Letter 673

To Eugenius the Prince [princeps, a magistrate]. Whenever you do a good work, or approach the divine communion, or stretch yourself out [in prayer] having completed a prayer, or having accomplished some other good thing, you are tempted more violently by the devil, know that the enemy, struck by you and grievously worn down, has hurled himself [...] upon you, roaring against you like a lion; and do not cease striking him, and stabbing him, and piercing him through with the spears of the mind. For if in this we do not slacken, nor grow weary in fighting, nor give up before the wrestling-match and the manifold enemies, we shall by all means carry off the victory over the throng of the hostile demons.

Ὅταν ἀγαθοεργήσῃς, ἢ τῇ θείᾳ προσελθὼν κοινωνίᾳ, ἢ ἐκτείνῃς τελέσας εὐχήν, ἢ ἑτερόν τι τελέσας καλὸν, πειρασθῇς σφοδρότερον ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, γνῶθι ὅτι πεπληγμένος ὑπὸ σοῦ ὁ πολέμιος, καὶ λίαν πεπονηκὼς, βαγδαίδετρον προσερράγη σοι, βρυχόμενος κατά σου, ὥσπερ λέων, καὶ μὴ παύσῃ πλήττων αὐτὸν, καὶ νύττων, καὶ κατακεντῶν τοῖς νοητοῖς δόρασιν. Εἰ γὰρ τούτῳ μὴ λήξωμεν, μήτε ἀτονήσωμεν μαχόμενοι, μήτε ἀπαγορεύσωμεν πρὸς τὴν πάλην, καὶ τοὺς ποικίλους πολεμίους, ἀρούμεθα πάντως νίκην κατὰ τοῦ στίφους τῶν δυσμενῶν δαιμόνων.