμπειρίας τε, φιλίας τε, καὶ παῤῥησίας, Τούτων ἂν οὐδὲν ἡμῖν εὕρῃς ἐνδεές. Ἐμπειρίας μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἤλασα, Ὅσον περ εἰκὸς τοὺς πονήσαντας μακρὰν Χρόνῳ τε πολλῷ προσλαλήσαντας σοφῶν Βίβλοις, θεοπνεύστων τε δογμάτων λόγοις, Πηγῇ γλυκείᾳ σώφροσί τ' ἀρυσίμῳ, Ὧν καὶ βάθος τι μικρὸν ἐξηντλήσαμεν. Τοῦ δευτέρου δ' ὧν εἶπον, εὐνοίας λέγω, Πίστις μεγίστη· ταῦτα γάρ σοι βούλομαι Ἃ πρόσθ' ἐμαυτῷ, φίλτατε, παρῄνεσα, Ἡνίκα λογισμοὶ κινδύνοις συνέδραμον Πικρᾶς θαλάσσης, οἷς συνήχθην πρὸς Θεόν· 693 Φόβος γὰρ ἀρχὴ πολλάκις σωτηρίας. Παῤῥησίας δὲ μὴ λάβῃς πεῖράν ποτε, Μήτ' οὖν ἐμῆς γε, μήτε τούτων σοι ξένων· Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ λήψῃ τοῖς ἐμοῖς πεισθεὶς λόγοις· Ἔσῃ γὰρ αἴνων, οὐ ψόγων ἐπάξιος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα, δεῦρό μοι σαυτὸν δίδου, ∆ὸς, καὶ Θεῷ δώσωμεν, ὃν λήψῃ δοθείς. Φύσις γὰρ αὕτη τοῦ διδόντος γίνεται. Σκοπῶν δ' ἂν οὕτω τῆς ἀληθείας τύχοις. Εἰσὶ δέ τινες καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφοὶ, Οὐ μὴν σοφοί γε· πῶς ἂν εἴποιμεν σοφοὺς Τοὺς τὴν κρατίστην φύσιν ἠγνοηκότας, Θεὸν, τὸ πάντων αἴτιον πρῶτον καλῶν; Οὗ καὶ φύσις γε τοῖς φρονοῦσι πρόξενος, 694 Τάξις θ' ὁρωμένων τε καὶ νοουμένων· Τοὺς δ' ἢ τελείως ἐκβαλόντας τοῦ λόγου Τὸ Θεῖον, ἢ πρόνοιαν ἐξηρνηκότας, Ἢ μέτρα θέντας, μὴ κάμοι σώζων Θεός. Ὧν οἱ μὲν ὄψει χρώμενοι διδασκάλῳ, Ἄστροις ἔδωκαν τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις τὸ κράτος, Οἷς πάντ' ἄγουσιν, ἠγμένοι λίαν κακῶς· Ἄλλοι δὲ προσεκύνησαν αἴσχη κνωδάλων, Πλέον πεσόντες· οἱ δὲ δαιμόνων σκιὰς, Μύθους τ' ἀνεῦρον τῶν παθῶν συνηγόρους, Στήλας τ' ἔθεντο τῆς ἀνοίας ἀξίας, Ἱδρύμαθ' ὕλης, καὶ χερὸς ποιήματα. Τίς οὖν τοσοῦτον ἄσοφος, ὡς τούτους σοφοὺς Θέσθαι; Ὅμως ἔστωσαν, εἰ δοκεῖ, σοφοί. 695 Τούτους ἂν εὕροις τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις δόγμασιν Ἀσυνθέτους τε καὶ διεστῶτάς τισι Τοῖς περὶ νοητῶν καὶ ὁρωμένων λόγοις, Θεοῦ προνοίας, ἰδεῶν χ' εἱμαρμένης, Ὕλης ἀπείρου, συνθέσεώς τε σωμάτων, Ψυχῆς, νοός τε καὶ πλάνης αἰσθήσεων· Ἐξ ὧν Στοαί τε καὶ προσώπων ὀφρύες, Ἀκαδημίαι τε καὶ πλοκαὶ Πυῤῥωνίων, Σκέψεις, ἐφέξεις, τεχνικῶν ληρήματα· Ἀσυνθέτους μὲν ταῦτα, πάντας δ' ἐξ ἴσου Ἐπαινέτας δὲ τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ σύμφρονας,