Letter 585

To Secundus the Castrensis [castrensis: a court chamberlain, an official of the imperial household]. Just as, when we hate one another, and fight, and bear enmity toward one another, and lay plots, and turn away from calm and from forbearance, Satan rejoices and exults, and flourishes, and takes delight, and spreads himself out the more, finding rest in our base behavior; so, on the other hand, when we are at peace and are of one mind, and master our raging fury, the evil one is wont to be drawn in upon himself and brought low, being as he is the enemy of peace and of love, hostile to the concord of human beings, and an implacable adversary.

Ὥσπερ μισούντων ἡμῶν ἀλλήλους, καὶ μαχομένων, καὶ ἐχθραινόντων ἀλλήλους, καὶ ἐπιβουλευόντων, καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν γαλήνην, καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν, χαίρει, καὶ ἀγάλλεται ὁ Σατανᾶς, τέθηλέ τε, καὶ τέρπεται, καὶ προπλατύνεται, ἐπαναπαυόμενος ταῖς ἡμετέραις φαυλότησιν· οὕτως εἰρηνευόντων. καὶ ὁμονοούντων ἡμῶν, καὶ κρατούντων τῆς λύττης, συστέλλεσθαι, καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι εἴωθεν ὁ πονηρός, καὶ ἐχθρὸς τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης τυγχάνων, πολέμιός τε τῆς ἀνθρώπων ὁμονοίας, καὶ δυσμενὴς ἄσπονδος.