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Chrysostom. Sleep is nothing, or a temporary death, and a daily demise.

(881) Gregory of Nyssa. Just as upon moist earth, when the sun shines with warmer rays, certain misty vapors are drawn up from the depths; something similar also happens in our own earth, when food is boiled by the natural heat; and the vapors, being naturally buoyant and airy, and rising towards what is above, come to be in the regions of the head.

Philo. Rightly a meditation on death; and a shadow and outline of the resurrection to come, those who have thought true things have declared sleep to be; for it bears the clear images of both, and completely transforms the self.

Clement. Whatever things they say about sleep, the same one must also hear concerning death. For each one reveals the departure of the soul; the one more, the other less.

And in all things, so to speak, you must contend against sleep, so as to partake of more of life’s time through wakefulness.

For sleep, like a tax-collector, divides with us half the time of our life.

It is far from necessary to sleep during the day, for those who cut off most of the night for wakefulness.

Democritus. Be watchful in mind; for the sleep concerning it is kin to true death.

Daytime sleeps signify trouble of the body, or distress of the soul, or idleness or lack of education.

Philostratus. For the temperate and earnest do not doze, even if they are working late into the night. For sleep does not assail them from without like a master, doing violence to a neck enslaved by wine; but they appear free and upright. And having fallen asleep, they receive sleep with a pure soul, neither being lifted up by good fortunes, nor startled by any misfortune. For a sober soul is measured in respect to both of these, and is overcome by neither passion; whence it also sleeps most pleasantly and most painlessly, not being startled from sleep.

DISCOURSE 30.

Concerning drunkenness. Luke 21. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and

drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly.

Romans 13. Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust.

Solomon 7. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of drinking.

Proverbs 23. Do not be a wine-drinker; for every drunkard will become poor.

(884) Whoever is fond of spending time with wines, will leave dishonor in his own strongholds.

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Χρυσόστ. Ὕπνος οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἤ θάνατος πρόσκαιρος, καί ἐφήμερος τελευτή.

(881) Γρηγ. Νύσσης. Ὥσπερ ἐπί τῆς καθύγρου γῆς, ἐπειδάν θερμοτέραις ἀκτῖσιν ἐπιλάμψαι ὁ ἥλιος, ἀτμοί τινες ὀμιχλώδεις ἀπό τοῦ βάθους ἀνέλκονται· ὅμοιόν τι γίνεται καί ἐν τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς γῇ, τῆς τροφῆς ὑπό τῆς φυσικῆς θερμότητος ἀναζεούσης· ἀνωφερεῖς δέ ὄντες οἱ ἀτμοί κατά φύσιν καί ἀερώδεις, καί πρός τό ὑπερκείμενον ἀναπνέοντες, ἐν τοῖς κατά τήν καεφαλήν γίνονται χώροις.

Φίλων. Εἰκότως μελέτην θανάτου· σκιάν δέ καί ὑπογραμμόν τῆς αὖθις ἐσομένης ἀναβιώσεως, τόν ὕπνον οἱ τἀληθῆ πεφρονηκότες ἀπεφῄνατο· ἑκατέρων γάρ ἐναργεῖς φέρει τάς εἰκόνας, καί μεθιστᾷ τόν αὐτόν ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου.

Κλήμεντ. Ὅσα περί ὕπνου λέγουσι, τά αὐτά χρή καί περί θανάτου ἐξακούειν. Ἑκάτερος γάρ δηλοῖ τήν ἀποστασίαν τῆς ψυχῆς· ὁ δέ μᾶλλον, ὁ δέ ἦττον.

Πᾶσι δέ, ὡς ἔπος εἶπειν, διαμαχητέον ὑμῖν πρός τόν ὕπνον, ὡς πλείονα χρόνον τοῦ ζῇν διά τήν ἐγρήγορσιν μεταλαμβανειν.

Ὁ γάρ ὕπνος ὥσπερ τελώνης τόν ἥμισυν ἡμῖν τοῦ βίου συνδιαιρεῖται χρόνον.

Πολλοῦ γε δεῖ μεθ᾿ ἡμέραν καθεύδειν, τοῖς καί τῆς νυκτός τό πλεῖστον εἰς ἐγρήγορσιν ἀποτεμνομένοις.

∆ημοκρίτ. Ἄγρυπνος ἔσο κατά τόν νοῦν· συγγενής γάρ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θανάτου ὁ περί τοῦτον ὕπνος.

Οἱ ἡμερήσιοι ὕπνοι σώματος ὄχλησιν, ἤ ψυχῆς ἀδημοσύνην, ἤ ἀργίην ἤ ἀπαιδευσίαν σημαίνουσιν.

Φιλοστράτ. Οὐδέ γάρ οἱ σώφρονες καί σπουδαῖοι νυστάζουσι, κἄν πόῤῥω τῶν νυκτῶν σπουδάζουσιν. Οὐ γάρ ἔξωθεν αὐτούς ὁ ὕπνος ὥσπερ δεσπότης, ὑβρίσας εἰς τόν αὐχένα δεδουλωμένον ὑπό τοῦ οἴνου· ἀλλ᾿ ἐλεύθεροί τε καί ὀρθοί φαίνονται. Καταδαρθέντες δέ καθαρᾷ τῇ ψυχῇ δέχονται τόν ὕπνον, οὔτε ὑπό τῶν εὐπραγιῶν ἀνακουφιζόμενοι, οὔτε ὑπό κακοπραγίας τινός ἐκτρώσκοντες. Σύμμετρος γάρ πρός ἄμφω ταῦτα ψυχή νήφουσα, καί οὐδετέρου τῶν παθῶν ἥττων· ὅθεν καί καθεύδει ἥδιστα καί ἀλυπότατα, μή ἐξισταμένη τοῦ ὕπνου.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Λ´.

Περί μέθης. Λουκ. κα´. Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς, μήποτε βαρυνθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι ὑμῶν ἐν κραιπάλῃ καί

μέθῃ καί μερίμναις βιοτικαῖς· καί αἰφνιδίως ὑμῖν ἐπιστῇ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη.

Ῥωμ. ιγ´. Ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως περιπατήσωμεν· μή κώμαις καί μέθαις, μή κοίταις καί ἀσελγείαις.

Σολ. ζ΄ . Ἀγαθόν πορευθῆναι εἰς οἴκον πένθους, ἤ εἰς οἶκον πότου.

Παροιμ. κγ´. Μή ἴσθι οἰνοπότης· πᾶς γάρ μέθυσος πτωχεύσει.

(884) Ὅστις ἐστιν ἡδύς ἐν οἴνων διατριβαῖς, ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὀχυρώμασι καταλείψει ἀτιμίαν.