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ATHANASIUS: In their lives people labour, scurry about, and pile up treasures, but to what end many of them do not themselves know. Upon reflection, all the thousands of varied human enterprises are seen to have but a single end-the heart's joy. To this end we choose friends according to our inclination in order that we may take pleasure in sharing our thoughts with them; we achieve high rank in order that our self-esteem may be gratified by the respect of others; we devise various kinds of drink, food, and snacks to please our taste; we seek out different kinds of music, composing a multitude of concertos, minuets, dances, and contredances to delight our ears; we build fine houses, plant gardens and orchards, and weave gold brocades and fabrics, embroidering them with pleasingly coloured silken threads, and deck ourselves out in such garments to give pleasure to the eye and provide softness to the body; we concoct fragrant spirits, powders, creams, and perfumes to gratify our sense of smell. In a word, we try to cheer up our spirit with every means we can devise. Oh, how great is the gaiety of the high-born and prosperous in this world! In their houses the spirit lives, dissolved in joy and satisfaction. Oh, how precious you are, joy of the heart!
Tsars, princes, and people of wealth pay uncounted thousands for you, while we who are poor and not prosperous nourish ourselves, as it were, from the crumbs that fall from their tables. Just think of the triumphant splendour of the renowned cities of Europe.
JAMES: It is truly great. I have heard that nowhere are there more diversions and delights than in Paris and Venice.
ATHANASIUS: True, there are many over there, but until you bring them to us from Venice we shall perish here of boredom.
GREGORY: Stop talking nonsense, dear friends. High rank, a pleasant setting, various games and diversions, and all your many enterprises are powerless to bring joy to the spirit or to drive away the boredom that has taken possession of you.
JAMES: What then can do it?
GREGORY: Only one thing, and that is to discover in what true happiness consists and then to acquire it.
ATHANASIUS: That is...