Letter 803

To Eugenius the Monk. When you look up toward higher degrees, when you are torn away from the ground, when you have come utterly to loathe earthly things, when you count as nothing all that is seen, when you have truly fallen in love with the heavenly goods, when you are able to take up the wings of the intelligible eagles and to delight in the well-fashioned growth of the feathers that are borne up to heaven with ease - then indeed, then you will behold fearful temptations, then you will be set amid the trial of terrible wars, desiring rather and praying to be released from human life, and no longer willing to look upon the life of mortals.

Ὅταν ἐπίδῃς ὑψηλοτέρων βαθμῶν, ὅταν ἀποσπα- σθῇς τοῦ ἐδάφους, ὅταν τελείως τὰ γήϊνα βδελύξῃ, ὅταν ἐξουδενώσῃς τὰ βλεπόμενα πάντα, ὅταν ἀλη- θῶς ἐρασθῇς τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν, ὅταν δυνηθῇς ἀναλαβεῖν τῶν νοητῶν ἀετῶν τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ τερφθῆναι τῇ εὐσυνθέτῳ φυῇ τῶν πτερῶν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν εὐμαρῶς αἰρομένων· τότε δή, τότε φοβε- ροὺς πειρασμοὺς θεωρήσεις, τότε δεινῶν πολέμων ἐν πείρᾳ καταστήσῃ, ἐπιθυμῶν μᾶλλον καὶ εὐχό- μενος ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου, καὶ μηκέτι βουλόμενος ζωὴν βροτῶν καθορᾶν.