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is distracted; but in the alternation and variety of the psalmody and of the reading for each hour, its desire is made new and its sobriety is renewed.

QUESTION 38. Since the discourse has sufficiently shown both prayer

to be unceasing, and work to be necessary, it follows that we be taught what crafts are suitable for our profession. RESPONSE. It is not easy to specify particular crafts, because some are sought in some places and others in others according to 31.1017 the particularity of the locations and the suitability of the occupations in each region. But in general terms it is possible to outline the choice of these: as many as preserve the peaceful and quiet character of our life, neither requiring much business for the procuring of their own material, nor much struggle for the sale of the finished products, nor those that occasion for us unbecoming or harmful encounters with men or women. But in everything we must consider our proper goal to be simplicity and inexpensiveness, avoiding serving the foolish and harmful desires of people by producing what is sought by them. But in weaving, what is used in the ordinary course of life, not what is devised by the licentious for the hunting and trapping of the young, is acceptable for us. And likewise in shoemaking, let us serve through our craft those who seek the necessities of life. But building, and carpentry, and smithing, and farming, are themselves necessary for life and provide much that is useful, and in their proper nature are not to be rejected by us; except when they cause us disturbances, or break up the common life of the brethren, then we must of necessity avoid them, preferring the crafts that preserve for us an undistracted life and ready attendance on the Lord, and do not draw away from the time of psalmody, or prayer, or the rest of the good order those who are devoted to the practice of piety. For when there is no harm from them to the primary way of life, they are preferable to many others, and especially farming, having the supply of necessities from itself, and delivering the farmers from much wandering and running up and down, only if, in the manner we have described, it brings upon us no disturbances and troubles from neighbors or housemates.

QUESTION 39. How should one make the sale of things from one's work, and

how should one travel abroad? RESPONSE. One must take care also for the products of one's labors not to be sold far away, nor to make oneself public for the sake of selling. For life in one place is more seemly and more profitable for the edification of one another and the careful maintenance of the daily life, so that one should rather choose to take something away from the price, than to travel abroad for the sake of a small profit. 31.1020 But if experience shows this to be impossible, one should choose both places and cities of devout men, so that our journey abroad may not be fruitless for us, and at the designated festivals several of the brethren should go together, each one bringing the products of his own labor. And the journey should be undertaken together, so that the road may be traveled with psalms and prayers and the mutual edification of one another; and having arrived at the place, they should choose the same lodgings for the sake of watching over one another, and so that no time of prayer, neither day nor night, should escape us, and to pass through encounters with difficult and greedy people more harmlessly being with several others than by oneself. For even the most violent men refrain from having many witnesses to their injustices.

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ἀπομετεωρίζεται· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐναλλαγῇ καὶ τῷ ποικίλῳ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας καὶ τοῦ περὶ ἑκάστης ὥρας λόγου νεαροποιεῖται αὐτῆς ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἀνα καινίζεται τὸ νηφάλιον.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΗʹ. ∆είξαντος ἱκανῶς τοῦ λόγου καὶ τὴν προσευ χὴν

ἀπαράλειπτον, καὶ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι ἀναγ καῖον, ἀκόλουθον διδαχθῆναι ἡμᾶς ποῖαι τέ χναι τῷ ἐπαγγέλματι ἡμῶν ἁρμόζουσιν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἰδικῶς μὲν ἀφορίσαι τέχνας τινὰς οὐκ εὔκολον, διὰ τὸ ἄλλας παρ' ἄλλοις ἐπιζητεῖσθαι κατὰ 31.1017 τὴν ἰδιότητα τῶν τόπων καὶ τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα τῶν ἐν ἑκάστῃ χώρᾳ πραγματειῶν· κοινῷ δὲ λόγῳ τὴν ἐκλογὴν τούτων ὑποτυπώσασθαι δυνατὸν, ὅσαι τὸ εἰρηνικὸν καὶ τὸ ἀθόρυβον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν συν τηροῦσι, μήτε πολλῆς πραγματείας εἰς τὸν πορισμὸν τῆς οἰκείας ὕλης δεόμεναι, μήτε πολλοῦ τοῦ ἀγῶνος πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀπεργασθέντων διάπρασιν, μήτε ὅσαι συντυχίας ἡμῖν ἀνδρῶν ἢ γυναικῶν ἀπρεπεῖς ἢ βλα βερὰς προξενοῦσιν· ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ σκοπὸν οἰκεῖον ἡμῖν προκεῖσθαι νομίζειν χρὴ τὴν λιτότητα, καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν, φεύγοντας τὸ ὑπηρετεῖν ἐπιθυμίαις ἀνθρώπων ἀνοήτοις καὶ βλαβεραῖς, διὰ τοῦ τὰ ἐπι ζητούμενα παρ' αὐτῶν ἐξεργάζεσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῇ ὑφαντικῇ, τὸ ἐμπολιτευόμενον τῇ συνηθείᾳ τοῦ βίου, οὐ τὸ πρὸς ἄγραν καὶ παγίδα τῶν νέων ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκολάστων ἐπινοούμενον, παραδεκτέον ἡμῖν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ σκυτοτομικῆς τοῖς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα τῆς χρείας ἐπιζητοῦσι διὰ τῆς τέχνης ὑπηρετήσωμεν. Οἰκοδομικὴ δὲ, καὶ τεκτονικὴ, καὶ χαλκευτικὴ, καὶ γεωργία, αὐταὶ μὲν καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἀναγκαῖαι τῷ βίῳ, καὶ πολὺ τὸ χρήσιμον παρεχόμεναι, καὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ λόγῳ οὐκ ἀπόβλητοι ἡμῖν· πλὴν ὅταν ποτὲ ἢ θορύ βους ἡμῖν ἐμποιῶσιν, ἢ τὸ ἡνωμένον τῆς ζωῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν διασπῶσι, τότε αὐτὰς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐκκλίνωμεν· προτιμῶντες τὰς τέχνας τὰς διατηρού σας ἡμῖν τὴν ἀπερίσπαστον ζωὴν καὶ εὐπάρεδρον τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ μήτε καιροῦ ψαλμῳδίας, μήτε προσ ευχῆς, μήτε τῆς λοιπῆς εὐταξίας ἀφελκούσας τοὺς τῇ ἀσκήσει τῆς εὐσεβείας προσκαρτεροῦντας. Ἐπεὶ, ὅταν γε μηδὲν ὑπάρχῃ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν προηγου μένην ζωὴν καταβλάπτεσθαι, πολλῶν εἰσι προτι μότεραι, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ γεωργία, αὐτόθεν ἔχουσα τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὸν πορισμὸν, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ πολὺ πλάνης, καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω διαδρομῆς ῥυομένη τοὺς γεωργοῦντας, μόνον εἰ, καθ' ὃν εἴπομεν τρόπον, μήτε ἀπὸ γειτόνων μήτε ἀπὸ συνοίκων θορύβους ἡμῖν ἐπάγει καὶ ταραχάς.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΘʹ. Πῶς χρὴ ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐργασίας τὴν διά πρασιν, καὶ

πῶς ἀποδημεῖν ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Χρὴ δὲ σπουδάζειν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἐργασιῶν μὴ μακράν που διατίθεσθαι, μήτε δημοσιεύειν ἑαυ τοὺς τῆς πράσεως ἕνεκεν. Εὐπρεπεστέρα γὰρ ἡ ἐφ' ἑνὸς τόπου διαγωγὴ, καὶ ὠφελιμωτέρα πρός τε τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ἀλλήλων καὶ ἀκριβῆ συντήρησιν τοῦ καθ' ἡμέραν βίου, ὥστε αἱρεῖσθαι μᾶλλον καὶ ὑφαι ρεῖν τι τῆς ἀξίας, ἢ ὑπὲρ ὀλίγου κέρδους ὑπερ 31.1020 ορίους ἀποδημεῖν. Ἐὰν δὲ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον ἡ πεῖρα δείξῃ, ἐκλέγεσθαι καὶ τόπους καὶ πόλεις ἀνδρῶν εὐ λαβῶν, ὡς μὴ ἄκαρπον ἡμῖν τὴν ἀποδημίαν γίνε σθαι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀποδεδειγμέναις πανηγύρεσι πλείο νας ὁμοῦ συνδραμεῖν τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἕκαστον τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας ἐργασίας ἐπιφερόμενον. Καὶ κοινὴν μὲν τὴν ἀποδημίαν στέλλεσθαι, ὡς καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν μετὰ ψαλμῶν καὶ προσευχῶν καὶ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις οἰκοδομῆς ἐκτελεῖν· καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον δὲ γενο μένους, τὰς αὐτὰς αἱρεῖσθαι καταγωγὰς τῆς τε ἀλ λήλων φυλακῆς ἕνεκεν, καὶ τοῦ μηδένα καιρὸν προσ ευχῆς, μήτε ἡμερινὸν μήτε νυκτερινὸν, ἡμᾶς δια φεύγειν, καὶ τὰς τῶν δυσσυναλλάκτων καὶ πλεον εκτικῶν συντυχίας ἀβλαβέστερον διαβῆναι μετὰ πλειόνων ὄντα ἢ καθ' ἑαυτόν. Παραιτοῦνται γὰρ πολλοὺς ἔχειν τὰς ἀδικίας μάρτυρας καὶ οἱ βιαιό τατοι.