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of men toward the Creator, imitating it in this way; but he is vexed, and looks about for lenders, and draws up bonds, and brings upon himself voluntary servitude. The earth has brought forth its fruits, and is heavy with its birth-pangs, and is covered with crops, and weighing down the branches of the trees with the abundance of the fruit, it forces them to bend towards itself; but he again is goaded in another way; for looking about for buyers for the fruits, he does not find them, and the low price resulting from the good harvest becomes for him a little more unbearable. And not only during the day do cares come upon them, and surround and agitate their soul, but also at night they wage war more grievously. For the soul, being at rest and freed from external affairs, perceives its own things, whether good or evil, more accurately. But the servant, while slaving with his body, has a free soul, and one delivered from all these things. For he does not lament the barrenness of the earth, nor does he bewail the lack of buyers for goods; he is not pained at seeing a lender, he does not fear a swarm of collectors, he is not forced to attend at law courts, nor does he dread the herald's voice, nor a judge with a grim look in his eye; he receives his ration by measure, but it is free from care. He sleeps on 83.680 the ground, but anxiety does not drive away his sleep, but being poured sweetly over his eyelids, it does not let him feel the hardness of the ground. And discoursing on this, the Wise Man said: "Sweet is the sleep of a servant." He covers his body with a single tunic, but he has a stronger body than his master. He eats bran bread, not even enjoying a little relish; but he enjoys his food more pleasantly than his master. For the one, continually indulging his belly, and overstepping the limits of satiety, forces down food, and sends it to his stomach by necessity; but the other, measuring his portion by his need, and economically dividing the quart that is given him, receives his food with an appetite, and digests it easily, having his labor as a helper. But you see the servitude, but you do not see the health; and you see the service, but you do not consider the gladness; and you accuse the labor, but you do not count the carefree life blessed; and you slander the ministry, but you do not see the sweetest sleep. And yet from this you ought to have perceived the providence of God, and to have considered the equity of His economy. For since the necessity of sin divided the nature of men into dominion and servitude, with dominion it both yoked cares, and allotted sleeplessness, and assigned more diseases; but to servitude, it has given more health, and a more pleasant enjoyment of food, and a sweet and longer sleep, able to release the body from weariness, and to make it stronger for the labors of the next day. Therefore do not see the labors alone, but also consider the consolations for the labors, and hymn the Ruler of all through all things. Why then do you slander labors, you who easily slander all things? What of human goods is achieved without labor? What good fortune of men does nature not reap through labors? We reap the goods from farming through labors, and the fruits of commerce; we build cities, constructing them with labor; with labors leading the way, we enjoy houses, we cover the body with clothing, we put shoes on our feet, we bring ourselves all kinds of food. And why must one enumerate all the needs of men, of which labors are the creators? But you seem to be a drone, and to have been reared in idleness, and to be reaping the fruits of others' labors, while contributing nothing yourself to life, but only a tongue, entrusted to mock everything. But idleness has also begotten this nonsense, and this much idle talk. For he who is occupied with labors, speaks little, but works very much. If therefore by labor of the good things

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ἀνθρώπων περὶ τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην οὕτω πως μιμουμένη· ὁ δὲ ἀνιᾶται, καὶ δανειστὰς περισκοπεῖ, καὶ γραμμα τεῖα διαγράφει, καὶ τὴν αὐθαίρετον ἐπισπᾶται δουλείαν. Ἤνεγκεν ἡ γῆ τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ βρίθει ταῖς ὠδῖσι, καὶ τοῖς ληΐοις καλύπτεται, καὶ βαροῦσα τῷ πλήθει τοῦ καρποῦ τῶν δένδρων τοὺς κλάδους πρὸς ἑαυτὴν νεύειν καταναγκάζει· ὁ δὲ πάλιν ἑτέρως κεντεῖται· τῶν καρπῶν γὰρ τοὺς ὠνητὰς πε ρισκοπῶν οὐχ εὑρίσκει, καὶ γίνεται αὐτῷ τῆς εὐ καρπίας ἡ εὐθηνία μικρῷ τινι ἀφορητοτέρα. Οὐ μό νον δὲ αὐτοῖς μεθ' ἡμέραν αἱ φροντίδες ἐπίασι, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν περιστοιχίζουσι καὶ κυκῶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νύκτωρ χαλεπώτερον πολεμοῦσιν. Ἡσυχάζουσα γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν πραγμάτων ἀπηλλαγ μένη, ἀκριβέστερον τῶν οἰκείων, ἢ ἀγαθῶν, ἢ κακῶν ἐπαισθάνεται. Ὁ δὲ οἰκέτης τῷ σώματι δουλεύων, ἐλευθέραν ἔχει τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων ἀπηλλαγμένην. Οὐ γὰρ ὀδύρεται γῆς ἀκαρπίαν, οὐδὲ ὠνίων ἀπρασίαν ὀλοφύρεται· οὐκ ἀλγύνεται τὸν δα νειστὴν θεωρῶν, οὐ δέδιε πρακτόρων ἐσμὸν, δικαστηρίοις προσεδρεύειν οὐκ ἀναγκάζεται, οὐδὲ δειμαίνει τοῦ κήρυκος τὴν φωνὴν, οὐδὲ δικαστὴν βλοσυρὸν δεικνύντα τὸ ὄμμα· μέτρῳ λαμβάνει τὸ σιτηρέσιον, ἀλλὰ φροντίδος ἀπηλλαγμένον. Ἐπ' 83.680 ἐδάφους καθεύδει, ἀλλ' οὐ μέριμνα τὸν ὕπνον ἐξ ελαύνει, ἀλλὰ γλυκὺς αὐτοῦ τοῖς βλεφάροις ἐπιχεό μενος οὐκ ἐᾷ τῆς τοῦ ἐδάφους ἀντιτυπίας αἰσθάνε σθαι. Καὶ τοῦτο φυσιολογῶν ὁ Σοφὸς ἔλεγε· «Γλυκὺς ὁ ὕπνος τῷ δούλῳ.» Ἑνὶ χιτωνίῳ τὸ σῶμα κα λύπτει, ἀλλὰ ῥωμαλεώτερον ἔχει τοῦ δεσπότου τὸ σῶμα. Ἄρτον ἐσθίει πιτυρίαν, οὐδὲ μικροῦ προσ οψήματος ἀπολαύων· ἀλλ' ἥδιον τοῦ δεσπότου τῆς τροφῆς ἀπολαύει. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διηνεκῶς γαστριζόμε νος, καὶ τοῦ κόρου τοὺς ὅρους ὑπερβαίνων, ὠθεῖ τὰ σιτία, καὶ κατ' ἀνάγκην τῇ γαστρὶ παραπέμπει· ὁ δὲ τῇ χρείᾳ μετρῶν τὴν μετάληψιν, καὶ τὸν χοίνικα τὸν διδόμενον οἰκονομικῶς διαιρῶν, ὀρεγόμενος τὴν τροφὴν ὑποδέχεται, καὶ πέττει ῥᾳδίως, συνεργὸν λαβὼν τὸν πόνον. Σὺ δὲ τὴν μὲν δουλείαν βλέπεις, τὴν δὲ ὑγείαν οὐ βλέπεις· καὶ τὴν μὲν δια κονίαν ὁρᾷς, τὴν δὲ θυμηδίαν οὐ θεωρεῖς· καὶ τοῦ μὲν πόνου κατηγορεῖς, τὸν δὲ ἀφρόντιδα βίον οὐ μακαρίζεις· καὶ τὴν μὲν ὑπουργίαν διαβάλλεις, τὸν δὲ ἥδιστον ὕπνον οὐ βλέπεις. Καὶ μὴν ἔδει κἀντεῦθεν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν κατιδεῖν, καὶ τὴν τῆς οἰκονο μίας ἰσότητα θεωρῆσαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνάγκη εἰς ἡγεμονίαν καὶ δουλείαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν διένειμε, τῇ μὲν μετὰ τῆς ἡγεμονίας καὶ τὰς φροντίδας συνέζευξε, καὶ ἀγρυπνίας συνεκλή ρωσε, καὶ νόσους πλείους ἀπένειμε· τῇ δὲ δουλείᾳ, πλείονα δέδωκε τὴν ὑγείαν, καὶ ἡδίω τῆς τροφῆς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, καὶ ὕπνον ἡδὺν καὶ μακρότερον, λῦσαι τοῦ κόπου τὸ σῶμα δυνάμενον, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πόνους αὐτὸ τῆς ὑστεραίας ἐῤῥωμενέστερον ἀποφῆναι. Μὴ τοίνυν μόνους ὅρα τοὺς πόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τῶν πόνων θεώρει παραμυθίας, καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανιν διὰ πάντων ἀνύμνει. Τί δήποτε δὲ διαβάλ λεις τοὺς πόνους ὁ πάντα ῥᾳδίως συκοφαντῶν; Τί τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀγαθῶν δίχα πόνου κατορθοῦται; Ποίαν εὐκληρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις οὐ διὰ πό νων καρποῦται; Τὰ ἐκ γηπονίας ἀγαθὰ διὰ πόνων καρπούμεθα, καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἐμπορίας καρ πούς· πόλεις οἰκοδομοῦμεν, μετὰ πόνου ταύτας κατασκευάζοντες· πόνων ἡγουμένων, οἰκιῶν ἀπο λαύομεν, ἐσθῆτι τὸ σῶμα καλύπτομεν, ὑποδήματα τοῖς ποσὶ περιτίθεμεν, σιτία παντοδαπὰ προσφερό μεθα. Καὶ τί δεῖ πάσας καταλέγειν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς χρείας, ὧν οἱ πόνοι δημιουργοί; Ἀλλ' ἔοικας κηφήν τις εἶναι, καὶ ἀργίᾳ συντεθραμμένος, καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων πόνων δρεπόμενος τοὺς καρποὺς, οὐδὲν δὲ αὐτὸς συνεισφέρων τῷ βίῳ, ἀλλὰ γλῶτταν μόνην, πάντα σκώπτειν πεπιστευμένην. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ὕθλον, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἀδολεσχίαν, ἡ ἀργία γεγέννηκεν. Ὁ γὰρ πόνοις ἐσχολακὼς, ὀλίγα μὲν φθέγγεται, πολλὰ δὲ λίαν ἐργάζεται. Εἰ τοίνυν πόνῳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν