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events, and to glorify him through everything. Since Job also was crowned by such words. Wait, therefore, for the change to something better, and do not cease beseeching God for this, and be eager to write to us, that something more has come from our letters for your cheerfulness, if indeed you do not wish to trouble our joy. For we here are enjoying much pleasure, delighting in the company of the most holy bishop, and in the quiet of this place, and in much freedom from business. For the fear of the Isaurians has ceased, since winter drives them back into their own land. Do not, therefore, trouble such great pleasure for us. For if a letter should come from your honor, declaring to us that you bear what happens as is fitting for you and worthy of your lofty mind, from this also we will reap a great addition of cheerfulness. For the beneficial company of the most holy bishop has not restored us in any ordinary way, so as to make us almost different men, and not to allow us even to have a sense of being in a foreign land; such joy of good things surrounds us, and spiritual wealth flows around us, and for these things we do not cease glorifying God continually. 338. From the same to his sister. The law of nature, indeed, and having loosened the same birth-pangs, brings us together in love; but we, not only from this, but also from another source, and from where one most ought, both revere and love your honor, because for you there is no account of present things, because you have driven away the smoke, and extinguished the dust, and trampled the clay underfoot, and your wing has become light for the road leading to heaven, and neither the care for a husband, nor the concern of raising children, nor the management of a house, nor the disturbance born from these things had the strength to trip up your course and make it slower, but you have used these very things which seem to be hindrances for a greater speed of flight; and not even Poverty, which humbles noble men—for, he says, "Poverty humbles a man"—had the strength to bring you down, but even made you loftier. For such is virtue; it is not hindered by any of these spiderwebs, but even tearing them apart more easily than these spiders, it gathers much profit from this. We have not sent these things to your honor simply, but because we conjecture that you are greatly disturbed and distressed by our absence from home and by the turmoil of the affairs there, for this reason we have written to your piety, so that, considering that affairs are a road, that of virtue is narrow, but that of vice is wide, you might neither envy those who prosper with 52.744 sins, but weep 52.744 more greatly for them for prosperity becomes for them provisions for punishment, nor pity those who travel the narrow way, but even count them more blessed, if they travel with virtue. For to these also, the hardship of the present things, along with virtue, becomes provisions and an addition of honors and crowns; since that rich man was not only tormented for this reason, that he was cruel and inhuman, but because also in much greater wealth, and setting forth a lavish table; but Lazarus was crowned for this, that with much endurance he bore the harsh war of his sores, poverty, the destitution of protectors, being cast aside, being despised, being set forth as a table for the tongues of dogs. For even if you know all these things before our letters, yet, thinking it necessary that you be reminded by us also, we have written, so that you not be troubled by the tyranny of despondency. For though I do not wish to put everything in the letter, I know clearly how many grievous things have surrounded you; and for this reason I added the letter. So that, then, while living in a foreign land, we may enjoy much pleasure, send us a letter, declaring to us that this exhortation of ours has availed as much as we wished and desired. For thus, even while sitting far away, we shall from this reap much joy. For although we have suffered so much, we feel nothing, the

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συμπίπτοντα, καὶ διὰ παντὸς αὐτὸν δοξάζειν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἐστεφανώθη ῥημάτων. Ἀνάμενε δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χρηστότερον μεταβολὴν, καὶ μὴ διαλίπῃς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ τούτου παρακαλοῦσα, καὶ γράψαι ἡμῖν σπούδασον, ὅτι γέγονέ τι πλέον ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων εἰς εὐθυμίας σοι λόγον, εἴγε μὴ βούλει θολοῦν ἡμῶν τὴν εὐφροσύνην. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα πολλῆς ἀπολαύομεν ἡδονῆς, ἐντρυφῶντες τῇ συνουσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου ἐπισκόπου, καὶ τῇ ἡσυχίᾳ τοῦ χωρίου τούτου, καὶ τῇ πολλῇ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν Ἰσαύρων πέπαυται φόβος, τοῦ χειμῶνος αὐτοὺς συνελαύνοντος εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν. Μὴ δὴ τοσαύτην θολώσῃς ἡμῖν ἡδονήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἔλθοι γράμματα παρὰ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος δηλοῦντα ἡμῖν, ὅτι ὥς σοι πρέπον ἐστὶ, καὶ ἀξίως τῆς ὑψηλῆς σου γνώμης τὰ συμπίπτοντα φέρεις, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα εὐθυμίας προσθήκην. Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀνεκτήσατο ἡ ἐπωφελὴς συνουσία τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου ἐπισκόπου, ὡς ἄλλους ἀντ' ἄλλων σχεδὸν ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ μὴ συγχωρῆσαι μηδὲ αἴσθησιν τῆς ξένης λαβεῖν· τοσαύτη ἡμᾶς περιστοιχίζεται ἀγαθῶν εὐφροσύνη, καὶ πλοῦτος ἡμᾶς περιῤῥεῖ πνευματικὸς, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν διὰ ταῦτα διηνεκῶς δοξάζοντες οὐ παυόμεθα. ΣΛΗʹ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ. Συνάγει μὲν ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀγάπην καὶ φύσεως νόμος, καὶ τὸ λῦσαι τὰς αὐτὰς ὠδῖνας· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν, καὶ ὅθεν μάλιστα χρὴ, καὶ αἰδούμεθα καὶ φιλοῦμέν σου τὴν τιμιότητα, ὅτι σοι τῶν παρόντων λόγος οὐδεὶς, ὅτι τὸν καπνὸν ἤλασας, καὶ τὴν κόνιν ἔσβεσας, καὶ τὸν πηλὸν κατεπάτησας, καὶ κοῦφόν σοι γέγονε τὸ πτερὸν πρὸς τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν φέρουσαν, καὶ οὔτε ἀνδρὸς μέριμνα, οὔτε παιδοτροφίας φροντὶς, οὔτε οἰκίας ἐπιμέλεια, οὔτε ὁ ἐντεῦθεν τικτόμενος θόρυβος ἴσχυσεν ὑποσκελίσαι σοι τὸν δρόμον καὶ βραδύτερον ἐργάσασθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς δὴ τούτοις τοῖς δοκοῦσιν εἶναι κωλύμασιν εἰς πλεῖον τάχος πτήσεως κέχρησαι· καὶ οὐδὲ ἡ τοὺς γενναίους ταπεινοῦσα ἄνδρας Πενία γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνδρα ταπεινοῖ ἴσχυσε κατενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν εἰργάσατο. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀρετή· οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀραχνίων τούτων ἐμποδίζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ διασπάσασα αὐτὰ εὐκολώτερον ἢ τὰς ἀράχνας ταύτας, κέρδος ἐντεῦθεν συνάγει πολύ. Ταῦτα οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπεστάλκαμέν σου τῇ τιμιότητι, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ στοχαζόμεθα καὶ τῇ ἀποδημίᾳ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ, τῷ τε θορύβῳ τῶν αὐτόθι πραγμάτων σφόδρα σε ταράττεσθαι καὶ ἀλύειν, τούτου χάριν γεγράφαμέν σου τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, ἵνα ἐννοήσασα ὅτι ὁδὸς τὰ πράγματα, στενὴ μὲν ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς, πλατεῖα δὲ ἡ τῆς κακίας, μήτε τοὺς μετὰ 52.744 ἁμαρτημάτων εὐημεροῦντας ζηλώσῃς, ἀλλὰ δακρύσῃς 52.744 μειζόνως ἐφόδιον γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ εὐημερία γίνεται, μήτε τοὺς τὴν στενὴν ὁδεύοντας ταλανίσῃς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μακαρίσῃς μειζόνως, ἂν μετ' ἀρετῆς ὁδεύσωσι. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τούτοις ἐφόδιον, καὶ προσθήκη τιμῶν καὶ στεφάνων, μετὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ἡ στενοχωρία γίνεται τῶν παρόντων· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον ἀπετηγανίζετο, ὅτι ὠμὸς καὶ ἀπάνθρωπος ἦν, ἀλλὰ ὅτι καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ πολλῷ μείζονι, καὶ δαψιλῆ παρατιθέμενος τράπεζαν· ὁ δὲ Λάζαρος διὰ τοῦτο ἐστεφανοῦτο, ὅτι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς καρτερίας τὸν χαλεπὸν τῶν ἑλκῶν ἤνεγκε πόλεμον, τὴν πενίαν, τὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν προστησομένων, τὸ ἀπεῤῥῖφθαι, τὸ καταφρονεῖσθαι, τὸ προκεῖσθαι τράπεζα ταῖς τῶν κυνῶν γλώσσαις. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα εἰ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπίστασαι γραμμάτων, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι νομίσαντες καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν σε ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι, ἐπεστάλκαμεν, ὥστε μὴ τῇ τυραννίδι τῆς ἀθυμίας θολοῦσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ βούλομαι πάντα ἐνθεῖναι τοῖς γράμμασιν, οἶδα σαφῶς, ὅσα ὑμᾶς περιέστηκε λυπηρά· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκα τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, πολλῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς ἡδονῆς, πέμψον ἡμῖν γράμματα, δηλοῦντα ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἴσχυσεν ἡμῶν αὕτη ἡ παραίνεσις, ὅσον ἐβουλόμεθα καὶ ἐπεθυμοῦμεν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ πόῤῥω καθήμενοι, πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν εὐφροσύνην. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ καίτοι τοσαῦτα πεπονθότες, οὐδενὸς αἰσθανόμεθα, τόν