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But he, when he had cut up the body of the just man, piercing it with all kinds of sores, and made it weaker, then he was conquered and withdrew; and when he had dug through his sides from all directions, he gained nothing more, for he did not plunder the treasure laid up within, but he made him more manifest to us, and through that digging he allowed all to look inside, and to learn of all his wealth; and when he expected to prevail, then he withdrew with great shame, and uttered no further sound. What has happened, O devil? For what reason do you withdraw? Did not all that you wished come to pass? Did you not destroy his flocks, his herds of cattle, his herds of horses, of mules? Did you not also destroy the company of his children, and cut up all his flesh? For what reason did you withdraw? "Because," he says, "all that I wished has indeed come to pass; but that which I most wanted to happen, and for which I did all those things, this has not happened; for he did not blaspheme; for it was for this," he says, "that I did all those things, that this might come forth." But since this did not happen, I gained nothing from the loss of his possessions, and the destruction of his children, and the wounding of his body, but the very opposite of what I wished has come to pass: I made my enemy more illustrious, and I rendered him more glorious. Do you see how great is the gain of affliction, beloved? For his body was beautiful even when it was healthy, but it became much more venerable when it was cut by those wounds; just as wool is beautiful even before dyeing, but when it becomes purple, it takes on an unspeakable beauty, and great comeliness. If he had not stripped him, we would not have known the good condition of the victor; if he had not pierced his body with scars, the rays would not have shone forth from within; if he had not set him upon the dungheap, we would not have known his wealth. For a king sitting upon a throne is not so splendid as he was then, sitting upon the dungheap, distinguished and conspicuous; for after the royal throne comes death, but after that dungheap, the kingdom of heaven.

B. Considering all these things, therefore, let us recover ourselves from the despondency that holds us. For I set these stories before you not so that you might praise what is said, but so that you might imitate the virtue and the endurance of those noble men, so that through their works you may learn that there is nothing dreadful among human ills, except sin alone, not poverty, not sickness, not insult, not abuse, not dishonor, not what seems to be the last of all evils, death. For these are only names to those who philosophize, names of misfortunes, empty of reality; but the true misfortune is to offend God, and to do something that is not pleasing to him. For what is terrible about death, tell me? that it sends you more quickly to the fair haven and that untroubled life? For even if a man does not kill you, will not the law of nature itself come and separate the body from the soul? For even if this does not happen now, what we now fear will happen a little later. And I say these things not expecting anything terrible or grievous—may it not be—but out of shame for those who fear death. Expecting so many good things, tell me, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart 49.71 of man, do you shrink from their enjoyment, and are you careless and hesitant? And not only are you hesitant, but you also fear and tremble? And how is it not shameful, that you are pained on account of death, while Paul groaned on account of the present life? and writing to the Romans he said, that "The creation groans together, and we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan." And he said these things not condemning present things, but longing for things to come. "I have tasted," he says, "of grace, and I cannot bear the delay; I have the firstfruits of the Spirit, and I hasten toward the whole; I ascended to the third heaven, I saw that ineffable glory, I saw the splendid palaces, I learned of what I am deprived while I tarry here, and for these reasons I groan." For tell me, if someone brought you into royal courts, and gold

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οὗτος δὲ, ὅτε κατέκοψε τὸ σῶμα τοῦ δικαίου, παντοδαποῖς ἕλκεσιν αὐτὸ διατρήσας, καὶ ἀσθενέστερον ἐποίησε, τότε ἐνικήθη καὶ ἀνεχώρησε· καὶ ἐπειδὴ διώρυξεν αὐτοῦ πάντοθεν τὰς πλευρὰς, αὐτῷ μὲν πλέον οὐδὲν ἐγένετο, τὸν γὰρ ἐναποκείμενον θησαυρὸν οὐκ ἀπεσύλησεν, ἡμῖν δὲ φανερώτερον αὐτὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ διὰ τῆς διωρυγῆς ἐκείνης ἔδωκεν ἅπασιν εἰς τὸ ἔνδον βλέπειν, καὶ καταμανθάνειν αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον ἅπαντα· καὶ ὅτε κρατεῖν προσεδόκησε, τότε μετ' αἰσχύνης πολλῆς ἀνεχώρησε, καὶ οὐδεμίαν οὐκέτι φωνὴν ἀφῆκε. Τί γέγονεν, ὦ διάβολε; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀναχωρεῖς; οὐκ ἐγένετο πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησας; οὐκ ἀνεῖλες αὐτοῦ τὰ ποίμνια, τὰ βουκόλια, τὰς ἀγέλας τῶν ἵππων, τῶν ἡμιόνων; οὐχὶ καὶ τὸν χορὸν τῶν παίδων ἀπώλεσας, καὶ τὴν σάρκα κατέκοψας ἅπασαν; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀνεχώρησας; Ὅτι ἐγένετο μὲν πάντα, ὅσα ἠθέλησα, φησίν· ὃ δὲ γενέσθαι μάλιστα ἐβουλόμην, καὶ δι' ὃ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐποίησα, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐγένετο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβλασφήμησε· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐποίουν, φησὶν, ἵνα τοῦτο ἐξέλθῃ. Τούτου δὲ μὴ γενομένου, οὐδέν μοι πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς ζημίας τῶν χρημάτων ἐγένετο, καὶ τῆς τῶν παίδων ἀπωλείας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος πληγῆς, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἤπερ ἐβουλόμην ἐξέβη, λαμπρότερον ἐποίησα τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ φαιδρότερον εἰργασάμην. Ἔγνως ὅσον τῆς θλίψεως τὸ κέρδος, ἀγαπητέ; Καλὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ὑγιαῖνον ἦν, πολλῷ δὲ σεμνότερον γέγονε κατατμηθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τραυμάτων ἐκείνων· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἔρια καλὰ μὲν καὶ πρὸ τῆς βαφῆς, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἁλουργὰ γένηται, ἄφατον προσλαμβάνει τὸ κάλλος, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν εὐπρέπειαν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀπέδυσεν αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωμεν τοῦ στεφανίτου τὴν εὐεξίαν· εἰ μὴ διέτρησεν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ταῖς ὠτειλαῖς, οὐκ ἂν ἀντέλαμψαν ἔνδοθεν αἱ ἀκτῖνες· εἰ μὴ ἐκάθισεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωμεν αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω λαμπρὸς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος βασιλεὺς, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας τότε καθήμενος ἐπίσημος ἦν καὶ περιφανής· μετὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸν βασιλικὸν θρόνον θάνατος, μετὰ δὲ τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην οὐρανῶν βασιλεία.

βʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα ἀναλογιζόμενοι ἀνενέγκωμεν ἐκ τῆς κατεχούσης ἀθυμίας ἡμᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ ταύτας ὑμῖν παρατίθημι τὰς ἱστορίας, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπαινῆτε τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' ἵνα μιμήσησθε τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν τῶν γενναίων ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν, ἵνα διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν μάθητε, ὅτι οὐδὲν δεινὸν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων δεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἁμαρτία μόνον, οὐ πενία, οὐ νόσος, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐκ ἐπήρεια, οὐκ ἀτιμία, οὐ τὸ πάντων δοκοῦν ἔσχατον εἶναι τῶν κακῶν ὁ θάνατος. Ὀνόματα γὰρ ταῦτά ἐστι μόνον τοῖς φιλοσοφοῦσι, συμφορῶν ὀνόματα, πραγμάτων ἔρημα· ἡ δ' ἀληθὴς συμφορὰ τὸ προσκροῦσαι Θεῷ, καὶ ποιῆσαί τι τῶν μὴ δοκούντων αὐτῷ. Τί γὰρ ἔχει δεινὸν ὁ θάνατος, εἰπέ μοι; ὅτι σε ταχύτερον ἐπὶ τὸν εὔδιον λιμένα παραπέμπει καὶ τὴν ἀτάραχον ἐκείνην ζωήν; κἂν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος μὴ ἀποκτείνῃ, αὐτὸς τῆς φύσεως ὁ νόμος ἐπελθὼν, οὐ διαλύσει τὸ σῶμα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς; κἂν γὰρ μὴ νῦν γένηται τοῦτο, ἔσται μικρὸν ὕστερον, ὃ νῦν δεδοίκαμεν. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω οὐ προσδοκῶν τι δεινὸν, οὐδὲ λυπηρόν· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν δεδοικότων τὸν θάνατον αἰσχυνόμενος. Τοσαῦτα προσδοκῶν, εἰπέ μοι, ἀγαθὰ, ἃ μήτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, μήτε οὖς ἤκουσε, μήτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν 49.71 ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ἀναδύῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, καὶ ἀμελεῖς καὶ ὀκνεῖς; καὶ οὐκ ὀκνεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δέδοικας καὶ φρίττεις; Καὶ πῶς οὐκ αἰσχρὸν, ὅτι σὺ διὰ θάνατον ὀδυνᾶσαι, Παῦλος δὲ διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ἔστενε ζωήν; καὶ Ῥωμαίοις γράφων ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Καὶ ἡ κτίσις συστενάζει, καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἔχοντες στενάζομεν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔλεγεν οὐχὶ τῶν παρόντων καταγινώσκων, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ποθῶν. Ἐγευσάμην, φησὶ, τῆς χάριτος, καὶ οὐ στέγω τὴν ἀναβολήν· τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἔχω τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ πᾶν ἐπείγομαι· ἀνέβην εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν, εἶδον τὴν δόξαν ἐκείνην τὴν ἄῤῥητον, εἶδον τὰ βασίλεια τὰ λαμπρὰ, ἔμαθον τίνων ἀπεστέρημαι διατρίβων ἐνταῦθα, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα στενάζω. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τίς σε εἰς βασιλικὰς εἰσήγαγεν αὐλὰς, καὶ χρυσὸν