85. And yet, although he followed such a course, and exhibited his malevolence in many things, he did not constantly keep to the same design, because his mind had no stability, but depended entirely on the inspiration of the demon; neither did he keep the secret of his wickedness, but, as the story goes, like as the fire of Etna slumbers within the recesses of the mountain, swelling like a flood from below, and violently compressed (whether it be something else, or the panting of the Giant in torment), for a while it utters a suppressed but fearful sound, and belches out from its summit smoke, a token of the mischief going on within; but if it should be superabundant, and grow irrepressible, bursting forth from its proper bosom, rushing upwards, and pouring over the edges of the crater, it devastates parts of the subjacent land with its treacherous and fearful stream;----in just such a manner you might have found him keeping himself under restraint, and attacking our community with the deceitfulness of his sophistical creed; but whenever the unruliness of his rage overflowed, then was he no longer able to conceal his malice, but carried on the persecution without disguise against our divine and pious band.

ΠΕʹ. Καίπερ δὴ οὕτως ἔχων ὁρμῆς, καὶ πρὸς πολλὰ τῇ κακονοίᾳ χρησάμενος: ὅμως, οὐ γὰρ εἶχε πῆξιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡ διάνοια, οὐδὲ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν μᾶλλον ἦν ἢ τῆς φορᾶς τοῦ δαίμονος, οὐ διεφύλαξεν εἰς τέλος τὴν γνώμην, οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς πονηρίας ἀπόῤῥητον διεσώσατο: ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸ Αἰτναῖον πῦρ λόγος τοῖς πυθμέσι τῆς Αἴτνης ἐγκρύπτεσθαι, κάτωθεν πλημμυροῦν καὶ βίᾳ κρατούμενον, εἴτε τι ἄλλο τοῦτό ἐστιν, εἴτε ἆσθμα κολαζομένου γίγαντος, τέως μὲν φοβερὸν ὑπηχεῖν, καὶ καπνὸν τοῦ κακοῦ μήνυμα τῆς κορυφῆς ἀπερεύγεσθαι: εἰ δέ που πλεονάσαν τύχοι καὶ δυσκάθεκτον γένοιτο, τῶν οἰκείων κόλπων ἀποβρασθὲν, ἄνω φερόμενον καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς κρατῆρας χεόμενον, ἔστιν ἃ καὶ τῆς ὑποκειμένης γῆς φθείρειν ἀπίστῳ καὶ φοβερῷ ῥεύματι: οὕτω κἀκεῖνον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ἄχρι μέν τινος ἐαυτοῦ κρατοῦντα καὶ τοῦ σοφιστικοῦ δόγματος, ἀπάτῃ τε διατιθέντα κακῶς τὰ ἡμέτερα: εἰ δέ που τὸ ἀκρατὲς τῆς ὀργῆς ὑπερβλύσειε, μηδὲ κρύπτειν δύνασθαι τὸ κακόηθες, ἀλλὰ γυμνῷ χρῆσθαι τῷ διωγμῷ κατὰ τοῦ θείου καὶ εὐσεβοῦς ἡμῶν συντάγματος.