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nor clothed in purple; not being carried on carriages and having ten thousand lictors swaggering in the marketplace; but all these things are out of the way, and each one is brought in naked, having the case from his deeds, either of betrayal or of salvation; for as each of these things happens to have been done, so the vote is cast. May many good things be yours, because you listen to these words with such eagerness; for the groan of each, and the beating of the forehead, show me the fruit of these seeds. For this reason I call wretched those who were absent, because being able to enjoy such care, they are mired in sores and daily wounds, and do not even know that they are sick; wherefore it is difficult for them to be healed. For who will speak to them about these things? the wives who live with them? but one care is theirs, concerning gold and garments and luxury and household providence, to annoy their husbands. But the servants? how, they who possess no boldness of speech, and who themselves have one concern, to fulfill their service? But the judges? but they have no concern for anything else than the care of public affairs. But the kings and those who have the diadems? but for them too all their labor, all their zeal is about rule and power and money. But they themselves to themselves? how, they who do not even have time to breathe from the crowd of affairs, but are spent on these things both night and day? Of whom then would they not be more pitiful, who receive ten thousand wounds, but do not come here, where they will be able to learn that, even if they have wounds, it is possible to be rid of them and to attain health? When then will these men take care of their own souls? For it is a great thing for those who constantly come to church, and enjoy spiritual teaching, and obtain such care, to be able to overcome and bridle evil desires, and to look toward the practice of virtue. 2. But that we may not, by continually accusing them, deprive you of what you are accustomed to, come, let us set before you again the usual table, and let us explain to you the profit of psalmody itself. For behold, the psalm, coming in, has blended the different voices, and prepared one perfectly harmonious song to be offered up, and young and old, and rich and poor, and women and men, and slaves and free have all offered up one melody. For if a cithara player, blending the different strings with the precision of his art, makes the many one, while they remain many; what is new, if the power of the psalm and the spiritual song has accomplished this same thing? For not only did it mix us who are present, but 63.487 also him who is departed with the living; for he too, this blessed prophet, sang with us; and yet this is not so in royal courts, but he who wears the diadem sits, while all stand by in silence, and this though they hold the highest offices. But here it is not so, but the prophet speaks, and we all respond, and we all echo together; and it is not possible to see a slave here, nor a free man, nor rich and poor, nor ruler and private citizen; but all this inequality of life has been driven out of the way, and one chorus has been formed from all, and there is great equality of speech, and the earth imitates heaven. Such is the nobility of the church. For it is not possible to say that the master sings with great boldness, but the servant is silenced; nor again that the rich man moves his tongue, but the poor man is condemned to speechlessness; nor again that a man speaks boldly, but a woman is silent and stands voiceless; but all of the same equal honor

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οὐδὲ ἁλουργίδα περιβεβλημένον· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' ὀχημάτων φερόμενον καὶ μυρίους ἔχοντα ῥαβδούχους τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς σοβοῦντας· ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ἐκποδὼν, καὶ γυμνὸς ἕκαστος εἰσάγεται τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πράξεων, ἢ προδοσίας, ἢ σωτηρίας ἔχων ὑπόθεσιν· ὡς γὰρ ἂν ἕκαστα τούτων τύχῃ πεπραγμένα, οὕτως ἡ ψῆφος φέρεται. Πολλὰ ὑμῖν ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο, ὅτι μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀκούετε τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων τῆς προθυμίας· ὁ γὰρ ἑκάστου στεναγμὸς, καὶ τὸ τύπτειν τὸ μέτωπον, τὸν καρπόν μοι τῶν σπερμάτων τούτων δείκνυσι. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ταλανίζω τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας, ὅτι δυνάμενοι τοσαύτης ἀπολαύειν ἐπιμελείας, ἕλκεσιν ἐμφύρονται καὶ τραύμασι καθημερινοῖς, καὶ οὐδὲ ὅτι νοσοῦσιν ἴσασιν· ὅθεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑγιᾶναι δύσκολον. Τίς γὰρ αὐτοῖς διαλέξεται περὶ τούτων; αἱ γυναῖκες αἱ συνοικοῦσαι; ἀλλὰ μία φροντὶς ἐκείναις ὑπὲρ χρυσίων καὶ ἱματίων καὶ τῆς πολυτελείας καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν προνοίας ἐνοχλεῖν τοὺς συνοικοῦντας. Ἀλλ' οἱ οἰκέται; πῶς, οἱ μήτε παῤῥησίαν τινὰ κεκτημένοι, καὶ μίαν ἔχοντες καὶ αὐτοὶ σπουδὴν τὴν διακονίαν αὐτῶν ἀποπληροῦν; Ἀλλ' οἱ δικασταί; ἀλλ' οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου λόγος ἐκείνοις, ἢ τῆς τῶν πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιμελείας. Ἀλλ' οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ οἱ τὰ διαδήματα ἔχοντες; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνοις περὶ ἀρχῆς καὶ δυναστείας καὶ χρημάτων ἅπας ὁ πόνος, ἅπασα ἡ σπουδή. Ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς; πῶς οἱ μηδὲ ἀναπνεῖν ἔχοντες ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν πραγμάτων ὄχλου, ἀλλὰ καὶ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν εἰς ταῦτα δαπανώμενοι; Τίνος οὖν οὐκ ἂν εἶεν ἐλεεινότεροι οἱ μυρία μὲν δεχόμενοι τραύματα, ἐνταῦθα δὲ μὴ ἀπαντῶντες, ἔνθα δυνήσονται μαθεῖν, ὅτι, κἂν τραύματα ἔχωσι, δυνατὸν τούτων ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ ὑγείας τυχεῖν; Πότε οὖν οὗτοι τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιμελήσονται; Ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ τοὺς συνεχῶς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀπαντῶντας, καὶ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύοντας πνευματικῆς, καὶ τοσαύτης τυγχάνοντας ἐπιμελείας, δυνηθῆναι περιγενέσθαι καὶ χαλινῶσαι τὰς πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ διαβλέψαι πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργασίαν. βʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἵνα μὴ διαπαντὸς ἐκείνοις ἐγκαλοῦντες τῶν εἰωθότων ὑμᾶς ἀποστερήσωμεν, φέρε δὴ πάλιν τὴν συνήθη τράπεζαν ὑμῖν παραθῶμεν, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ψάλλειν τὸ κέρδος ὑμῖν διηγησώμεθα. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐπεισελθὼν τὰς διαφόρους ἐκέρασε φωνὰς, καὶ μίαν παναρμόνιον ᾠδὴν ἀνενεχθῆναι παρεσκεύασε, καὶ νέοι καὶ γέροντες, καὶ πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες, καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες, καὶ δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι μίαν τινὰ μελῳδίαν ἀνηνέγκαμεν ἅπαντες. Εἰ γὰρ κιθαρῳδὸς τὰς διαφόρους νευρὰς τῇ τῆς τέχνης ἀκριβείᾳ κεράσας, τὰς πολλὰς μίαν ἐργάζεται μενούσας πολλάς· τί καινὸν, εἰ ἡ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ καὶ τῆς ᾠδῆς τῆς πνευματικῆς δύναμις τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰργάσατο; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τοὺς παρόντας ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ 63.487 καὶ τὸν τελευτήσαντα τοῖς ζῶσιν ἀνέμιξε· καὶ γὰρ [καὶ] ἐκεῖνος μεθ' ἡμῶν ἔψαλλεν ὁ μακάριος οὗτος προφήτης· καίτοι γε ἐν βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κάθηται μὲν ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος, παρεστήκασι δὲ πάντες σιγῇ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν μεγίσταις ὄντες ἀρχαῖς. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ φθέγγεται ὁ προφήτης, καὶ πάντες ἀποκρινόμεθα, καὶ πάντες συνεπηχοῦμεν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλον ἐνταῦθα ἰδεῖν, οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερον, οὐδὲ πλούσιον καὶ πένητα, οὐδὲ ἄρχοντα καὶ ἰδιώτην· ἀλλ' ἐκποδὼν ἅπασα αὕτη ἡ τοῦ βίου ἀνωμαλία ἀπελήλαται, καὶ εἷς χορὸς ἐξ ἁπάντων συγκεκρότηται, καὶ ἰσηγορία πολλὴ, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡ γῆ μιμεῖται. Τοσαύτη τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ εὐγένεια. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν δεσπότης μετὰ πολλῆς ψάλλει τῆς παῤῥησίας, ἐπιστομίζεται δὲ ὁ οἰκέτης· οὐδ' αὖ ὁ πλούσιος μὲν κινεῖ τὴν γλῶτταν, ἀφωνίᾳ δὲ ὁ πένης καταδικάζεται· οὐδ' αὖ ἀνὴρ μὲν παῤῥησιάζεται, γυνὴ δὲ σιγᾷ καὶ ἄφωνος ἕστηκεν· ἀλλὰ πάντες τῆς αὐτῆς ἰσοτιμίας