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I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; He says, Be savage and fierce, and quick-tempered and wrathful, and a beast rather than a man. Let us see, then, what is more useful, what is indeed more beneficial. But not this only, but consider that the one is the devil; for if this is shown especially, the prizes of victory will again be greater. For he is not a guardian who commands easy things, but he who commands beneficial things. Since fathers also command burdensome things, and masters likewise to slaves; but for this reason the ones are fathers, and the others are masters; but those others are slave-traders and destroyers and everything opposite. However, that it also has pleasure is clear from this. For in what state do you think the quick-tempered man is, and in what state the patient and meek man? Does not the soul of the latter resemble a wilderness that has great tranquility; while that of the former resembles a marketplace and a tumult, where there is much shouting 60.61 of followers and with camels, and mules, and donkeys, shouting loudly to those who approach, so that they might not be trampled? Does not the soul of such a man again resemble the middle of cities, where now from here the loud sound of silversmiths is heard, and now from there that of bronzesmiths, and some are insulting, while others are being insulted? But the soul of this man resembles a certain mountain peak, having a light breeze, receiving a pure ray of light, pouring forth the transparent streams of springs, and putting forth the many graces of flowers, like spring meadows and gardens, luxuriant with plants and flowers and flowing waters; and if any sound should arise, it is clear-toned and pours down much pleasure on those who hear it. For either songbirds are sitting on the leaves at the tops of the trees, and cicadas, and nightingales, and swallows, harmoniously producing a certain single music; or the west wind, gently falling upon the leaves of the trees, imitates whistling pines and firs, and often swans; or a meadow putting forth roses and lilies leaning toward one another and dark-blue, shows itself like a dark-blue sea gently waving. Rather, one might find many images. For when one looks upon the roses, he will think he sees a rainbow; when upon the violets, a waving sea; when upon the lilies, the sky. And not only by the spectacle, nor by the sight would such a person then be delighted, but also by the body itself. For it rather relaxes him and makes him breathe, so that he thinks he is in heaven rather than on earth. 4. There is also another sound, when water borne spontaneously from the mountain ridge through ravines, and gently rustling with a quiet sound against the pebbles below, so relaxes our limbs with pleasure, that it also quickly brings limb-relaxing sleep to the eyes. You have heard the narrative with pleasure; perhaps you have also become lovers of the wilderness. But much more pleasant than this wilderness is the soul of the patient man. For we have not taken up this image in order to describe a meadow, nor to lead the discourse toward a display; but so that, seeing through the description how great is the pleasure of the patient, and that one would be both more pleased and more benefited by associating with a patient man than by frequenting such places, you might pursue these men. For when not even a violent breath comes forth from this soul, but certain gentle and mild words, truly imaging that calmness of the west wind, and exhortations, having nothing harsh, but imitating the songbirds; how is this not better? For the breeze of the word does not fall upon the body, but relaxes souls. A physician would not so quickly rid a man suffering from fever of his fever, through any effort whatsoever, as a patient man, taking hold of one who is wrathful and burning with anger, would cool him down through the breath of his own words. And why do I say a physician? Not even red-hot iron dipped in water so quickly gives up its heat, as a wrathful man falling upon a patient soul. And just as in the marketplace, if songbirds should enter, 60.62 they seem to be a trifle; so too our precepts, when they fall upon quick-tempered souls. Therefore

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πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν· ἐκεῖνός φησιν, Ἄγριος ἔσο καὶ ἀνήμερος, καὶ ἀκρόχολος καὶ ὀργίλος, καὶ θηρίον μᾶλλον, ἢ ἄνθρωπος. Ἴδωμεν οὖν, τί χρησιμώτερον, τί δαὶ ὠφελιμώτερον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐννόησον, ὅτι ὁ μὲν διάβολός ἐστι· μάλιστα γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνο δειχθῇ, πάλιν τὰ νικητήρια ἔσται μείζονα. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ εὔκολα ἐπιτάττων οὗτος κηδεμὼν, ἀλλ' ὁ συμφέροντα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πατέρες φορτικὰ ἐπιτάττουσι, καὶ δεσπόται πάλιν ὁμοίως δούλοις· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μέν εἰσι πατέρες, οἱ δὲ δεσπόται· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀνδραποδισταὶ καὶ λυμεῶνες καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐναντία. Πλὴν ὅτι καὶ ἡδονὴν ἔχει, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Ἐν τίσι γὰρ νομίζεις εἶναι τὸν ἀκρόχολον, ἐν τίσι δὲ τὸν ἀνεξίκακον καὶ πρᾶον, οὐχὶ τούτου μὲν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐρημίᾳ τινὶ πολλὴν ἐχούσῃ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἔοικεν· ἡ ἐκείνου δὲ ἀγορᾷ καὶ θορύβῳ, ἔνθα πολλὴ ἡ κραυγὴ 60.61 τῶν ἀκολούθων καὶ καμήλοις, καὶ ἡμιόνοις. καὶ ὄνοις, μεγάλα τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ἐμβοώντων, ὥστε μὴ καταπατηθῆναι; οὐχ ἡ μὲν τοῦ τοιούτου ταῖς μέσαις πάλιν τῶν πόλεων ἐοικυῖά ἐστιν, ἔνθα νῦν μὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἀργυροκόπων, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖθεν τῶν χαλκοτύπων ὁ ἦχος πολὺς γίνεται, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπηρεάζουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἐπηρεάζονται; Ἀλλ' ἡ τούτου κορυφῇ τινι ἔοικεν ὄρους, λεπτὴν μὲν ἔχοντι τὴν αὔραν, καθαρὰν δὲ τὴν ἀκτῖνα δεχομένῳ, διειδῆ τὰ νάματα προχέοντι τῶν πηγῶν, καὶ πολλὰς τῶν ἀνθέων προβαλλομένῳ τὰς χάριτας, τῶν ἐαρινῶν ὁμοίως λειμώνων τε καὶ παραδείσων, καὶ φυτοῖς καὶ ἄνθεσι κομώντων καὶ καταῤῥύτοις ὕδασιν· εἴ τις δὲ καὶ ἠχὴ γένοιτο, λιγυρὰ καὶ πολλὴν καταχέουσα τῶν ἀκουόντων τὴν ἡδονήν. Ἢ γὰρ ὄρνιθες ᾠδικοὶ ἄκροις τῶν δένδρων ἐφιζάνουσι τοῖς πετάλοις, καὶ τέττιγες, καὶ ἀηδόνες, καὶ χελιδόνες, συμφώνως μίαν τινὰ ἀποτελοῦσι μουσικήν· ἢ ζέφυρος ἠρέμα τῶν πετάλων τοῖς δένδροις προσπίπτων, πίτυς καὶ πεύκας συριζούσας, καὶ κύκνους πολλάκις μιμεῖται· ἢ λειμὼν ῥόδα προβάλλων καὶ κρίνα ἀλλήλοις προσκεκλικότα καὶ κυανίζοντα, καθάπερ πέλαγος κυανὸν ἠρέμα κυματούμενον δείκνυσι. Μᾶλλον δὲ πολλὰς εἰκόνας εὕροι τις ἄν. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὰ ῥόδα τις ἀποβλέψῃ, τὴν ἶριν οἰήσεται καθορᾷν· ὅταν δὲ εἰς τὰ ἴα, θάλατταν κυματουμένην· ὅταν δὲ εἰς τὰ κρίνα, τὸν οὐρανόν. Οὐ τῇ θέᾳ δὲ μόνον, οὐδὲ τῇ ὄψει τέρποιτο ἂν τότε ὁ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ σώματι αὐτῷ. Ἐκεῖνον γὰρ μᾶλλον ἀνίησί τε καὶ ἀναπνεῖν ποιεῖ, ὥστε νομίζειν ἐν οὐρανῷ μᾶλλον εἶναι, ἢ ἐπὶ γῆς. δʹ. Ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρα τις ἠχὴ, ὅταν ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκρωρείας διὰ χαραδρῶν αὐτομάτως φερόμενον, καὶ ταῖς ὑποκειμέναις ψηφῖσιν ἠρέμα ἐπιψοφοῦν ἡσύχῳ κτύπῳ, οὕτως ἐκλύῃ τὰ μέλη ἡμῶν τῇ ἡδονῇ, ὥστε καὶ ταχέως τὸν λυσιμελῆ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὕπνον ἐπάγειν. Ἡδέως ἠκούσατε τοῦ διηγήματος· τάχα καὶ ἐρασταὶ γεγόνατε ἐρημίας. Ἀλλὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐρημίας ἡδίων πολλῷ τοῦ μακροθύμου ἡ ψυχή. Οὐ γὰρ ἵνα λειμῶνα ὑπογράψωμεν, οὐδὲ ἵνα πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν, ταύτης ἡψάμεθα τῆς εἰκόνος· ἀλλ' ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπογραφῆς ἰδόντες, ὅση τῶν μακροθύμων ἡ ἡδονὴ, καὶ ὅτι πολλῷ ἀνδρὶ μακροθύμῳ συγγινόμενος ἄν τις καὶ ἥδοιτο καὶ ὠφελοῖτο, ἢ τοιούτοις ὁμιλήσας χωρίοις, τούτους μεταδιώκητε. Ὅταν γὰρ μηδὲ πνεῦμα σφοδρὸν ἀπὸ ταύτης ἐξέρχηται τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλ' ἥμεροί τινες λόγοι καὶ προσηνεῖς, καὶ ὄντως ἐκεῖνο τὸ τοῦ ζεφύρου ἤρεμον εἰκονίζοντες, καὶ παραινέσεις, οὐδὲν μὲν ἔχουσαι στῦφον, τοὺς δὲ ὄρνιθας τοὺς ᾠδικοὺς μιμούμεναι· πῶς οὐ τοῦτο βέλτιον; Οὐ γὰρ σώματι προσπίπτει τοῦ λόγου ἡ αὔρα, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς ἀνίησιν. Οὐκ ἂν ἰατρὸς πυρέττοντα ἄνθρωπον οὕτω ταχέως ἀπαλλάξειε τοῦ πυρετοῦ, δι' οἱασδήποτε σπουδῆς, ὡς μακρόθυμος ἀνὴρ καὶ ὀργίλον καὶ καιόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς λαβὼν, καταψύξειε διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τῶν οἰκείων λόγων. Καὶ τί λέγω ἰατρόν; Οὐδὲ σίδηρος πεπυρωμένος καὶ ὕδατι βαπτόμενος οὕτω ταχέως τῆς θέρμης ἀφίσταται, ὡς εἰς μακρόθυμον ψυχὴν ἄνθρωπος ὀργίλος ἐμπεσών. Καθάπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, εἰ εἰσέλθοιεν ᾠδικοὶ ὄρνιθες, 60.62 καὶ λῆρος εἶναι δοκοῦσιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὰ παραγγέλματα τὰ ἡμέτερα, εἰς ψυχὰς ἀκροχόλους ἐμπίπτοντα. Ἄρα