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may he receive the knowledge of the pre-eminent advantage, which is to know the just nature of the one who surpasses all, that he punishes by avenging those who are wronged and forever benefits the pious. You therefore, as sensible servants of God, understanding what is reasonable from yourselves, undertake the way of life that is pleasing to him, so that thus loving him and being loved by him you may have what is advantageous forever; for to him alone is it most possible to provide, to the one who established things that are not into being, who created heaven, compressed the earth, set a boundary to the sea, who stored up the things in Hades and filled all things with air. He alone turned the one and first simple substance in four ways and oppositely, then mixing them made countless mixtures from them, so that, having been turned into opposite natures and mixed, they might work the pleasure of living from the antithetical pairing. Likewise he alone, having created hosts of angels and spirits by the nod of his will, filled the heavens; as he also adorned the visible firmament with stars, for which he also set paths and appointed a course. He compressed the earth for the increase of fruits, and set a boundary to the sea, assigning a dwelling for aquatic creatures. He stores up the things in Hades, having named it a place for souls; and he filled all things with air, so that all living creatures might be able to breathe fearlessly in order to live. Oh, the great, wise hand of God, which does all things in all! For a countless multitude of birds has been made by him, and this diverse, differing from the other in every way, I mean in colors, plumage, talons, looks, instincts, calls, and all the rest. And how many different kinds of plants, distinguished by countless colors and qualities and scents. And how many animals of the land and of the waters, of which it is impossible to tell the shapes, forms, positions, colors, ways of life, instincts, natures, multitude. And further, the multitudes and heights of mountains, the varieties of stones, fearful recesses, springs, rivers, lakes, seas, harbors, islands, forests, and the whole inhabited world and uninhabited places. And how many other things happen to be unknown, having escaped human conjecture. But of the things that are within our grasp, which of men knows one definition? I mean, how the heaven is coiled, how the stars are carried along and what forms they have and the constitution of their life and what are their airy paths—and from where the blasts of the winds are pushed around and have different effects—from where do the springs gush forth unfailingly and become ever-flowing rivers; they arrive at the sea and neither is the place from where they come emptied nor do they fill the place where they go—to what point the infinite depth of boundless Tartarus—upon what then is suspended the heaven that contains all things, how clouds spring from the air and are absorbed into the air, what is the nature of thunder and lightning, of snow, hail, mist, frost, tempests, rains, of suspended clouds and how he fashions plants <and> animals, and these with countless differences being continuously completed with all accuracy. Nevertheless if one considers the whole accurately with reason, he will find that God has made it for the sake of man; for the rains are for the sake of fruits, so that man may partake and animals may be nourished in order that they may be useful to man—and the sun shines and the air into four seasons

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τοῦ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ συμφέροντος τὴν γνῶσιν λάβῃ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν τὸ εἰδέναι τοῦ πάντα ὑπερέχοντος τὴν δικαίαν φύσιν ὅτι ἀδικουμένους ἐκδικῶν τι- μωρεῖ καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβοῦντας εἰς ἀεὶ εὐεργετεῖ. ὑμεῖς οὖν ὡς θεοῦ δοῦλοι εὐγνώμονες, ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν τὸ εὔλογον νοοῦντες, τὴν αὐτῷ ἀρέ- σκουσαν ἀναδέξασθε πολιτείαν, ἵνα οὕτως αὐτὸν φιλοῦντες καὶ φιλούμε- νοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀεὶ τὸ συμφέρον ἔχητε· αὐτῷ γὰρ μόνῳ τὸ παρασχεῖν δυνατώτατόν ἐστιν, τῷ τὰ μὴ ὄντα εἰς τὸ εἶναι συστησαμένῳ, οὐρανὸν δημιουργήσαντι, γῆν πιλώσαντι, θάλασσαν περιορίσαντι, τὰ ἐν ᾅδῃ τα- μιεύσαντι καὶ τὰ πάντα ἀέρι πληρώσαντι. οὗτος μόνος τὴν μίαν καὶ πρώτην μονοειδῆ οὐσίαν τετραχῶς καὶ ἐναντίως ἔτρεψεν, εἶτα μίξας μυρίας κράσεις ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐποίησεν, ἵνα εἰς ἐναντίας φύσεις τετραμμέναι καὶ μεμιγμέναι τοῦ ζῆν ἡδονὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀντισυζυγίας ἐργάσωνται. ὁμῶς αὐτὸς μόνος δήμους ἀγγέλων καὶ πνευμάτων βουλῆς νεύματι δημιουργή- σας ἔπλησε τοὺς οὐρανούς· ὡς καὶ τὸ φαινόμενον στερέωμα ἄστροις ἐκόσμησεν, οἷς καὶ τρίβους ὥρισεν καὶ δρόμον ἔταξεν. γῆν ἐπίλωσεν εἰς καρπῶν αὔξησιν, θάλασσαν δὲ περιώρισεν, ἐνύδροις οἴκησιν ἀφορί σας. τὰ ἐν ᾅδῃ ταμιεύει, ψυχῶν χῶρον ὀνομάσας· τὰ δὲ πάντα ἔπλη- σεν ἀέρος, ἵνα πάντα τὰ ζῷα πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀδεῶς ἀναπνέειν ἔχῃ. ὢ τῆς μεγάλης θεοῦ φρονίμου χειρός, τῆς ἐν πᾶσιν πάντα ποιούσης. μυρίος γὰρ ὄχλος πτηνῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγένηται καὶ οὗτος ποικίλος, πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον κατὰ πάντα ἐξηλλαγμένος, λέγω δὲ τά τε χρώματα, ·άμφη, ὄνυχας, βλέμματα, γνώμας, φθέγματα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα. πόσαι δὲ καὶ φυτῶν διάφοροι ἰδέαι, χρώμασιν καὶ ποιότησιν καὶ ὀδμαῖς ἀπείροις διωρισμέναι. πόσα δὲ τῆς χέρσου ζῷα καὶ τῶν ἐν ὕδασιν, ὧν ἀδύνατον εἰπεῖν σχήματα, μορφάς, θέσεις, χρώματα, βίους, γνώμας, φύσεις, ὄχλον. ἔτι τε ὀρέων πλήθη καὶ ὕψη, λίθων διαφοράς, μυχοὺς φοβερούς, πηγάς, ποταμούς, λίμνας, θαλάσσας, λιμένας, νήσους, ὕλας, οἰκουμένην τε πᾶσαν καὶ ἀοικήτους τόπους. πόσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἄγνωστα τυγχάνει, στοχασ- μὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐκπεφευγότα. τῶν δὲ ἐν καταλήψει ὄντων τίς ἀνθρώ- πων ἕνα ὅρον οἶδεν; λέγω δὲ πῶς οὐρανὸς εἰλεῖται, πῶς ἄστρα φέρεται καὶ τίνας ἔχουσιν τὰς μορφὰς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν τὴν σύστασιν τίνες τε οἱ τούτων ἀερώδεις τρίβοι-πόθεν τε καὶ τὰ ἀνέμων πνεύματα πε- ριωθεῖται καὶ διαφόρους ἔχει τὰς ἐνεργείας-πόθεν ἀνελλιπῶς βρύ- ουσιν αἱ πηγαὶ καὶ ἀέναοι ποταμοὶ γινόμενοι· εἰς θάλασσαν καταντῶσιν καὶ οὔτε ὅθεν ἔρχονται κενοῦται οὔτε ὅπου ἀπέρχονται πληροῦσιν- μέχρι ποῦ τοῦ ἀπεράντου ταρτάρου τὸ ἄπειρον βάθος-ἐπὶ τίνι ἄρα ἐπαιωρεῖται ὁ πάντα περιέχων οὐρανός, πῶς νέφη ἐξ ἀέρος βρύει καὶ εἰς ἀέρα συνπίνεται, τίς φύσις βροντῶν καὶ ἀστραπῶν, χιόνων, χαλάζης, ὀμίχλης, κρυστάλλων, καταιγίδων, ὄμβρων, νεφῶν αἰωρουμένων καὶ πῶς φυτὰ <καὶ> ζῷα πλάσσει καὶ ταῦτα διαφοραῖς ἀναριθμήτοις πάσῃ ἀκριβείᾳ συνεχῶς ἀποτελουμένη. ὅμως ἐάν τις τὸ πᾶν ἀκριβῶς λογισμῷ συνίδῃ, εὑρήσει δι' ἄνθρωπον τὸν θεὸν πεποιηκότα· οἱ γὰρ ὄμβροι καρ- πῶν ἕνεκα γίνονται, ἵνα ἄνθρωπος μεταλάβῃ καὶ ζῷα τραφῇ ὅπως ἀν- θρώπῳ χρησιμεύῃ-καὶ ἥλιος φαίνει καὶ τὸν ἀέρα εἰς τέσσαρας τροπὰς