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It is worthy of exceeding admiration that when so many were turned—men, women, the aged, those who seemed to hold the highest reputation, all lying in plain sight—not from the great rush of war, nor from a fierce battle-line of the enemy, but having fallen before the engagement, defeated before the conflict, you yourself, after so many battles and arrays, were not only not softened, nor were you hardened by the multitude of evils, but you are even more youthful, and the addition of contests gives you an addition of strength. For the memory of things already accomplished becomes for you a source of gladness and joy and greater eagerness. For these reasons we rejoice, we leap, we are glad; for I will not cease continually saying this and carrying about everywhere the reason for my joy. So that even if our separation grieves you, yet this is your greatest consolation from your achievements; since even we, settled so great a length of a journey away, reap no small gladness from this, I mean from your courage.

13.t LETTER 13

13.1 What do you say? Did you not set up a trophy nor win a glorious victory? Did you not bind on a crown that blooms perpetually? But does not the whole world say these things, singing of your achievements everywhere on earth? For even if the wrestling-pits and the contests are established in one place, and your double-courses of races and your wrestling-bouts filled with blood instead of sweat have happened there, yet the glory of these things and the praise have reached the ends of the world. But you, wishing to make them greater and to fashion more prizes, have also added to them the crowns of humility, saying that you are as far from these trophies as the dead are from the living. For that these are the words of humility, I will try to convict you rather from the things that have happened. You were cast out from fatherland, house, friends, kinsmen; you were removed to exile; you did not cease dying each day and making up for what was lacking in nature by the abundance of your resolve. For since it is not possible for one who is human to die many deaths in experience, you have done this in intention. And what is greatest, while suffering some things and expecting to suffer others, you did not cease offering up doxology for them to God who allows these things to happen, and dealing a timely blow to the devil. For that he received a timely one, he showed by the means with which he approached and armed himself more greatly; for this reason the latter things became more difficult than the first. For just as a scorpion or a snake, when it receives a deeper blow, raises its sting more greatly and rises up against the one who struck it, giving proof of its great pain by its furious rush against the one striking, so too that shameless beast, when it received wounds deep within from your wonderful and lofty soul, leaped on you more greatly and brought on more temptations. For he brought them on, not God; but God permitted it, increasing your wealth, making your trade greater, procuring a greater reward, a more lavish recompense. Therefore, do not be troubled nor disturbed. For who ever grew weary while growing rich? who was confounded while coming to the highest offices? And if those who gather these human things, things that are mortal and weaker than a shadow and withering more than rotting flowers, leap, dance, fly for pleasure—a pleasure that both appears and flies away at the same time, imitating the course of rivers—how much more is it right for you, even if you were previously in despondency, to make the present time an occasion for the greatest cheerfulness. For the treasure you have gathered is safe from plunder; and the dignity the

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θαυμάζειν ἄξιον ὑπερβολῆς ὅτι τοσούτων τραπέντων ἀνδρῶν, γυναικῶν, γεγηρακότων, τῶν δοκούντων μεγίστην ὑπόληψιν ἔχειν, πάντων ἐπ' ὄψιν κειμένων, οὐδὲ ἐκ πολλῆς πολέμου ῥύμης, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ σφοδρᾶς τῶν ἐχθρῶν παρατάξεως, ἀλλὰ πρὸ συμβολῆς πεσόντων, πρὸ συμπλοκῆς ἡττηθέντων, αὐτὴ μετὰ τοσαύτας μάχας καὶ παρατάξεις οὐ μόνον οὐ κατεμαλακίσθης, οὐδὲ ἐταριχεύθης τῷ πλήθει τῶν κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεανιεύῃ μειζόνως καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων ἡ προσθήκη προσθήκην σοι δίδωσιν ἰσχύος. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἤδη κατορθωθέντων μνήμη καὶ εὐφροσύνης καὶ χαρᾶς καὶ μείζονός σοι γίνεται προθυμίας ὑπόθεσις. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα χαίρομεν, σκιρτῶμεν, εὐφραινόμεθα· οὐ γὰρ παύσομαι συνεχῶς τοῦτο λέγων καὶ περιφέρων μου πανταχοῦ τῆς χαρᾶς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερός σε λυπεῖ χωρισμός, ἀλλὰ μεγίστη σοι αὕτη τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἡ παράκλησις· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοσοῦτον ἀπῳκισμένοι μῆκος ὁδοῦ, οὐ μικρὰν ἐντεῦθεν, ἀπὸ τῆς σῆς ἀνδρείας λέγω, καρπούμεθα εὐφροσύνην.

13.t ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΓʹ

13.1 Τί φῄς; Οὐκ ἔστησας τρόπαιον οὐδὲ ἤρω νίκην λαμπράν; οὐδὲ ἀνεδήσω στέφανον ἀνθοῦντα διηνεκῶς; Ἀλλ' οὐ ταῦτά φησιν ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα ἡ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ᾄδουσά σου τὰ κατορθώματα; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ σκάμματα καὶ οἱ ἀγῶνες ἐν ἑνὶ ἵδρυνται χωρίῳ καὶ οἱ δίαυλοί σου τῶν δρόμων καὶ τὰ ἀντὶ ἱδρῶτος αἵματος ἐμπεπλησμένα σου παλαίσματα αὐτόθι γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ἡ δόξα τούτων καὶ ἡ εὐφημία τὰ τέρματα κατείληφε τῆς οἰκουμένης. Σὺ δὲ αὐτὰ μείζω βουλομένη ποιῆσαι καὶ πλείονα τὰ βραβεῖα ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης αὐτοῖς προσέθηκας στεφάνους λέγουσα τοσοῦτον ἀπέχειν τῶν τροπαίων τούτων ὅσον οἱ νεκροὶ τῶν ζώντων. Ὅτι γὰρ ταπεινοφροσύνης τὰ ῥήματα, μᾶλλον ἐξ αὐτῶν σε ἐλέγξαι πειράσομαι τῶν γεγενημένων. Ἐξέπεσες πατρίδος, οἰκίας, φίλων, συγγενῶν· πρὸς τὴν ὑπερορίαν μετέστης· οὐ διέλιπες καθ' ἑκάστην ἀποθνῄσκουσα τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ τῇ φύσει λεῖπον τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἀναπληροῦσα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἔνι ἄνθρωπον ὄντα τῇ πείρᾳ πολλοὺς θανάτους ἀποθανεῖν, τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦτο πεποίηκας. Καὶ τὸ δὴ μέγιστον, τὰ μὲν πάσχουσα, τὰ δὲ πείσεσθαι προσδοκῶσα οὐκ ἐπαύσω τῷ συγχωροῦντι Θεῷ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀναφέρουσα δοξολογίαν καὶ καιρίαν τῷ διαβόλῳ διδοῦσα πληγήν. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ καιρίαν ἐδέξατο, ἔδειξε δι' ὧν μειζόνως προσιὼν ὡπλίζετο· διὸ καὶ χαλεπώτερα τὰ ὕστερα τῶν πρώτων γέγονε. Καθάπερ γὰρ σκορπίος ἢ ὄφις, ὅταν βαθυτέραν λάβῃ πληγήν, μειζόνως τὸ κέντρον ἄρας κατὰ τοῦ πλήξαντος ἐξανίσταται, τῆς πολλῆς ἀλγηδόνος ἀπόδειξιν παρέχων τὴν ῥαγδαίαν κατὰ τοῦ παίοντος ῥύμην, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ ἀναίσχυντον θηρίον ἐκεῖνο, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τραύματα εἰς βάθος ἐδέξατο παρὰ τῆς θαυμασίας σου καὶ ὑψηλῆς ψυχῆς, μειζόνως ἐπεπήδησε καὶ πλείους ἐπήγαγε πειρασμούς. Ἐπήγαγε μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, οὐχ ὁ Θεός· συνεχώρησε δὲ ὁ Θεὸς αὔξων σου τὸν πλοῦτον, μείζονα ποιῶν τὴν ἐμπορίαν, πλείονα προξενῶν τὸν μισθόν, δαψιλεστέραν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Μὴ τοίνυν ταράττου μηδὲ θορυβοῦ. Τίς γάρ ποτε ἔκαμε πλουτῶν; τίς συνεχύθη ἐπὶ τὰς ὑψηλοτάτας ἐρχόμενος ἀρχάς; Εἰ δὲ οἱ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ταῦτα συνάγοντες, τὰ ἐπίκηρα καὶ σκιᾶς ἀδρανέστερα καὶ ἀνθῶν σηπομένων μᾶλλον μαραινόμενα, σκιρτῶσι, χορεύουσι, πέτονται ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς, τῆς ὁμοῦ τε φαινομένης καὶ ἀφιπταμένης καὶ ποταμίων ῥευμάτων μιμουμένης δρόμον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὲ δίκαιον, καὶ εἰ πρότερον ἦς ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ, τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν εὐθυμίας μεγίστης ποιήσασθαι πρόφασιν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ θησαυρός σου ὃν συνήγαγες ἄσυλος· καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τὸ