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fearing, those living in monasteries, these running down with much boldness loosed everything, and so far were the terrible events that happened and the expected threats from frightening them and casting them into agony, that though sitting far from the disaster and having nothing in common with it, they willingly threw themselves into the midst of the fire, and rescued everyone, and that which to all seems to be fearful and dreadful, death, this they undertook with all eagerness; and they ran to the deed with more pleasure than others to offices and honors; for they knew that this was the greatest office and honor, and by their very deeds they showed, that this man alone is blessed who has laid hold of the philosophy from above, and he accepts no change, nor endures any misfortune, but enjoys continuous prosperity, and laughs at all things that seem to be grievous. For now, on the one hand, those in power are possessed with much despondency 49.187, inhabiting the prison, clad in chains, and expecting to die each day; but these men enjoy the purest pleasure, even if it happens that they suffer something terrible, and the things that seem fearful to others, these are longed for by them; for they know for what they are running, and what end will follow after their departure from hence. And though living with such strictness, and laughing at death, nevertheless they grieve for others, and from this they reap the greatest benefit again. Let us be zealous, therefore, to take care of our soul, and nothing unexpected can grieve us; and let us beseech God for those who have been cast in, that he may deliver them from the calamity that hangs over them. For God was able to resolve the terrible thing at once, and to leave not even small remnants; but so that we might not return again to our former laziness, He arranged to slacken the torrent of these evils gently and little by little, keeping us in the same reverence. And that this is true, and that many would have returned to their former laziness, if the whole matter had been resolved quickly, is clear from this: The remnants of the disaster still remain, and the emperor's decision is still unknown, and all those who direct the city's affairs are in bonds, and many of those who inhabit our city run to the river in their desire to bathe, making a thousand jests there, behaving wantonly, leaping, dancing, dragging women along with them. Of what pardon then would those men be worthy, of what defense? Or rather, of what punishment and retribution would they not be worthy? The head of the city is in prison, our members are in exile, the sentence concerning them is uncertain, and you are dancing, tell me, and playing and laughing? For we cannot bear not bathing, he says. O the shameless mind! O the base and corrupt one! how many months have there been, tell me? how many years? you have not yet been shut out from the baths for twenty days, and as if you had spent a whole year without bathing, you are thus distressed and 49.188 annoyed? Were you thus, tell me, when you expected the soldiers' attack, when you hoped to die each day, when you were fleeing to the deserts, and running to the mountain peaks? If someone then had proposed to you to remain a whole year without bathing, so as to be delivered from the impending agony, would you not have readily accepted and endured it? It is necessary, then, to give thanks to God who resolved these things without any loss, yet you leap again and act insolently, and since the fear has passed, have you returned again to a greater laziness? Did the terrible things so affect you, as to make you desire the baths? for if the baths were opened, would not the disaster of those still detained be sufficient to persuade even those not in these troubles to forget all luxury? The danger is for the soul, and you are mindful of baths, and wish to live luxuriously? Do you despise that you have now escaped? see that you do not bring upon yourself the necessity of a greater punishment, and call back again the threat that has departed with greater abundance, and suffer the same thing which Christ says about the demons; for when the unclean spirit has gone out,

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φοβούμενοι, οἱ ἐν μοναστηρίοις διατρίβοντες, οὗτοι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας καταδραμόντες πάντα ἔλυσαν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχον αὐτοὺς φοβῆσαι καὶ εἰς ἀγωνίαν ἐμβαλεῖν τὰ συμβάντα δεινὰ καὶ αἱ προσδοκώμεναι ἀπειλαὶ, ὅτι πόῤῥω καθήμενοι τῆς συμφορᾶς καὶ οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχοντες, ἑκόντες ἑαυτοὺς ἔῤῥιψαν εἰς μέσην τὴν πυρὰν, καὶ πάντας ἐξείλοντο, καὶ ὃ πᾶσι δοκεῖ φοβερὸν εἶναι καὶ φρικῶδες, ὁ θάνατος, τοῦτο οὗτοι μετὰ πάσης ἀνεδέξαντο τῆς προθυμίας· καὶ μετὰ πλείονος ἔτρεχον ἐπὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡδονῆς, ἢ ἐπ' ἀρχὰς ἕτεροι καὶ τιμάς· ᾔδεσαν γὰρ ὅτι μεγίστη τοῦτο ἀρχὴ καὶ τιμὴ, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἔδειξαν, ὅτι οὗτος μόνος μακάριός ἐστιν ὁ φιλοσοφίας ἐπειλημμένος τῆς ἄνω, καὶ μεταβολὴν οὐδεμίαν δέχεται, οὐδὲ δυσημερίαν ὑπομένει τινὰ, ἀλλὰ διηνεκοῦς εὐημερίας ἀπολαύει, καὶ πάντων καταγελᾷ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν. Νῦν γοῦν οἱ μὲν ἐν δυναστείαις ἀθυμίᾳ πολλῇ 49.187 κατέχονται, τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντες, ἁλύσεις περιβεβλημένοι, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖσθαι προσδοκῶντες· οὗτοι δὲ καθαρωτάτης ἀπολαύουσιν ἡδονῆς, κἂν συμβαίη τι παθεῖν δεινὸν, καὶ ἃ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἶναι δοκεῖ φοβερὰ, ταῦτα τούτοις ἐστὶ ποθεινά· ἴσασι γὰρ ἐπὶ τί τρέχουσι, καὶ ποία λῆξις μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν διαδέξεται. Καὶ τοσαύτῃ συζῶντες ἀκριβείᾳ, καὶ θανάτου καταγελῶντες, ὅμως ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων ἀλγοῦσι, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου μεγίστην πάλιν ὠφέλειαν καρποῦνται. Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀδοκήτων λυπῆσαι δύναται· καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐμβεβλημένων τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλῶμεν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξαι τῆς ἐπικειμένης αὐτοῖς συμφορᾶς. Ἠδύνατο μὲν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀθρόον λῦσαι τὸ δεινὸν, καὶ μηδὲ μικρὰ ἀφεῖναι λείψανα· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐπανέλθωμεν ῥᾳθυμίαν, ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν τὸν χείμαῤῥον τῶν κακῶν τούτων χαλᾷν παρεσκεύασε, κατέχων ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐλαβείας. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, καὶ πολλοὶ πρὸς τὴν προτέραν ἐπανῆλθον ἂν ῥᾳθυμίαν, εἰ συντόμως ἐλύθη τὸ πᾶν, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· Ἔτι τὰ λείψανα μένει τῆς συμφορᾶς, καὶ ἔτι τοῦ βασιλέως ἄδηλός ἐστιν ἡ γνώμη, καὶ οἱ τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἄγοντες πράγματα ἅπαντές εἰσιν ἐν δεσμοῖς, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν τὴν πόλιν ἡμῖν οἰκούντων τῇ τοῦ λούεσθαι ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τρέχουσι, μυρία κωμῳδοῦντες ἐκεῖ, ἀσελγαίνοντες, σκιρτῶντες, χορεύοντες, γυναῖκας ἐπισυρόμενοι. Ἆρα τίνος ἂν εἶεν ἐκεῖνοι συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, ποίας ἀπολογίας; μᾶλλον δὲ ποίας οὐκ ἂν εἶεν ἄξιοι κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας; Ἡ κεφαλὴ τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ, τὰ μέλη ἡμῶν ἐν ἐξορίᾳ, ἄδηλος ἡ περὶ τούτων ψῆφος, καὶ σὺ χορεύεις, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ παίζεις καὶ γελᾷς; Οὐ γὰρ φέρομεν τὴν ἀλουσίαν, φησίν. Ὢ τῆς ἀναισχύντου γνώμης! ὢ τῆς βαναύσου καὶ διεφθαρμένης! πόσοι γεγόνασιν, εἰπέ μοι, μῆνες; πόσοι ἐνιαυτοί; οὔπω εἴκοσιν ἡμέρας ἔχεις τῶν βαλανείων ἀποκλεισθεὶς, καὶ ὡς ἐνιαυτὸν ἔχων ὁλόκληρον ἐν ἀλουσίᾳ, οὕτως ἀλύεις καὶ 49.188 δυσχεραίνεις; Οὕτως ἦσθα, εἰπέ μοι, ὅτε στρατιωτῶν προσεδόκησας ἔφοδον, ὅτε καθ' ἑκάστην ἤλπιζες τὴν ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖσθαι, ὅτε εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους ἔφευγες, καὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων ἔτρεχες; Εἴ τίς σοι τότε προέτεινεν ἐνιαυτὸν ὁλόκληρον ἐν ἀλουσίᾳ μεῖναι, ὥστε ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ἐπικειμένης ἀγωνίας, οὐκ ἂν ἑτοίμως κατεδέξω καὶ ὑπέμεινας; ∆έον οὖν εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ χωρὶς πάσης ζημίας λύσαντι ταῦτα Θεῷ, σκιρτᾷς πάλιν καὶ ἐξυβρίζεις, καὶ ἐπειδὴ παρῆλθεν ὁ φόβος, πρὸς μείζονα πάλιν ἐπανῆλθες ῥᾳθυμίαν; Οὕτω σου καθήψατο τὰ δεινὰ, ὡς καὶ βαλανείων ἐπιθυμῆσαι; εἰ γὰρ ἀνεῖτο τὰ βαλανεῖα, οὐκ ἦν ἱκανὴ τῶν ἔτι κατεχομένων ἡ συμφορὰ, καὶ τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς τούτοις πεῖσαι πάσης ἐπιλαθέσθαι τρυφῆς; Περὶ ψυχῆς ὁ κίνδυνός ἐστι, καὶ σὺ βαλανείων μέμνησαι, καὶ τρυφᾷν βούλει; Καταφρονεῖς ὅτι διέφυγες νῦν; ὅρα μὴ μείζονος κολάσεως σαυτῷ περιστήσῃς ἀνάγκην, καὶ πάλιν ἀπελθοῦσαν καλέσῃς μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιουσίας τὴν ἀπειλὴν, καὶ πάθῃς ταυτὸν, ὃ περὶ τῶν δαιμόνων φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ἐξέλθῃ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον,