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beautiful and exceedingly comely, whom having adorned with brilliant attire and altogether prepared to be alluring, he drives all the servants and attendants of his son out of the palace, and replaces them with those women. These women, then, clung to him, intertwined with him, they provoked him to abominable intercourse, summoning him to pleasure through all manner of gestures and words. He could not look at or speak to or dine with anyone else; for these women were everything to him. And these things the king did. But Theudas, having again taken possession of that wicked cave, and having delved into the books that were able to effect these things, and having called one of the wicked spirits, sends it forth to war against the soldier of Christ's army; the wretched one not knowing what ridicule he was about to suffer and be filled with shame, 454 along with the whole demonic phalanx under him. And the wicked spirit, taking with it other, more wicked spirits, seizes the chamber of the noble youth, and falls upon him, having kindled most fiercely the furnace of the flesh. And the wicked one kindled the flame within; while the maidens, fair in appearance but exceedingly ugly in soul, supplied the wicked material from without. And that pure soul, perceiving the assault of the evil one, and seeing the war of unseemly thoughts coming violently upon it, was greatly disturbed; and it sought to find a release from so great an evil, and to present itself pure to Christ, and not to defile with the mire of passions that holy garment, with which the grace of holy baptism had clothed it. Immediately, therefore, it opposes love with love, the divine for the licentious, and brings itself to the memory of that beauty and ineffable glory of Christ, the immortal bridegroom of the purest souls, and of that bridal chamber and marriage, from which are miserably cast out those who have stained the wedding garment, bound hand and foot, into the outer darkness. Considering these things and becoming tearful, he beat his breast, as if driving out from there the wicked thoughts like evil drones. Then, rising up and lifting his hands to heaven, with hot tears and groans he called upon God for aid, and said: Lord Almighty, the only powerful and merciful one, the hope of the hopeless, the help of the helpless, remember me, your worthless 456 servant, in this hour, and look upon me with a gracious eye, and deliver my soul from the demonic sword and my only-begotten from the hand of the dog; and do not let me fall into the hands of my enemies, nor let those who hate me rejoice over me; and do not abandon me to be corrupted in iniquities, and to defile my body, which I promised to present pure to you. For you I long, and you I worship, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages. And having said amen, he felt a divine consolation visiting him from heaven, and the wicked thoughts withdrew; and he himself continued praying until morning. And knowing the devices of the deceitful one, he began to press his body more with lack of food and thirst, and with other hardship, performing all-night vigils, and reminding himself of his confessions to God, and outlining in his mind the splendor of the righteous there, and describing most vividly the Gehenna threatened for the wicked; so that the enemy, finding his soul idle and at ease, might not easily sow wicked thoughts in it, and cloud the purity of his mind. The enemy, therefore, being baffled on all sides, and having completely given up on capturing the noble one, the terrible one comes to another, more varied deceit, he who is ever wicked and in no way ceases from scheming and harming. For he made immense effort to put into action the things commanded him by Theudas. And so again he prepares his potions. One

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ὡραῖαι καὶ περικαλλεῖς, ἃς καὶ κόσμῳ λαμπρύνας διαυγεῖ καὶ ὅλως πρὸς τὸ ἐπαγωγὸν εὐτρεπίσας, τοὺς μὲν θεράποντας καὶ ὑπηρέτας τοῦ υἱοῦ πάντας ἐκβάλλει τοῦ παλατίου, ἐκείνας δὲ ἀντικαθίστησιν. αὗται οὖν περιεφύοντο αὐτῷ, συνεπλέκοντο, πρὸς τὴν μυσαρὰν αὐτὸν συνουσίαν ἠρέθιζον, διὰ πάντων σχημάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων ἐκκαλούμεναι πρὸς ἡδονήν. οὐκ εἶχεν ἑτέρῳ τινὶ προσβλέψαι ἢ ὁμιλῆσαι, ἢ συναριστῆσαι· αὗται γὰρ ἦσαν αὐτῷ πάντα. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐποίει. Θευδᾶς δὲ πάλιν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο καταλαβὼν σπήλαιον, καὶ εἰς τὰς βίβλους ἐγκύψας τὰς ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖν δυναμένας, καὶ ἓν τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων καλέσας, εἰς πόλεμον ἐκπέμπει τοῦ στρατιώτου τῆς Χριστοῦ παρατάξεως· οὐκ εἰδὼς ὁ ἄθλιος οἷον ἔμελλε γέλωτα ὑποστῆναι καὶ αἰσχύνης πληροῦ 454 σθαι σὺν πάσῃ τῇ ὑπ' αὐτὸν δαιμονικῇ φάλαγγι. τὸ δὲ πονηρὸν πνεῦμα, ἄλλα τε πονηρότερα συμπαραλαβὸν πνεύματα, τὸν κοιτῶνα καταλαμβάνει τοῦ γενναίου παιδός, καὶ ἐπιπίπτει αὐτῷ λαβρότατον ἀνάψαν τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν κάμινον. καὶ ὁ μὲν πονηρὸς ἔνδον ἀνέφλεγεν· αἱ δὲ τὴν ὄψιν εὐπρεπεῖς, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καὶ λίαν δυσειδεῖς, κόραι ἔξωθεν τὴν πονηρὰν ἐχορήγουν ὕλην. Ἡ δὲ καθαρὰ ἐκείνη ψυχὴ τῆς προσβολῆς αἰσθομένη τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὁρῶσα τῶν ἀτόπων λογισμῶν ἐπ' αὐτὴν σφοδρῶς ἐρχόμενον, διεταράττετο· καὶ λύσιν εὑρεῖν τοῦ τοσούτου κακοῦ ἐπεζήτει, καθαρόν τε ἑαυτὸν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ μὴ τῷ βορβόρῳ τῶν παθῶν καταχρᾶναι τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην στολήν, ἣν αὐτὸν ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ἠμφιάσατο χάρις. εὐθὺς οὖν ἔρωτι ἀνθίστησιν ἔρωτα, τῷ ἀκολάστῳ τὸν θεϊκόν, καὶ εἰς μνήμην ἄγει ἑαυτὸν τῆς ὡραιότητος ἐκείνης καὶ ἀνεκλαλήτου δόξης Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀθανάτου νυμφίου τῶν καθαρωτάτων ψυχῶν, καὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐκείνου καὶ γάμου, οὗπερ ἐλεεινῶς ἐκβάλλονται οἱ τὸν νυμφικὸν σπιλώσαντες χιτῶνα, δεδεμένοι χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, εἰς τὸ ἐξώτερον σκότος. ταῦτα λογισάμενος καὶ σύνδακρυς γενόμενος, ἔτυπτε τὸ στῆθος, οἷα κακοὺς κηφῆνας τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκεῖθεν λογισμοὺς φυγαδεύων. εἶτα διαναστὰς καὶ χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν διάρας, θερμοῖς δάκρυσι καὶ στεναγμοῖς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπεκαλεῖτο πρὸς συμμαχίαν, καὶ ἔλεγε· Κύριε παντοκράτορ, ὁ μόνος δυνατὸς καὶ οἰκτίρμων, ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν ἀπηλπισμένων, ἡ τῶν ἀβοηθήτων βοήθεια, μνήσθητί μου τοῦ ἀχρείου σου 456 δούλου ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ταύτῃ, καὶ ἱλέῳ μοι ἐπίβλεψον ὄμματι, καὶ ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας δαιμονικῆς τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου· καὶ μὴ ἐάσῃς ἐμπεσεῖν με εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν μου, μηδὲ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ μισοῦντές με· καὶ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με καταφθαρῆναι ἐν ἀνομίαις, καὶ καθυβρίσαι μου τὸ σῶμα ὅπερ ἁγνόν σοι παραστῆσαι ἐπηγγειλάμην. σὲ γὰρ ποθῶ, καὶ σοὶ προσκυνῶ τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. καὶ ἐπειπὼν τὸ ἀμήν, θείας ᾔσθετο παρακλήσεως οὐρανόθεν αὐτῷ ἐπιφοιτησάσης, καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ ὑπεχώρουν λογισμοί· αὐτὸς δὲ μέχρι πρωΐας εὐχόμενος διετέλεσε. καὶ γνοὺς τὰ μηχανήματα τοῦ δολίου, ἤρξατο ἐπὶ πλεῖον πιέζειν τὸ σῶμα τροφῆς ἐνδείᾳ καὶ δίψῃ, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ ταλαιπωρίᾳ, ὁλονύκτους μὲν ἐπιτελῶν στάσεις, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀναμιμνήσκων τῶν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁμολογιῶν, καὶ ὑπογράφων τῷ λογισμῷ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν τῶν δικαίων λαμπρότητα, τὴν ἠπειλημένην τε τοῖς φαύλοις γέενναν ἀνιστορῶν ἐναργέστατα· ὅπως μή, ἀργὴν καὶ ἄνετον ὁ ἐχθρὸς εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχήν, λογισμοὺς αὐτῇ πονηροὺς ῥᾳδίως ὑποσπείρῃ, καὶ τὸ καθαρὸν ἐπιθολώσῃ τῆς διανοίας. πάντοθεν τοίνυν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐξαπορηθείς, καὶ παντελῶς ἀπαγορεύσας ἑλεῖν τὸν γενναῖον, ἑτέραν ἔρχεται ὁ δεινὸς ἀπάτην ποικιλωτέραν, ὁ ἀεί ποτε πονηρὸς ὢν καὶ τὸ τεχνάζεσθαι καὶ βλάπτειν οὐδαμῶς ἀπολείπων. εἰς ἔργον γὰρ ἀγαγεῖν τὰ ἐντεταλμένα αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Θευδᾶ μυρία γέγονε σπουδή. καὶ οὕτω πάλιν τὰ φάρμακα ἀρτύει. Μίαν