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having been initiated into that one's wicked and destructive counsel, and having become his tongue and mouth, says to the king: If you wish to subdue 448 your son, and to render his opposition vain, I have found a stratagem against which he will not even be able to resist, but his stubborn and unyielding reasoning will be more easily softened than wax that has met a most violent fire. And the king, seeing the vain man boasting so emptily, was immediately changed to pleasure and cheerfulness, hoping that that licentious and bold tongue would overcome the soul that was taught by God and full of philosophy. And he asked to learn what the stratagem was. Then Theudas weaves the wicked deed like a sharpened razor and terribly seasons the potions. and behold the malicious artifice and the suggestion of the evil one. 'Having removed from him, O king,' he says, 'all those who attend and serve your son, command beautiful and exceedingly lovely women, adorned to be more enticing, to be with him continually and to serve him, to live and lodge with him. And I, sending to him one of the spirits assigned to me for such things, will kindle the fire of pleasure more violently. And as soon as he lies with one single one of such women, if you do not have everything according to your mind, I am henceforth to be disregarded by you and useless, and worthy of the greatest punishments, not honors. For nothing is so apt to entice and bewitch the minds of men as the sight of women. And listen to a story that testifies to my word. 450 xxx A certain king, being without a male child, was greatly distressed in his soul, being vexed, and considering this no small misfortune. While he was in this state, then, a son is born; and the king's heart was filled with joy at this. But the medical experts told him that if this child should see the sun or fire within twelve years, he would be completely deprived of his sight; for the condition of his eyes indicates this. Having heard these things, it is said that the king carved a cave-like dwelling out of a certain rock, and having shut the boy up in there with his nurses, he did not show him a glimmer of light at all, until the completion of the twelve years. And after the completion of the twelve years, he brings the boy out of the dwelling, who had seen nothing at all of the world, and the king commands that everything be presented and shown to him according to its kind, men in one place, and women in another, elsewhere gold, silver, in another place pearls and precious stones, splendid and elegant garments, exceedingly beautiful chariots with royal horses with golden bridles along with purple tapestries, and armed riders upon them, herds of oxen and flocks of sheep. And, to put it simply, they showed everything to the boy in order. And when he asked what each of these was called, the king's shield-bearers and guards would declare the name of each. But when he asked 452 to learn the name of the women, the king's sword-bearer cleverly said that they were called 'demons,' who lead men astray. But the boy's heart was charmed by the desire for them more than for the rest. When, therefore, having gone through everything, they brought him back to the king, the king asked him what among the things seen had seemed pleasing to him. 'What,' says the boy, 'but those demons, who lead men astray? For by none of the things seen by me today was my soul so inflamed as by the love for them.' And that king marveled at the boy's saying, and at what a tyrannical thing the love of women is. You, therefore, do not think to subdue your son in any other way than by this very method. The king receives the word gladly. And there are brought to him choice maidens

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ἐκείνου μυηθεὶς βουλὴν πονηρὰν καὶ ὀλέθριον, γλῶσσά τε καὶ στόμα αὐτῷ γενόμενος, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· Εἰ χειρώσα 448 σθαι τὸν σὸν βούλει υἱόν, καὶ κενὴν αὐτῷ τὴν ἔνστασιν θεῖναι, εὕρηταί μοι τέχνη πρὸς ἣν οὐδὲ ἀντέχειν δυνατὸς ἔσται, ἀλλὰ ῥᾷον μαλαχθήσεται ὁ ἀτεράμων καὶ ἀμείλικτος αὐτοῦ λογισμὸς ἢ κηρὸς πυρκαϊᾷ σφοδροτάτῃ ὁμιλήσας. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, τὸν μάταιον οὕτω διακενῆς φυσῶντα ἰδών, πρὸς ἡδονὴν εὐθὺς καὶ φαιδρότητα μετεβάλλετο, ἐλπίσας τὴν ἀκόλαστον ἐκείνην καὶ θρασεῖαν γλῶσσαν τῆς θεοδιδάκτου καὶ φιλοσοφίας γεμούσης περιγενέσθαι ψυχῆς. Καὶ τίς ἡ τέχνη μαθεῖν ἤρετο. τότε Θευδᾶς ὡσεὶ ξυρὸν ἠκονημένον ὑφαίνει τὸ κακούργημα καὶ δεινῶς ἀρτύει τὰ φάρμακα. καὶ ὅρα σόφισμα κακότεχνον καὶ ὑποβολὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ. Πάντας, φησίν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τοὺς παρισταμένους τῷ υἱῷ σου καὶ ὑπηρετοῦντας μακρύνας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, γυναῖκας εὐειδεῖς καὶ λίαν περικαλλεῖς, καὶ κεκοσμημένας εἰς τὸ ἐπαγωγότερον, συνεῖναι αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς καὶ καθυπηρετεῖν, συνδιαιτᾶσθαί τε καὶ συναυλίζεσθαι, πρόσταξον. ἐγὼ δέ, τῶν πνευμάτων ἓν τῶν εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτά μοι τεταγμένων ἐπαποστείλας αὐτῷ, βιαιότερον τὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς πῦρ ἀνάψω. καὶ ἅμα τῷ συγγενέσθαι αὐτὸν μιᾷ καὶ μόνῃ τῶν τοιούτων γυναικῶν, εἰ μὴ πάντα ἕξει σοι κατὰ γνώμην, παροπτέος ἐγὼ τὸ λοιπόν σοι καὶ ἄχρηστος, καὶ τιμωριῶν μεγίστων, οὐ τιμῶν, ἄξιος. οὐδὲν γὰρ ὡς ὄψις γυναικῶν ἐπάγεσθαι καὶ θέλγειν τοὺς ἀρρένων λογισμοὺς πέφυκε. καὶ ἄκουσον διηγήσεως τῷ ἐμῷ συμμαρτυρούσης ῥήματι. 450 χχχ Βασιλεύς τις παιδὸς ἀμοιρῶν ἄρρενος ἠνιᾶτο λίαν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀχθόμενος, καὶ ἀτύχημα τοῦτο οὐ μικρὸν λογιζόμενος. ἐν τούτοις οὖν αὐτῷ ὄντι γεννᾶται υἱός· καὶ χαρᾶς ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὴν καρδίαν ἐπεπλήρωτο ὁ βασιλεύς. εἶπον δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἐπιστήμονες, ὡς, εἰ ἐντὸς τῶν δώδεκα χρόνων ἥλιον ἢ πῦρ τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο ἴδοι, στερηθήσεται παντάπασι τοῦ φωτός· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτοῦ θέσις δηλοῖ. ταῦτα τὸν βασιλέα ἀκούσαντα λέγεται οἰκίσκον ἀντρῶδες ἐκ πέτρας τινὸς λαξεῦσαι, κἀκεῖσε τὸν παῖδα μετὰ τῶν τιθηνούντων αὐτὸν κατακλείσαντα, μηδόλως, μέχρι συμπληρώσεως τῶν δώδεκα ἐνιαυτῶν, φωτὸς ὑποδεῖξαι μαρμαρυγὴν τὸ παράπαν. μετὰ δὲ τὴν συμπλήρωσιν τῶν δώδεκα ἐτῶν ἐξάγει τοῦ οἰκίσκου τὸν παῖδα μηδὲν ὅλως τοῦ κόσμου θεασάμενον, καὶ κελεύει ὁ βασιλεὺς πάντα κατὰ γένος παραστήσαντας ὑποδεῖξαι αὐτῷ, ἄνδρας μὲν ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ, ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ γυναῖκας, ἑτέρωθι χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, ἀλλαχόθεν μαργαρίτας τε καὶ λίθους πολυτελεῖς, ἱμάτια λαμπρὰ καὶ κόσμια, ἅρματα περικαλλῆ μετὰ ἵππων βασιλικῶν χρυσοχαλίνων σὺν τάπησιν ἁλουργοῖς, καὶ ἀναβάτας ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ὁπλοφόρους, βουκόλιά τε βοῶν καὶ ποίμνια προβάτων. καί, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, πάντα στοιχηδὸν ὑπεδείκνυον τῷ παιδί. πυνθανομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ τί τούτων ἕκαστον καλεῖται, οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπασπισταὶ καὶ δορυφόροι τὴν ἑκάστου κλῆσιν ἐδήλουν ὡς δὲ τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν γυναικῶν ἤρετο 452 μαθεῖν, τὸν σπαθάριον τοῦ βασιλέως χαριέντως εἰπεῖν, δαίμονας αὐτὰς καλεῖσθαι, αἳ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πλανῶσιν. ἡ δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς καρδία τῷ ἐκείνων πόθῳ πλέον τῶν λοιπῶν ἐθέλχθη. ὡς οὖν, πάντα περιελθόντες, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπανήγαγον αὐτόν, ἐπηρώτα ὁ βασιλεὺς τί ἀρεστὸν αὐτῷ τῶν ὁραθέντων ἐφάνη. Τί, φησὶν ὁ παῖς, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ δαίμονες ἐκεῖνοι, οἱ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πλανῶντες; οὐδενὸς γὰρ τῶν ὀφθέντων μοι σήμερον, ἢ τῇ ἐκείνων φιλίᾳ ἐξεκαύθη μου ἡ ψυχή. καὶ ἐθαύμασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῷ ῥήματι τοῦ παιδός, καὶ οἷόν ἐστι τυραννικὸν χρῆμα γυναικῶν ἔρως. καὶ σὺ τοίνυν μὴ ἄλλως οἴου ὑποτάξαι σου τὸν υἱόν, ἢ τούτῳ δὴ τῷ τρόπῳ. ∆έχεται τὸν λόγον ἀσμένως ὁ βασιλεύς. καὶ παράγονται αὐτῷ ἐξ ἐπιλογῆς κόραι