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It is easy and very simple, for those freed from superfluous and vain meddlesomeness, to perceive it having taken hold of the rudders of the universe, and wisely governing all things. But since many men are unwilling to see voluntarily, but even shut their eyes, and stop their ears, and are unwilling to hearken to the voice carried from every quarter, and mock, blaspheme, and slander each of the things that are done well and nobly by God, and string together countless things, weaving false accusations, for this reason, I think, we have undertaken the discourse against the accusation, wishing to show that it is slander, and not a just charge; and having called as our ally the providence that is warred upon by them, and having set it at the head of our defense, we have already gone through eight discourses, refuting the blasphemy of the ungrateful. And as accusers and witnesses of their ingratitude we have brought into the midst, heaven, and earth, and sea, and air, and all the bodies in these, both animate and inanimate, both rational and irrational, winged and walking, and swimming and amphibious. And in addition to these, the constitution of human bodies, in which in each of the parts the wisdom and providence of God shines through. The God-given gift of reason, through which human nature found both agriculture and navigation, and medical and grammatical science, and all the other arts and sciences, which make the life of men more pleasant. And we have shown, so to speak with God's help, also the utility of animals both tame and wild, the usefulness of wealth and poverty, the necessity of slavery and mastership; then in addition to this, that those who are slaves, if they wish to be sensible, draw no harm from masters who live in wickedness. And we brought forth the proofs of these things from the divine Scripture; but for the bitter accusers of Providence, we have left the examination of those who are currently slaves. For it is possible to see even now countless men serving wicked masters, and not only not imitating their masters' wickedness, but even completely abominating it, and embracing virtue, and treading the path opposite to their masters. But perhaps from this they will again take another occasion for accusation against divine Providence, and they will say that the pupils of virtue labor in vain, and sow upon rocks, as the saying goes, and draw water with a sieve, and do such things, in no way enjoying good fruits. For some, they say, live with poverty, and travel through life allotted to much hardship; while others drag the heavy yoke of slavery, and are subject to continual toils, and what is much more grievous than these things, many, detesting wickedness, endure serving wicked masters. What reward then, he says, do these have? What recompense for their virtue? What wages for their 83.720 labors? What is the fruit of their sweat, what are the prizes of their contests? For it is not possible to see all those who have been allotted to slavery enjoying freedom, nor do we see those who were allotted to poverty but have become cultivators of virtue having passed over into the list of the wealthy, but most having remained in their former hardship. But you, O wretched and groveling one, measure happiness by the belly, and the jaw, and the eyebrows, and you think the definition of well-being is a lofty carriage, and bodyguards, and a splendid robe, and horses trained for beauty, and made brilliant with ornaments on their foreheads and breasts, and a shouting herald, and a house raised to a height, and men's quarters decorated with stones from Euboea and Thessaly, and adorned with the painter's art, and couches, and circular tables, and furniture, and drinking cups, and fragrant wines, and a Sicilian and

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εὐπετὲς καὶ μάλα ῥᾴδιον, τῆς περιττῆς καὶ ματαίας πολυπραγμοσύνης ἀπηλλαγμένους, κατιδεῖν ταύτην τῶν τοῦ παντὸς οἰάκων ἐπειλημμένην, καὶ σοφῶς ἅπαντα κυβερνῶσαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων ἑκόντες ὁρᾷν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύουσι, καὶ τὰ ὦτα βύουσι, καὶ τῆς παν ταχόθεν φερομένης φωνῆς ἐπαΐειν οὐκ ἐθέλουσι, καὶ τῶν εὖ καὶ καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γιγνομένων ἕκαστον κωμῳδοῦσι, βλασφημοῦσι, διαβάλλουσι, καὶ μυρία ἄττα συνείρουσι τὰς ψευδεῖς κατηγορίας ὑφαίνοντες, εἰκότως, οἶμαι, τὸν κατὰ τῆς κατηγορίας ἀνεδεξά μεθα λόγον, συκοφαντίαν οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ οὐκ αἰτίαν ὀρ θὴν ἀποδεῖξαι βουλόμενοι· καὶ τὴν πολεμουμένην ὑπ' αὐτῶν προμήθειαν καλέσαντες σύμμαχον, καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀπολογίας προστησάμενοι λόγου, ὀκτὼ μὲν ἤδη διεξ εληλύθαμεν λόγους, τὴν τῶν ἀχαρίστων διελέγχοντες βλασφημίαν. Καὶ τῆς ἀχαριστίας αὐτῶν κατηγόρους ὁμοῦ καὶ μάρτυρας παρηγάγομεν εἰς μέσον, οὐρα νὸν, καὶ γῆν, καὶ θάλασσαν, καὶ ἀέρα, καὶ τὰ ἐν τού τοις ἅπαντα σώματα, ἔμψυχά τε καὶ ἄψυχα, λογικά τε καὶ ἄλογα, πτηνὰ καὶ πεζὰ, καὶ νηκτὰ καὶ ἀμφί βια. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τὴν τῶν ἀνθρωπείων σωμά των κατασκευὴν, τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν μορίων δια λάμπουσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ προμήθειαν. Τὸ θεόσδοτον τοῦ λόγου δῶρον, δι' οὗ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις καὶ γεωργίαν εὗρε, καὶ ναυτιλίαν, ἰατρικήν τε καὶ γραμματικὴν ἐπιστήμην, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἁπά σας τέχνας καὶ ἐπιστήμας, αἳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν βίον ἡδίω κατασκευάζουσιν. Ἀπεδείξαμεν δὲ, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, καὶ τῶν ζώων ἡμέρων τε καὶ ἀγρίων τὴν χρείαν, καὶ πλούτου καὶ πενίας τὸ χρήσιμον, δουλείας καὶ δεσποτείας τὸ ἀναγκαῖον· εἶτα πρὸς τούτοις, ὡς μηδεμίαν πρὸς τῶν κακίᾳ συζώντων δεσποτῶν ἕλκουσι βλάβην, εἰ θέλουσι σωφρονεῖν, οἱ δουλεύοντες. Καὶ τούτων ἐκ μὲν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τὰς ἀποδείξεις εἰς μέσον ἠγάγομεν· τοῖς δὲ πικροῖς τῆς Προνοίας κατ ηγόροις, τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος δουλευόντων τὴν ἐξ έτασιν παρελίπομεν. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἰδεῖν μυρίους πονηροῖς μὲν δεσπόταις δουλεύοντας, οὐ μόνον δὲ τὴν δεσποτικὴν κακίαν οὐ μιμουμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ κομιδῇ ταύτην βδελυττομένους, καὶ καλοκαγαθίαν ἀσπαζο μένους, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν τοῖς δεσπόταις ὁδεύοντας. Ἀλλ' ἴσως πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐντεῦθεν ἀφορμὴν κατηγο ρίας κατὰ τῆς θείας λήψονται Προμηθείας, καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς τροφίμους μάταια πονεῖν φήσουσι, καὶ κατὰ πετρῶν σπείρειν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, καὶ κοσκί νῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖν, καὶ τοιαῦτα ἅττα δρᾷν, καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐδαμῶς ἀπολαύοντας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, φασὶ, πενίᾳ συζῶσι, καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ συγκεκληρωμένοι πολλῇ, τὸν βίον ὁδεύουσιν· οἱ δὲ, τὸν βαρὺν ἕλκουσι τῆς δουλείας ζυγὸν, καὶ διηνεκέσιν ὑπόκεινται πό νοις, καὶ τὸ τούτων πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον, πολλοὶ πονηρίαν, μυσαττόμενοι, πονηροῖς δουλεύειν δε σπόταις ἀνέχονται. Ποῖον οὖν ἔχουσι, φησὶν, οὗτοι μισθόν; ποίας τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς ἀντιδόσεις; ποῖα τῶν 83.720 πόνων τὰ ἐπίχειρα; τίς ὁ τῶν ἱδρώτων καρπός, ποῖα τῶν ἀγώνων τὰ ἆθλα; Οὔτε γὰρ τοὺς δουλεύειν λαχόντας ἅπαντας ἐλευθερίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀπολαύον τας, οὔτε τοὺς πενίᾳ μὲν συγκληρωθέντας, ἀρετῆς δὲ φροντιστὰς γεγενημένους, εἰς τὸν τῶν πλουσίων μεταβάντας ὁρῶμεν κατάλογον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ τοὺς πλείστους ταλαιπωρίᾳ διαμεμενηκότας. Ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν, ὦ ταλαίπωρε καὶ χαμαίζηλε, τῇ γαστρὶ, καὶ τῇ γνάθῳ, καὶ ταῖς ὀφρύσι τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν με τρεῖς, καὶ ὅρον εὐπραξίας εἶναι νομίζεις ζεῦγος ὑψηλὸν, καὶ δορυφόρους, καὶ ἐφεστρίδα λαμπρὰν, καὶ ἵππους ἠσκημένους εἰς κάλλος, καὶ προμετ ωπιδίοις καὶ προστερνιδίοις κόσμοις λαμπρυνομέ νους, καὶ κήρυκα βοῶντα, καὶ οἰκίαν εἰς ὕψος ἐγη γερμένην, καὶ ἀνδρῶνας τοῖς ἐξ Εὐβοίας καὶ Θετ ταλίας λίθοις διηνθισμένους, καὶ γραφικῇ τέχνῃ πε ποικιλμένους, καὶ στιβάδας, καὶ κύκλους, καὶ ἔπι πλα, καὶ ἐκπώματα, καὶ οἴνους ἀνθοσμίας, καὶ πανδαισίαν Σικελικήν τε καὶ