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nurses carrying them in their arms, often going away and coming back, and singing them some children's songs, thus they put their eyelids to sleep. For this reason also travelers, often driving their beasts of burden at midday, do this while singing, soothing the weariness from the journey with those songs. And not only travelers, but also farmers treading the wine-press, and gathering grapes, and tending vines, and doing any other work, often sing. And sailors rowing do this. And indeed also women weaving, and separating the tangled threads of the warp with the shuttle, often each by herself, and often 55.157 all together in harmony, sing some one melody. And women, and travelers, and farmers, and sailors do this, hastening to soothe the toil of their work with song, since the soul, if it hears melody and song, is able to bear all troublesome and laborious things more easily. Since, therefore, the soul is naturally disposed to this kind of pleasure, so that demons, by introducing licentious songs, might not overturn everything, God has fortified us with the psalms, so that the practice might be at once a pleasure and a benefit. For from worldly songs come harm, and ruin, and many terrible things might be introduced; for the more licentious and lawless of these songs, being engendered in the parts of the soul, make it weaker and softer; but from the spiritual psalms there is great gain, great benefit, and great sanctification, and it might become the foundation of all philosophy, since the words purify the soul, and the Holy Spirit quickly flies to the soul that psalms such things. For that those who psalm with understanding call upon the grace of the Spirit, hear what Paul says: Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. And he added the manner of the filling. Singing and psalming in your hearts to the Lord. What is, In your hearts? With understanding, he says; so that the mouth may not be speaking the words, while the mind is abroad wandering everywhere, but that the soul may hear the tongue. 2. And just as where there is mire, swine run; but where there are spices and incense, bees make their home; so where there are licentious songs, demons pile up; but where there are spiritual melodies, the grace of the Spirit flies to them, and sanctifies both the mouth and the soul. I say these things, not that you may only praise them, but that you may also teach children and wives to sing such songs, not only at the looms, nor in other tasks, but especially at the table. For since the devil generally lies in wait at banquets, having drunkenness and gluttony as his allies, and disorderly laughter, and a relaxed soul, it is especially necessary then, both before the meal and after the meal, to build a wall against him with the security of the psalms, and rising from the banquet together with your wife and children, to sing the sacred hymns to God. For if Paul, having unbearable scourges laid upon him, and bound to the stocks, and dwelling in a prison, in the middle of the night, when sweet sleep especially comes upon all, continually hymned God with Silas, and was not forced to relent from the melody, neither by the place, nor by the time, nor by anxiety, nor by the tyranny of sleep, nor by the pain of those toils, nor by anything else from anywhere; how much more should we, who are rejoicing and enjoying the good things of God, send up hymns of thanksgiving to him, so that if anything amiss from drunkenness and gluttony should enter our soul, when the psalmody enters, it may all leap away

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τίτθαι ἐν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις αὐτὰ βαστάζουσαι, πολλάκις ἀπιοῦσαί τε καὶ ἐπανιοῦσαι, καί τινα αὐτοῖς κατεπᾴδουσαι ᾄσματα παιδικὰ, οὕτως αὐτῶν τὰ βλέφαρα κατακοιμίζουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁδοιπόροι πολλάκις κατὰ μεσημβρίαν ἐλαύνοντες ὑποζύγια, ᾄδοντες τοῦτο ποιοῦσι, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ταλαιπωρίαν ταῖς ᾠδαῖς ἐκείναις παραμυθούμενοι. Οὐχ ὁδοιπόροι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γηπόνοι ληνοβατοῦντες, καὶ τρυγῶντες, καὶ ἀμπέλους θεραπεύοντες, καὶ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν ἐργαζόμενοι, πολλάκις ᾄδουσι. Καὶ ναῦται κωπηλατοῦντες τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες ἱστουργοῦσαι, καὶ τῇ κερκίδι τοὺς στήμονας συγκεχυμένους διακρίνουσαι, πολλάκις μὲν καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἑκάστη, πολλάκις δὲ 55.157 καὶ συμφώνως ἅπασαι, μίαν τινὰ μελῳδίαν ᾄδουσι. Ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ ὁδοιπόροι, καὶ γηπόνοι, καὶ ναῦται, τῷ ᾄσματι τὸν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων πόνον παραμυθήσασθαι σπεύδοντες, ὡς τῆς ψυχῆς, εἰ μέλους ἀκούσειε καὶ ᾠδῆς, ῥᾷον ἅπαντα ἐνεγκεῖν δυναμένης τὰ ὀχληρὰ καὶ ἐπίπονα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οἰκείως ἡμῖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἔχει τὸ εἶδος τῆς τέρψεως ἡ ψυχὴ, ἵνα μὴ πορνικὰ ᾄσματα οἱ δαίμονες εἰσάγοντες, ἅπαντα ἀνατρέπωσι, τοὺς ψαλμοὺς ἐπετείχισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἡδονὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ὠφέλειαν εἶναι. Ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν ᾀσμάτων βλάβη, καὶ ὄλεθρος, καὶ πολλὰ ἂν εἰσαχθείη δεινά· τὰ γὰρ ἀσελγέστερα καὶ παρανομώτερα τῶν ᾀσμάτων τούτων τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς μέρεσιν ἐγγινόμενα, ἀσθενεστέραν αὐτὴν καὶ μαλακωτέραν ποιοῦσιν· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ψαλμῶν τῶν πνευματικῶν πολὺ μὲν τὸ κέρδος, πολλὴ δὲ ἡ ὠφέλεια, πολὺς δὲ ὁ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ πάσης φιλοσοφίας ὑπόθεσις γένοιτ' ἂν, τῶν τε ῥημάτων τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκκαθαιρόντων, τοῦ τε ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῇ τὰ τοιαῦτα ψαλλούσῃ ταχέως ἐφιπταμένου ψυχῇ. Ὅτι γὰρ οἱ μετὰ συνέσεως ψάλλοντες τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος καλοῦσι χάριν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν Πνεύματι. Ἐπήγαγε δὲ καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς πληρώσεως. Ἄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; Μετὰ συνέσεως, φησίν· ἵνα μὴ τὸ στόμα μὲν λαλῇ τὰ ῥήματα, ἡ διάνοια δὲ ἔξω διατρίβῃ πανταχοῦ πλανωμένη, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀκούῃ ἡ ψυχὴ τῆς γλώττης. βʹ. Καὶ καθάπερ ἔνθα μὲν βόρβορος, χοῖροι τρέχουσιν· ἔνθα δὲ ἀρώματα καὶ θυμιάματα, μέλιτται κατασκηνοῦσιν· οὕτως ἔνθα μὲν ᾄσματα πορνικὰ, δαίμονες ἐπισωρεύονται· ἔνθα δὲ μέλη πνευματικὰ, ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐφίπταται χάρις, καὶ τὸ στόμα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἁγιάζει. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπαινῆτε μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας τὰ τοιαῦτα διδάσκητε ᾄσματα ᾄδειν, οὐκ ἐν ἱστοῖς μόνον, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔργοις, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα ἐν τραπέζῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἐν συμποσίοις ὁ διάβολος ἐφεδρεύει μέθην καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν ἔχων αὐτῷ συμμαχοῦσαν, καὶ γέλωτα ἄτακτον, καὶ ψυχὴν ἀνειμένην, μάλιστα τότε δεῖ καὶ πρὸ τραπέζης, καὶ μετὰ τράπεζαν, ἐπιτειχίζειν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ψαλμῶν ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ κοινῇ μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν παίδων ἀναστάντας ἀπὸ τοῦ συμποσίου, τοὺς ἱεροὺς ᾄδειν ὕμνους τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος μάστιγας ἔχων ἀφορήτους ἐπικειμένας, καὶ ξύλῳ προσδεδεμένος, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῶν, ἐν μέσῃ νυκτὶ, ὅτε μάλιστα γλυκὺς ὁ ὕπνος ἐφίσταται πᾶσι, μετὰ τοῦ Σίλα διετέλει τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνῶν, καὶ οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου, οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς φροντίδος, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς τυραννίδος τοῦ ὕπνου, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος τῶν πόνων ἐκείνων, οὔτε ἄλλοθεν οὐδαμόθεν ἠναγκάσθη καθυφεῖναι τῆς μελῳδίας· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς εὐφραινομένους, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύοντας τοῦ Θεοῦ, εὐχαριστηρίους ὕμνους ἀναπέμπειν αὐτῷ χρὴ, ἵνα κἄν τι γένηται παρὰ τῆς μέθης καὶ τῆς ἀδηφαγίας ἄτοπον εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἐπεισελθούσης, ἀποπηδήσῃ πάντα