Letter 832: Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
“Ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει πρόγνωσιν ὁ διάδοιλος, ἀ..) ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν κιγημάτων στοχάζεται τὰ καθέχα- Οὐ τὰ κατὰ διάνοιαν οἶδεν, ὦ πραότατε, ὁ διάδο- λος " τῆς γὰρ θείας μόνης ἐστὶ τοῦτο ἐξαίρετον δυνά- μεως, τῆς χαὶ πλαπσάσης χατὰ μόνα: τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν " ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ [τῶν] τοῦ σώματος () χινημάτων () τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς θηρεύει βουλεύματα. Οἷον εἶδέ τινα πε- ριέργως ὁρῶντα, καὶ ἐστιῶντα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις χάλλεσι ; λαδὼν ἐχείνου τὴν ὁρμὴν, εὐθὺς ἢ εἰς μοιχείαν, ἣ εἰς πορνείαν τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐρεθίζει. Εἶδεν ὀργίλον καὶ θυμώδη; εὐθὺς τὸ ξίφος ἀχονᾷ, καὶ εἷς φόνον παρορμᾷ. Εἶδεν αἰσχροχερδῆῇ ; εἷς λῃ- στεία; προτρέπει χαὶ ἀδικίας. Εἶδε γαστρὸς ἥττονα ; εὐθὺς χαὶ τὰ μετὰ γαστέρων () αὐτῷ πάθη ὑπογρά- φει, καὶ ὕλας παρέχει πρὸς τὸ εἰς ἔργον χωρῆσαι τὸν οἰχεῖον σχοπόν. Διὰ τί γὰρ μὴ πάντας εἰς τὰ αὐτὰ πάθη ὠθεῖ; Ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἐχεῖνο μᾶλλον προήρηται χαὶ τῷ μὲν τοῦτο, τῷ δὲ ἐχεῖνο ἀρέσχει. ᾿Απὸ τῶν χινημάτων οὖν τοῦ σώματος, χαὶ τὰ τῶν ψυχῶν σαθρὰ τεχμαίρεται " χαὶ οὕτω πλέχες τοὺς δόλους.
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