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For not even if someone should attain power over all land and sea would he be a ruler in truth, unless he first learned and was trained in being ruled. To be subordinate to one's betters is most beneficial for a man; since it is difficult to know how to be ruled, it is likely that ruling men is much more difficult.

TITLE 22. -Concerning anarchy, that is, a people not having a shepherd.

You will make men like the fish of the sea, and like the reptiles that have no leader. When Jesus came, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Anarchy is disorder; rule by many is seditious, and thus anarchic, and thus disorderly. For both lead to the same thing, to disorder, and to dissolution. For disorder is the practice of dissolution. Disorder is a sign of anarchy; while order shows the one who is leading. Where there is no ruler, there is always disorder. Anarchy is rather also sedition, rule by many brought on by rivalry from equality of honor. Oh, how many and how great are the evils that spring from anarchy! Famine, war, devastation of lands, loss of possessions, kidnappings, fears of slavery and death.

TITLE 23. -Concerning acedia and despondency.

Why are you so sorrowful, O my soul? and why do you trouble me? When my heart was in despair on a rock, you lifted me up. I was idle, and my spirit fainted. My soul has slumbered from acedia, strengthen me in your words. Despondency has taken hold of me because of the sinners who forsake your law. Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees. Be strong, do not be afraid. Behold our God. Behold our Lord comes with strength. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, a soul in 95.1212 groans, and a spirit of acedia has cried out to you: O Lord, hear, O Lord, have mercy, for you are a merciful God. Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Excessive dejection becomes a cause of sin. I am like those at sea, who are perishing and seasick from inexperience in sailing; who are vexed by the size of the ship, as it produces a great swell, and moving from there to the boat and the skiff, they are seasick everywhere, and everywhere at a loss; for the nausea and the bile go with them. Such is also our case. For carrying about our indwelling passions, we are everywhere with similar disturbances. More harmful than any demonic energy is the excess of despondency and acedia; since even a demon, in those whom it overpowers, overpowers through despondency. And if you take this away, no evil or terrible thing will come to you from it. The time for despondency is not when we suffer evil, but when we do evil. The struggle for each of us is against the spirit of acedia, which is yoked with and works together with the spirit of sorrow. This is a terrible and most heavy demon, and it always wars against monks; which about the sixth hour falls upon the monk, producing in him listlessness and shuddering, and creating hatred, both for the place itself, and for the brothers living with him, and for all work, and for the very reading of the divine Scriptures, and suggesting to him also thoughts of moving, as if unless he moves himself to other places, all his time and his labor will be in vain. In addition to all these things, it also puts into him a hunger about the sixth hour, such as would not have happened to him from a three-day fast, or a very long journey, or a very heavy labor. Then it puts thoughts into him, that in no other way will he be able to be freed from this disease and burden, except by going out continually, and visiting brothers for the sake of benefit, and visiting the sick. When therefore it has been unable in these things to... him

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Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τὸ κράτος ἀνάψοιτό τις, ἄρχων ἂν εἴη πρὸς ἀλήθειαν, εἰ μὴ μάθοι καὶ προπαιδευθείη τὸ ἄρχεσθαι. Τὸ ὑποτάττεσθαι τοῖς κρείττοσιν, ὠφελιμώτατον ἀνθρώπῳ· χαλεποῦ ὄντος τὸ εἰδέναι ἄρχεσθαι, κινδυνεύει πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον τὸ ἄρχειν ἀνθρώπων.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΒʹ. -Περὶ ἀναρχίας, ἤτοι λαοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος ποιμένα.

Ποιήσεις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ὡς τὰ ἑρπετὰ οὐκ ἔχοντα ἡγούμενον. Ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶδεν ὄχλον πολὺν, καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ὅτι ἦσαν ὡς πρόβατα ἀποίμενα. Τό τε ἄναρχον, ἄτακτον· τὸ πολύαρχον, στασιῶδες, καὶ οὕτως ἄναρχον, καὶ οὕτως ἄτακτον. Εἰς ταὐτὸν γὰρ ἀμφότερα φέρει, τὴν ἀταξίαν, εἰς δὲ ἔκλυσιν. Ἀταξία γὰρ μελέτη λύσεως. Ἡ μὲν ἀταξία ἀναρχίας ἐστὶ γνώρισμα· ἡ δὲ τάξις τὸν ἡγεμονεύοντα δείκνυσιν. Ἔνθα μή ἐστιν ἄρχων, ἐκεῖ πάντως ἀταξία γίνεται. Ἀναρχία μᾶλλον καὶ στάσις, ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας ἀντιπαρεξαγομένη πολυαρχία. Ὦ πόσα καὶ ἡλίκα κακὰ ἐξ ἀναρχίας φύεται! Λιμὸς, πόλεμος, δῃώσεις χωρίων, στέρησις χρημάτων, ἀπαγωγαὶ, οἱ περὶ δουλείας καὶ θανάτου φόβοι.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΓʹ. -Περὶ ἀκηδίας, καὶ ἀθυμίας.

Ἵνα τί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου; ἵνα τί συνταράσσεις με; Ἐν τῷ ἀκηδιᾶσαι τὴν καρδίαν μου ἐν πέτρᾳ, ὕψωσάς με. Ἠδολέσχησα, καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησε τὸ πνεῦμά μου. Ἐνύσταξεν ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπὸ ἀκηδίας, βεβαίωσόν με ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου. Ἀθυμία κατέσχε με ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν τῶν ἐγκαταλιμπανόντων τὸν νόμον σου. Ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι, καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα. Ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ἰδοὺ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται. Ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Κύριε παντοκράτορ, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ψυχὴ ἐν 95.1212 στεναγμοῖς, καὶ πνεῦμα ἀκηδιῶν ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς σέ· Κύριε, ἄκουσον, Κύριε, ἐλέησον, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεήμων εἶ. Τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας, καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε, καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ χωλὸν ἐκτραπῇ, ἰαθῇ δὲ μᾶλλον. Ἡ εἰς ἄγαν κατήφεια γίνεται τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰτία. Ὅμοιός εἰμι τοῖς ἐν θαλάσσῃ, ὑπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν ἀπειρίας ἀπολλυμένοις καὶ ναυτιῶσιν· οἳ τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ πλοίου δυσχεραίνουσιν, ὡς πολὺν τὸν σάλον παρεχομένῳ, κἀκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν λέμβον καὶ τὸ ἀκάτιον μεταβαίνοντες, πανταχοῦ ναυτιῶσι, καὶ πανταχοῦ ἀποροῦσι· συμμετέρχεται γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀηδία καὶ ἡ χολή. Τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον. Τὰ γὰρ ἔνοικα πάθη περιφέροντες, πανταχοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὁμοίων θορύβων ἐσμέν. Πάσης δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας βλαβερωτέρα ἡ τῆς ἀθυμίας καὶ ἀκηδίας ὑπερβολή· ἐπεὶ καὶ δαίμων ἐν οἷς ἂν κρατῇ, δι' ἀθυμίας κρατεῖ. Κἂν ταύτην ἀφέλῃς, οὐδέν σοι παρ' ἐκείνου γενήσεται κακὸν ἢ δεινόν. Καιρὸς ἀθυμίας, οὐχ ὅταν πάσχωμεν κακῶς, ἀλλ' ὅταν δρῶμεν κακῶς. Ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ἀγών ἐστι κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἀκηδίας, συνεζευγμένου καὶ συνεργοῦντος τῷ πνεύματι τῆς λύπης. ∆εινὸς οὗτος καὶ βαρύτατος δαίμων, καὶ τοῖς μοναχοῖς ἀεὶ πολεμῶν· ὅστις καθ' ὥραν ἕκτην ἐπιπίπτει τῷ μοναχῷ, ἀτονίαν καὶ φρίκην αὐτῷ ἐμποιῶν, καὶ μῖσος ἐργαζόμενον, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν τόπον, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς συνδιατρίβοντας ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τῶν θείων Γραφῶν τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν, ὑποβαλὼν αὐτῷ καὶ λογισμοὺς μεταβάσεως, ὡς εἰ μὴ μεταστήσῃ ἑαυτὸν πρὸς ἑτέρους τόπους, μάταιος αὐτῷ πᾶς ὁ χρόνος, καὶ ὁ πόνος γενήσεται. Πρὸς τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ πεῖναν αὐτῷ ἐντίθησι περὶ ὥραν ἕκτην, οἵα αὐτῷ οὐκ ἂν συνέβη ἐκ τριημέρου νηστείας, ἢ μακροτάτης ὁδοῦ, ἢ βαρυτάτου κόπου. Ἔπειτα λογισμοὺς αὐτῷ ἐμβάλλει, ὡς οὐδενὶ ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ δυνήσεται τῆς νόσου ταύτης καὶ τοῦ βάρους ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ τοῦ ἐξέρχεσθαι συνεχῶς, καὶ παραβάλλειν ἀδελφοῖς χάριν ὠφελείας, καὶ ἐπισκέψεως ἀσθενούντων. Ὅταν οὖν μὴ δυνηθῇ ἐν τούτοις αὐτὸν