469

29. Outwardly, the soul seems healthy; but inwardly, its sickness is wont to be hidden in the depth of perception. If it is necessary that the former be brought forth outwardly through the harvest of reproofs, and the latter inwardly through the renewal of the mind; foolish is the one who casts off reproofs, and is not ashamed to lie always in the hospital of insensibility.

30. Do not be harsh against one who unwillingly performed surgery on you; but looking at the unpleasantness that has been emptied out, reckon yourself miserable; but bless God, who became for you the cause of this dispensation.

31. Do not despair at the terror of your sickness; but by means of the most potent medicines of diligence, be far from it, you who care for the soul's health.

32. Do not shrink from one who strikes you at the right time; but approach him, and he will show you how great is the evil that wipes away your perception, and you will eat the sweet food of health, after the refuse of bitterness has been consumed.

33. As much as you are aware of your pains, so much accept the one who points them out to you through reproofs. For he becomes for you a cause of perfect purification; without which the mind cannot be in the pure region of prayer.

34. (1409) When being reproved, one must either be silent, or gently answer the one who accuses; not so that the one being reproved can defend his own case; but to raise up one who has perhaps stumbled, the one reproving in ignorance.

35. He who is well-disposed toward one who has unjustly grieved him before being summoned by him, has lost none of his due. But he who is so after the summons, has lost half of the fruitfulness. But he who is never found estranged on account of grief gains the whole of the initial deposit; and he who in every matter lays the blame upon himself also adds a reward for himself.

36. Neither the high-minded man recognizes what his own faults are, nor the humble-minded man his own good qualities. For a base ignorance conceals the one; a God-pleasing ignorance, the other.

37. The proud man does not wish to be measured against his equals in good things; but in the opposite things, compared to his superiors, he considers his own compared fault to be tolerable.

38. Blame makes the soul firm; but praise makes it lax and more sluggish toward good things.

39. The substance of wealth is gold; but of virtue, humility. Therefore, as one who lacks gold is poor, even if he does not appear so outwardly; so without humility, the one who struggles will not be virtuous.

40. Without gold, just as a merchant is not a merchant, even if he is very suited for commerce; so also without humility, the ascetic will not be found in possession of the pleasures of virtue, even if he trusts completely in his own sagacity.

41. The one who ascends in humility becomes lower than his own opinion of himself; but higher is the one without it, who does not willingly endure to be measured against the least; and for this reason he shows grief at the first seats.

42. It is good for the combatant to think less of his own work, and to act more bravely than his own cowardice. For in this way he is found to be venerable to men, and a workman not to be ashamed before God.

43. One must either be set right in relation to all the commandments of God, (1412) or lay claim to one, humility, he who fears to be seen as a stranger among those reclining in the bridal chamber.

469

κθ΄. Ἔξωθεν μέν, ἡ ὑγεία δοκεῖ τῆς ψυχῆς· ἔνδοθεν δέ, ἐν τῷ τῆς αἰσθήσεως πυθμένι πέφυκε κρύπτεσθαι ἡ ἀῤῥωστία αὐτῆς. Εἰ δέ δεῖ πάντως ἔξωθεν μέν ἐκείνην τῷ ἀναθερισμῷ τῶν ἐλέγχων γενέσθαι, ἔνδοθεν δέ ταύτην τῷ ἀνακαινισμῷ τοῦ νοός· ἄφρων ὁ τούς ἐλέγχους ἀποσειόμενος, καί ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀναλγησίας πάντοτε ἀνακεῖσθαι νοσοκομείῳ μή αἰσχυνόμενος.

λ΄. Μή τραχυνθῆς κατά τοῦ ἀκουσίως σε χειρουργήσαντος· ἀλλά πρός τήν κενωθεῖσαν ἀηδίαν ἀποβλεψάμενος, ταλάνισον μέν ἑαυτόν· μακάρισον δέ, τόν αἴτιόν σοι ταύτης γενόμενον οἰκονομίας Θεόν.

λα΄. Μή πρός τό δεινόν ἀπευδοκήσῃς τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας σου· ἀλλά διά τῶν τῆς φιλοπονίας δραστικωτέρων φαρμάκων, πόῤῥω γενοῦ ταύτης, ὁ τῆς κατά ψυχήν ὑγείας ἐπιμελούμενος.

λβ΄. Μή συσταλῇς ἀπό τοῦ καιρίως σε πλήττοντος· πρόσει δέ τούτῳ, καί ὑποδείξει σοι, ὅσον τό ὑποσμῆχον τήν αἴσθησίν σου κακόν, καί φάγῃ ὄψον ἡδύ τό ἐκ τῆς ὑγείας, μετά τό ἀναλωθῆναι τό ἐκ τῆς πικρίας ἀπόβλητον.

λγ΄. Ὅσον αἰσθάνῃ τῶν πόνων, τοσοῦτον ἀποδέχου τόν τούτους διά τῶν ἐλέγχων ὑποδεικνῦντά σοι. Καθάρσεως γάρ τελείας αἴτιός σοι καθίσταται· ἧς ἄνευ ἐν καθαρῷ χωρίῳ τῆς εὐχῆς οὐ δύναται γενέσθαι ὁ νοῦς.

λδ΄. (1409) Ἐν τῷ ἐλέγχεσθαι, ἤ σιωπᾷν δεῖ, ἤ ἡπίως ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ καταλέγοντι· οὐ διά τό συστῆσαι τά οἰκεῖα τόν ἐλεγχόμενον· διά δέ τό ἀναστῆσαι προσκόψαντα ἴσως, τόν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἐλέγχοντα.

λε΄. Ὁ τῷ λυπήσαντι ἀδίκως πρό τοῦ προσκληθῆναι ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ εὐνοῶν, ἐζημίωται τῶν ἀνηκόντων οὐδέν. Ὁ δέ μετά τήν πρόσκλησιν, τῆς εὐφορίας τό ἥμισυ. Κερδαίνει δέ ὅλον τό προκαταβληθέν, ὁ μήποτε διά λύπην ἀποσυνάγωγος εὑρισκόμενος· προστίθησι δέ καί μισθόν ἑαυτῶ, ὁ τό σφάλμα βάλλων ἐπάνω ἑαυτοῦ ἐν παντί.

λστ΄. Οὔτε ὁ ὑψηλόφρων ἐπιγινώσκει οἷα τά ἑαυτοῦ ἐλαττώματα, οὔτε ὁ ταπεινόφρων τά οἰκεῖα καλά. Καλύπτει γάρ, τόν μέν, ἄγνοια φαύλη· τόν δέ, θεάρεστος.

λζ΄. Τοῖς ἰσοτίμοις ὁ ὑπερήφανος ἐν καλοῖς παραμετρεῖσθαι οὐ βούλεται· ἐν δέ τοῖς ἐναντίοις, πρός τούς ὑπερέχοντας, φορητόν τό ἑαυτοῦ παραβαλλόμενον ἡγεῖται ἐλάττωμα.

λη΄. Ὁ μέν ψόγος στεῤῥάν· ὁ δέ ἔπαινος, ἔκλυτον τήν ψυχήν ἀπεργάζεται καί νωθροτέραν πρός τά καλά.

λθ΄. Ὑπόστασις μέν πλούτου, χρυσός· ἀρετῆς δέ, ταπείνωσις. Ὡς οὖν ὁ χρυσοῦ ἀπορῶν πένης ἐστί, κἄν μή τοῖς ἔξωθεν φαίνηται· οὕτω παπεινώσεως ἄνευ, ἐνάρετος οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος.

μ΄. Χρυσοῦ δίχα, ὥσπερ ἔμπορος οὐ πέφυκεν ἔμπορος, κἄν λίαν πρός ἐμπορίαν ἐστίν ἐπιτήδειος· οὕτως οὐδέ ταπεινοφροσύνης χωρίς, ἐν κατασχέσει τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡδέων εὑρεθήσεται ὁ ἀσκούμενος, κἄν πάντη τῇ ἑαυτοῦ νουνεχείᾳ θαῤῥῇ.

μα΄. Τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ὁ ἀνιών, κατώτερος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ φρονήματος γίνεται· ἀνώτερος δέ, ὁ ἐκείνης χωρίς, ὅς οὐδέ παραμετρεῖσθαι τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις ἑκουσίως ἀνέχεται· καί διά τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς πρωτοκλισίαις τό λυπηρόν ἐπιδείκνυται.

μβ΄. Καλόν τῷ ἀγωνιστῇ φρονεῖν μέν ἥττονα τῆς ἐργασίας αὐτοῦ, πράττειν δέ κρείττονα τῆς δειλίας αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω γάρ ἄν καί ἀνθρώποις αἰδέσιμος, καί Θεῷ ἐργάτης εὑρίσκεται ἀνεπαίσχυντος.

μγ΄. Ἤ κατορθοῦσθαι δεῖ πρός πάσας τάς ἐντολάς τοῦ Θεοῦ, (1412) ἤ μιᾶς ἀντιποιεῖσθαι τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης, τόν δεδοιότα μή ξενόν τῶν τῷ νυμφῶνι ἀνακειμένων ὀφθῆναι.