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he brought the contrivance of trial against his flesh, and having scourged his body with unspeakable blows, he caused springs of worms to issue from it; and bringing the man down from the thrones of his kingdom, he set him on a dunghill. But he, though assailed by such sufferings, remained unmoved; and while his body was being torn, he kept the treasure of piety inviolate in the secret place of his soul. Therefore, the enemy, having nothing else to do, comes to the memory of his ancient plot, and having dragged the woman's mind into an impious and blasphemous opinion, through her he tried to shake the athlete.

And she, despairing at the long duration of time, stood by the righteous man, with her head bowed down, and striking her hands together at what she saw, and reproaching him for the fruits of his piety, and recounting the former prosperity of their household, while pointing out the present evils, and what kind of life he had obtained from what he had, and what reward he had received from the Master for his many sacrifices, she spoke words worthy of the faintheartedness 31.561 of women, but able to disturb any man, and to overturn even a noble mind; for I wander about a vagrant and a servant, I, a queen, am a slave, and am forced to look to the hands of my own servants, and having formerly fed many, I am now barely fed by strangers; and that it would be good and useful, using impious words, to cut himself off from the earth, having sharpened the sword of the creator's wrath, or by enduring the dreadful things, to prolong the toil of the struggles for himself and for her who lived with him.

But he, being vexed at these words, as at none of the former evils, and having filled his gaze with anger, and having turned away from his wife as from an enemy, what does he say? Why have you spoken as one of the foolish women? Put away, he says, O woman, this counsel. How long will you insult our common life in what you say? You have falsified my manner of life, as if I had not prayed, you have slandered my life in what you have spoken. I consider myself to have been impious by half now, since marriage made us both one body, and you have fallen into blasphemy. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the evil things? Remind yourself of the good things that have gone before. Weigh the better things against the worse. No man's life is entirely blessed. To fare well always belongs to God alone; But you, if you are grieved by the present things, comfort yourself with the things that have gone before. Now you weep, but you laughed before; now you are poor, but you were rich before. You have drunk the clear stream of life, now endure drinking this muddy one. Not even the currents of rivers appear entirely clear. For our life, as you know, is a river, flowing continuously and being filled with successive waves. For part of it has already flowed by, and part is still flowing; and part has just emerged from the springs, and part is to come; and we all hasten to the common sea of death. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the evil things? Do we compel the judge to supply us with the same things forever? Do we teach the Master how he ought to conduct our life? He has authority over His own decrees. As He wills, He orders our affairs. For He is wise, and measures out what is profitable to his servants.

Do not meddle with the judgment of the Master. Only love the things that are ordained by His wisdom. Whatever he may give you, receive it with pleasure. Show in painful things that you were also worthy of the former gladness. Job, saying these things, repelled also this attack of the devil, and brought upon him the complete shame of defeat. What therefore happened from this? The sickness fled from him again, as having approached in vain and having accomplished nothing more. His flesh blossomed into a second youth;

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σαρκὶ τὸ τῆς πείρας προσῆγε μηχάνημα, καὶ τὸ σῶμα μαστίξας ἀῤῥήτοις πληγαῖς, σκωλήκων ἀνα δίδοσθαι πηγὰς ἐξ αὐτοῦ παρεσκεύασε· καὶ τῶν τῆς βασιλείας θρόνων τὸν ἄνδρα καταγαγὼν, ἐπὶ κοπρίας ἐκάθισεν. Ὁ δὲ, καὶ τοιούτοις βαλλόμενος πάθεσιν, ἀκίνητος ἔμεινε· καὶ σπαραττομένου τοῦ σώματος, ἄσυλον ἐφύλαττε τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας θησαυρὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς ψυχῆς. Οὐκ ἔχων τοίνυν ὅ τι ποιήσει λοιπὸν ὁ πολέμιος, ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρχαίας ἐπιβουλῆς ἔρχεται μνήμην, καὶ τὴν τοῦ γυναίου διάνοιαν ὑπο σύρας εἰς ἀσεβῆ γνώμην καὶ βλάσφημον, δι' ἐκείνης σαλεύειν ἐπειρᾶτο τὸν ἀθλητήν.

Καὶ ἡ μὲν πρὸς τὸν μακρὸν χρόνον ἀπαγορεύσασα, τῷ δικαίῳ παρίστατο, κάτω νενευκυῖα, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις συγκρούουσα, καὶ τοὺς τῆς εὐσε βείας αὐτῷ καρποὺς ὀνειδίζουσα, καὶ καταλέγουσα μὲν τὴν παλαιὰν εὐθηνίαν τῶν οἰκείων, ὑποδεικνύουσα δὲ τὰ παρόντα κακὰ, καὶ οἷον ἐξ οἵων ἔλαχε βίον, καὶ τίνα τῶν πολλῶν θυσιῶν ἐδέξατο παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μισθὸν, ἔλεγέ τε ἀεὶ τῆς μὲν τῶν γυναικῶν ὀλιγο 31.561 ψυχίας ἄξια ῥήματα, ταράξαι δὲ πάντα ἄνδρα δυνά μενα, καὶ περιτρέψαι καὶ γενναίαν διάνοιαν· πλανῆ τις γὰρ καὶ λάτρις περιέρχομαι, ἡ βασιλὶς δουλεύω, καὶ πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἐμῶν οἰκετῶν χεῖρας ἠνάγκασμαι βλέπειν, καὶ τρέφουσα πάλαι πολλοὺς, ἀγαπητῶς ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων παρατρέφομαι νῦν· καὶ ὅτι καλὸν εἴη καὶ χρήσιμον, ἀσεβέσι χρησάμενον ῥήμασιν ἑαυτὸν τῆς γῆς ἐκτεμεῖν, τὸ τῆς τοῦ κτίσαντος ὀργῆς ἀκο νήσαντα ξίφος, ἢ διακαρτεροῦντα πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ, τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι μόχθον ἑαυτῷ καὶ τῇ συνοικούσῃ μη κύνειν.

Ὁ δὲ, ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἀχθεσθεὶς, ὡς ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν προτέρων κακῶν, καὶ θυμοῦ τὸ βλέμμα πληρώσας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα καθάπερ πρὸς πολεμίαν ἀποστραφεὶς, τί φησιν; Ἵνα τί ὡς μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐφθέγξω; Κατάθου, φησὶν, ὦ γύναι, τὴν συμβουλήν. Μέχρι τίνος τὴν κοινὴν ἐν οἷς λέγεις ὑβρίζεις ζωήν; Ἐψεύσω καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν, ὡς οὐκ ηὐ χόμην, ἀναστροφὴν, διέβαλες ἐν οἷς ἐλάλησας καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν βίον. Ἐξ ἡμισείας ἠσεβηκέναι νενόμικα νῦν, ἐπειδήπερ ἓν μὲν σῶμα ἀμφοτέρους ἡμᾶς ὁ γάμος ἐποίησε, σὺ δὲ εἰς βλασφημίαν κατέπεσες. Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; Ἀνάμνησον τῶν φθασάντων σεαυ τὴν ἀγαθῶν. Ἀντισήκωσον τὰ κρείττω τοῖς χείροσιν. Οὐδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ὁ βίος διόλου μακάριος. Τὸ διὰ παντὸς εὖ πράττειν μόνου Θεοῦ· Σὺ δὲ, εἰ τοῖς παροῦ σιν ἀλγεῖς, ἀπὸ τῶν προλαβόντων σαυτὴν παραμύθη σαι. Νῦν δακρύεις, ἀλλ' ἐγέλασας πρότερον· νῦν πτωχεύεις, ἀλλ' ἐπλούτησας πρότερον. Ἔπιες τὸ διειδὲς νᾶμα τοῦ βίου, καὶ τὸ θολερὸν τοῦτο πίνουσα καρτέρησον. Οὐδὲ τὰ τῶν ποταμῶν ῥεύματα διόλου φαίνεται καθαρά. Ποταμὸς δὲ, ὡς οἶσθα, ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, ῥέων ἐνδελεχῶς καὶ κύμασιν ἀλλεπαλλήλοις πληρού μενος. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ προέῤῥευσεν ἤδη, τὸ δὲ ἔτι πορεύεται· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄρτι προέκυψε τῶν πηγῶν, τὸ δὲ μέλλει· καὶ πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν ἅπαντες τοῦ θανάτου σπεύδομεν θάλατταν. Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδε ξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; Ἀναγκάζομεν τὸν κριτὴν ὅμοια χορηγεῖν πράγματα δι' αἰῶνος ἡμῖν; ∆ιδάσκομεν τὸν ∆εσπότην, ὅπως χρὴ διεξάγειν τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον; Αὐτὸς τῶν οἰκείων ψήφων ἔχει τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ὅπως βούλεται τάττει τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Σοφὸς δέ ἐστι, καὶ τὸ λυσιτελοῦν ἐπι μετρεῖ τοῖς οἰκέταις.

Μὴ περιεργάζου τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν κρίσιν. Ἀγάπα μόνον τὰ παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας οἰκονομού μενα. Ὅπερ ἂν δῷ σοι, τοῦτο δέχου μεθ' ἡδονῆς. ∆εῖξον ἐν τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς, ὡς καὶ τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἀξία τῆς πρόσθεν ἐτύγχανες. Ταῦτα ὁ Ἰὼβ λέγων, ἀπεκρούσατο καὶ ταύτην τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν προσβολὴν, καὶ τελείαν αὐτῷ τῆς ἥττης αἰσχύνην ἐπήγαγε. Τί οὖν ἐντεῦθεν συνέβαινεν; Ἔφυγε αὖθις ἡ νόσος αὐτὸν, ὡς εἰκῆ προσελθοῦσα, καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύσασα πλέον. Ἀνέθαλεν εἰς δευτέραν ἥβην ἡ σάρξ·