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they were brave in inescapable evils; For I see no salvation for those who wish for it. From here, come to the divine wrestling match Of my athletes, and let fear whirl you about, As you both hear and remember these things; With what and how many dangers we have magnified The holy and new mystery of Christ, 731 We who were deemed worthy to be called from there. For many times, when envy's many enemies and persecutors of the Word boiled up against us, Breathing rage, savage beasts, We never yielded to the turns of fortune. But if there was any indolence in peace, If anyone happened to be bad in other respects, Here we were all hardened for God; And condensed by fiery zeal, the insolence Of our enemies we have accepted, being gloriously defeated. For no one so gladly brings salvation, as we do glorious dangers. Who has accepted fire, swords, pits, famine, hanging, Murderous beasts, as if they were a luxury? 732 Tortures, dislocations, quenchings of eyes, Boilings, tearings, and rendings of limbs, Frosts, depths, darknesses and precipices, And the varied tragedy of a long time? And what is worst of evils, I will say to those who know; For the height of evil is the release from fear. But to always expect something, is to always suffer, And to die many bitter deaths instead of one. I omit to speak of exiles and the confiscations of property, and to suffer these things in the sight Of men, women, peers, children, friends, Things that bend even the most valiant. And for what? For one syllable, perhaps; Why do I say syllable? Even for a single nod 733 That wickedly saves by denial. For God is what is at stake in this brief matter; Whom if they betray, there is no other to receive. What need have I of more words? Lift up your gaze around, behold the whole inhabited world How much the word of salvation has now taken hold of, Having bound it to God, and being mixed with suffering, A strange mixture, and far from the laws of God; This they illuminate like stars Almost all of it with serene radiance, With lofty thrones and teachings, With gatherings and courses that fill every hearth, And with hymns worthy of their labors, 734 The glorious victors of the slain One. So great is the reverence for their struggle, That even a little dust, or some relic Of old bones, or a small portion of hair, Or even rags, or some sign of sprinklings, Suffices for the honor of the whole at some time. And I have known a title, the anointing oil of some, To be given to places instead of the whole martyr, And to have received equal power, O the wonder! For I think that even to remember alone saves. What if I were to speak of the incredible purification from there of diseases and demons, even down to the tombs, Which were once deemed worthy of honorable bodies, 735 Resisting the incursions of spirits? Such are the wonders of my athletes. But you boast to me of Pisa and the Delphic dust And Nemea and the Isthmian pine; Through which unfortunate youths gained glory, Setting up small prizes for small contests, Of boxing, and wrestling, and running, and jumping, In which it is no great thing either to win or to be defeated. For the prize is not God, or salvation, As it is in my laws and struggles, And to attain the glory and crowns above. But since you have seen courage in these things, (Which also to imitate in daily struggles Against the deep and secret persecutor, Who steals terribly through the deceitful senses, Is most excellent and exceedingly salutary), 736 Come, consider for me also the matters of that which is praised By us most of all, temperance. It is thus. There are, there are indeed even among the Greeks some Lovers of this, both of old and still now. For I will not disbelieve the things that are commonly said; For there is no envy for even foreigners to be temperate. They say of Xenocrates that, when a certain prostitute Was thrown at him by some who were testing him, (For he was sleeping at night), when he perceived it, He was neither startled by the strangeness of the outrage, Nor did he rise up, or deign to flee; For both were beneath Xenocrates; And so unmoved and invulnerable was he, That she, gladly escaping, cried out: "Why did you Deceive me by making me lie with a dead man?" Epicurus contended that pleasure was 737 The prize of those who labor for me, In which all good things of men end. But so that he might not seem to some to praise pleasure In this way, he lived decently and temperately, Helping from

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ἀφύκτοις ἦσαν ἀνδρεῖοι κακοῖς· Τοῖς γὰρ θέλουσιν οὐχ ὁρῶ σωτηρίαν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐλθὲ πρὸς πάλην τὴν ἔνθεον Ἐμῶν ἀθλητῶν, καί σε δινείτω φόβος, Τούτων ἀκούοντά τε καὶ μεμνημένον· Οἵοις ὅσοις τε κινδύνοις ηὐξήσαμεν Χριστοῦ τὸ σεπτὸν καὶ νέον μυστήριον, 731 Οἱ τοῦ καλεῖσθ' ἐκεῖθεν ἠξιωμένοι. Πολλοὺς γὰρ ἡμῖν πολλάκις τε τοῦ φθόνου Ζέσαντος ἐχθροὺς καὶ διώκτας τοῦ λόγου, Θυμὸν πνέοντας, θῆρας ἠγριωμένους, Οὐ πώποθ' ἡμεῖς εἴξαμεν καιροῦ ῥοπαῖς. Ἀλλ' εἴ τι καὶ ῥᾴθυμον εἰρήνῃ προσῆν, Εἴ τις κακὸς καὶ τἄλλα ὢν ἐτύγχανεν, Ἐνταῦθα πάντες ἐστομώθημεν Θεῷ· Ζήλῳ δὲ πυκνωθέντες ἐμπύρῳ, θράσος Ἐχθρῶν δεδέγμεθ', εὐκλεῶς ἡττώμενοι. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτως ἡδέως σωτηρίαν Κομίζεθ', ὡς ἡμεῖς γε κινδύνους καλούς. Τίς πῦρ, ξίφη, βάραθρα, λιμὸν, ἀγχόνην, Θῆρας φονῶντας, ὡς τρυφὴν ἐδέξατο; 732 Στρεβλώματ', ἐξαρθρώματ', ὀμμάτων σβέσεις, Ζέσεις, σπαραγμοὺς, καὶ μελῶν λακίσματα, Κρυμοὺς, βυθοὺς, ζόφους τε καὶ κρημνίσματα, Χρόνου τε μακροῦ ποικίλην τραγῳδίαν; Ὃ καὶ κακῶν χείριστον, εἰδόσι φράσω· Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἀκμὴ τοῦ κακοῦ, λύσις φόβου. Τὸ προσδοκᾷν δ' ἀεί τι, πάσχειν ἔστ' ἀεὶ, Θνήσκειν τε πολλοὺς ἀνθ' ἑνὸς πικροὺς μόρους. Ἐῶ λέγειν φυγάς τε καὶ τὰς χρημάτων Ἀλλοτριώσεις, καὶ τὸ ταῦτ' ἐν ὄψεσιν Ἀνδρῶν, γυναικῶν, ἡλίκων, τέκνων, φίλων, Πάσχειν, ἃ κάμπτει καὶ τὸν ἀλκιμώτατον. Καὶ ταῦθ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ; συλλαβῆς ἴσως μιᾶς· Τί τοῦτό φημι συλλαβῆς; καὶ νεύματος 733 Ἑνὸς, κακῶς σώζοντος ἐξ ἀρνήσεως. Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν βραχεῖ τὸ κείμενον· Ὅν περ προδοῦσιν, ἄλλον οὐκ ἔστιν λαβεῖν. Τί δεῖ λόγων μοι πλειόνων; ἆρον κύκλῳ Τὴν ὄψιν, ἄθρει τὴν ὅλην οἰκουμένην Ὅσην κατέσχε νῦν λόγος σωτήριος, ∆ήσας Θεῷ τε καὶ πάθει μεμιγμένος, Μίξιν ξένην τε καὶ Θεοῦ πόῤῥω νόμων· Ταύτην καταστράπτουσιν ὥσπερ ἀστέρες Σχεδόν τι πᾶσαν αἰθρίοις αὐγάσμασιν, Ὑψωρόφοις θρόνοις τε καὶ διδάγμασιν, Ἀθροίσμασίν τε καὶ δρόμοις πανεστίοις, Ὑμνῳδίαις τε τῶν πόνων ἐπαξίαις, 734 Οἱ τοῦ σφαγέντος εὐκλεεῖς νικηφόροι. Τοσοῦτον δ' ἐστὶν τῆς ἀθλήσεως σέβας, Ὡς καὶ κόνιν βραχεῖαν, ἤ τι λείψανον Ὀστῶν παλαιῶν, ἢ τριχῶν μικρὸν μέρος, Ἢ καὶ ῥακώματ', ἤ τι καὶ ῥαντισμάτων Σημεῖον, ἀρκεῖν εἰς ὅλου τιμήν ποτε. Καὶ κλῆσιν ἔγνων, ἔστιν ὧν ἀλείψανον, Τόποις δοθεῖσαν ἀνθ' ὅλου τοῦ μάρτυρος, Ἰσχύν τ' ἴσην λαβοῦσαν, ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Σώζειν γὰρ οἶμαι καὶ τὸ μεμνῆσθαι μόνον. Τί δ' εἰ λέγοιμι καὶ νόσων καὶ δαιμόνων Κάθαρσιν ἔνθεν ἄπιστον, ἄχρι σημάτων, Ἃ σωμάτων ποτ' ἠξιώθη τιμίων, 735 Ἀντιστατούντων πνευμάτων ἐπιδρομαῖς; Τοιαῦτα ἀθλητῶν τῶν ἐμῶν τὰ θαύματα. Πίσαν δέ μοι σὺ καὶ κόνιν τὴν ∆ελφικὴν Αὔχεις, Νεμέαν τε καὶ πίτυν τὴν Ἰσθμίαν· ∆ι' ὧν ἔφηβοι δυστυχεῖς ἔσχον κλέος, Ἄθλων τιθέντες μικρὰ καὶ μικρῶν γέρα, Πυγμῆς, πάλης τε καὶ δρόμου, καὶ ἁλμάτων, Ἃ μήτε νικᾷν, μήτε νικᾶσθαι μέγα. Οὐ γὰρ Θεὸς τὸ ἆθλον, ἢ σωτηρία, Ὡς τοῖς ἐμοῖς νόμοις τε καὶ παλαίσμασι, Τυχεῖν τε δόξης τῆς ἄνω καὶ στεμμάτων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐν τούτοις ἴδες, (Ἣν καὶ μιμεῖσθαι ταῖς καθ' ἡμέραν πάλαις Πρὸς τὸν διώκτην τοῦ βάθους καὶ λάθριον, Κλέπτοντα δεινῶς ταῖς πλάνοις αἰσθήσεσι, Κράτιστόν ἐστι καὶ λίαν σωτήριον), 736 ∆εῦρο σκόπει μοι καὶ τὰ τῆς αἰνουμένης Ἡμῖν μάλιστα σωφροσύνης. Ἔχει δέ πως. Εἰσὶν μὲν, εἰσὶ καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησίν τινες Ταύτης ἐρασταὶ καὶ πάλαι καὶ νῦν ἔτι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπιστήσω γε τοῖς θρυλλουμένοις· Φθόνος γὰρ οὐδεὶς σωφρονεῖν καὶ τοὺς ξένους. Ξενοκράτην λέγουσιν, ὡς πόρνης τινὸς Οἷ προσριφείσης ἔκ τινων πειρωμένων, (Καὶ γὰρ καθεύδων νυκτὸς), ἡνίκ' ᾔσθετο, Οὔτ' ἐπτοήθη τῷ ξένῳ τῆς ὕβρεως, Οὔτ' ἐξανέστη, ἢ φυγεῖν ἠνέσχετο· Ἄμφω γὰρ εἶναι δεύτερα Ξενοκράτους· Οὕτω δ' ἀκίνητός τε καὶ ἄτρωτος ἦν, Ὥστ' ἐκφυγοῦσαν ἀσμένως βοᾷν· «Τί με Νεκρῷ παρευνάσαντες ἠπατήσατε;» Ἐπίκουρος ἡδονὴν μὲν ἠγωνίζετο 737 Εἶναι τὸν ἆθλον τῶν ἐμοὶ πονουμένων, Εἰς ἢν τελευτᾷ πάντα τ' ἀνθρώπων καλά. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ δόξειεν ἡδονῆ τινι Ταύτην ἐπαινεῖν, κοσμίως καὶ σωφρόνως Ἔζη, βοηθῶν ἐκ