Gregory of Nazianzus, Letters

of insensibility; Arganthonius too is little to us in the matter of sleep, so have we slept. Where is that company of ours? Where are the common discourses and gatherings and the sweet and abundant spring from which we drew? 240.3 I, therefore, am both rising up and shaking off the dust, like the horses of Achilles, late at least (for I hesitate to say it), and I am tossing my mane. 240.4 Do not suppose I am making a comedy of it. And if you have any care for our friendship, it will be shown by what you write in reply. 241.TO ABURGIUS 241.1 Fame, the messenger of good things, does not cease to report to us that you are darting about like the stars, rising now in one part of the barbarian land, now in another, at one time providing grain rations to the army, at another appearing before the emperor in brilliant attire. 241.2 And we pray to God that your enterprise may proceed according to reason, that you may advance to a high dignity and one day appear in your fatherland, as long as we are above the earth and draw this air. For we have only so much of life as to breathe. 242.TO PETER 242.1 We have been very far apart from one another, neither meeting face to face nor conversing through letters. But I am confident that the separation is of bodies, and not of spirit. But now that the time has come, I both greet your reverence and ask you to pray for us, who are weary with old age and sickness and with the struggle of our life here and of our departure. 244.TO BASILISSA 244.1 If it is not superfluous to rouse one who is laboring to more labors, I will not hesitate, for the sake of our common safety, to strengthen your zeal as I am able, not by the addition of any other or foreign things, but by way of reminder of those things which have often been said by us and are customarily practiced by you. 244.2 And these are: to keep the soul above painful things by occupation with the best things, to separate from the mind all that is foreign to virtue and unworthy of your judgment, to exert oneself toward piety and all good order, 244.3 to refine the intellect so as neither to accept nor to think anything unexamined, to strengthen your prudence at every time and in every way by always consorting with the precepts of the holy ones who have gone before, to place justice towards family and strangers before all enmity and friendship, 244.4 to have self-control as a constant housemate and companion, sincerely rooted in the soul and firmly established, not to change your way of life with the inequalities and changes of life; 244.5 for it is neither seemly in poverty to contract the spirit of one's life, nor safe in abundance to be high-minded, wherefore it is best to practice self-control in things that please, and endurance in things that grieve; 244.6 to be forgetful of past abundance, to ask for self-sufficiency, to be content with what is given, to hope for what is better, and to bear gently the sickness of the body, to find fault with nothing, nor to complain, but to be thankful concerning Providence, whatever it may be, 244.7 and often to hide the causes of things that happen, but not to neglect to render what is due. When you are to render it, consider before you say what must be said and before you do what must be done; for thus whatever is said or done by you will be without regret. 244.8 Consider being well-adorned not with external coverings, but with the advantages of the soul. Regard fewness of needs as genuine and steadfast wealth; for being rich is not securely in possessing much, but in not needing much; for the one depends on you, the other on external things. 244.9 Regulate your manner with gentleness, your character with tranquility, and your tongue with brevity of speech. And through these things, adorn your head by covering it, your eyebrows by keeping them composed, your eyes by their downcast and orderly glance, your mouth by speaking nothing unseemly, your ears by giving them only to serious matters, and your whole face with the color of modesty. 244.10 In all things and through all things keep yourself undefiled, like some untouchable treasure. For a proper and fitting adornment for women, is modesty,

ἀναλγησίας· μικρὸν καὶ ὁ Ἀργανθώνιος ἡμῖν εἰς ὕπνου λόγον, οὕτως ἐκαθευδήσαμεν. Ποῦ μὲν ὁ θίασος ἡμῖν ἐκεῖνος; Ποῦ δὲ οἱ κοινοὶ λόγοι καὶ σύλλογοι καὶ ἡ γλυκεῖα πηγὴ καὶ ἄφθονος, ἀφ' ἧς ἠρυόμεθα; 240.3 Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ διανίσταμαι καὶ τὴν κόνιν ἀποσείομαι, κατὰ τοὺς Ἀχιλλέως ἵππους, ὀψὲ γοῦν (ὀκνῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν), καὶ τὴν χαιτὴν ἀνασείομαι. 240.4 Μή με κωμῳδεῖν ὑπολά βῃς. Σοὶ δὲ εἴ τι μέλει τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας, ἐξ ὧν ἐπιστέλ λεις δηλωθήσεται. 241.Τ ΑΒΟΥΡΓΙΩΙ 241.1 ∆ιᾴττειν σε ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἄλλοτε κατ' ἄλλο μέρος τῆς βαρβαρικῆς ἀνίσχοντα, νῦν μὲν σιτηρέσια τῷ στρατιωτικῷ παρέχοντα, νῦν δὲ βασιλεῖ φαινόμενον μετὰ λαμπροῦ τοῦ σχήματος, ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἄγγελος φήμη ἀγγέλλουσα ἡμῖν οὐ διαλείπει. 241.2 Εὐχόμεθα δὲ τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ λόγον μέν σοι προϊοῦσαν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν, ἐπὶ μέγα σε προελθεῖν ἀξίωμα καὶ φανῆναί ποτε τῇ πατρίδι σου, ἕως ἐσμὲν ὑπὲρ γῆς καὶ τὸν ἀέρα τοῦτον ἀνέλκομεν. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ μέτεστιν ἡμῖν τοῦ βίου, ὅσον ἀναπνεῖν μόνον. 242.Τ ΠΕΤΡΩΙ 242.1 Πλεῖστον ἐμακρύναμεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, μήτε κατ' ὄψιν πλησιάσαντες μήτε δι' ἐπιστολῶν ὁμιλήσαντες. Θαρρῶ δὲ ὅτι σωμάτων ἐστὶν ἡ διάστασις, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ πνεύματος. Ἀλλὰ νῦν ὅτε καιρός, καὶ προσαγορεύω σου τὴν εὐλάβειαν καὶ προσεύχεσθαι περὶ ἡμῶν ἀξιῶ, καὶ γήρᾳ καὶ νόσῳ καμνόντων καὶ ἀγωνίᾳ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τῆς ἐκδημίας. 244.Τ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΙ 244.1 Εἰ μὴ περιττὸν τὴν πονοῦσαν ἐγεῖραι πρὸς πόνους, οὐκ ὀκνήσω, τῆς κοινῆς ἕνεκεν ἀσφαλείας, ὅπως ἂν δύνωμαι, τὴν σὴν ἐπιρρῶσαι προθυμίαν οὐ κατὰ προσθήκην ἑτέρων τινῶν ἢ ξένων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑπόμνησιν τῶν ἡμῖν τε πολλάκις εἰρημένων καὶ σοὶ συνήθως ἐκπονουμένων. 244.2 Ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν· ἄγειν τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν λυπηρῶν ἀνωτέραν τῇ περὶ τὰ κράτιστα διατριβῇ, ἀποκρίνειν τῆς διανοίας πᾶν ὅσον ἀρετῆς ἀλλότριον καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀνάξιον γνώμης, συντείνειν ἑαυτὴν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν καὶ πᾶσαν εὐκοσμίαν, 244.3 λεπτύνειν τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὸ μηδὲν μήτε δέχεσθαι μήτε φρονεῖν ἀνεξέταστον, κρατύνειν τὴν φρόνη σιν κατὰ πάντα καιρὸν καὶ πάντα τρόπον τῷ προσομιλεῖν ἀεὶ ταῖς τῶν προλαβόντων ὑποθήκαις ὁσίων, προτάττειν πάσης ἀπεχθείας καὶ φιλίας τὴν πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ ξένους δικαιοσύνην, 244.4 σύνοικον ἔχειν καὶ συνόμιλον πάντοτε τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐρριζωμένην εἰλικρινῶς τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ παγίως ἱδρυμένην, μὴ συμμεταβάλλειν τὸν τρόπον ταῖς ἀνωμαλίαις τοῦ βίου καὶ μεταβολαῖς· 244.5 οὔτε γὰρ ἐν πενίᾳ τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ βίου συστέλλειν εὐπρεπές, οὔτε ἐν περιουσίᾳ μέγα φρονεῖν ἀσφαλές, διὸ δὴ κράτιστον ἀσκεῖν ἐν μὲν τοῖς τέρπουσι τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς λυπηροῖς τὴν καρτερίαν· 244.6 ἀμνημονεῖν τῆς παλαιᾶς περιουσίας, αἰτεῖν τὴν αὐτάρκειαν, στέργειν τὸ διδόμενον, ἐλπίζειν τὸ βέλτιον, καὶ φέρειν πράως τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀρρωστίαν, ἐπὶ μηδενὶ μεμψιμοιρεῖν, μηδὲ σχετλιάζειν, ἀλλ' εὐχάριστον εἶναι περὶ τὴν Πρόνοιαν, ὅση τις εἴη, 244.7 καὶ κρύπτειν πολλάκις τὰς αἰτίας τῶν γινομένων, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀμελεῖν τοῦ πρὸς ἀξίαν πρὸς ἣν ἀποδιδοῦσα λογίζου πρὶν ἐξειπεῖν τὸ λεκτέον καὶ πρὸ τοῦ πρᾶξαι τὸ πρακτέον· οὕτω γὰρ δὴ ἔσται σοι πᾶν τὸ ῥηθὲν ἢ πραχθὲν ἀμεταμέλητον. 244.8 Εὐσχημονεῖν ἡγοῦ μὴ τοῖς ἔξωθεν προκαλύμμασιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς πλεονεκτήμασιν. Πλοῦτον νόμιζε γνήσιον καὶ βέβαιον τὴν ὀλιγόδειαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πολλὰ κεκτῆσθαι τὸ πλουτεῖν ἐστι βεβαίως, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὴ πολλῶν δεῖσθαι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ σοί, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἔξωθεν. 244.9 Ῥύθμιζε τὸν μὲν τρόπον ἐπιεικείᾳ, τὸ δὲ ἦθος ἀταραξίᾳ, τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν βραχυ λογίᾳ. ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων κόσμει τὴν μὲν κεφαλὴν τῷ σκέπειν, τὰς δὲ ὀφρῦς τῷ κατεσταλμένας ἔχειν, τοὺς δὲ ὀφθαλμοὺς τῷ συννεύειν καὶ κοσμίως βλέπειν, τὸ δὲ στόμα τῷ μηδὲν ἀπρεπῶς λαλεῖν, τὰ δὲ ὦτα τῷ μόνον τοῖς σπουδαίοις ὑπέχειν, σύμπαν δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον τῷ ἐξ αἰδοῦς χρώματι. 244.10 Ἐν πᾶσι δὲ καὶ διὰ πάντων φύλασσε σεαυτὴν ἀμό λυντον, ὥσπερ τι κειμήλιον ἄψαυστον. Κόσμος γὰρ οἰκεῖος καὶ πρέπων γυναιξί, σεμνότης,