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There are guards and outposts; there is no treasury, nor anything else of that sort; but all things are full of prayer, all of hymns, all of spiritual fragrance, nothing carnal is there. They do not fear the attacks of robbers; for they have nothing to lose; there is no money, there is a body and a soul; if they take this away, they have not inflicted a loss, but a benefit. For to me to live, he says, is Christ, and to die is gain. They have freed themselves from all bonds. Truly the voice of rejoicing is in the tents of the righteous. 5. It is not possible ever to hear there wailing or lamentation; the dwelling is pure from these unpleasant things, pure from this cry. For they die even among them; for they are not immortal in body; but they do not know death as death. With hymns they send forth those who have departed; they call such a thing a sending forth, not a funeral. And if it is announced that so-and-so has died, there is great joy, great pleasure; or rather, no one dares to say, that so-and-so has died, but so-and-so has been perfected. Then thanksgiving, great glory, joy, with each one praying to receive such an end, to depart from this contest in this way, to rest from labors and struggles, to see Christ. And if one should fall ill, there are no tears, no lamentation, but prayers again; not the hands of physicians, but faith alone has often delivered the sick. But if they should need physicians, here too is much philosophy, much endurance; no wife stands by tearing her hair, nor children bewailing their not yet realized orphanhood, nor servants exhorting the dying one to commit them with security to someone; but the soul, freed from all these things, considers one thing only to its last breath, how it may depart a friend to God. And if sickness should occur, it does not come from gluttony, nor from a heavy head, but the very causes of the sicknesses are full of praise, not accusation, like these; for either vigil, or intensity of fasting, or something of the sort produces the sicknesses; whence also 62.578 they become easily gotten rid of; for it is enough for those who are no longer laboring similarly to have been delivered from all evils. 6. Tell me then, he says, if anyone has washed the feet of saints in the church, if it is possible to find such people here too. It is possible, and very much so; only let us not, because we have described their life, despise those in the churches. Often many such people are even in the midst of the churches, but in secret. For let us not despise them because they go about to houses, nor because they enter the marketplace, nor because they are leaders. And God commanded this; For judge, he says, the orphan, and do justice to the widow. The paths of virtue are many, just as there is also great difference among pearls, although all are called pearls, but one is bright and round on all sides, while another does not have this beauty, but another kind. What kind is this? Just as by some art the coral has an oblong line, and its angles turned, and another more pleasing than the white color, and the green much more pleasing than any verdure; another offers the brightness of blood to the beautiful flower, another is bluer than the sea, another brighter than purple; and one could find countless others competing with flowers in their variety, or equaling the colors of the sun; such indeed are also the saints; some train themselves, and others the churches. Well then did he say, If she has washed the feet of saints, if she has relieved the afflicted. For so that he might stir all to imitation, for this reason he spoke thus. Therefore let us also hasten to the matter, so that we may have cause to boast there, that we have washed the feet of saints. But if it is necessary to wash their feet, much more to give them money from our hand, and to be eager to do so in secret. Let not, he says, your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Why countless

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ἐκεῖ φυλακαὶ καὶ προφυλακαί· οὐκ ἔστι ταμεῖον, οὐκ ἄλλο τοιοῦτον οὐδέν· ἀλλὰ πάντα εὐχῆς γέμει, πάντα ὕμνων, πάντα εὐωδίας πνευματικῆς, οὐδὲν ἐκεῖ σαρκικόν. Λῃστῶν ἐφόδους οὐ δεδοίκασιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν ὅτου ζημιωθῶσι· χρήματα οὐκ ἔστι, σῶμά ἐστι καὶ ψυχή· ἂν ταύτην ἀφέλωνται, οὐκ ἐζημίωσαν, ἀλλ' ὤνησαν. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῇν, φησὶ, Χριστὸς, καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος. Ἀπέλυσαν τῶν δεσμῶν ἑαυτοὺς πάντων. Ὄντως Φωνὴ ἀγαλλιάσεως ἐν σκηναῖς δικαίων. εʹ. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ὀλολυγῆς ἀκοῦσαί ποτε οὐδὲ κωκυτοῦ· καθαρὸς τούτων τῶν ἀηδιῶν ὁ ὄροφος, καθαρὸς τῆς κραυγῆς ταύτης. Ἀποθνήσκουσι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς· οὐ γάρ εἰσιν ἀθάνατοι τὸ σῶμα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσασι θάνατον τὸν θάνατον. Μεθ' ὕμνων προπέμπουσι τοὺς ἀπελθόντας· προπομπὴν τὸ τοιοῦτον καλοῦσιν, οὐκ ἐκφοράν. Κἂν ἀπαγγελθῇ, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα τετελεύτηκε, πολλὴ ἡ εὐφροσύνη, πολλὴ ἡ ἡδονή· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τολμᾷ τις εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα τετελεύτηκεν, ἀλλ' ὁ δεῖνα τετελείωται. Εἶτα εὐχαριστία, δόξα πολλὴ, εὐφροσύνη, ἑκάστου εὐχομένου τέλος τοιοῦτον λαβεῖν, οὕτω τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἐξελθεῖν, ἀναπαύσασθαι τῶν πόνων καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων, ἰδεῖν τὸν Χριστόν. Κἂν ἀῤῥωστήσῃ, οὐ δάκρυα, οὐ θρῆνος, ἀλλ' εὐχαὶ πάλιν· οὐκ ἰατρῶν χεῖρες, ἀλλὰ πίστις μόνη πολλάκις ἀπήλλαξε τὸν ἄῤῥωστον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἰατρῶν δεηθείη, πολλὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡ φιλοσοφία, πολλὴ ἡ καρτερία· οὐ παρέστηκε γυνὴ λύουσα τὰς τρίχας, οὐδὲ παιδία τὴν οὐδέπω γενομένην ὀρφανίαν ἀποδυρόμενα, οὐδὲ οἰκέται παρακαλοῦντες τὸν ἀποπνέοντα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας αὐτοὺς τινὶ παρακαταθέσθαι· ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων ἀπηλλαγμένη ἡ ψυχὴ, ἓν σκοπεῖ μόνον εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀναπνοὴν, ὅπως ἀπέλθῃ τῷ Θεῷ φίλη. Κἂν γένηται δὲ νόσος, οὐ γίνεται ἀπὸ γαστριμαργίας, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ καρηβαρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταὶ αἱ τῶν νόσων ὑποθέσεις ἐγκωμίων γέμουσιν, οὐχὶ κατηγορίας, ὡς αὗται· ἢ γὰρ ἀγρυπνίας, ἢ νηστείας ἐπίτασις, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων τὰς νόσους ἐργάζεται· ὅθεν καὶ 62.578 εὐαπάλλακτοι γίνονται· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ μηκέτι καμόντας ὁμοίως πάντων ἀπηλλάχθαι τῶν δεινῶν. ςʹ. Εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, φησὶν, εἰ ἁγίων τις πόδας ἔνιψεν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, εἰ ἔνεστι καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοιούτους εὑρεῖν. Ἔνεστι, καὶ πάνυ ἔνεστι· μόνον μὴ, ἐπειδὴ ἐκείνων τὸν βίον διηγησάμεθα, τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις καταφρονῶμεν. Πολλοὶ πολλάκις τοιοῦτοι καὶ ἐν μέσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις εἰσὶν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ λανθάνοντι. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ οἰκίας περινοστοῦσι, μηδὲ ἐπειδὴ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλλουσι, μηδὲ ἐπειδὴ προΐστανται, καταφρονῶμεν αὐτῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς ἐπέταξε· Κρίνατε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀρφανῷ, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν. Πολλαὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς αἱ ὁδοὶ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τῶν μαργαριτῶν πολλὴ ἡ διαφορὰ, καίτοι πάντες μαργαρῖται λέγονται, ἀλλ' ὁ μέν ἐστι λαμπρὸς καὶ στρογγύλος πάντοθεν, ἕτερος δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἔχει τὸ κάλλος, ἕτερον δέ. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος τέχνης τὸ κοράλλιον ἐπιμήκη ἔχει τὴν γραμμὴν, καὶ τὰς γωνίας ἐκτετορευμένας, καὶ τοῦ λευκοῦ χρώματος ἕτερον ἐπιτερπέστερον, τὸ δὲ πράσινον πολὺ πάσης χλωρότητος ἐπιτερπέστερον· ἄλλος τοῦ αἵματος τὸ ἀνθηρὸν παρέχεται τῷ εὐανθεῖ, ἄλλος τῆς θαλάττης ἐστὶ κυανώτερος, ἄλλος τῆς ἁλουργίδος στιλβότερος· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία ἄν τις εὕροι τοῖς ἄνθεσιν ἁμιλλώμενα κατὰ τὸ ποικίλον, ἢ τοῖς τοῦ ἡλίου χρώμασιν ἐξισούμενα· τοιοῦτοι δὴ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι· οἱ μὲν ἑαυτοὺς ἀσκοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας. Καλῶς ἄρα ἔλεγεν, Εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσεν. Ὥστε γὰρ πάντας ἐπᾶραι πρὸς μίμησιν, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπεν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπιδράμωμεν τῷ πράγματι, ἵνα ἔχωμεν καυχᾶσθαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι ἐνίψαμεν πόδας ἁγίων. Εἰ δὲ πόδας αὐτῶν νίπτειν δεῖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς ἐπιδιδόναι αὐτοῖς τὰ χρήματα, καὶ σπουδάζειν λανθάνειν. Μὴ γνώτω, φησὶν, ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου. Τί μυρίους