30

but keeps it safe for the one who sent it, and serving by its irrational nature, it recognizes the mastery, and does not tolerate sharing the prey with its owner. And if it should find a larger beast, and one exceeding its own strength, such as a wild boar, or a bear, or some such thing, it guards against the attack of its tusks, but fights stoutly; and constantly moving about its back, it tries to hold down the prey with safety, and with a fierce struggle does not allow it to flee; for by its continuous assault forcing the beast to turn about continuously, it makes it stay in place, and wait for the hunter. Then that one, coming upon them, using the weapons of his art as helpers, very easily and readily takes the quarry. And let none of those who are quick to contradict bring up here rabid dogs, and kicking donkeys, and biting camels, and goring bulls; for few out of many fall into these afflictions, and very necessarily; for by this you recognize that their nature is not subject to you of its own accord, but by obeying the commands of the Creator. And the things that throw off the reins of your rule testify to this, a biting camel, and a goring bull, and 83.640 all such things. For all would have likewise escaped your dominion, if the divine law did not prevent it. So that their disorder becomes for you a cause of good order, and their frisking ceases your own frisking, and being tyrannized by them, you learn not to tyrannize, but to recognize the Master. For this reason the Creator also fashioned wild beasts and the kinds of creeping things, so that He might train your youthful and rash nature toward virtue, and by the fear of beasts, might place you in need of divine assistance. For the fear of these things pressing upon you, and continually pricking and goading you, rouses you to prayer, and compels you to call the helper to your aid. And being ordered by need to ask for assistance, you are eager to serve the one who is able to defend you; you are compelled to attend upon him, so that you may escape the outrage of those who plot against you. For you look up, and you seek the guardian, longing for deliverance from the things that grieve you. And this fear becomes for you a guide to God. But lest, being continually struck by this terror, you should live a painful life, He made these things dwell far from you. For He hid the nature of venomous creatures in certain holes, and made them to live in lairs under the earth, not permitting them to advance fearlessly against men, but commanding them to be always hidden, and to appear rarely, and ordaining that when they do appear they flee the sight of men, as from certain masters, and to harm very few and very seldom, not as initiating a fight, but as defending themselves. For we would not have feared, if our nature had remained completely untried by them. And the guardian of all commanded the kinds of four-footed beasts to inhabit thickets, and mountain ridges, and cavernous places, and places completely desolate of men; and he assigned the night to them as a time for grazing. "For," he says, "Thou didst appoint darkness, and it became night; in it all the beasts of the forest will go abroad. Young lions roaring to seize their prey, and to seek their food from God. The sun arose, and they were gathered together, and will lie down in their dens. Man will go forth to his work, and to his labor until evening." Then, admiring the divine economy, the Prophet exclaims: "How magnified are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all." But that after the entrance of sin, these too denied the dominion of men, though formerly they were subject and knew their servitude, Adam the forefather testifies, who gave names to all 83.641, and neither feared, nor fled, nor received any harm from them. And the second patriarch of men also testifies, the spark of the whole race, the blessed Noah, not only of the tame animals, but also of the very

30

ἀλλὰ σῶον φυ λάττει τῷ πέμψαντι, καὶ ἀλογίᾳ δουλεύων, γνωρίζει τὴν δεσποτείαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχεται συνδιανείμασθαι τῷ κεκτημένῳ τὸ θήραμα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μεῖζον εὕροι θηρίον, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ὑπερβαῖνον ἰσχὺν, οἷον σύαγρον, ἢ ἄρκτον, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, φυλάττεται μὲν τῶν χαυλιοδόντων τὴν προσβολὴν, μάχεται δὲ καρτερῶς· κατὰ δὲ τῶν νώτων συνεχῶς μεταβαίνων, πειρᾶται κατέχειν σὺν ἀσφαλείᾳ τὸ θήραμα, καὶ τῇ σφοδρᾷ διαμάχῃ φεύγειν οὐκ ἐᾷ· τῇ γὰρ συνεχεῖ προσβολῇ μεταστρέφεσθαι συνεχῶς τὸ θηρίον ἀναγκά ζων, μένειν κατὰ χώραν ποιεῖ, καὶ τὸν θηρευτὴν ἀναμένειν. Εἶτα ἐκεῖνος ἐπελθὼν, τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς τέ χνης ὅπλοις συνεργοῖς κεχρημένος, εὐπετῶς μάλα καὶ ῥᾳδίως λαμβάνει τὴν θήραν. Καὶ μή μοί τις τῶν εὐκόλων εἰς ἀντιλογίας, τοὺς λυττῶντας κύνας ἐνταῦθ' εἰς μέσον ἀγαγέτω, καὶ τοὺς λακτίζοντας ὄνους, καὶ τὰς δακνούσας καμήλους, καὶ τοὺς κερατίζοντας ταύρους· ὀλίγα γὰρ ἐκ πολλῶν τούτοις περιπίπτει τοῖς πάθεσι, καὶ λίαν ἀναγκαίως· γνωρίζεις γὰρ διὰ τούτου, ὡς οὐκ αὐτόματός σοι ἡ τούτων ὑπόκειται φύσις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τοῦ Ποιητοῦ νεύμασι πειθομένη. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τὰ τῆς σῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀφηνιῶντα, κάμηλος δάκνουσα, καὶ ταῦρος κερατῶν, καὶ 83.640 ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Πάντα γὰρ ἂν ὁμοίως τὴν σὴν διέφυγε δεσποτείαν, εἰ μὴ ὁ θεῖος ἐκώλυε νόμος. Ὥστε ἡ τούτων ἀταξία εὐταξίας σοι γίνεται πρόξενος, καὶ τὰ τούτων σκιρτήματα, τὰ σὰ παύει σκιρτήματα, καὶ τυραννούμενος ὑπὸ τούτων, μανθάνεις μὴ τυ ραννεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ∆εσπότην γνωρίζειν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ θῆρας ἀγρίους, καὶ ἑρπετῶν ὁ Ποιητὴς ἐδημιούργησε γένη, ὅπως σου τὸ νεανικὸν καὶ θρασὺ παιδαγωγήσῃ πρὸς ἀρετὴν, καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τῶν θηρίων, εἰς χρείαν σε καταστήσῃ τῆς θείας ἐπι κουρίας. Τὸ γὰρ τούτων δέος ἐπικείμενον, καὶ νύττον σε διηνεκῶς, καὶ κεντοῦν, εἰς προσευχὴν διεγείρει, καὶ καλεῖν εἰς συμμαχίαν τὸν ἐπίκουρον ἀναγκάζει. Αἰτεῖν δὲ τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ὑπὸ τῆς χρείας κελευόμε νος, θεραπεύειν σπουδάζεις τὸν ἐπαμῦναι δυνάμενον· προσεδρεύειν ἀναγκάζῃ, ἵνα τῶν ἐπιβούλων διαφύ γῃς τὴν λώβην. Ἀνανεύεις γὰρ, καὶ ζητεῖς τὸν κηδεμόνα, τῶν λυπούντων τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐπιποθῶν. Καὶ γίνεταί σοι οὗτος ὁ φόβος ποδηγὸς πρὸς Θεόν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ διηνεκῶς τῷ δέει τούτῳ βαλλόμενος, λυ πηρὰν βιώσῃς ζωὴν, πόῤῥω σου ταῦτα κατῴκισε. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἰοβόλων τὴν φύσιν χηραμοῖς τισιν ἐγκατέκρυψε, καὶ ταῖς ὑπὸ γῆν καταδύσεσιν ἐνδιαι τᾶσθαι πεποίηκεν, οὐκ ἐπιτρέψας αὐτοῖς ἀδεῶς κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων χωρεῖν, ἀλλὰ κρύπτεσθαι μὲν ἀεὶ, φαίνεσθαι δὲ ὀλιγάκις κελεύσας, καὶ φαινόμενα φεύ γειν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν θέαν, καθάπερ τινῶν δεσπο τῶν, νομοθετήσας, λωβᾶσθαι δὲ μάλα ὀλίγους καὶ ὀλιγάκις, οὐκ ἄρχοντα μάχης, ἀλλ' ἀμυνόμενα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐδείσαμεν, εἰ παντελῶς ἀπείραστος αὐτῶν ἡ ἡμετέρα φύσις μεμενήκει. Τῶν δὲ τετραπόδων θη ρίων τὰ γένη λόχμας οἰκεῖν, καὶ ῥαχίας, καὶ χώ ρους ἀντρώδεις, καὶ παντελῶς ἀνθρώπων ἐρήμους, ὁ τοῦ παντὸς προσέταξε κηδεμών· εἰς νομὴν δὲ αὐτοῖς καιρὸν ἀπένειμε τὴν νύκτα. «Ἔθου γὰρ, φησὶ, σκότος, καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ· ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσε ται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Σκύμνοι ὠρυό μενοι τοῦ ἁρπάσαι, καὶ ζητῆσαι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ βρῶσιν αὐτοῖς. Ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ συνήχθησαν, καὶ εἰς τὰς μάνδρας αὑτῶν κοιτασθήσονται. Ἐξελεύ σεται ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν αὑτοῦ ἕως ἑσπέρας.» Εἶτα θαυμάσας τὴν θείαν οἰκονομίαν ὁ Προφήτης βοᾷ· «Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.» Ὅτι δὲ μετὰ τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας παρείσδυσιν, καὶ ταῦτα τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠρνήσαντο δεσποτείαν, πάλαι δὲ ὑπέκειτο, καὶ τὴν δουλείαν ἠπίστατο, μαρ τυρεῖ μὲν Ἀδὰμ ὁ γενεάρχης, ἅπασι τὰς προσηγο 83.641 ρίας θέμενος, καὶ μήτε δείσας, μὴτε φυγὼν, μήτε βλάβην τινὰ παρὰ τούτων δεξάμενος. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ δεύτερος τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύλαρχος, ὁ παντὸς τοῦ γένους σπινθὴρ, ὁ μακάριος Νῶε, οὐ μόνον τῶν ἡμέρων ζώων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λίαν