Letter 7: Evagrius confesses wandering thoughts and warns that Severa's journey is spiritually risky.

I do not stretch my soul toward God as a righteous person rightly would, because it is full of lawless thoughts. Nor do I approach the Lord as I would approach the maker, because I do not understand the reasons for embodied and bodiless things, or for judgment and providence. Nor do I stand honorably before God, because even now I cannot pray with uncovered head. I carry the images of this world, and at the time of prayer I speak with them. I promise spiritual withdrawal from the world, yet in my soul I am constantly moving among people. I knock at every door and search every city to see whether I can buy provisions of vainglory to fill my miserable soul, which loves empty things. Let this be enough about your Lazarus, whom you said was living in knowledge in Abraham's bosom. As for the temperate deacon Severa, I praise her intention, but I do not accept the undertaking. I do not know what she gains from this difficult long journey, and with the Lord's help I can show how much she and those with her lose by it. I urge Your Holiness to prevent women who have renounced the world from traveling without necessity. I would be amazed if, across such a distance, they did not drink the waters of Gihon, either in the thoughts of their minds or in their actions. Such things are alien to the condition of the temperate.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ουχ ως προς δικαιον δικαιως την ψυχην προς τον θεον εκτεινομαι οτι μεστω λογισμων ανομιας ουδε παλιν ως προς ποιητην προς τον κυριον εγγιζω οτι ου γιγνωσκω των τε ενσωματων και των ασωματων και της κρισεως τε και προνοιας τους λογους. ουδε παλιν ως ενωπιον του θεου εστηκα εγω ατιμος οτι εως αρτι ουκ εχω ακαλυπτωι τηι κεφαληι προσευχεσθαι ως τουτου του κοσμου τα ειδωλα φερων (E) και προσευχης καιρωι εν αυτοις λαλων· και αποχωρησιν πνευματικην του κοσμου υπισχνουμαι δια δε της ψυχης μου απαυστως μετ’ ανθρωπων συμπεριφερομαι εις πασαν θυραν κρουω πασαν δε πολιν διεξερευνω ειποτε δυναμαι οψωνια κενοδοξιας αγοραζεσθαι ως εις την της αθλιας μου ψυχης τα ματαια φιλουσης πληρωσιν. ταυτα εξαρκειτω περι λαζαρου σου ον ελεγες οικειν εν γνωσει των αβρααμ κολπων. της δε σωφρονος διακονου Σευηρας την μεν προαιρεσιν επαινω το δε πραγμα ου δεχομαι· ου γαρ γιγνωσκω τι κερδανει εν ταυτηι επιπονωι μακρας οδου πορευσει οσα δε ζημιουνται αυτη τε και αι μετ' αυτης αποδειξαι δια κυριου εχω. αλλα την οσιοτητα σου αναπειθω τας τον κοσμον απολιπουσας ανευ αναγκης οδωι μη πορευεσθαι κωλυσαι· θαυμαζω γαρ ει εν ολωι τουτωι διαστηματι ουκ επιον υδατα Γηων η εν διαλογισμοις των φρονηματων αυτων η εν εργοις αυτων· εστι δε ταυτα της των σωφρονων καταστασεως απαλλοτρια Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.