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Look at the earth, the mother and tomb of us all, which came to be by command! And having come here, speak about death, philosophize on many and necessary things, useful to friends and relatives alike, likewise to the rich and to the glorious. And along with all, for you who are expounding until the end, it will be enough for you to speak of such many and necessary things, and these things will benefit you after death. Then see the terrestrial world, the kinds of all sorts of animals in its midst, and the varied sights of the birds, and at the same time the voices of the humble sparrows, wonder at the breadths and sizes and boundaries of the sea, be astonished, declare it intently! (160) O the depth of the riches and knowledge of the divine, O your wisdom, my all-merciful God! Come and withdraw from external things, gather your mind, understand yourself, or rather, philosophize on your own things and yourself, and whatever you see, you would find in the things seen each a teacher of virtue to you or portraying a passion of vice, so that from the greatness and beauty of created things you might learn the incomprehensible wisdom of God and the spiritual war, which the creator of all prefigured, and as a serpent you may indeed acquire prudence, but you may vomit out the venom of wickedness! And as a horse may you run on the righteous path, but by no means neigh towards the female! May you become a cat watching for the spiritual mouse, not seizing at all the things of your neighbor, nor stealing the portions of your brothers, but also with a fly-whisk may you drive all the opposing mice from your house! But may you not become a wolf, but may you flee wolves, rather may you become a dog of the Master and may you breathe all your wrath against them and may you track the paths of your Master; until you might find, until you might reach the divine door, do not turn back, and become prey to the spiritual beasts! Imitate the hare, if you cannot be a dog, and acquire Christ the rock as your refuge (161) and hide yourself, where there is no fear, or as a deer go up to the mountains, escape the hands of the hunters

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βλέψον εἰς τήν γῆν, τήν μητέρα καί τάφον ἡμῶν ἁπάντων προστάξει γεγονυῖαν! Ἐνταῦθα δ᾿ ἐλθών εἰπέ περί θανάτου, φιλοσόφησον πολλά καί ἀναγκαῖα, χρήσιμα φίλοις ἅμα καί συγγενέσιν, τοῖς πλουσίοις ὡσαύτως καί τοῖς ἐνδόξοις. Καί μετά πάντων σοί τῷ ἐξηγουμένῳ μέχρι τελευτῆς ἀρκέσει σοι τοῦ λέγειν περί τοιούτων πολλῶν καί ἀναγκαίων, καί ὠφελήσει σε μετά θάνατον ταῦτα. Ἔπειτα ἴδε τόν περίγειον κόσμον, τά μέσον τούτου παντοίων ζῴων γένη, τῶν πτηνῶν τε τάς ποικίλας ὁράσεις, ἅμα καί φωνάς τῶν εὐτελῶν στρουθίων, θαλάσσης πλάτη καί μεγέθη καί ὅρους θαύμασον, ἐκπλάγηθι, φράσον συντόνως! (160) Ὤ βάθος πλούτου καί γνώσεως τῆς θείας, ὤ σοφίας σου, Θεέ μου πανοικτίρμον! ∆εῦρο καί συστάληθι ἀπό τῶν ἔξω, σύναξον τόν νοῦν, σεαυτόν κατανόει, μᾶλλον δέ τά σά καί σαυτόν φιλοσόφει, καί ὅσα βλέπεις, εὕροις ἐν ὁρωμένοις ἕκαστον διδάσκαλον τῆς ἀρετῆς σοι ἤ τῆς κακίας ἐξεικονίζον πάθος, ἵν᾿ ἐκ μεγέθους καί καλλονῆς κτισμάτων τήν ἀκατανόητον Θεοῦ σοφίαν καί τόν νοητόν πόλεμον καταμάθοις, ὅν προεξεικόνισεν ὁ πλάστης πάντων, καί ὡς μέν ὄφις φρόνησιν πάντως κτήσῃ, τόν δέ ἰόν ἐμέσῃς τόν τῆς κακίας! Ὡς δ᾿ ἵππος δράμῃς ἐν ὁδῷ τῇ δικαίᾳ, οὐ χρεμετίσῃς πάντως δέ πρός τό θῆλυ! Κάττα γενήσῃ μῦν νοητόν τηροῦσα, οὐχ ἁρπάζουσα ὅλως τά τοῦ πλησίον, οὐδέ κλέπτουσα μοίρας τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου, ἀλλά καί μυΐ μύας διώξῃς πάντας τούς ἐναντίους ἀπό τῆς σῆς οἰκίας! Λύκος οὐ γενήσῃ δέ, λύκους δέ φύγῃς, μᾶλλον δέ κύων γενήσῃ τοῦ ∆εσπότου καί πνεύσῃς ὅλον θυμόν σου κατ᾿ ἐκείνων καί ἀνιχνεύσῃς ὁδούς τοῦ σοῦ ∆εσπότου˙ ἕως ἄν εὕροις, ἕως ἄν καταλάβοις θύραν τήν θείαν, μή στραφῇς εἰς τοὐπίσω, καί γένῃ θήρα τῶν νοητῶν θηρίων! Μίμησαι πτῶκα, εἰ μή δύνασαι κύνα, καί πέτραν Χριστόν καταφυγήν σου κτῆσαι (161) καί κρύβηθι, ἔνθα φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν, ἤ ἔλαφος ἀνάβηθι εἰς τά ὄρη, τῶν κυνηγετῶν ἀπόδραθι τάς χεῖρας