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good. The king therefore says to him one night: Come now, let us go out and walk about the city, to see if we might observe something of benefit. And as they were walking about the city, they saw a ray of light shining from a certain hole; and. casting their eyes upon this, 230 they see a sort of underground, cavelike dwelling, in which sat a man living with extreme poverty and clad in some mean rags. And his wife stood by, mixing wine. And when the man took the cup in his hands, she, singing a clear melody, brought him delight by dancing and charming the man with praises. Those with the king, therefore, observing these things for a considerable time, were amazed that, though oppressed by such poverty as to have neither house nor clothing, they lived their life so cheerfully; and the king says to his chief counselor: O what a marvel, friend, that our life has never pleased you and me in this way, though it shines with such glory and luxury, as this mean and wretched life delights these foolish people, and how this harsh and undesirable life seems smooth and pleasant to them. And the chief counselor, seizing an opportune moment, said: But to you, O king, how does their life seem? Of all that I have ever seen, says the king, the most unpleasant and most unfortunate, both loathsome and abominable. Then the chief counselor says to him, Thus, therefore, know well, O king, our life has been reckoned much more grievous by the overseers and initiates of that eternal glory and of the good things that surpass all understanding; both the houses glittering with gold and these splendid garments, and the rest of this life's luxury, are more unpleasant than refuse and darkness to the eyes of those who know the ineffable beauties of the heavenly tabernacles not made with hands, 232 of the divinely woven robe and of the incorruptible diadems, which God has prepared for those who love him, the Creator and Lord of all. For in the way that these were reckoned by us to be foolish, much more we, who wander about in the world and are self-satisfied in this false glory and senseless luxury, are worthy of laments and tears in the eyes of those who have tasted the sweetness of those good things. And the king, having heard these things, and becoming as if speechless, said: Who then are those who possess a better life than ours? All those, says the chief counselor, who have preferred eternal things to temporary things. Again therefore, when the king sought to learn what the eternal things are, the man says: A kingdom without successor, and a life not subject to death, and a wealth never suspecting poverty, and joy and gladness devoid of all grief and vexation, and a continuous peace free from all enmity and contention. Blessed are those who have been counted worthy to enjoy these things, and this many times over; for they will live a life without grief and without toil for ever, enjoying without labor all the pleasant and delightful things of the kingdom of God, and reigning with Christ without end. and, when the king said, Who is worthy to attain these things?, he answered: All who have taken hold of the road leading there; for the entrance is unhindered for those who only wish it. And the king: And what, he says, is the path leading there? to whom that man, brilliant in soul, said: To know the only true God, 234 and Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son and the Holy and life-giving Spirit. The king, therefore, having a mind worthy of the purple, said to him: And what prevented you until now from making these things known to me? For these things do not seem to me to be worthy of delay and postponement, if indeed they happen to be true; but if they are doubtful, I must search laboriously until I find what is indisputable. Not through carelessness, says the man, or sloth

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ἀγαθόν. φησὶν οὖν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεύς· ∆εῦρο δή, ἐξέλθωμεν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσωμεν τὴν πόλιν, εἴ πού τι τῶν ὠφελούντων ὀψόμεθα. ἐμπεριπατούντων δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν πόλιν, εἶδον φωτὸς αὐγὴν ἀπό τινος τρυμαλιᾶς λάμπουσαν· καί. ταύτῃ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπιβαλόντες, 230 βλέπουσιν ὑπόγειόν τι ἀντρῶδες οἴκημα, ἐν ᾧ προὐκαθέζετο ἀνὴρ ἐσχάτῃ συζῶν πενίᾳ καὶ εὐτελῆ τινα περικείμενος ῥάκια. παρίστατο δὲ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ οἶνον κιρνῶσα. τοῦ δὲ ἀνδρὸς τὴν κύλικα ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβόντος, λιγυρὸν ᾄδουσα μέλος ἐκείνη τέρψιν αὐτῷ ἐνεποίει ὀρχουμένη καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐγκωμίοις καταθέλγουσα. οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοίνυν, ἐπὶ ὥραν ἱκανὴν ταῦτα κατανοοῦντες, ἐθαύμαζον ὅτι, τοιαύτῃ πιεζόμενοι πενίᾳ ὡς μήτε οἴκου εὐπορεῖν μήτ' ἐσθῆτος, οὕτως εὐθύμως τὸν βίον διῆγον· καί φησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ πρωτοσυμβούλῳ αὐτοῦ· Ὦ τοῦ θαύματος, φίλε, ὅτι ἐμοί τε καὶ σοὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς ποτε ἤρεσε βίος, τοσαύτῃ δόξῃ καὶ τρυφῇ περ διαλάμπων, ὡς ἡ εὐτελῆς αὕτη καὶ ταλαίπωρος ζωὴ τούτους δὴ τοὺς ἀνοήτους τέρπει, καὶ ἡδύνει λεῖος αὐτοῖς καὶ προσηνὴς ὁ τραχὺς οὗτος καὶ ἀπευκταῖος βίος καταφαινόμενος. εὐκαίρου δὲ δραξάμενος ὁ πρωτοσύμβουλος ὥρας, ἔφη· Ἀλλὰ σοί γε, βασιλεῦ, πῶς ἡ τούτων φαίνεται βιοτή; Πάντων, φησὶν ὁ βασιλεύς, ὧν πώποτε ἑώρακα ἀηδεστάτη καὶ δυστυχεστάτη, βδελυκτή τε καὶ ἀποτρόπαιος. τότε λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πρωτοσύμβουλος, Οὕτω, οὖν, εὖ ἴσθι, βασιλεῦ, καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερος ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς λελόγισται βίος τοῖς ἐπόπταις καὶ μύσταις τῆς ἀϊδίου δόξης ἐκείνης καὶ τῶν πάντα νοῦν ὑπερβαινόντων ἀγαθῶν· αἵ τε χρυσῷ καταστίλβουσαι οἰκίαι καὶ τὰ λαμπρὰ ταῦτα ἐνδύματα, καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ τοῦ βίου τούτου τρυφή, σκυβάλων τε καὶ ἀμαυρῶν εἰσιν ἀηδέστερα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν εἰδότων τὰ ἀνεκδιήγητα κάλλη τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀχειροτεύ 232 κτων σκηνωματῶν, τῆς θεοϋφάντου τε στολῆς καὶ τῶν ἀφθάρτων διαδημάτων, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν, ὁ πάντων ∆ημιουργὸς καὶ Κύριος. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἀνοηταίνειν ἡμῖν οὗτοι ἐλογίσθησαν, πολλῷ πλέον ἡμεῖς, οἱ τῷ κόσμῳ περιπλανώμενοι καὶ αὐταρεσκοῦντες ἐν τῇ ψευδομένῃ ταύτῃ δόξῃ καὶ ἀνοήτῳ τρυφῇ, θρήνων ἐσμὲν ἄξιοι καὶ δακρύων ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν γευσαμένων τῆς γλυκύτητος τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τούτων ἀκούσας, καὶ ἐννεὸς ὥσπερ γενόμενος, ἔφη· Τίνες οὖν ἐκεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ κρείττονα τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς κεκτημένοι ζωήν; Πάντες, φησὶν ὁ πρωτοσύμβουλος, οἱ τὰ αἰώνια προτιμήσαντες τῶν προσκαίρων. αὖθις οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως μαθεῖν ζητοῦντος τίνα τὰ αἰώνια, φησὶν ὁ ἀνήρ· Βασιλεία ἀδιάδοχος, καὶ ζωὴ μὴ ὑποκειμένη θανάτῳ, καὶ πλοῦτος μηδέποτε ὑφορώμενος πενίαν, χαρά τε καὶ εὐφροσύνη πάσης ἀμέτοχος λύπης καὶ ἀχθηδόνος, καὶ εἰρήνη διηνεκὴς ἐλευθέρα πάσης ἔχθρας καὶ φιλονεικίας. τούτων οἱ καταξιωθέντες ἀπολαύειν μακάριοι, καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις· ἄλυπον γὰρ καὶ ἄμοχθον ζήσουσιν εἰς αἰῶνας ζωήν, πάντων τῶν ἡδέων καὶ τερπνῶν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας ἀμογητὶ ἀπολαύοντες, καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ἀτελεύτητα συμβασιλεύοντες. καί, Τίς ἄξιος τούτων ἐπιτυχεῖν; εἰπόντος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐκεῖνος ἀπεκρίνατο· Πάντες οἱ τῆς ἐκεῖσε ἀπαγούσης ὁδοῦ δραξάμενοι· ἀκώλυτος γὰρ ἡ εἴσοδος τοῖς θελήσασι μόνον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς· Καὶ τίς, φησίν, ἡ ἐκεῖσε φέρουσα τρίβος; πρὸς ὃν ἔφη ὁ λαμπρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκεῖνος· Τὸ γινώσκειν τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεόν, 234 καὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον καὶ ζωοποιὸν Πνεῦμα. Ὁ τοίνυν βασιλεύς, τῆς ἁλουργίδος σύνεσιν ἔχων ἀξίαν, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Καὶ τί τὸ κωλῦσάν σε μέχρι τοῦ νῦν μὴ γνωρίσαι μοι περὶ τούτων; οὐκ ἀναβολῆς γὰρ καὶ ὑπερθέσεως ἄξιά μοι δοκεῖ ὑπάρχειν ταῦτα, εἴ γε ἀληθῆ τυγχάνει· εἰ δὲ ἀμφίβολά ἐστιν, ἐμπόνως δεῖ ζητῆσαι μέχρις ὅτου τὸ ἀναμφίλεκτον εὕροιμι. Οὐκ ἀμελείᾳ, φησὶν ὁ ἀνήρ, ἢ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ