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the gift of the Spirit, he says, which makes us participants and sharers of God.

The belly and stomach and the structure of the inner parts is the receptive and intellectual workshop of the soul, in which you will understand the rational part as the heart in the middle, and in the rational part, both the appetitive and the incensive parts; which, in the manner of ribs, and muscles and sinews and fat, gentleness, simplicity, forbearance, sympathy, and piety hold together and bind, they tend and cover over, and do not allow them to look at visible things or to desire anything among them, nor do they permit bearing grudges or envying or being jealous or being angry or that these things should ever be seen by men. For since their passionate impulse is not directed outwards at all, they are kept concealed; but being within, by themselves, and safely guarded by what we have mentioned, the rational part discerns and separates the worse from the better and shows to the appetitive part what things it ought to be attached to, and what it ought to love, and what it is necessary to turn away from and to hate; while the incensive part, in the midst of these, is present like a grateful servant, serving their counsels and cooperating with their desires, stirring up to courage and the defense of the position taken in these matters, whether of good men or evil.

And since God, who fashioned these things, is incomparably better than all visible things, it is fitting that the one who is honored by reason and is untroubled, as we have said, (189) and possesses a mind unconfused by passionate preconceptions, will prefer and love the maker and master of all, and may he offer his whole appetitive part to Him alone, as if somehow showing it to him and saying: "Hear me and see; touch with awe, taste the unblemished sweetness, smell the spiritual myrrh and know that no one is more beautiful or more delightful or sweeter than this, or on the whole more powerful or more glorious, nor indeed able to give you life or incorruptibility or immortality." Therefore, when the desire of man is fulfilled through all these things, then the whole incensive part, having been mingled with both the rational and appetitive parts, the three become one in the contemplation of the triadic unity and in the delight itself of their own master. For the threefold division of these is not at all recognized then, but they are in every way one. When then a division of these, but they are in every way one. When, therefore, from the one and good alone in simplicity, for the discrimination and division of evil and good things, these powers turn towards the things here, then their will and division and turning away towards the things contrary to the divine wills is shown indivisibly; for the movement of the incensive part occurs only in these things.

We had still more things to say about these matters, concerning the stomach and liver, concerning food, concerning drink, concerning hunger and thirst; but so that I might not extend the discourse at length and make the unutterable things of these words public to the hunters, to those accustomed to grow rich from the possessions of others, we have left these things covered in silence for those wishing to seek them out through practical knowledge. But let us return to the subject at hand. Since, therefore, we have formed the body of the stature according to Christ as far as the belly and stomach, it is necessary to ascend also to the head, until we spiritually complete it, perfect and whole.

Therefore, we now form together the chest and back, shoulders, arms, hands (190) and also the neck for this body of spiritual stature. And for this, you will understand the chest as compassion, in which the breasts of loving-kindness abundantly pour forth the milk of mercy to orphans and widows and all others, according to the saint who says: "Brothers, acquire bowels of compassion". Whence this milk to the

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Πνεύματός φησι δωρεάν, ἥτις συμμετόχους ἡμᾶς καί συγκοινωνούς Θεοῦ ἀπεργάζεται.

Κοιλία καί στόμαχος καί ἡ τῶν ἐνδοσθίων κατασκευή τό χωρητικόν ὑπάρχει καί νοερόν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐργαστήριον, ἐν ᾧ τό λογιστικόν ὡς καρδίαν μέσον νοήσεις, καί ἐν τῷ λογιστικῷ, τό ἐπιθυμητικόν τε καί θυμικόν· ἅ καί δίκην πλευρῶν, ψυῶν τε καί νεύρων καί πιμελῆς, ἡ πρᾳότης, ἡ ἁπλότης, ἡ ἀνεξικακία, ἡ συμπάθεια καί ἡ εὐλάβεια συνέχουσι καί συνδοῦσι, περιέπουσί τε καί συγκαλύπτουσι καί πρός τά ὁρώμενα οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἀποβλέπειν ἤ τινος ἐπιθυμεῖν τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ μνησικακεῖν συγχωροῦσιν ἤ φθονεῖν ἤ ζηλοῦν ἤ ὀργίζεσθαι ἤ ὁρᾶσθαι ταῦτά ποτε ὑπό τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὁρμῆς γάρ αὐτῶν ἐμπαθοῦς ὅλως πρός τά ἔξω μή γινομένης, κεκαλυμμένα διατηροῦνται· ἔνδοθεν δέ αὐτά καθ᾿ ἑαυτά ὄντα καί ἀσφαλῶς ὑφ᾿ ὧν εἰρήκαμεν φυλαττόμενα, τό μέν λογιστικόν διακρίνει καί διαιρεῖ τό χεῖρον ἀπό τοῦ κρείττονος καί δεικνύει τῶ ἐπιθυμητικῷ οἷς δεῖ σχετικῶς προσκεῖσθαι καί ἅ δεῖ ἀγαπᾶν καί ἅ χρεών ἀποστρέφεσθαι καί μισεῖν· τό δέ θυμικόν μέσον τούτων ὥσπερ τις ὑπηρέτης εὐγνώμων πάρεστι, τοῖς ἐκείνων ἐξυπηρετῶν βουλήμασι καί θελήμασι συνεργῶν, διεγείρων πρός ἀνδρείαν καί ἄμυναν τῶν βουλομένων ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἤ πονηρῶν τήν ἐφ᾿ ἑκατέρᾳ τούτων ἐπί τοῖς πράγμασιν ἔνστασιν.

Ἐπεί δέ κρείσσων ἀσυγκρίτως τῶν ὁρωμένων ἁπάντων ὁ ταῦτα κατασκευάσας Θεός, ἀντί πάντων καί πρό πάντων εἰκότως ὁ λόγῳ τετιμημένος καί ἀθόλωτος, ὡς εἴπομεν, (189) καί ἀσύγχυτον ἐκ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν προλήψεων κεκτημένος τόν νοῦν, τόν τῶν ἁπάντων ποιητήν καί δεσπότην προτιμήσει καί ἀγαπήσει καί πρός μόνον ἐκεῖνον ὅλον αὐτοῦ τό ἐπιθυμητικόν ἀνενέγκῃ, οἱονεί πως ὑποδεικνύων αὐτῷ καί λέγων· "Ἄκουσόν μου καί ἴδε· ἅψαι φρικτῶς, γεῦσαι τῆς ἀκηράτου γλυκύτητος, τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ὀσφράνθητι μύρου καί γνῶθι ὡς οὐδείς τούτου ἐστίν ὡραιότερος ἤ τερπνότερος ἤ ἠδύτερος ἤ τό σύνολον δυνατώτερος ἤ ἐνδοξότερος, οὐ μήν ἀλλά γάρ οὐδέ ζωῶσαι ἤ ἀφθαρτῶσαι ἤ ἀπαθανατίσαι σε δυνάμενος". Τοιγαροῦν καί ὅταν διά πάντων τούτων ἡ ἐπιθυμία πληρωθῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τηνικαῦτα καί ὅλον τό θυμικόν τῷ λογιστικῷ τε καί ἐπιθυμητικῷ συγκραθέν, ἕν τά τρία ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς τριαδικῆς ἑνάδος καί ἐν αὐτῆ τῇ τερπνότητι τοῦ ἑαυτῶν γίνονται δεσπότου. Οὐ γάρ ἐπιγινώσκεται ὅλως ἡ τριττή τότε τούτων διαίρεσις, ἀλλ᾿ εἰσίν ἐκ παντός ἕν. Ὁπηνίκα τότε τούτων διαίρεσις, ἀλλ᾿ εἰσίν ἐκ παντός ἕν. Ὁπηνίκα οὖν ἐκ μόνου τοῦ ἑνός καί ἀγαθοῦ τῇ ἁπλότητι, ἐπί τῇ τῶν πονηρῶν καί ἀγαθῶν πραγμάτων διακρίσει καί διαιρέσει, ἐπιστραφῶσιν αἱ δυνάμεις αὗται πρός τά ἐνταῦθα, τηνικαῦτα ἡ τούτων θέλησις καί διαίρεσις καί ἡ πρός τά ἐναντία τῶν θείων θελημάτων ἀποστροφή ἀδιαιρέτως δείκνυται· ἐν γάρ μόνοις τούτοις ἡ τοῦ θυμικοῦ κίνησις γίνεται.

Εἴχομεν ἔτι καί ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα περί στομάχου καί ἥπατος, περί τροφῆς, περί πόσεως, περί πείνης καί δίψης εἰπεῖν· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα μή μακρόν ἀποτείνω τόν λόγον καί ἔκφορα τά ἀνέκφορα ποιήσω τῶν λόγων τοῖς θηρευταῖς, τοῖς εἰθισμένοις πλουτεῖν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων χρημάτων, κατελίπομεν ταῦτα τῇ σιωπῇ κεκαλυπτόμενα τοῖς διά τῆς πρακτικῆς γνώσεως ἐκζητεῖν βουλομένοις. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τό προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Ἐπεί οὖν μέχρι γαστρός καί στομάχου τό σῶμα τῆς κατά Χριστόν διεπλάσαμεν ἡλικίας, χρεών καί μέχρι τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀνελθεῖν ἕως οὗ ἄρτιον καί σῶον αὐτό πνευματικῶς ἐκπληρώσωμεν.

Στῆθος τοιγαροῦν καί νῶτον, ὤμους, βραχίονας, χεῖρας (190) ἤδη καί τράχηλον τούτῳ τῷ σώματι τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡλικίας συμπλάττομεν. Καί στῆθος μέν ἐπί τούτῳ νοήσεις τήν εὐσπλαγχνίαν, ἐν ᾗ οἱ μαστοί τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τό γάλα τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ὀρφανοῖς καί χήραις καί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις ἀφθόνως προχέουσι κατά τόν λέγοντα ἅγιον· "Ἀδελφοί, κτήσασθε σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν". Ὅθεν τό γάλα τοῦτο τοῖς