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another nature, not providing us with a small need, but so great that it contributes to the greater part of our life, so that our weary bodies are restored. For this is the work of the winds, to fan the air, so that, being not motionless, it is not corrupted, and to ripen the fruits and to nourish bodies. What could one say of their uses in navigation, and the seasons in which they orderly arise and yield to one another, dancing upon the sea 1.428 and conveying the sailors across? And one escorted, and another took its place. And while they travel opposing paths and serve, their battle again becomes useful for life. And one could speak of countless works of the winds. But nevertheless, the prophet, passing over all these things and omitting to recount them, presented only the ease of their creation. For to say "out of their treasuries" does not mean that there are certain treasuries of winds, but the ease of the one commanding and the readiness and preparation of his will. For just as one who has things in a treasury brings everything out with freedom, and when he wishes, brings them in again, so the Creator of all made everything with ease and delivered it to nature. You have seen how much difference there is in the air, just as in fire and in water there are many variations. For of water, some is from a spring, some from the sea, some from the air, some in clouds, some above the heavens, some above men, some underground, from which also hot waters in various places are brought up, wondrously heated by underground fire. And of fire, some is in the sun, some in the moon, some in lightning, some in the air, some from wood, that which is around us and from a lamp, some from the earth (for in many places it is possible to see such a thing given off from the earth, just like springs of water), some in stones rubbed together, some in the foliage of trees when they too are rubbed together, some in thunderbolts from the aether, and some is naturally produced from water and the most transparent and purest 1.429 glass. So also again in the air, some is thicker, that which is around us, and corrupting, and the cause of various dangerous diseases, and some is thinner and the cause of good temperament and health of bodies, and some is drier and more fiery. Just as there are also many differences of the winds; for one is thinner, another thicker, one colder, another drier, one wetter, another hotter. Whence, then, the prophet, having fallen into the abyss of these and such benefactions, in which the power and wisdom of God are shown, and having seen the boundless sea, leaped away, shouting loudly, "How great are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all, and you have filled with wisdom both the animate and the inanimate."

And after Titus, Domitian his brother reigned for 15 years, 11 months, and was slain in the temple of Rome through a plot of his own wife. For having become his brother's successor, he did not emulate the excellent government of his father and brother, but diametrically the unholy work of Tiberius and Nero. And indeed, having pursued every form of wickedness, having become full of murder and madness for women and at the same time madness for men, the godless man finally deified himself. And thenceforth, the wretch, having shown himself most hateful and rejected by all on account of the murderous and beastly nature of his defiled mind, quite fittingly reaping the wages of his own malevolence, ends his abominable and profane life by a most shameful fate, 1.430 as has been said. This man, investigating the horoscopes of the leading men of Rome, finding not a few would be in power, destroyed them on a pretext. This man ordered that vines not be planted in the cities. This man commanded those of the lineage of David and of Christ to be killed; for he feared the coming of the Lord, just as Herod the child-killer did. And as the preaching was already gaining power, they brought relatives of the Lord to Domitian. whom he also asked if they were of David and of Christ. And they confessed. And of how much, he said,

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ἑτέρα φύσις, οὐ μικρὰν ἡμῖν παρέχουσα χρείαν, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ὥστε εἰς τὸ πολὺ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῖν συντελεῖν, κεκμηκότα ἀνακτᾶσθαι τὰ σώματα. τοῦτο γὰρ ἔργον ἀνέμων, ἀναρριπίζειν τὸν ἀέρα, ὥστε μὴ ἀκίνητον ὄντα διαφθείρεσθαι, πεπαίνειν δὲ τοὺς καρποὺς καὶ τρέφειν τὰ σώματα. τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὰς ἐν ναυτιλίᾳ χρείας αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς καιροὺς οἷς τεταγμένως ἐφίστανται καὶ παραχωροῦσιν ἀλλήλοις, χορεύοντες ἐν τῷ πελάγει 1.428 καὶ τοὺς πλωτῆρας διαβιβάζοντες; καὶ ὁ μὲν παρέπεμψεν, ὁ δὲ διεδέξατο. καὶ ἐναντίας ὁδευόντων ὁδοὺς καὶ διακονούντων ἡ μάχη αὐτῶν πάλιν τῷ βίῳ γίνεται χρήσιμος. καὶ μυρία ἄν τις εἴποι τῶν ἀνέμων ἔργα. ἀλλ' ὅμως πάντα ταῦτα παραδραμὼν ὁ προφήτης καὶ καταλιπὼν ἀναλέγεσθαι, αὐτὸ μόνον τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς δημιουργίας παρέστησε. τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν «ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτῶν» οὐ τοῦτο δηλοῦντός ἐστιν, ὅτι θησαυροί τινές εἰσιν ἀνέμων, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τοῦ ἐπιτάττοντος καὶ τὸ ἕτοιμον τῆς βουλῆς καὶ παρεσκευασμένον. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἔχων ἐν θησαυρῷ μετὰ ἀδείας ἐξάγει πάντα, καὶ ὅτε βούλεται πάλιν εἰσάγει, οὕτως ὁ τοῦ παν τὸς δημιουργὸς πάντα εὐκόλως ἐποίησε καὶ τῇ φύσει παρέδωκεν. εἶδες καὶ πόση ἐν ἀέρι διαφορά, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν πυρὶ καὶ ἐν ὕδατι πολλαὶ ἐναλλαγαί. καὶ γὰρ τοῦ ὕδατος τὸ μέν ἐστι πηγαῖον, τὸ δὲ θαλάττιον, τὸ δὲ ἀέριον, τὸ δὲ ἐν νεφέλαις, τὸ δὲ ὑπερουρά νιον, τὸ δὲ ὑπεράνω τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸ δὲ ὑπόγειον, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ τὰ θερμὰ ὕδατα ἐν διαφόροις τόποις ἀνάγονται, διὰ τοῦ ὑπογείου πυρὸς θερμανθέντα παραδόξως. καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ μέν ἐστιν ἐν ἡλίῳ, τὸ δὲ ἐν σελήνῃ, τὸ δὲ ἐν ἀστραπαῖς, τὸ δὲ ἐναέριον, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ ξύλων, τὸ περὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὸ λυχναῖον, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ γῆς (καὶ γὰρ ἔστι πολλαχοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτο ἀπὸ γῆς ἀναδιδόμενον ἰδεῖν, ὥσπερ αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν ὑδάτων), τὸ δὲ ἐν λίθοις παρατριβομένοις, τὸ δὲ ἐν κόμαις δένδρων καὶ αὐτῶν παρατριβομένων, τὸ δὲ ἐν κεραυνοῖς ἐκ τοῦ αἰθέρος, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ὑδάτων καὶ ὑέλων διαυγεστάτων καὶ καθα 1.429 ρωτάτων ἐξάλλεσθαι πέφυκεν. οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀέρι πάλιν ὁ μέν ἐστι παχύτερος ὁ περὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ φθοροποιὸς καὶ νόσων ποικίλων ἐπικινδύνων αἴτιος, ὁ δὲ λεπτότερος καὶ σωμάτων εὐκρασίας καὶ εὐρωστίας πρόξενος, ὁ δὲ αὐότερος καὶ πυρωδέστερος. ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἀνέμων πολλαὶ διαφοραί· ὁ μὲν γάρ ἐστι λεπτότερος ὁ δὲ παχύτερος, ὁ μὲν ψυχρότερος ὁ δὲ ξηρότερος, ὁ μὲν ὑγρότερος ὁ δὲ θερμότερος. ὅθεν οὖν ὁ προφήτης ἐμπεσὼν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον τῶν εὐεργετημάτων τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ἐν οἷς ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ σοφία δείκνυται, καὶ ἰδὼν τὸ πέλαγος ἀχανές, ἀπε πήδησε μέγα βοήσας ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου κύριε· πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας, καὶ σοφίας ἐνέπλησας τά τε ἔμψυχα καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα.

Μετὰ δὲ Τῖτον ἐβασίλευσε ∆ομετιανὸς ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἔτη ιεʹ μῆνας ιαʹ, καὶ ἐσφάγη ἐν τῷ ναῷ Ῥώμης κατ' ἐπιβουλὴν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γυναικός. διάδοχος γὰρ γενόμενος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ οὐ τὴν πατρικήν τε καὶ ἀδελφικὴν ἐζήλωσεν ἀριστοπολιτείαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Τιβερίου καὶ Νέρωνος ἀνοσιεργίαν ἐκ διαμέτρου. καὶ δὴ πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἐπελθών, μιαιφονίας τε καὶ γυναικομανίας ἅμα καὶ ἀνδρομανίας ἀνάπλεως γενόμενος, ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἄθεος τελευταῖον ἀπεθέωσε. κἀντεῦθεν ἔχθιστον ἅπασι καὶ ἀπόβλητον διὰ τὸ φονικόν τε καὶ θηριῶδες τῆς μιαρᾶς γνώμης ἑαυτὸν ὁ τάλας ἀπο φήνας, εἰκότως μάλα τὰ ἐπίχειρα τῆς οἰκείας δυσμενείας κομισά μενος αἰσχίστῳ μόρῳ τὸν μυσαρὸν καὶ βέβηλον καταστρέφει βίον, 1.430 ὡς εἴρηται. οὗτος τὰς γενέσεις τῶν πρώτων τῆς Ῥώμης ἐρευνῶν, οὐκ ὀλίγους εὑρίσκων ἐν δυνάμει ἔσεσθαι ἀνῄρει διὰ προφάσεως. οὗτος διέταξεν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀμπέλους μὴ φυτεύειν. οὗτος τοὺς ἀπὸ γένους ∆αβὶδ καὶ Χριστοῦ ἀναιρεῖσθαι προσέταξεν· ἐδεδίει γὰρ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου ὡς καὶ Ἡρώδης ὁ παιδοκτόνος. τοῦ κηρύγματος δὲ ἤδη δύναμιν λαμβάνοντος ἤγαγον συγγενεῖς τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς ∆ομετιανόν. οὓς καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν εἰ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ καὶ Χριστοῦ εἰσι. καὶ ὡμολόγησαν. καὶ πόσων, ἔφη,