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they were attended by a bodyguard. Another, That they were made plausible. That is, through experience they will know the pleasure of the things of my exhortation and counsel. And how? The reproof of the righteous bears this fruit, and their instruction has much pleasure. 9. For such is virtue; it has temporary pain, but perpetual gladness. As a clod of earth is broken on the ground, our bones were scattered 55.441 beside Hades. Another, As a farmer, when he breaks up the ground, so were our bones scattered at the mouth of Hades. Another, As to one breaking off and cleaving the earth, our bones were scattered into Hades. Another, As one cultivating and digging in the earth, our bones were scattered beside Hades. Having said that his words have much pleasure, he also speaks of the old calamities. That although we suffered the worst things, and just as earth is broken up, and ploughed, or dug up, so we were all scattered, and were destroyed, and came to the very gates of death; but yet, being in such a state, we would rather choose the instruction and correction from the righteous, than the mercy from sinners. For, whatever may happen, we hang upon the hope in you, and would never fall away from looking to you. Wherefore he also added, saying, For to you, O Lord, Lord, are my eyes. In you I have hoped, do not take away my soul. Even if ten thousand terrible things, he says, should come upon us, even if wars, even if battles, even if deaths, even if the gates of Hades, we do not depart from the sacred anchor, but we hold fast to the hope in your alliance, and leaving behind weapons and battle arrays, from thence we expect deliverance, from your turning of the scale. In you I have hoped, do not take away my soul. Another, Do not empty out. That is, do not let me go away having accomplished nothing. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and from the stumbling blocks of those who work iniquity. He does not simply speak here of plots, but of the secret ones, the hidden ones, which are also hard to guard against and hard to detect, for which reason they especially need the turning of the scale from above. For this reason he concludes the discourse with a prayer, having begun from this point, and ending here; showing that the things on his part are these: hope in God, to look to God always, to flee their assemblies, to hate their evil desires; but the things from God are help, alliance, to make him superior to the most unbearable things. For so virtue is woven, both by the introduction of our earnestness, and by the alliance of God's help. The sinners will fall into his net; I am alone, until I pass by. Into whose net will they fall? Into God's own. That is, they will be captured, they will be subdued. For the things of the righteous are for correction and for rousing their philosophy; but the things of the sinners, as they are incurably sick, are for punishment and retribution. I am alone, until I pass by. Another, I am together, until I pass by. Another, To the same place. That is, joined together, well-composed, not scattered; or according to the Seventy, being separated from the wicked, being pure from their company, and as if dwelling alone; which is also the greatest form of virtue. And he says to do this not for one or two or three days, but for all one's life. This is security, this is a wall, this is the advancement of virtue, to flee the wicked, and to be well-composed and gathered to oneself for all one's life, and to dwell alone from those who corrupt. For it is not the wilderness 55.442 that makes one to be alone, but a philosophic mind. Thus even those dwelling in the midst of cities, and noises, and marketplaces, could be people who are alone, whenever they flee corrupt assemblies, and give themselves over to the councils of the righteous. This is a safe road. He therefore who is sufficient to correct others also, let him mingle with those who are about to receive the therapy, and let him do

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ἐδορυφορήθησαν. Ἄλλος, Ὅτι εὐπροσωπίσθησαν. Τουτέστι, διὰ τῆς πείρας εἴσονται τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἡδονὴν τῆς ἐμῆς παραινέσεως καὶ συμβουλῆς. Καὶ πῶς; Ὁ ἔλεγχος τῶν δικαίων τοῦτον φέρει τὸν καρπὸν, καὶ ἡ παιδεία αὐτῶν πολλὴν ἔχει τὴν ἡδονήν. θʹ. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀρετή· πρόσκαιρον μὲν ἔχει τὸν πόνον, διηνεκῆ δὲ τὴν εὐφροσύνην. Ὡσεὶ πάχος γῆς ἐῤῥάγη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· διεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν 55.441 παρὰ τὸν ᾅδην. Ἕτερος, Ὥσπερ γεωργὸς, ὅταν ῥήσσῃ τὴν γῆν· οὕτως ἐσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν εἰς στόμα ᾅδου. Ἄλλος, Ὁμοίως εἰ ἀποκλῶντι καὶ διασχίζοντι τὴν γῆν, ἐσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν ᾅδην. Ἄλλος, Ὡς καλλιεργῶν καὶ σκάπτων ἐν τῇ γῇ, διεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τὸν ᾅδην. Εἰπὼν ὅτι πολλὴν ἔχει αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα τὴν ἡδονὴν, λέγει καὶ τὰς παλαιὰς συμφοράς. Ὅτι καίτοι γε τὰ ἔσχατα ἐπάθομεν, καὶ ὥσπερ γῆ διαῤῥαγεῖσα, καὶ ἀροτριωμένη, ἢ διασκαπτομένη, οὕτω πάντες διεσπάρημεν, καὶ ἀπωλόμεθα, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τοῦ θανάτου τὰς πύλας ἤλθομεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτω διακείμενοι μᾶλλον ἂν ἑλοίμεθα τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων παίδευσιν καὶ διόρθωσιν, ἢ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἔλεον. Καὶ γὰρ, ὅπερ ἂν γένοιτο, τῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐλπίδος ἐκκρεμάμεθα, καὶ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἐκπέσοιμεν τοῦ πρὸς σὲ ὁρᾷν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε λέγων, Ὅτι πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, Κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου. Ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα, μὴ ἀντανέλῃς τὴν ψυχήν μου. Κἂν μυρία, φησὶν, ἐπέλθῃ δεινὰ, κἂν πόλεμοι, κἂν μάχαι, κἂν θάνατοι, κἂν πύλαι ᾅδου, οὐκ ἀφιστάμεθα τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀγκύρας, ἀλλ' ἐχόμεθα τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν σὴν συμμαχίαν, καὶ ὅπλα καὶ παρατάξεις ἀφέντες, ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν προσδοκῶμεν, ἀπὸ τῆς σῆς ῥοπῆς. Ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα, μὴ ἀντανέλῃς τὴν ψυχήν μου. Ἄλλος, Μὴ ἐκκενώσῃς. Τουτέστι, μὴ ἄπρακτόν με ἀφῇς ἀπελθεῖν. Φύλαξόν με ἀπὸ παγίδος ἧς συνεστήσαντό μοι, καὶ ἀπὸ σκανδάλων τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐνταῦθα ἐπιβουλὰς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὰς λαθραίους, τὰς κεκρυμμένας, αἵπερ εἰσὶ καὶ δυσφύλακτοι καὶ δυσφώρατοι, διὸ μάλιστα καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν δέονται ῥοπῆς. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο εἰς εὐχὴν κατακλείει τὸν λόγον, ἐντεῦθεν προοιμιασάμενος, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τελευτῶν· δεικνὺς, ὅτι τὰ μὲν παρ' αὐτοῦ ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ διαπαντὸς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν βλέπειν, τὸ φεύγειν αὐτῶν τοὺς συλλόγους, τὸ μισεῖν αὐτῶν τὰς πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας· τὰ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ βοήθεια, ἡ συμμαχία, τὸ τῶν δυσφορωτάτων αὐτὸν ἀνώτερον ποιεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ ὑφαίνεται, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας σπουδῆς εἰσαγομένης, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας συμμαχούσης. Πεσοῦνται ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ αὐτοῦ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· καταμόνας εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, ἕως οὗ παρέλθω Τίνος ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ πεσοῦνται; Αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τουτέστιν, ἁλώσονται, χειρωθήσονται. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῶν δικαίων, μέχρι διορθώσεως καὶ τοῦ διεγεῖραι αὐτῶν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἅτε ἀνίατα νοσούντων, μέχρι κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας. Καταμόνας εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, ἕως οὗ παρέλθω. Ἕτερος, Ἅμα ἐγώ εἰμι, ἕως οὗ παρέλθω. Ἄλλος, Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Τουτέστι, συνημμένος, συγκεκροτημένος, οὐ διεσπαρμένος· ἢ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, ἀπηλλαγμένος τῶν πονηρῶν, καθαρεύων τῆς ἐκείνων συνουσίας, καὶ ὡσανεὶ μόνος οἰκῶν· ὅπερ καὶ μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἀρετῆς εἶδος. Καὶ οὐ μίαν δὲ καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς φησιν ἡμέρας τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν βίον. Τοῦτο ἀσφάλεια, τοῦτο τεῖχος, τοῦτο ἀρετῆς ἐπίδοσις, τὸ φεύγειν τοὺς πονηροὺς, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συγκεκροτημένον καὶ συνηγμένον εἶναι ἅπαντα τὸν βίον, καὶ καταμόνας οἰκεῖν τῶν διαφθειρόντων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐρημία 55.442 ποιεῖ τὸ μόνον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ γνώμη φιλόσοφος. Οὕτω καὶ πόλεις μέσας οἰκοῦντες, καὶ θορύβους, καὶ ἀγορὰς, δύναιντ' ἂν εἶναι καταμόνας ἄνθρωποι, ὅταν τοὺς διεφθαρμένους φεύγωσι συλλόγους, καὶ τοῖς τῶν δικαίων συνεδρίοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδῶσιν. Αὕτη ἀσφαλὴς ὁδός. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀρκῶν καὶ ἑτέρους διορθῶσαι, μιγνύσθω τοῖς μέλλουσι δέχεσθαι τὴν θεραπείαν, καὶ ποιείτω