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rushing on more shamelessly, do not stop until, through a great and incurable evil, their anger having burst forth like a bubble, the inflammation is dissipated. For neither the edge of a sword, nor fire, nor any other terrible thing, is sufficient to restrain a soul driven mad by anger; no more so than those possessed by demons, from whom the angry differ in nothing, neither in appearance, nor in the disposition of their soul. For in those who long for retaliation, the blood boils around the heart, as if stirred and bubbling by the force of fire; and having broken out to the surface, it shows the angry person in another form, having replaced the one usual and familiar to all like some mask upon a stage. For their own and familiar eyes are unrecognized; their glance is frantic, and already sees fire. And he whets his tooth, like the boars that charge into close combat. The face is livid and bloodshot; the bulk of the body swelling; veins bursting, the breath agitated by the storm within. 31.357

The voice is harsh, and overstrained, and the speech inarticulate and falling out at random, proceeding neither in parts, nor in an orderly way, nor clearly. And whenever, like a flame from an abundance of fuel, it is kindled by provocations to an incurable point, then indeed, then it is possible to see sights that are neither expressible in speech nor bearable in deed: hands raised against one's own kind, and assailing all parts of the body, and feet unsparingly leaping on the most vital parts, and everything that appears becoming a weapon for the madness. And if they also find an equal evil arrayed against them from the opposite side, another anger and a madness of equal rank; so then clashing together they did to each other and suffered, all that it is likely for those to suffer who are led by such a demon. For the combatants often carried off the maiming of limbs or even death as prizes of their anger. One began with unjust hands, and the other defended himself; the one attacked in return, the other does not yield. And while the body is cut to pieces by the blows, the passion takes away the sensation of the pain. For they have no leisure for the sensation of what they have suffered, their whole soul having been moved toward defense against the one who has caused the pain.

Do not, then, heal evil with evil, nor attempt to surpass one another in calamities. For in wicked contests the victor is more wretched, because he departs having the greater share of the sin. Therefore do not become a contributor to an evil collection, nor a more wicked repayer of a wicked loan. Did someone insult you in anger? Stop the evil with silence. But you, having received his anger like a stream into your own heart, imitate the winds, which by blowing back return what was brought against them. Do not use your enemy as a teacher, nor emulate that which you hate. Nor become like a mirror of the angry man, showing his form in yourself.

He is red; and are you not flushed red? His eyes are bloodshot; and yours, tell me, do they look on with calm? His voice is harsh; is yours gentle? Not even the echo in the desert is so perfectly reflected back to the one who spoke, as insults return upon the reviler. Rather, while the sound is given back the same, the reviling comes back with addition. For what sort of things do they say in return while insulting each other? The one said he is obscure and from obscure parents; the other called him a house-slave from house-slaves; this one called him poor, that one a vagabond; this one ignorant, that one half-mad; until their insults, like arrows, run out. Then, when they have slung out every reviling with their tongue, then finally they proceed to defense through deeds. For anger stirs up a fight, 31.360 and a fight begets revilings, and revilings blows, and blows wounds, and from wounds, often, deaths. From the very beginning let us check the evil, removing anger from our souls by every means. For thus we might

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ἀναιδέστερον ἐφορμῶντες, οὐ πρότερον ἵστανται πρὶν ἢ διὰ μεγάλου καὶ ἀνηκέστου κακοῦ, οἷον πομφό λυγος, αὐτοῖς τῆς ὀργῆς ἐκραγείσης, διαπνευσθῇ τὸ φλεγμαῖνον. Οὔτε γὰρ ξίφους ἀκμὴ, οὔτε πῦρ, οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν φοβερῶν, ἱκανὸν τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἐκμανεῖσαν ψυχὴν ἐπισχεῖν· οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ τοὺς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων κατασχεθέντας, ὧν οὐδὲν, οὔτε κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα, οὔτε κατὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς διάθεσιν, οἱ ὀργι ζόμενοι διαφέρουσιν. Ὀρεγομένοις γὰρ τῆς ἀντι λυπήσεως περιζεῖ μὲν τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸ αἷμα, ὥσπερ βίᾳ πυρὸς κυκώμενον καὶ παφλάζον· πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἐξανθῆσαν, ἐν ἄλλῃ μορφῇ τὸν ὀργι ζόμενον ἔδειξε, τὴν συνήθη πᾶσι καὶ γνωρίμην ὥσπερ τι προσωπεῖον ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ὑπαλλάξαν. Ὀφθαλ μοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνοις οἱ οἰκεῖοί τε καὶ συν ήθεις ἠγνόηνται· παράφορον δὲ τὸ ὄμμα, καὶ πῦρ ἤδη βλέπει. Καὶ παραθήγει τὸν ὀδόντα, κατὰ τῶν συῶν τοὺς ὁμόσε χωροῦντας. Πρόσωπον πελιδνὸν καὶ ὕφαιμον· ὄγκος τοῦ σώματος ἐξοιδαίνων· φλέβες διαῤῥηγνύμεναι, ὑπὸ τῆς ἔνδοθεν ζάλης κλονουμένου 31.357 τοῦ πνεύματος.

Φωνὴ τραχεῖα, καὶ ὑπερτεινομένη, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἄναρθρος καὶ εἰκῆ προεκπίπτων, οὐ κατὰ μέρος, οὐδὲ εὐτάκτως, οὐδὲ εὐσήμως προϊών. Ἐπει δὰν δὲ εἰς τὸ ἀνήκεστον, ὥσπερ φλὸξ ὕλης ἀφθο νίᾳ, τοῖς παροξύνουσιν ἐξαφθῇ, τότε δὴ τότε τὰ οὔτε λόγῳ ῥητὰ οὔτε ἔργῳ φορητὰ ἐπιδεῖν ἐστι θεάματα· χεῖρας μὲν διηρμένας κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων, καὶ πᾶσι μέρεσι τοῦ σώματος ἐπιφερομένας, πόδας δὲ ἀφειδῶς τοῖς καιριωτάτοις ἐναλλομένους, πᾶν δὲ τὸ φανὲν ὅπλον τῇ μανία γινόμενον. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ ἴσον κακὸν ἀντιστρατευόμενον εὕρωσιν, ὀργὴν ἄλλην καὶ μανίαν ὁμότιμον· οὕτω δὴ συμπεσόντες ἔδρασαν ἀλλήλους καὶ ἔπαθον, ὅσα εἰκὸς τοὺς ὑπὸ τοιούτῳ δαίμονι στρατηγουμένους παθεῖν. Πηρώσεις γὰρ μελῶν ἢ καὶ θανάτους πολλάκις ἆθλα τῆς ὀργῆς οἱ μαχόμενοι ἀπηνέγκαντο. Ἦρξε χειρῶν ἀδίκων, ὁ δὲ ἠμύνατο· ὁ δὲ ἀντεπήνεγκεν, ὁ δὲ οὐχ ὑφίεται. Καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ταῖς πληγαῖς διακόπτεται, ὁ δὲ θυμὸς τοῦ ἀλγεινοῦ τὴν αἴσθησιν παραιρεῖται. Οὐ γὰρ ἄγουσι σχολὴν πρὸς τὴν ὧν πεπόνθασιν αἴσθησιν, ὅλης αὐτοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὴν ἄμυναν τοῦ λελυ πηκότος κεκινημένης.

Μὴ δὴ κακῷ τὸ κακὸν ἰᾶσθε, μηδὲ ἐπιχειρεῖτε ἀλλήλους ὑπερβαίνειν ταῖς συμφοραῖς. Ἐν γὰρ ἁμίλ λαις πονηραῖς ἀθλιώτερος ὁ νικήσας, διότι ἀπέρ χεται τὸ πλεῖον ἔχων τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Μὴ τοίνυν γένῃ κακοῦ πληρωτὴς ἐράνου, μηδὲ πονηροῦ δανείου πο νηρότερος ἐκτιστής. Ὕβρισεν ὀργισθείς; στῆσον τῇ σιωπῇ τὸ κακόν. Σὺ δὲ ὥσπερ ῥεῦμα τὴν ἐκείνου ὀργὴν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν καρδίαν ὑποδεξάμενος, τοὺς ἀνέμους μιμῇ, διὰ τῆς ἀντιπνοίας ἀντιδιδόντας τὸ ἐνεχθέν. Μὴ διδασκάλῳ χρήσῃ τῷ ἐχθρῷ, μηδὲ ὃ μισεῖς, τοῦτο ζηλώσῃς. Μηδὲ γένῃ ὥσπερ κάτοπτρον τοῦ ὀργίλου, τὴν ἐκείνου μορφὴν ἐν σεαυτῷ δεικνύς.

Ἐρυθρὸς ἐκεῖνος· σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἐφοινίχθης; Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὕφαιμοι· οἱ δὲ σοὶ, εἰπέ μοι, γαλήνην βλέπουσι; Φωνὴ τραχεῖα· ἡ δὲ σὴ ἠπία; Οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν ταῖς ἐρη μίαις ἠχὼ οὕτως ἀνεκλάσθη ἀκεραία πρὸς τὸν φθεγ ξάμενον, ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν λοίδορον αἱ ὕβρεις ἐπαναστρέ φουσι. Μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ μὲν ἦχος ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπεδόθη· ἡ δὲ λοιδορία μετὰ προσθήκης ἐπάνεισιν. Οἷα γὰρ ἀλλή λους ἐφυβρίζοντες ἀντιφθέγγονται; Ὁ μὲν εἶπεν ἀφανῆ, καὶ ἐξ ἀφανῶν ὁ δὲ ἀπεκάλεσεν οἰκο τρίβων οἰκότριβα· οὗτος πένητα, ἐκεῖνος ἀλήτην· οὗτος ἀμαθῆ, ἐκεῖνος παραπλῆγα· ἕως ἂν αὐτοῖς αἱ ὕβρεις, ὥσπερ τοξεύματα, ἐπιλείπωσιν. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὰν πᾶσαν λοιδορίαν διὰ τῆς γλώττης ἐκσφενδο νήσωσιν, οὕτω λοιπὸν πρὸς τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων χωροῦσιν ἄμυναν. Θυμὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐγείρει μάχην, 31.360 μάχη δὲ γεννᾷ λοιδορίας, αἱ δὲ λοιδορίαι πληγὰς, αἱ δὲ πληγαὶ τραύματα, ἐκ δὲ τραυμάτων πολλάκις θάνατοι. Ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἀρχῆς τὸ κακὸν ἐπίσχω μεν, τὴν ὀργὴν πάσῃ μηχανῇ τῶν ψυχῶν ἐξελόντες. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν