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understanding,” being a horse allegorically, who corrupts others’ marriages and manically mounts other men’s wives. He who is sterile toward good things, having been proved barren, will be called a mule, and especially the soul that professes virginity without divine understanding. For the ... foolish person, even if she seems to be pure in body, is a mule and not a bride of the Word. 4.6 There are many names of animals applied to humans in a censurable way, with those who carry the burdens of wickedness justly being called asses and camels, burdens which wicked demons and opposing powers have laid upon them. Concerning such people, the great prophet Isaiah, being divinely inspired, said ... offspring of the ... and of asps to carry "their wealth upon asses and camels." 4.7 For the things thus reported are not historical, having their meaning in an allegorical sense. And the Savior, commanding his disciples "not to give what is holy to dogs nor cast pearls before swine," gives the command allegorically. For dogs and swine are the flatterers and pleasure-lovers rejoicing in the licentious mires of impurity. 4.8 For the dog is a base animal, shamelessly raging with frenzy in its mating, and is fawning and given to barking. Or does not he who reviles his neighbor bark, in a way buzzing with accusations? Concerning such men, the loud-voiced Isaiah cried out: “All are dumb dogs, not knowing understanding and they are wicked.” As, then, such men are dogs, having among their other evils the habit of eating again the vomit they have cast out, so the swine would be those who, having been washed from passionate mires, again wallow in them. 4.9 Concerning those of such an opinion, the great disciple of Christ, Peter, writes thus: “It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘a dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.’” 4.10 To such men the Savior forbade giving what is holy, because they return to the wickedness which they had vomited, becoming turncoats after a supposed repentance to the sin they had cast off. Just as, indeed, one must not have fellowship with these by imparting to them the holy knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, so also is it not fitting to cast the divine pearls before swine, which are the words of the wise, adorning the inner man and his ears. 4.11 Or is he not beautified by these things, who obeys the one saying: “Incline your ear to the words of the wise,” and to God the Word who says: “Incline your ear to the words of my mouth”? He who possesses these thus most precious, beautiful pearls, which the merchant of the kingdom seeks and hunts, must not cast them before the interpreted swine, lest they trample them, being ignorant of their use and beauty. 4.12 Since sufficient testimonies have been set forth to show that men are compared in a censurable way to senseless beasts, it remains to set forth scriptures showing how men are also compared in a praiseworthy way to the characters and movements of certain animals. Or are they not the very ones concerning whom the Savior says: “My sheep hear my voice,” and again: “I am the good shepherd, and I lay down my life for the sheep”? 4.13 The sheep of Christ are those who achieve steadfastness and meekness, from whom a flock is completed, concerning which the Holy Spirit says through the prophet: “And he shall stand and see and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” 4.14 According to such an allegorical interpretation, “the chosen instrument,” Paul, speaking in Christ, understood the law, “you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” after setting it forth, adding: “Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he say it altogether for our sake,” that is, of the apostles? “that he who plows ought to plow, and he who threshes in hope of

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σύνεσις», τυγχάνοντος ἵππου κατ' ἀναγωγὴν τοῦ φθείροντος ἀλλοτρίους γάμους καὶ γυναιξὶν ἀλλοτρίαις μανικῶς ἐπιβαίνοντος. Ὁ πρὸς τὰ καλὰ ἐστειρωμένος ἄγο̣ν̣ος ἀποδειχθείς, ἡμίονος κεκλήσεται, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ παρθενίαν ἐπαγγελλομένη ψυχὴ ἄνευ θείας σ̣υνέσεως. Ἡ γ̣α`̣ρ ····γ̣ο̣ρ̣ια ἀ´̣ν̣θ̣ρ̣ω̣π̣ο̣ς̣ μωρά τις̣ οὖσα, κἂν δοκῇ σώματι καθαρεύειν, η῾̣μ̣ι´̣ο̣νος ἀλλ' οὐ νύμφη τοῦ Λόγου τυγχάνει. 4.6 Ἔστιν ὀνο´̣μ̣ατα πολλὰ ζ̣ῴων ψεκτῶς ἀνθρώποις ἐφαρμοζόμενα, ὄνων καὶ καμήλων ἐν δίκῃ καλουμένων τῶν τα`̣ ἄχθη τ̣η῀̣ς̣ κακίας̣ φ̣ερόντων, ἐπιβαλλόντων αὐτὰ δαιμόνων ἀλιτηρίων καὶ δυνάμεων ἀντικειμ̣ένων. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων θεολημπτούμενος ὁ μέγας προφήτης Ἠσαΐας ·········νου καὶ ἀσπίδων γενήματα φέρειν «τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ὄνων καὶ καμήλων» εἶπεν. 4.7 Οὐ γὰρ ἱστορικὰ τὰ οὕτως ἀπαγγελλόμενα κατ' ἀναγωγὴν ἔχοντα τὴν νόησιν. Καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ, προστάττων τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς «τὸ ἅγιον κυσὶν μὴ διδόναι μηδὲ τὰς μαργαρίτας χοίροις παραβάλλειν», ἀλληγορικῶς τὴν πρόσταξιν δίδωσιν. Κύνες γὰρ καὶ χοῖροι οἱ κόλακες καὶ φιλήδονοι καταχαίροντες τοῖς ἀκολάσ̣τ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ ·········θ̣ι̣ας βορβόροις. 4.8 Ἔστι γὰρ ὁ κύων κατωφερὲς ζῷον ἀναιδῶς μετ' οἴστρου ἐπιμαινο´̣μ̣ενον τ̣α̣ι῀̣ς̣ ο᾿̣χ̣ε̣ι´̣α̣ι̣ς̣, κολ̣α̣κευτικὸν δὲ καὶ ὑλακτικόν. Ἢ οὐχ ὑλακτεῖ ὁ λοιδορῶν τὸν πέλας, τρόπον τινὰ βομβύζων ταῖς κατηγορίαις; Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνθρώπων ὁ μεγαλοβοήσας Ἠσαΐας κέκραγεν· «Πάντες κύνες ἐνεοί, οὐκ εἰδότες σύνεσιν καί εἰσιν πονηροί.» Ὡς οὖν οἱ τοιοῦτοι κύνες εἰσίν, πρὸς τοῖς ἑτέροις κακοῖς ἔχοντες καὶ τοὺς ἐμέτο̣υ̣ς̣ πάλιν οὓς ἀποβεβλήκασιν αὖθις ἐσθίειν, χοῖροι εἶεν οἱ λουόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν βορβόρων καὶ αὖθις αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλινδούμενοι. 4.9 Περὶ τῶν οὕτως γνώμης ἐχόντων γράφ̣ει ὁ μέγας Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς Πέτρος οὕτως· «Κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐγνωκέναι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἢ ἐπιγνοῦσιν ἀνακάμψαι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀπὸ τῆς παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς. Συνέβη αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς παροιμίας· κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα, καί· ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου.» 4.10 Τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀνθρώποις ἀπεῖπεν τὸ ἅγιον διδόναι ὁ Σωτὴρ διὰ τὸ ἐπ̣ι̣στρε´̣φειν ἐφ' ἣν̣ ἤμεσαν κακίαν, μετὰ δῆθεν μετανοίας ὑπόστροφοι γινόμενοι πρὸς τὴν ἀπέβαλον ἁμαρτίαν. Ὥσπερ δὴ τούτοις οὐ δεῖ κοινωνεῖν μεταδιδόντ̣α̣ α̣υ᾿̣τ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ τῆς ἁγίας γνώσεως τῶν μυστηρίων τῆς̣ β̣ασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὕτως οὐδὲ χοίροις παραβάλλειν π̣ρ̣ο̣σήκ̣ει̣ τοὺς θείους μαργαρίτας, τῶν σοφῶν δ' εἰσὶ λόγοι, κοσμοῦντες τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ. 4.11 Ἢ οὐκ ἐγκαλλωπίζεται τούτοις ὁ πειθαρχῶν τῷ λέγοντι· «Λόγοις σοφῶν παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς», καὶ τῷ φάσκοντι Θεῷ Λόγῳ· «Κλίνατε τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ῥήμ̣ατα τοῦ στόματός μου»; Τοὺς οὕτω τιμαλφεστάτους καλοὺς μαργαρίτας οὓς ὁ τῆς βασιλείας ἔμπορος ζητεῖ καὶ θηρεύει οὐ δεῖ παραβάλλειν τοῖς ἡρμηνευμένοις χοίροις τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτούς, ἵνα μὴ καταπατήσωσιν, τὴν χρῆσιν καὶ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῶν ἠγνοηκότες. 4.12 Αὐτάρκως μαρτυρίων παρατεθέντων πρὸς δεῖξιν τοῦ παραβεβλῆσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ψεκτῶς κτήνεσιν ἀνοήτοις, ἐκθετέον λοιπὸν γραφὰς παριστάσας ὡς καὶ ἐπαινετῶς ὁμοιοῦνται ἤθεσιν καὶ κινήμασιν ἐνίων ζῴων οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ἢ οὐχ οὗτοι αὐτοὶ τυγχάνουσιν περὶ ὧν ὁ Σωτήρ· «Τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς ἀκούουσιν», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς καὶ τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων»; 4.13 Πρόβατα Χριστοῦ εἰσιν οἱ εὐστάθειαν καὶ πραότητα κατορθοῦντες, ἐξ ὧν ποίμνιον συμπληροῦται, περὶ οὗ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησίν· «Καὶ στήσεται καὶ ὄψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ Κύριος.» 4.14 Κατὰ τοιαύτην ἀναγωγὴν «τὸ τῆς ἐκλογῆς σκεῦος», ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος, ἐξέλαβεν τὸν «οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα» νόμον, μετὰ τὸ ἐκθέσθαι αὐτὸν ἐπενεγκών· «Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ Θεῷ; ἢ πάντως περὶ ἡμῶν λέγει», τῶν ἀποστόλων δηλονότι; «ὅτι ὀφείλει ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾶν, καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τοῦ