226

by a voluntary concession, having cleverly overcome me, by wishing to seem to learn from me through letters what he has been appointed to teach on account of his worth, even if late at last he has made me an acknowledger of my own ignorance. I confess, therefore, my gratitude to my lord; and I take pride in the way by which he gently dispelled the cloud of my conceit; and I ask him not to cease ordering his servant with such words and ways.

22. From the same to Auxentius. If, trusting in the Spirit, since you have love wrapped indissolubly about you, needing no renewal, you have decided to neglect letters to friends, I both praise the rule and approve of you; entrusting to Him the treasure of love, from whom and in whom it is natural both to begin and to rest. But if, neglecting the becoming friendly custom, you refrain from writing out of laziness, I shall not cease to do the opposite; not knowing how to be shy of friends on account of the greatness of their worldly pre-eminence. But if neither of these two is the reason for not writing, receive from the absent, and give readily to the absent, as nature has taught, meeting through letters; or rather, as God, having made nature wise, has comforted it. For it prods a resting memory, and awakens a slumbering one, to see and picture the faces of the beloved, a word taking shape in letters; by which longing, like an extinguished fire, is kindled again from a small spark.

23. From the same to Stephen the presbyter. It is characteristic of spiritual love, not only to benefit those in need when present, but also to comfort them when absent; and not to allow souls to be cut off along with bodies; nor indeed for the power of the word, by which the soul bears the image of the Creator, (608) to be circumscribed by place; but either when present with the beloved, to discuss fitting things face to face through voice, or when absent to converse through letters. For nature, by the grace of God, wisely devised this way, for the inseparable union of those separated far from each other physically by spatial distance. For thus the word, more frequently resounding by both voice and letters, places in the soul a memory hard to wash away, for seeing always those who are ever present in spirit through love; and to embrace, and to be recalled from all sorrows. Do not then forget me, your child and disciple, honored Fathers, but as you are both disciples and teachers of love, nourish with the word of virtues my starving soul; and enlighten my mind, oppressed by the darkness of ignorance, looking to the reward laid up for you in heaven for this; even if what is happening should perchance for a little while draw you away from better and more honorable leisure. For I know that it is not equal in glory, both to converse with God directly, and to care compassionately for the lesser. Nevertheless, this too is not foreign to the things ordained by God.

24. From the same to Constantine the sacellarius. The honored letter of my God-guarded lord has come with peace, and bearing him whole, appearing in its manners. For by the dignity of the words, it is somehow natural

226

δι᾿ ἑκουσίου ὑφέσεως, εὐμηχάνως με χειρωσάμενος, τό μαθεῖν δόξαι παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ διά γραμμάτων θελῆσαι, ἅπερ διδάσκειν διά τήν ἀξίαν προβέβληται, κἄν ὀψέ ποτε τῆς οἰκείας ἀμαθίας κατέστησε ἐπιγνώμονα. Ὁμολογῶ οὖν τῷ δεσπότῃ μου τήν χάριν· καί σεμνύνομαι τῷ τρόπῳ δι᾿ οὖ τό νέφος μου τῆς οἰήσεως εὐαφῶς ἀπεώσατο· καί αἰτῶ αὐτόν τοιούτοις καί λόγοις καί τρόποις ῥυθμίζοντα τόν αὐτοῦ δοῦλον μή παύσασθαι.

ΚΒ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Αὐξέντιον. Εἰ μέν θαῤῥοῦντες τῷ Πνεύματι, καθά ἀλύτως περικειμένην ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε τήν

ἀγάπην, μηδενός δεομένην πρός καινισμόν, ἀμελεῖν τῶν πρός τούς φίλους διέγνωτε γραμμάτων, ἐπαινῶ τε τόν νόμον, καί ὑμᾶς ἀποδέχομαι· πιστεύοντας ἐκείνῳ τῆς ἀγάπης τόν θησαυρόν, ἐξ οὖ τε καί εἰς ὅν ἄρχεσθαί τε καί ἀναπαύεσθαι πέφυκεν. Εἰ δέ τοῦ καθήκοντος φιλικοῦ τρόπου κατολιγωροῦντες τοῦ γράφειν δι᾿ ὄκνου παραιτεῖσθε, τἀναντία ποιεῖν οὐ παύσομαι· φίλους αἰδεῖσθαι διά μέγεθος τῆς κατά κόσμον προλήψεως οὐκ εἰδώς. Εἰ δέ τῶν δύο τοῦ μή γράφειν οὐδέν καθέστηκεν αἴτιον, δέξασθε ἀπόντων, καί δότε προθύμως ἀποῦσιν, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ἡ φύσις, διά γραμμάτων τήν ἔντευξιν· μᾶλλον δέ, ὡς Θεός τήν φύσιν σοφίσας παρεμυθήσατο. Κεντρίζει γάρ ἠρεμοῦσαν τήν μνήμην, καί διεγείρει νυστάζουσαν, πρός τό ἰδεῖν καί ἀναμάττεσθαι τῶν φιλουμένων τά πρόσωπα, γράμμασι λόγος μορφούμενος· δι᾿ ὧν ὁ πόθος πυρός δίκην σβεσθέντος, ἐκ μικροῦ σπινθῆρος πάλιν ἀναῤῥιπίζεται.

ΚΓ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Στέφανον πρεσβύτερον. Ἀγάπης ἴδιον ὑπάρχει πνευματικῆς, οὐ μόνον παρόντας εὐεργετεῖν τούς χριῄζοντας,

ἀλλά καί ἀπόντας παραμυθεῖσθαι· καί μή συγχωρεῖν τοῖς σώμασι τάς ψυχάς συνδιατέμνεσθαι· μήτε μήν τοῦ λόγου, δι᾿ οὖ τήν εἰκόνα φέρει τοῦ Κτίσαντος ἡ ψυχή, (608) περιγράφεσθαι τόπῳ τήν δύναμιν· ἀλλ᾿ ἤ παρόντας τοῖς ἠγαπημένοις διά φωνῆς κατ᾿ ὀφθαλμούς τά πρέποντα διαλέγεσθαι, ἤ ἀπόντας διά γραμμάτων προσομιλεῖν. Τοῦτον γάρ τόν τρόπον ἡ φύσις κατά Θεοῦ χάριν σοφῶς ἐπενόησε, πρός ἕνωσιν ἀδιάστατον τῶν πολλῷ διεστηκότων ἀλλήλων σωματικῶς τῷ τοπικῷ διαστήματι. Οὕτω γάρ ὁ λόγος συχνότερον ἐνηχούμενος φωνῇ τε καί γράμμασι δυσέκνιπτον μνήμην ἐντίθεται τῇ ψυχῇ, πρός τό διά παντός ὁρᾷν τούς ἀεί κατ᾿ ἀγάπην παρόντας τῷ πνεύματι· καί περιπτύσσεσθαι, καί πάντων ἀνακαλεῖσθαι τῶν λυπηρῶν. Μή τοίνυν ἐπιλάλησθέ μου τοῦ παιδός ὑμῶν καί μαθητοῦ, τίμιοι Πατέρες, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἀγάπης ὄντες καί μαθηταί καί διδάσκαλοι, θρέψατε λόγῳ τῶν ἀρετῶν τήν λιμώττουσάν μου ψυχήν· καί φωτίσατέ μου τόν νοῦν ἀγνοίας ζόφῳ πεπιεσμένον, πρός τόν ἀποκείμενον ὑμῖν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπέρ τούτου μισθόν ἀποβλέποντες· κἄν τό γινόμενον τυχόν πρός ὀλίγον ὑμᾶς κρείττονος ἀπάγῃ καί τιμιωτέρας σχολῆς. Οἶδα γάρ, ὡς οὐκ ἴσον πρός εὐδοξίαν, ἀμέσως τε Θεῷ προσομιλεῖν, καί τῶν ἡττόνων συμπαθῶς προνοεῖν. Πλήν οὐδέ τοῦτο τῶν Θεῷ νενομισμένων ἀλλότριον.

Κ∆΄. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Κωνσταντῖνον σακελλάριον. Ἤκε τό τίμιον τοῦ θεοφυλάκτου μου δεσπότου γράμμα μετά τῆς εἰρήνης, καί αὐτόν

ὅλον φέρον τοῖς τρόποις φαινόμενον. Τῇ γάρ τῶν λόγων σεμνότητι, πέφυκέ πως