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their own interest and not the common good for all. But that you must by all means undertake the danger, since I do not cease to demand this of you for the help of all, I know correctly.

The sooner therefore you consent to me, the more you will relieve me of my despondency. And I myself know, O Clement, that I am bestowing upon you sorrows and despondencies and dangers and reproaches from uneducated mobs, which you will be able to bear nobly, looking to the great reward of endurance given to you by God. But also rightly consider with me when Christ has need of your alliance, now, when the evil one has raised a war against his bride, or in the time to come, when having conquered he reigns, having no further need of help? Is it not clear even to one who has little sense, that it is now? With all eagerness, therefore, in this time of present necessity, hasten to be an ally to the good king, who is accustomed to give great rewards after victory. Therefore, take on the episcopate with joy (all the more opportunely, as you have learned the administration of a church from me) for the salvation of the brothers who flee to us for refuge.

But I wish to remind you briefly of the things concerning administration, above all things and for the sake of all. You, for your part, living blamelessly, must with the greatest haste shake off all the occupations of this life, becoming neither a guarantor nor an advocate, nor entangled in any other worldly affair. For Christ does not wish to appoint you a judge or an arbiter of money or of the affairs of the present life, so that, being occupied with the present cares of men, you may not have leisure to separate by the word of truth the better men from the worse. But let the learners attend to these things for one another, and let them not distract <you> from the words which are able to save. For as it is impious for you to undertake worldly cares, having left off doing what you were commanded, so it is a sin for every layman if they do not stand by one another even in worldly needs. And if they do not understand what things you should be free from concern about, let them learn from the deacons, so that you may have the care of the church alone, both to administer it well and to provide the words of truth. For if you occupy yourself with worldly cares, you will ensnare both yourself and your hearers. For not being able, on account of your occupation, to provide what is profitable, you will be punished for not having taught what is profitable, and they, not having learned, will perish by reason of ignorance. Wherefore you, being at leisure for them, should preside in order to provide opportunely the words which are able to save them, and let them listen to you, knowing that whatever the ambassador of the truth shall bind on earth, is bound also in heaven, and whatever he shall loose, is loosed. You therefore shall bind what ought to be bound and loose what ought to be loosed. These, then, and things like these, are the duties concerning you, the president. And let the duties concerning the presbyters be these. Before all things, let them join the young in marriage quickly, anticipating the snares of youthful desire. But let them not be negligent about the marriage even of the old; for in some, even when they have grown old, desire is vigorous. Therefore, lest fornication find pasture among you and cast the same plague upon you, be on your guard beforehand and investigate, lest the fire of adultery be secretly kindled among you. For adultery is a very terrible thing, so much so that it holds the second place of punishment; since the first is assigned to those who are in error, even if they are chaste. Wherefore you, as presbyters of the church, train the bride of Christ in chastity (and by bride I mean the body of the church); for if she is found chaste by the bridegroom king, she will attain the greatest honor, and you, as guests at the wedding, will enjoy great gladness. But if she is caught having sinned,

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τὸ ἴδιον καὶ οὐ τὸ κοινῇ πᾶσι συμφέρον. ὅτι δὲ τὸν κίνδυνον πάντως ἀναδέξασθαί σε δεῖ, ἐμοῦ τοῦτο ἀξιοῦν μὴ παυομένου εἰς τὴν τῶν πάντων βοήθειαν, ὀρθῶς ἐπίσταμαι.

ὅσῳ οὖν μοι ταχύτερον συνευδοκήσεις, τοσοῦτόν με τῆς ἀθυμίας κουφίσεις. οἶδα δὲ καὶ αὐτός, ὦ Κλήμης, λύπας καὶ ἀθυμίας καὶ κινδύνους καὶ ψόγους τοὺς ἐξ ἀπαιδεύτων ὄχλων σοι δωρούμενος, οὓς δυνήσει γενναίως φέρειν, ἐνορῶν τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὸν ἐκ θεοῦ σοι μέγαν ἀποδιδόμενον μισθόν. ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίως συνενθυμήθητί μοι πότε σου τῆς ξυμμαχίας χρείαν ἔχει ὁ Χριστός, νῦν, ὅτε ὁ πονηρὸς κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ νύμφης πόλεμον ἤρατο, ἢ εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα χρόνον, ὅτε νικήσας βασιλεύει μηδεμιᾶς τοῦ λοιποῦ χρείαν ἔχων βοηθείας; οὐχὶ καὶ τῷ βραχὺν νοῦν ἔχοντι δῆλον, ὅτι νῦν; πάσῃ οὖν προαιρέσει ἐν τῷ τῆς παρούσης ἀνάγκης χρόνῳ τάχυνον ξυμμαχῆσαι βασιλεῖ ἀγαθῷ, μισθοὺς μεγάλους μετὰ νίκην ἀποδιδόναι πεφυκότι. χαίρων οὖν ἐπισκόπησον (εὐκαίρως ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ὡς διοίκησιν ἐκκλησίας παρ' ἐμοῦ μεμαθηκώς) εἰς τὴν τῶν ἡμῖν προσφευγόντων ἀδελφῶν σωτηρίαν.

Πλὴν καὶ βραχέα σε ἐπὶ πάντων διὰ πάντας τὰ τῆς διοικήσεως ὑπομνῆσαι θέλω. σὲ μὲν χρὴ ἀνεπιλήπτως βιοῦντα σπουδῇ μεγίστῃ πάσας τὰς τοῦ βίου ἀσχολίας ἀποσείεσθαι, μήτε ἐγγυητὴν γινόμενον μήτε συνήγορον μηδὲ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ βιωτικῷ παρεμπεπλεγμένον πράγματι. οὐ γὰρ κριτὴν καὶ δικαστὴν χρημάτων ἢ ἀσχολημάτων καθεστάναι σε θέλει τῶν νῦν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων ὁ Χριστός, ἵνα συνεχόμενος εἰς τὰς νῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φροντίδας μὴ εὐσχολῇς χωρίζειν λόγῳ ἀληθείας ἀνθρώπων τοὺς κρείττονας ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οἱ μανθάνοντες ἀλλήλοις παρεχέτωσαν, καὶ <σὲ> ἀπὸ τῶν σóζειν δυναμένων λόγων μὴ ἀπασχολείτωσαν. ὡς γὰρ σοὶ ἀσεβές ἐστιν τὰς βιωτικὰς φροντίδας ἀναδέξασθαι καταλείψαντα ποιεῖν ὃ ἐκελεύσθης, οὕτως ἑκάστῳ λαϊκῷ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς βιωτικαῖς χρείαις παρίστανται. καὶ σὲ δὲ περὶ ὧν χρὴ ἀμέριμνον εἶναι οἱ πάντες ποιεῖν ἐὰν μὴ νοῶσιν, παρὰ τῶν διακόνων μανθανέτωσαν, ἵνα μόνης τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν φροντίδα ἔχῃς, πρός τε τὸ διοικεῖν αὐτὴν καλῶς καὶ τὸ τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας λόγους παρέχειν. ἐπεὶ ἐὰν βιωτικαῖς μερίμναις ἀσχοληθῇς, καὶ σεαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀκροατὰς ἐνεδρεύσεις· τὰ γὰρ συμφέροντα ἐφοδιάζειν διὰ τὴν ἀσχολίαν οὐ δυνηθείς, καὶ σὺ ὡς μὴ διδάξας τὸ συμφέρον κολασθήσῃ, οἱ δὲ μὴ μαθόντες ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ ἀπολοῦνται. διὸ σὺ μὲν αὐτοῖς εὐσχολῶν προκαθέσθητι πρὸς τὸ εὐκαίρως παρέχειν τοὺς σóζειν αὐτοὺς δυναμένους λόγους, καὶ οὗτοι ἐπακουέτωσάν σου, εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας πρεσβευτὴς ὃ ἂν δήσῃ ἐπὶ γῆς, δέδεται καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὃ δ' ἂν λύσῃ, λέλυται. σὺ δὲ δήσεις ἃ δεῖ δεθῆναι καὶ λύσεις ἃ δεῖ λυθῆναι. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ σὲ τὸν προεστῶτα ταῦτά ἐστιν καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἔστω τάδε. πρὸ πάντων τοὺς νέους πρὸς γάμον ζευγνύτωσαν ἐν τάχει, προλαμβάνοντες τῆς νεαζούσης ἐπιθυμίας τὰ παγιδεύματα. ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τῶν ἤδη γερόντων περὶ γάμου ἀμελείτωσαν· ἐνίοις γὰρ καὶ γηράσασιν ἀκμαία ἔνεστιν ἐπιθυμία. ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἡ πορνεία νομὴν λαβοῦσα καθ' ὑμῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐμβάλῃ λοιμόν, προασφαλίζεσθε καὶ ἐρευνᾶτε, μήπως τὸ τῆς μοιχείας λανθανόντως ἐν ὑμῖν ἀναφθῇ πῦρ. πολὺ γὰρ δεινὸν ἡ μοιχεία, τοσοῦτον ὅσον τὰ δευτερεῖα ἔχειν αὐτὴν τῆς κολάσεως· ἐπεὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα τοῖς ἐν πλάνῃ οὖσιν ἀποδίδοται, κἂν σωφρονῶσιν. διὸ ὑμεῖς ὡς ἐκκλησίας πρεσβύτεροι ἐξασκήσατε τὴν Χριστοῦ νύμφην εἰς σωφροσύνην (νύμφην δὲ λέγω τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ σύστημα)· ἐὰν γὰρ σώφρων καταληφθῇ ὑπὸ νυμφίου βασιλέως, τιμῆς μεγίστης τεύξεται, καὶ ὑμεῖς μεγάλης εὐφρασίας, ὡς κλητοὶ γάμων, ἀπολαύσετε. ἐὰν δὲ ἡμαρτηκυῖα φωραθῇ,