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and having become entirely what it also becomes, so it sees this; whose outward flower the mind would never look upon, but the inner existing material corruption, from which the whole body is composed. For what else is a body than the juice of chewed food? And if it should wish to perceive the outward beauty, it knows how to admire the Creator proportionally from His creatures, and not to serve the creation rather than the creator; for thus from the greatness and from the beauty of creatures it recognizes the maker and the mind is led up to the contemplation of Him and kindles the soul towards the understanding of the poet, through which, then, it is also moved to divine desire and tears and becomes wholly outside the things that are seen and is separated from creatures.

(235) For just as the light of the perceptible eyes is sent everywhere by us and, going around all the things set before the optic power, is not at all defiled by them, even if the things seen are very ugly, but again we carry it undefiled to other things, so also the thought of the saints, even if it should stoop to look into filthy and shameful passions, is not defiled. For their mind is naked and foreign to every passionate desire. For if it should ever wish to enter into the contemplation of such things, it does this not for any other reason, but rather that it might examine and learn the passionate movements and energies of the passions and from where they receive their causes and through what medicines they are in turn made to disappear, just as we hear physicians do and have heard concerning the ancients. For they dissected the dead, that they might understand the position of the body, so that from these they might know the inner parts of living men and attempt to heal in others the passions that are not seen. The spiritual physician who wishes to heal the passions of the soul with experience surely does something of this kind; but in order that I might indicate to you his skillful healing in my account, I will make the narrative factual.

A certain sick person comes to the spiritual physician, stupefied by his passion, wholly disturbed in his mind, seeking harmful things instead of a cure, things that clearly increase the passion and in a moment draw on death. The philanthropic and compassionate physician sees him, understands the brother's weakness, the inflammation of the passion, the swelling, he sees the sick one becoming wholly death's. But will anyone fall in love with such a one, that I may be reminded again of those insensible words? I think not even one of the very mad men would conceive such a thing against a sick woman or a sick man in sickness unto death, let alone pious and God-fearing physicians. But bidding farewell to the words of those who are truly (236) mad, let us hold to the account of the narrative. Therefore, when the spiritual and knowledgeable physician sees the brother being in the state we described, he does not immediately shout nor delay nor say: "The things you seek are evil and deadly and I am not giving you these remedies," lest hearing this he take to flight and go to another inexperienced in such passions and die that very hour; but he receives, restrains, exhorts, shows all love and simplicity together, that he might convince him that he will also provide the cure with the very medicines he requested and will fulfill his desire.

For there are some who are gravely ill in soul and bear grave sicknesses and seek things that increase the illness; and while the passion of each of these perhaps requires a diet and abstinence from pleasures, they themselves rather seek to revel in corrupting foods and to be filled with them to satiety. For this very reason, as I said before, the experienced physician does not immediately refuse the things sought by the sick person, but promises to fulfill all of his requests; the sick one, as if for good things, hastens to his desires, the physician conceals the remedies; and the one accepts and joyfully awaits, but the other, being wise, the one

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καί γεγονυῖαν ὅλην ὅπερ καί γίνεται, οὕτω ταύτην ὁρᾷ· ἧς οὐκ ἄν ποτε τό ἔξωθεν ἄνθος ὁ νοῦς περιβλέψῃ, ἀλλά τήν ἔνδοθεν ὑπάρχουσαν ὑλώδη φθοράν, ἐξ ἧς τό ὅλον σῶμα συνίσταται. Τί γάρ καί ἄλλο ἐστί σῶμα ἤ διαμασηθείσης τροφῆς χυλός; Εἰ δέ καί τό ἔξωθεν κάλλος καταμαθεῖν θελήσειεν, οἶδεν ἐκ τῶν κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως θαυμάζειν τόν γενεσιουργόν, οὐχί δέ λατρεύειν τῇ κτίσει παρά τόν κτίσαντα· οὕτω γάρ ἀπό τοῦ μεγέθους καί ἀπό τῆς καλλονῆς τῶν κτισμάτων ἐπιγινώσκει τόν δημιουργόν καί πρός τήν ἐκείνου θεωρίαν ὁ νοῦς ἀνάγεται καί τήν ψυχήν ἀνάπτει πρός τήν τοῦ ποιητοῦ κατανόησιν, δι᾿ ἧς ἄρα καί πρός θεῖον κινεῖται πόθον καί δάκρυα καί ὅλως ἔξω τῶν ὁρωμένων γίνεται καί ἀπό τῶν κτισμάτων ἀποχωρίζεται.

(235) Καθάπερ γάρ τό φῶς τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὀφθαλμῶν πανταχοῦ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν πέμπεται καί, τά προκείμενα πάντα τῇ ὀπτικῇ δυνάμει περιερχόμενον, τό σύνολον ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ μολύνεται, κἄν ὦσι λίαν δυσειδῆ τά ὁρώμενα, ἀλλά πάλιν ἀμόλυντον αὐτό πρός ἕτερα περιφέρομεν, οὕτω καί ἡ τῶν ἁγίων διάνοια, κἄν εἰς βορβορώδη πάθη καί αἰσχρά παρακύψειεν, οὐ μολύνεται. Γυμνός γάρ ὑπάρχει ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν καί πάσης ἐπιθυμίας ἐμπαθοῦς ἀλλότριος. Εἰ γάρ καί εἰς τήν τῶν τοιούτων θεωρίαν εἰσελθεῖν ποτε βουληθείη, οὐ δι᾿ ἕτερόν τι τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλ᾿ ἤ ἵνα σκοπήσῃ καί καταμάθῃ τῶν παθῶν τάς ἐμπαθεῖς κινήσεις καί ἐνεργείας καί πόθεν λαμβάνουσι τάς αἰτίας καί διά ποίων φαρμάκων πάλιν ἐξαφανίζονται, καθά καί ἰατρούς ποιοῦντας ἀκούομεν καί περί τῶν παλαιῶν ἀκηκόαμεν. Ἀνέτεμον γάρ τούς νεκρούς, ἵνα τήν θέσιν κατανοήσωσι τοῦ σώματος, ὅπως ἐξ ἐκείνων γινώσκοντες ὦσι τῶν ζώντων ἀνθρώπων τά ἔνδοθεν καί ἰατρεύειν ἐν ἄλλοις ἐπιχειρῶσι τά μή ὁρώμενα πάθη. Τοιοῦτόν τι πάντως ἐργάζεται καί ὁ πνευματικός ἰατρός ὁ τά τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη ἐμπείρως ἰατρεύειν βουλόμενος· ἵνα δέ σοι τήν ἔντεχνον αὐτοῦ ἰατρείαν τῷ λόγῳ καθυποδείξω, πραγματικήν ποιήσομαι τήν διήγησιν.

Ἔρχεταί τις πρός τόν πνευματικόν ἰατρόν ἄρρωστος, κεκαρωμένος τῷ πάθει, τεταραγμένος ὅλος τόν νοῦν, ἀντί ἰατρείας τά βλάπτοντα ἐπιζητῶν, τά τό πάθος δηλονότι αὐξάνοντα καί τόν θάνατον ἐν ἀκαρεῖ ἐπισπώμενα. Βλέπει τοῦτον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος καί συμπαθής ἰατρός, κατανοεῖ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τήν ἀσθένειαν, τοῦ πάθους τήν φλεγμονήν, τόν ὄγκον, ὁρᾷ τόν νοσοῦντα ὅλον τοῦ θανάτου γινόμενον. Τοῦ τοιούτου δέ ἆρά τις ἐρασθήσεται, ἵνα πάλιν τῶν ἀναισθήτων λόγων ἐκείνων ἀναμνησθῶ; Οἶμαι, οὐδέ τῶν λίαν τις μαινομένων ἀνδρῶν τοιοῦτόν τι κατά τῆς ἀσθενούσης ἤ τοῦ ἀσθενοῦντος τήν πρός θάνατον ἀρρωστίαν ἐνθυμηθήσεται, μή ὅτι γε εὐσεβῶν καί φοβουμένων τόν Θεόν ἰατρῶν. Ἀλλά τῶν ὄντως (236) μαινομένων τούς λόγους χαίρειν εἰπόντες, ἐχώμεθα τοῦ λόγου τῆς διηγήσεως. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃ ὁ πνευματικός καί ἐπιστήμων ἰατρός ἐν οἷς εἴπομεν ὄντα τόν ἀδελφόν, οὐκ εὐθέως βοᾷ οὐδέ διαναβάλλεται οὐδέ λέγει· "Κακά καί θανατηφόρα εἰσίν ἅ ζητεῖς καί οὐ δίδωμί σοι ταῦτα τά βοηθήματα", ἵνα μή ἀκούσας φυγῇ χρήσηται καί πρός ἕτερον τῶν τοιούτων παθῶν ἄπειρον ἀπέλθῃ καί τῇ αὐτῇ ὥρᾳ τεθνήξεται· ἀλλά προσδέχεται, κατέχει, παρακαλεῖ, πᾶσαν δεικνύει ἀγάπην ὁμοῦ καί ἁπλότητα, ἵνα πληροφορήσῃ αὐτόν ὅτι καί δι᾿ ὧν φαρμάκων ᾐτήσατο, δι᾿ αὐτῶν καί τήν ἰατρείαν ποιήσηται καί τήν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ ἐκπληρώσῃ.

Εἰσί γάρ τινες οἱ χαλεπῶς νοσοῦντες κατά ψυχήν καί χαλεπά τά νοσήματα φέροντες καί τά ἐπαύξοντα τήν νόσον ἐπιζητοῦντες· καί τό μέν πάθος ἑκάστου τούτων ἴσως, ἵνα δέηται διαίτης καί τῆς τῶν ἡδέων ἀποχῆς, αὐτοί δέ μᾶλλον τρυφᾶν ζητοῦσι τά φθοροποιά βρώματα καί εἰς κόρον ἐμφορεῖσθαι αὐτῶν. ∆ιά δή τοῦτο, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπών, ὁ ἔμπειρος ἰατρός οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπί τοῖς ζητουμένοις παρά τοῦ νοσοῦντος ἀνανεύει, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπισχνεῖται πάντα τά τῆς αἰτήσεως ἐκπληρῶσαι αὐτοῦ· ὁ νοσῶν, ὡς ἐπί καλοῖς, σπεύδει τοῖς καταθυμίοις αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἰατρός ὑποκρύπτει τά βοηθήματα· καί ὁ μέν ἐκδέχεται καί περιχαρῶς ἀναμένει, ὁ δέ, σοφός ὤν, τόν μέν