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to itself and to its own parts, both to the more important and to the lesser, which are likewise suitable. He, therefore, who blames the whole on account of the parts would be absurd in his accusation; for one must examine the parts in relation to the whole itself, whether they are consonant and harmonious with it, and in examining the whole, one must not look at certain small parts; for this is not the act of one blaming the world, but of one who takes some of its parts separately, as if one, neglecting the whole man, were to look at the hair of any living creature or the toes on the ground, a certain demonic vision, or by Zeus, if one, leaving aside the other animals, were to take the most insignificant, or, passing over the whole race, like that of man, were to bring Thersites into the middle. Since, then, what has come into being is the entire world, one contemplating it might perhaps hear from it, "God has made me, and I came from there, perfect, out of all living things, and sufficient for myself and self-sufficient, needing nothing, because all things are in me, both plants 6.63 and animals and the nature of all created things." And through these words he has revealed another theft, of things which he has plundered. For he seems to me to have heard the divine David saying: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands." And a little later he shows the difference among created things, and says: "Some things seem to partake only of being, others of life, others more in perceiving, others already have reason, and others all of life. For one must not demand the same things from those that are not the same; for seeing is not the function of fingers, but of eyes; but of a finger 6.64 there is another, I think, to be a finger and to have its own function." He said that only stones and things like them partake of being, but that plants partake also of life, and he has said that irrational creatures have sensation along with life, that the human race partakes of reason, and that the nature of incorporeal beings has perfect life, and to these things he added: "But if fire is extinguished by water and another thing is destroyed by fire, do not be surprised; for it was another that brought them into being." 6.65 And concerning virtue and vice in the same discourse he relates such things: "Many things also suffer from others, both from those who act unwillingly and from those who are striving for something else. But those living creatures that have self-determined motion through themselves may incline sometimes toward the better, sometimes toward the worse; but to seek the turn toward the worse from Him is perhaps not right; for a small turn having occurred in the beginning, this, as it proceeds, always makes the sin greater and larger; and a body is present and of necessity desire; and the first and sudden impulse, if overlooked and not immediately checked, has also produced the choice into which one fell. But surely justice follows; and it is not unjust for one who has become such to suffer things consequent to his disposition, nor must one demand for these the possession of happiness, for whom things worthy of happiness have not been worked. But only the good are happy; for on this account the gods are also happy. If, therefore, it is possible even for souls in this universe to be happy, if some are not happy, one must not blame the universe, but their own weaknesses, for not being able to contend well in the contest where prizes for virtue are set forth; and for those who have not become divine not to have a divine life 6.66 what is terrible about that?" Then he also enumerates the hardships and says these are necessary for sinners; "For poverty," he says, "and diseases are nothing to the good, but a misfortune to the wicked, and it is necessary for those who have bodies to be sick; and these things are not 6.67 altogether useless for the ordering and completion of the whole." Then he teaches that from these examples most others are benefited, and says: "And vice has worked something useful for the whole, having become an example of justice and providing many useful things from itself. For it has made men watchful, and it awakens mind and understanding in those who oppose the ways of wickedness, and it makes them learn what a good thing virtue is by comparison with the evils which the wicked have. And the evils have not come into being for these reasons, but it has been said that He uses them for a good purpose, since they have come into being. And this is a mark of the greatest power, to be able to use even evils well and to be sufficient to use things that have become formless for other forms. In general, 6.68 evil must be considered a privation of good." And after many such things

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αὑτῷ καὶ τοῖς μέρεσι τοῖς αὑτοῦ, τοῖς τε κυριωτέροις καὶ τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν, ὡσαύτως προσφόροις. Ὁ τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν μερῶν τὸ ὅλον αἰτιώμενος ἄτοπος ἂν εἴη τῆς αἰτίας· τά τε γὰρ μέρη πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ὅλον δεῖ σκοπεῖν, εἰ ξύμφωνα καὶ ἁρμότ τοντα ἐκείνῳ, τό τε ὅλον σκοπούμενον μὴ πρὸς μέρη ἄττα σμικρὰ βλέπειν· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ τὸν κόσμον αἰτιωμένου, ἀλλά τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ χωρὶς λαβόντα, οἷον εἰ παντὸς ζῴου τρίχα ἢ τῶν χαμαὶ δακτύλων, ἀμελήσας τὸν πάντα ἄνθρωπον, δαιμονίαν τινὰ ὄψιν βλέπειν, ἢ νὴ ∆ία τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα ἀφεὶς τὸ εὐτελέστατον λαμβάνοι, ἢ τὸ ὅλον γένος παρείς, οἷον τὸ ἀνθρώπου, Θερσίτην εἰς μέσον ἄγοι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ γενόμενον ὁ κόσμος ἐστὶν ὁ ξύμπας, τοῦτον θεωρῶν τάχα ἂν ἀκούσαι παρ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐμὲ πεποιήκει ὁ θεός, κἀγὼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐγενόμην τέλειος ἐκ πάντων ζῴων καὶ ἱκανὸς ἐμαυτῷ καὶ αὐτάρκης οὐδενὸς δεόμενος, ὅτι πάντα ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ τὰ φυτὰ 6.63 καὶ τὰ ζῷα καὶ ξυμπάντων τῶν γενητῶν ἡ φύσις." ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων δεδήλωκεν ἑτέραν κλοπήν, ὧν σεσύληκεν. Ἀκηκοέναι γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ∆αυὶδ λέγοντος· "Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα δὲ δείκνυσι τὸ τῶν γεγενημένων διάφορον, καί φησιν· "Τὰ μὲν τοῦ εἶναι μετέχειν δοκεῖ μόνον, τὰ δὲ τοῦ ζῆν, τὰ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ αἰσθάνεσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἤδη λόγον ἔχει, τὰ δὲ πᾶσαν ζωήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰ ἴσα ἀπαιτεῖν δεῖ τοῖς μὴ ἴσοις· οὐδὲ γὰρ δακτύλων τὸ βλέπειν, ἀλλ' ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦτο· δακτύλου δὲ 6.64 ἄλλο, τὸ εἶναι οἶμαι δακτύλῳ καὶ τὸ αὑτοῦ ἔχειν." Μετέχειν δὲ τοῦ εἶναι μόνον τοὺς λίθους ἔφη καὶ τὰ προσόμοια τούτοις, τὰ δέ γε φυτὰ μεταλαχεῖν καὶ τοῦ ζῆν, αἴσθησιν δ' ἔχειν μετὰ τοῦ ζῆν τὰ ἄλογα εἴρηκε, λόγου δὲ μετειληχέναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος, τελείαν δὲ ζωὴν ἔχειν τῶν ἀσωμάτων τὴν φύσιν, τούτοις δὲ ἐπήγαγεν· "Πῦρ δὲ εἰ ὑπὸ ὕδατος σβέννυται καὶ ἕτερον εἰ ὑπὸ πυρὸς φθείρεται, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· καὶ γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἄλλος αὐτὰ ἤγαγεν." 6.65 Καὶ ἀρετῆς δὲ πέρι καὶ κακίας ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ διαλέξει τοιαῦτα διέξεισιν· "Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ὑπ' ἄλλων πάσχει καὶ ἀκόντων τῶν ποιούντων καὶ πρὸς ἄλλο ἱεμένων. Τὰ δὲ δι' αὑτὰ ἔχοντα κίνησιν αὐτεξούσιον ζῷα ῥέποι ἂν ὁτὲ μὲν πρὸς τὰ βελτίω, ὁτὲ δὲ πρὸς τὰ χείρω· τὴν δὲ πρὸς τὰ χείρω τροπὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ ζητεῖν, ἴσως οὐκ ἄξιον· ὀλίγη γὰρ κατ' ἀρχὰς τροπὴ γενομένη προϊοῦσα αὕτη πλέον καὶ μεῖζον τὸ ἁμαρτανόμενον ἀεὶ ποιεῖ· καὶ σῶμα δὲ ξύνεστι καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπιθυμία· καὶ παροφθὲν τὸ πρῶτον καὶ τὸ ἐξαίφνης καὶ μὴ ἀναληφθὲν αὐτίκα, καὶ αἵρεσιν εἰς ὅ τις ἐξέπεσεν ἐνειργάσατο. Ἕπεταί γε μὴν δίκη· καὶ οὐκ ἄδικον τοιόνδε γενόμενον ἀκόλουθα πάσχειν τῇ διαθέσει, οὐδὲ ἀπαιτη τέον τούτοις τὸ εὐδαιμονεῖν ὑπάρχειν, οἷς μὴ εἴργασται εὐδαιμο νίας ἄξια. Οἱ δὲ ἀγαθοὶ μόνοι εὐδαίμονες· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ θεοὶ εὐδαίμονες. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ψυχαῖς ἐν τῷδε τῷ παντὶ ἔξεστιν εὐδαι μονεῖν, εἴ τινες οὐκ εὐδαίμονες, οὐκ αἰτιατέον τὸ πᾶν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐκείνων ἀδυναμίας μὴ δυνηθείσας καλῶς ἐναγωνίσασθαι, οὗ δὴ ἆθλα ἀρετῆς πρόκειται· καὶ μὴ θείους δὲ γενομένους θεῖον βίον 6.66 μὴ ἔχειν τί δεινόν;" Εἶτα καὶ τὰς δυσκληρίας ἀπαριθμεῖται καὶ λέγει ταύτας ἀναγκαίας εἶναι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι· "Πενία γάρ" φησι "καὶ νόσοι τοῖς μὲν ἀγαθοῖς οὐδέν, τοῖς δὲ κακοῖς ξυμφορά, καὶ ἀνάγκη νοσεῖν σώματα ἔχουσιν· καὶ οὐκ ἀχρεῖα δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα 6.67 παντάπασιν εἰς ξύνταξιν καὶ ξυμπλήρωσιν τοῦ ὅλου." Ἔπειτα διδάσκει, ὡς ἐκ τῶνδε τῶν παραδειγμάτων πλεῖστοι τῶν ἄλλων ὀνίνανται, καί φησιν· "Ἡ δὲ κακία εἰργάσατό τι χρήσιμον εἰς τὸ ὅλον παράδειγμα δίκης γενομένη καὶ πολλὰ ἐξ αὑτῆς χρήσιμα παρασχομένη. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγρηγορότας ἐποίησε καὶ νοῦν καὶ ξύνεσιν ἐγείρει πονηρίας ὁδοῖς ἀντιταττομένων, καὶ μανθάνειν δὲ ποιεῖ οἷον ἀγαθὸν ἀρετὴ παραθέσει κακῶν ὧν οἱ πονηροὶ ἔχουσιν. Καὶ οὐ γέγονε τὰ κακὰ διὰ ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ὅτι χρῆται καὶ αὐτοῖς εἰς δέον, ἐπείπερ ἐγένετο, εἴρηται. Τοῦτο δὲ δυνάμεως μεγίστης, καλῶς καὶ τοῖς κακοῖς χρήσασθαι δύνασθαι καὶ τοῖς ἀμόρφοις γενομένοις εἰς ἑτέρας μορφὰς χρήσασθαι ἱκανὴν εἶναι. Ὅλως δὲ 6.68 τὸ κακὸν ἔλλειψιν ἀγαθοῦ θετέον." Καὶ μετὰ πολλοὺς δὲ τοιού τους