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44. Mix self-control with simplicity; and join truth with humility of mind, and be a fellow-guest with righteousness when it appears; to which, as to a table, every other virtue loves to be gathered.

45. Truth is blind without humility of mind. For this reason it also uses contradiction as a tutor, struggling to establish itself on something, but finding nothing, except the fortress of resentfulness.

46. A good character bears witness to the beauty of virtue; and the stability of the limbs, a peaceful soul.

47. First, it is good to stumble in no part. Second, not to cover his fault with shame; nor indeed, to be shameless in it, but rather to be humbled, and when accused, to accuse oneself along with the accuser, and to receive the penance gladly. But if this does not happen, everything offered to God is powerless.

48. In addition to voluntary hardship, one must also accept the involuntary; I mean that from slanders, and losses and sicknesses. For he who does not accept these things, but is discontented, is like one who wishes to eat his bread not with salt, but with honey alone; who does not always have pleasure as a companion, but always possesses satiety as a neighbor.

49. Being a master, he appears clothed in the form of a servant, who washes the torn garment of his neighbor with inspired words, or mends it with his sharings. But let him who does this take heed, lest ever, because he performs this as a servant, he should lose, along with his reward, also the dignity of authority that is his, through vainglory.

50. Just as faith is by nature the substance of things hoped for, so for the soul, is prudence; and for virtue, humility. And it is a wonder how things that are complete in themselves have become incomplete without their accidents.

51. The Lord will guard your coming in, he says, and your going out; that is, of foods and of words, with self-control. For he who is self-controlled concerning the coming in and going out of foods and words, flees from the desire that comes from the eyes, and soothes the anger that comes from recklessness, of which things the one who struggles must take care above all, striving in every way. For in these things, the practical is strengthened; and the theoretical is made firm.

52. But some take great care concerning the intake of foods; but are careless concerning the output of words. Such men do not know how to banish anger from the heart, and desire from the flesh, according to Ecclesiastes; by which means the pure heart is wont to be created by the renewing Spirit.

53. The simplicity of foods is a matter of a quality less than luxurious; but the blamelessness of words will be found to be a matter of a quantity better than silence.

54. Refine your loins with abstinence from foods, and test your heart with self-control of words, and you will have for the service of good things both the appetitive and the irascible parts.

55. The pleasure of the lower belly subsides in ascetics when the body has declined; but that of the throat still remains for him who has not managed to punish it justly. Therefore one must strive, through the cause, to wipe away the reproach of the effect, so that you may not be found a stranger there to the virtue of self-control, and be put to shame.

56. It is necessary for the ascetic to know, when and with what foods he must nourish his body as an enemy; and when to encourage it as a friend and again to comfort it as one who is weak; so that he may not inadvertently set before the friend the things of the weak; and the things of the friend setting before the

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μδ΄. Μίξον τῇ ἁπλότητι τήν ἐγκράτειαν· καί σύζευξον τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλήθειαν, καί ὀφθείσῃ δικαιοσύνῃ συνέστιος· ᾗ ὡς ἐπί τραπέζης, ἄλλη πᾶσα φιλεῖ ἐπισυνάγεσθαι ἀρετή.

με΄. Τυφλή τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης χωρίς ἡ ἀλήθεια. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί τῇ ἀντιλογίᾳ χρῆται παιδαγωγῷ, ἐρεῖσαι μέν αὐτῇ ἐπί τι μοχθούσῃ, μή εὑρισκούσῃ δέ, εἰ μή τό τῆς μνησικακίας ὀχύρωμα.

μστ΄. Ἥθος χρηστόν, ὡραιότητα μαρτυρεῖ ἀρετῆς· μελῶν δέ εὐστάθεια, εἰρηναίαν ψυχήν.

μζ΄. Πρῶτον μέν καλόν, τό ἐν μηδενί μέρει πταίειν. ∆εύτερον δέ, τό μή αἰδοῖ κατακαλύπτειν τό σφάλμα αὐτοῦ· μή τε μήν, ἀναιδεύεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον δέ πατεινοῦσθαι, καί κατηγορούμενον ἑαυτοῦ συγκατηγορεῖν, καί δέχεσθαι ἀσμένως τό ἐπιτίμιον. Τούτου δέ μή γινομένου, ἀνίσχυρον ἅπαν τό τῷ Θεῷ προφερόμενον.

μη΄. Πρός τῇ ἑκουσίῳ κακοπαθείᾳ, χρή καί τήν ἀκούσιον καταδέχεσθαι· τήν ἐκ διαβολῶν λέγω, ζημιῶν τε καί ἀσθενειῶν. Ταῦτα γάρ ὁ μή καταδεχόμενος, ἀλλά δυσπετῶν, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ μή μετά ἁλός, μετά δέ μέλιτος μόνου βουλομένου ἐσθίειν τήν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ· ὅς οὐ πάντοτε μέν τήν ἡδονήν ἔχει σύντροφον, τόν δέ κόρον ἀεί γείτονα κέκτηται.

μθ΄. ∆εσπότης ὤν, δούλου σχῆμα περιβαλλόμενος φαίνεται, ὁ τό διεῤῥωγός πλύνων τοῦ πλησίον λόγοις ἐνθέοις ἱμάτιον, ἤ καταῤῥάπτων ταῖς μεταδόσεσι. Σκοπείτω δέ ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν, μή ποτε διά τό ὡς δοῦλος τοῦτο τελεῖν, προσαπολέσῃ σύν τῷ μισθῷ, καί τό προσόν αὐτῷ τῆς ἐξουσίας διά κενοδοξίας ἀξίωμα.

ν΄. Ὥσπερ ἡ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις πέφυκεν, οὕτω ψυχῆς μέν, ἡ φρόνησις· ἀρετῆς δέ, ἡ ταπείνωσις. Καί θαῦμα, πῶς τά αὐτοτελῆ, τῶν συμβεβηκότων δίχα ἀτελῆ καθεστήκασι.

να΄. Κύριος φυλάξοι τήν εἴσοδόν σου, φησί, καί τήν ἔξοδόν σου· τήν τῶν βρωμάτων δηλονότι καί τῶν ῥημάτων, τῇ ἐγκρατείᾳ. Ἐγκρατῶς γάρ ὁ ἔχων περί τήν τῶν βρωμάτων καί ῥημάτων εἴσοδόν τε καί ἔξοδον, ἐπιθυμίαν μέν τήν ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀποδιδράσκει· θυμόν δέ τήν ἐξ ἀπονοίας καταπραΰναι, ὧν δεῖ καί πρό πάντων ποιεῖσθαι τήν ἐπιμέλειαν τόν ἀγωνιζόμενον, παντί τρόπῳ σπουδαστέον. Ἐν τούτοις γάρ, τό μέν πρακτικόν ἔῤῥωται· τό δέ θεωρητικόν, ἐστερέωται.

νβ΄. Τινές δέ περί τήν εἴσοδον τῶν βρωμάτων, πολλήν ποιοῦνται τήν ἐπιμέλειαν· περί δέ ἔξοδον τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀμελῶς διατίθενται. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι οὐκ ἐπίστανται πράγειν θυμόν μέν ἀπό καρδίας, ἐπιθυμίαν δέ ἀπό σαρκός, κατά τήν Ἐκκλησιαστήν· δι᾿ ὧν ἡ καθαρά καρδία κτίζεσθαι εἴωθε παρά τοῦ καινουργοῦντος Πνεύματος.

νγ΄. Τό μέν τῶν βρωμάτων ἀπέριττον, περί τήν ἥττω τρυφῆς ποιότητα· τό δέ τῶν ῥημάτων ἀνέγκλητον, περί τήν κρείττω τῆς σιωπῆς ποσότητα εὑρεθήσεται.

νδ΄. Πύρωσον τούς νεφρούς σου ἀσιτίᾳ βρωμάτων, καί ἔτασον τήν καρδίαν σου ἐγκρατείᾳ ῥημάτων, καί ἕξεις πρός ὑπηρεσίαν καλῶν, τό, ἐπιθυμητικόν τε καί θυμικόν.

νε΄. Ἡ μέν τῶν ὑπογαστρίων ἡδονή καταπίπτει ἐν ἀσκουμένοις, τοῦ σώματος παρακμάσαντος· ἔτι δέ παραμένει τοῦ φάρυγγος, τῷ μή φθάσαντι ταύτην ἐνδίκως κολάσαι. Σπουδάσαι οὖν χρή διά τῆς αἰτίου, τοῦ αἰτιατοῦ τόν ὀνειδισμόν ἀποτρίψασθαι, ὡς ἄν μή ξένος ἐκεῖσε τῆς κατά τήν ἐγκράτειαν ἀρετῆς εὑρεθείς, αἰσχυνθῇς.

νστ΄. Ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι τόν ἀσκητήν, πότε καί τίσι βρώμασι δεῖ ὡς ἐχθρόν τρέφειν τό σῶμα αὐτοῦ· πότε δέ ὡς φίλον παρακαλεῖν καί πάλιν παραμυθεῖσθαι ὡς ἀσθενῆ· ἵνα μή λάθῃ τά μέν τοῦ ἀσθενοῦς, τῷ φίλῳ· τά δέ τοῦ φίλου παρατιθείς τῷ