Barest thou, then, who didst fall " as lightning " '°
from the very highest glory, to say to the Lord,
"Cast thyself down from hence " [to Him] to
whom the things that are not are reckoned as if
they were,'^ and to provoke to a display of vain-
glory Him that was free from all ostentation?
And didst thou pretend to read in Scripture con-
cerning Him : " For He hath given His angels
charge concerning Thee, and in their hands they
shall bear Thee up, lest thou shouldest dash Thy
foot against a stone ? " '^ At the same time thou
didst pretend to be ignorant of the rest, furtively
concealing what [the Scripture] predicted con-
cerning thee and thy servants : " Thou shalt tread
upon the adder and the basilisk ; the lion and
the dragon shalt thou trample under foot." ^*