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a path of truth, of that which is honored in word and in turns of phrase. What therefore is attainable, this we shall also declare. Without beginning, Beginning, Spirit, honored Trinity, Uncaused, begotten, proceeding; The Father the one; the other the Son, Himself also the Word; 752 The other not a Son, but the Spirit of one substance. One God from three and a common object of worship; by whom I am also released from the entanglement of mortality. If you revere and hold fast to these things for me, with a holy life, having cast off all the storm of the life below, and by true reason and hatred of falsehoods you would place yourself above, and become more than me, so that you might obtain greater boldness.

11. A deliberation with the world. Question. I go to law with you, O world. Who are you, whence do you come,

First teach me, and whither you are turning. How do you whirl me about, like a circle carrying an ant? Answer. I do not know whence I came, but from God at least. 753 I am turning toward something better. I do not whirl you, but you, being disorderly, insult me. Question. How then are you fixed, while I am unstable? Answer. I am external, and what is the grace of that? But you, having a will, if you wish, have more. Question. Well; but who bears external things? Answer. For what evil is there? This is matter for the good, for salvation. Question. Or is it better to blame oneself? Answer. So it is.

12. Concerning the mortality of human nature. O world, friend, yet not friend in all things, why

do you carry me, who go in the opposite direction, whirling like a circling wheel, 754 like a little ant, distressed at the bitter motion? Yet you carry me, though so great, being so great yourself. I know that you are from God, the glory of God. But I too was fashioned by the hand of Christ, woven from both, from heavenly and earthly things. The body was made from the latter; but the soul is a breath of the great Mind. But even so I am driven here and there by many woes from myself, and woes from the enemy. And like a sea-roaming dolphin upon the land, I die in the air. World, I have passed on; may you lead an unwounded people.

13. On the same subject. I and time, like birds or ships

pass by one another on the sea, 755 having nothing stable; but my error does not run past, but remains; this is the most wretched thing of life. I have nothing to pray for, whether to live longer or to be released; there is fear for both; so consider this for me. Life is toilsome for me with sins. But if I were to die, alas, there is no cure for my former sufferings. If this life, which has so great a burden, is a sign to you, and being released holds no release from toils, but a precipice is on both sides. What shall we do? Is this then the best, to look to you alone, and to your gentleness?

14. Concerning human nature. Yesterday, worn out by my griefs, alone from

others I was sitting in a shady grove, consuming my soul. 756 For somehow I love this remedy in sufferings, to speak in silence to my own soul. Breezes whispered with the singing birds, granting a beautiful slumber from the branches, even to a soul quite exhausted. And from the trees, heart-melodied, clear-toned, friends of the sun, chirping cicadas filled the whole grove with sound. And nearby, cool water washed my feet, gently flowing through the dewy grove. But I was held fast by grief, as I was held. I paid no heed to these things, since the mind, when it is overwhelmed with griefs, is not willing to encounter pleasure. But I, with the whirling of my twisting mind, having such a strife of opposing words: 757 What was I, what am I, what shall I be? I do not know clearly. Nor indeed who is greater than me in wisdom. But I myself, covered by a cloud here and there, I wander having nothing, not even in a dream, of what I long for. For all are lowly and wandering, over whom hangs the dark cloud of thick flesh. But that man is wiser than I, who more than others has touched the readily spoken lie of his heart. I am. Tell me what this is? The

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ἀλήθειαν τρίβος, Τῆς ἐν λόγῳ τε καὶ στροφαῖς τιμωμένης. Ὃ δ' οὖν ἐφικτὸν, τοῦτο καὶ δηλώσομεν. Ἄναρχον, Ἀρχὴ, Πνεῦμα, Τριὰς τιμία, Ἀναίτιον, γεννητὸν, ἐκπορεύσιμον· Πατὴρ τὸ μέν· τὸ δ' Υἱὸς, αὐτὸς καὶ Λόγος· 752 Τὸ δ' οὐ μὲν Υἱὸς, Πνεῦμα δ' οὐσίας μιᾶς. Εἷς ἐκ τριῶν Θεός τε καὶ κοινὸν σέβας· Οἷς καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τῆς πλοκῆς ἐκλύομαι. Ταῦτ' ἢν σέβῃς μοι καὶ κρατῇς, σεμνῷ βίῳ Ῥίψας ἅπασαν τὴν κάτω βίου ζάλην, Λόγῳ τ' ἀληθεῖ καὶ μίσει τῶν πλασμάτων Ἄνω τε τάξῃ, καὶ γένοιό μου πλέον, Ὡς ἂν τύχοιο πλείονος παῤῥησίας.

ΙΑʹ. Πρὸς κόσμον διαλογισμός. Ἐρώτ. ∆ικάζομαί σοι, κόσμε. Τίς, πόθεν πάρει,

Πρῶτον δίδαξον, καὶ ὅποι καταστρέφεις. Ῥοιζεῖς δὲ πῶς με κύκλος ὡς μύρμηκ' ἄγων; Ἀπόκρ. Οὐκ οἶδ' ὅθεν προῆλθον, ἐκ Θεοῦ δέ γε. 753 Καταστρέφω δ' εἰς κρεῖσσον. Οὐ ῥοιζῶ δέ σε, Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὢν ἄκοσμος, ὑβρίζεις ἐμέ. Ἐρ. Πῶς οὖν σὺ μὲν πέπηγας, ἄστατος δ' ἐγώ; Ἀπ. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐκτός εἰμι, καὶ τίς ἡ χάρις; Σὺ δ' ὢν θελητὴς, εἰ θέλεις, ἔχεις πλέον. Ἐρ. Καλῶς· τὰ δ' ἐκτὸς τίς φέρει; Ἀπ. Τί γὰρ κακόν; Ὕλη τάδ' ἐστὶ τοῖς καλοῖς σωτηρίας. Ἐρ. Ἢ κρεῖσσον αὑτὸν αἰτιᾶσθ'; Ἀπ. Οὕτως ἔχει.

ΙΒʹ. Περὶ τοῦ ἐπικήρου τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. Κόσμε φίλ', οὐ φίλε πάντα, τί

μ' ὡς τροχὸς ἀμφιέλικτος Ῥοιζηδὸν φορέεις ἀντιπορευόμενον, 754 Μύρμηχ' ὡς ὀλίγον, πικρὴν φορὰν ἀσχαλόωντα; Ἔμπα γε μὴν φορέεις τόσσον ἐόντα, τόσος. Οἶδα μὲν ὡς θεόθεν σὺ Θεοῦ κλέος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς Χριστοῦ χειρὶ πάγην, πλεκτὸς ἀπ' ἀμφοτέρων, Οὐρανίων χθονίων τε. Τὸ μὲν δέμας ἔνθεν ἐτύχθη· Ψυχὴ δ' αὖ μεγάλου ἐστὶν ἄημα νόου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς πολλοῖσιν ἐλαύνομαι ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Πήμασιν ἐξ ἐμέθεν, πήμασι δυσμενέος. ∆ελφὶς δ' ὡς ἐπὶ χέρσον ἁλίδρομος, ἠέρι θνήσκω. Κόσμε, παρῆλθον ἐγὼ, λαὸν ἄτρωτον ἄγοις.

ΙΓʹ. Περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλήλους μὲν ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ χρόνος, ὡς πετεηνὰ Ἢ νέες

ἐν πελάγει ἀντιπαρερχόμεθα, 755 Ἑσταὸς οὐδὲν ἔχοντες· ὃ δ' ἤμπλακον, οὐ παραθρέξει, Ἀλλὰ μένει· ζωῆς τοῦτο μογηρότατον. Οὐδ' ὅ τι εὔξομ' ἔχω, ζῆσαι πλέον, ἠὲ λυθῆναι· Τάρβος ἐπ' ἀμφοτέροις· ὧδε δὲ φράζεό μοι. Ζωή μοι πολύμοχθος ἁμαρτάσιν. Εἰ δὲ θάνοιμι, Αἲ αἲ, τῶν προτέρων οὐδὲν ἄκος παθέων. Εἰ ζωὴ τόδε σοι τεκμαίρεται, ἧς τόσον ἄχθος, Οὐδὲ τὸ λυθῆναι λῦσιν ἔχει καμάτων, Κρημνὸς δ' ἀμφοτέρωθε. Τί ῥέξομεν; ἦ τόδ' ἄριστον, Λεύσσειν πρὸς σὲ μόνον, σήν τ' ἀγανοφροσύνην.

Ι∆ʹ. Περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. Χθιζὸς ἐμοῖς ἀχέεσσι τετρυμένος, οἶος ἀπ'

ἄλλων Ἥμην ἐν σκιερῷ ἄλσεϊ, θυμὸν ἔδων. 756 Καὶ γάρ πως φιλέω τόδε φάρμακον ἐν παθέεσσιν, Αὐτὸς ἐμῷ θυμῷ προσλαλέειν ἀκέων. Αὖραι δ' ἐψιθύριζον ἅμ' ὀρνιθέεσσιν ἀοιδοῖς, Καλὸν ἀπ' ἀκρεμόνων κῶμα χαριζόμεναι, Καὶ μάλα περ θυμῷ κεκαφηότι. Οἱ δ' ἀπὸ δένδρων Στηθομελεῖς, λιγυροὶ, ἠελίοιο φίλοι, Τέττιγες λαλαγεῦντες ὅλον κατεφώνεον ἄλσος. Πὰρ δ' ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν ἐγγὺς ἔκλυζε πόδας, Ἦκα ῥέον δροσεροῖο δι' ἄλσεος. Αὐτὰρ ἔγωγε Τὼς ἐχόμην κρατερῶς ἄλγεος, ὡς ἐχόμην. Τῶν μὲν ἄρ' οὐκ ἀλέγιζον, ἐπεὶ νόος, εὖτε πυκασθῇ Ἄλγεσιν, οὐκ ἐθέλει τέρψιος ἀντιάειν. Αὐτὸς δὲ, στροφάλιγξιν ἑλισσομένοιο νόοιο, Τοίην ἀντιπάλων δῆριν ἔχων ἐπέων· 757 Τίς γενόμην, τίς δ' εἰμὶ, τί δ' ἔσσομαι; Οὐ σάφα οἶδα. Οὐδὲ μὲν ὅστις ἐμοῦ πλειότερος σοφίην. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμένος ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, Πλάζομαι οὐδὲν ἔχων, οὐδ' ὄναρ, ὧν ποθέω. Πάντες γὰρ χθαμαλοὶ καὶ ἀλήμονες, οἷσι παχείης Σαρκὸς ἐπικρέμαται κυανέη νεφέλη. Κεῖνος δ' ἐστὶν ἐμεῖο σοφώτερος, ὃς πλέον ἄλλων Ἤπαφεν ἧς κραδίης ψεῦδος ἑτοιμολόγον. Εἰμί. Φράζε τί τοῦτο; Τὸ