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a troubled mind, receives passionate thoughts, both when the body is awake, and during sleep.

ξθ΄. When desire increases, the mind imagines in dreams the materials that produce pleasures; but when anger increases, it sees things that produce fears. However, the unclean demons increase the passions, taking our negligence as a collaborator and stirring these things up. But the holy angels diminish them, moving us toward the practice of the virtues.

ο΄. The desiderative part of the soul, when more frequently aroused, implants in the soul a hard-to-move habit of love for pleasure; but anger, when continually agitated, makes the mind cowardly and unmanly. The one is healed by intense practice of fasting and vigilance and prayer; the other, by kindness and love for mankind and love and mercy.

(1008) οα΄. The demons wage war either through things, or through the passionate thoughts associated with things. And through things, they wage war against those who are amidst things, but through thoughts, against those who are separated from things.

οβ΄. Inasmuch as it is easier to sin in thought than in deed, so much more grievous is the war waged through thoughts than the one waged through things.

ογ΄. Things are external to the mind, but their thoughts are formed within. It is therefore in its power to use these well or badly. For the misuse of things follows from the mistaken use of thoughts.

οδ΄. Through these three the mind receives passionate thoughts: through sense-perception, through the body's temperament, and through memory. And through sense-perception, when things for which we have passions impinge upon it, it moves the mind toward passionate reasonings. Through the body's temperament, when the body's temperament is altered by an unrestrained diet, or the activity of demons, or some illness, it again moves the mind toward passionate reasonings, or against Providence. Through memory, when memory brings up the thoughts of things for which we have felt passion, it similarly moves the mind toward passionate reasonings.

οε΄. Of the things given to us by God for our use, some are found in the soul, others in the body, and others related to the body: for example, in the soul, its faculties; in the body, the sense organs and the other members; and related to the body, foods, possessions, and so forth. Therefore, to use these things, or the circumstances surrounding them, well or badly, shows us to be either virtuous or wicked.

οστ΄. Of the circumstances connected with things, some belong to the things in the soul, others to the things in the body, and others to the things related to the body. And of those in the soul, for example: knowledge and ignorance, forgetfulness and memory, love and hatred, fear and courage, grief and joy, and so forth; of those in the body, for example: pleasure and pain, sensation and disability, health and illness, life and death, and such things. Of those related to the body, for example: having children and childlessness, wealth and poverty, glory and dishonor, and so forth. Of these, some are considered good by men, and others evil, though none of them is evil in its own nature; (1009) but according to their use they are found to be either properly evil, or good.

οζ΄. Knowledge is good by nature, and likewise health; but their opposites have benefited many people more than these. For to the wicked, knowledge does not result in good, even though it is good by nature, as has been said; likewise neither health, nor wealth, nor joy. For they do not use these advantageously. Therefore, their opposites are advantageous for them. Therefore, neither are those things evil in their own nature, even if they seem to be evil.

οη΄. Do not misuse thoughts, so that you do not of necessity misuse things as well. For if someone does not first sin in thought, he would never sin in deed.

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ὀχλούμενος νοῦς, λαμβάνει τά ἐμπαθῆ νοήματα, καί ἐγρηγορότος τοῦ σώματος, καί κατά τούς ὕπνους.

ξθ΄. Ὅταν ἐπιθυμία αὔξῃ, τάς ποιητικάς τῶν ἡδονῶν ὕλας ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις ὁ νοῦς φαντάζεται· ὅταν δέ ὁ θυμός, τά φόβων ποιητικά βλέπει πράγματα. Αὔξουσι μέντοι τά πάθη, οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες, συνεργόν τήν ἡμετέραν ἀμέλειαν λαμβάνοντες, καί ταῦτα ἐρεθίζοντες. Ἐλαττοῦσι δέ οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι, πρός τήν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡμᾶς κινοῦντες ἐργασίαν.

ο΄. Τό μέν ἐπιθυμητικόν τῆς ψυχῆς πυκνότερον ἐρεθιζόμενον, ἕξιν φιληδονίας δυσκίνητον τῇ ψυχῇ ἐντίθησιν· ὁ δέ θυμός συνεχῶς ταρασσόμενος, δειλόν καί ἄνανδρον τόν νοῦν ἀπεργάζεται. Ἰῶνται δέ, τό μέν, ἄσκησις ἐπιτεταμένη νηστείας καί ἀγρυπνίας καί προσευχῆς· τόν δέ, χρηστότης καί φιλανθρωπία καί ἀγάπη καί ἔλεος.

(1008) οα΄. Ἤ διά τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ δαίμονες πολεμοῦσιν, ἤ διά τῶν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐμπαθῶν νοημάτων. Καί διά μέν τῶν πραγμάτων, τούς ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν ὄντας, διά δέ τῶν νοημάτων, τούς τῶν πραγμάτων κεχωρισμένους.

οβ΄. Ὅσον ἐστίν εὐκοπώτερον τό κατά διάνοιαν ἁμαρτάνειν τοῦ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν, τοσοῦτόν ἐστι βαρύτερος ὁ διά τῶν νοημάτων πόλεμος, τοῦ διά τῶν πραγμάτων.

ογ΄. Τά μέν πράγματα ἔξωθέν εἰσι τοῦ νοῦ· τά δέ τούτων νοήματα ἔσω συνίστανται. Ἐν αὐτῷ οὖν ἐστι, τό εὖ τούτοις χρήσασθαι, ἤ κακῶς. Τῇ γάρ ἐσφαλμένῃ τῶν νοημάτων χρήσει ἡ παράχρησις τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθεῖ.

οδ΄. ∆ιά τῶν τριῶν τούτων λαμβάνει ὁ νοῦς τά ἐμπαθῆ νοήματα· διά τῆς αἰσθήσεως, διά τῆς κράσεως, διά τῆς μνήμης. Καί διά μέν τῆς αἰσθήσεως, ὅταν προσβάλλοντα αὐτῇ τά πράγματα πρός ἅπερ τά πάθη κεκτήμεθα, κινῇ αὐτόν πρός ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμούς. ∆ιά δέ τῆς κράσεως, ὅταν ἐξ ἀκολάστου διαίτης, ἤ ἐνεργείας δαιμόνων, ἤ νοσήματός τινος ἀλλοιουμένη ἡ τοῦ σώματος κρᾶσις, κινῇ αὐτόν πάλιν πρός ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμούς, ἤ κατά τῆς Προνοίας. ∆ιά δέ τῆς μνήμης, ὅταν τῶν πραγμάτων πρός ἅπερ πεπόνθαμεν τά νοήματα ἡ μνήμη ἀναφέρῃ, καί κινῇ αὐτόν ὁμοίως πρός ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμούς.

οε΄. Τῶν εἰς χρῆσιν παρά Θεοῦ δοθέντων ἡμῖν πραγμάτων, τά μέν, ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, τά δέ, ἐν τῷ σώματι, τά δέ, περί τό σῶμα εὑρίσκεται, οἷον, ἐν μέν τῇ ψυχῆ, αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτῆς· ἐν δέ τῷ σώματι, τά αἰσθητήρια καί τά λοιπά μέλη· περί δέ τό σῶμα, βρώματα, κτήματα, καί τά ἑξῆς. Τό οὖν εὖ τούτοις χρήσασθαι ἤ κακῶς, ἤ τοῖς περί ταῦτα συμβεβηκόσιν, ἤ ἐναρέτους ἤ φαύλους ἡμᾶς ἀποφαίνει.

οστ΄. Τῶν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι συμβεβηκότων, τά μέν εἰσι τῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, τά δέ, τῶν ἐν τῶ σώματι, τά δέ, τῶν περί τό σῶμα πραγμάτων. Καί τῶν μέν ἐν τῆ ψυχῆ, οἷον, γνῶσις καί ἄγνοια, λήθη καί μνήμη, ἀγάπη και μῖσος, φόβος καί θάρσος, λύπη καί χαρά, καί τά ἑξῆς· τῶν δέ ἐν τῷ σώματι, οἷον, ἡδονή καί πόνος, αἴσθησις καί πήρωσις, ὑγεία καί νόσος, ζωή καί θάνατος, καί τά τοιαῦτα. Τῶν δέ περί τό σῶμα, οἷον, εὐτεκνία καί ἀτεκνία, πλοῦτος καί πενία, δόξα καί ἀδοξία, καί τά ἑξῆς. Τούτων δέ, τά μέν καλά, τά δέ κακά τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νομίζεται, οὐδέν αὐτῶν κακόν ὄν τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ· (1009) παρά δέ τήν χρῆσιν, εἴτε κακά κυρίως, εἴτε ἀγαθά εὑρίσκεται.

οζ΄. Καλή ἡ γνῶσις τῇ φύσει· ὁμοίως δέ καί ὑγεία· ἀλλά τἀναντία τούς πολλούς ἤπερ ταῦτα ὤνησεν. Τοῖς γάρ φαύλοις οὐκ εἰς καλόν ἡ γνῶσις συμβαίνει, εἰ καί τῇ φύσει, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐστί καλή· ὁμοίως δέ οὐδέ ὑγεία, οὐδέ πλοῦτος, οὐδέ χαρά. Οὐ γάρ συμφερόντως τούτοις κέχρηνται. Ἄρα οὖν τἀναντία τούτοις συμφέρει. Οὐκοῦν οὐδέ ἐκεῖνα κακά τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ τυγχάνει, εἰ καί δοκεῖ κακά εἶναι.

οη΄. Μή παραχρῶ τοῖς νοήμασιν, ἵνα μή ἐξ ἀνάγκης καί τοῖς πράγμασι παραχρήσῃ. Ἐάν γάρ μή τις πρῶτον κατά διάνοιαν ἁμαρτάνῃ, οὐκ ἄν ἁμάρτῃ ποτέ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν.