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8. Besides these things, I experienced a matter—for I will speak out to you every secret—I do not know whether it is boorish or noble, but I experienced it nonetheless; I was ashamed for the others, who, being in no way better than the multitude—indeed, it is a great thing if they are not much worse—intrude themselves into the most holy things with unwashed hands, as the saying goes, and uninitiated souls; and before they have become worthy to approach the sacred rites, they lay claim to the sanctuary, and they crowd and push around the holy table, as if they considered this office not a model of virtue, but a means of livelihood, nor a responsible ministry, but an unaccountable authority. And they are almost more in number than those they rule; wretched in their piety, and miserable in their splendor; so that it seems to me, as time and the evil goes on, they will no longer even have any to rule, 35.417 since all are teaching instead of being taught of God, as the promise says, and all are prophesying, so that even Saul is among the prophets, according to the ancient story and proverb. For nothing is or ever was so abundant at any time—though other things have flourished and ceased at different times—as are such reproaches and sins among Christians now. And if to stop their course is beyond our power, yet to hate and be ashamed of them is no small part of piety.

9. But what is last and greater than what has been said—for I will now come to the very summit of my discourse, and I will not lie; for it is not right for those who are speaking about such great matters—I did not think it was the same thing, nor do I think so now, to rule a flock or a herd, and to have charge of the souls of men. For in the one case, it is enough to make the herd or the flock as fat and plump as possible; and with this in view, both the herdsman and the shepherd will look for well-watered and grassy places, and will drive them in and drive them out from pastures and to pastures, will give them rest and rouse them and call them back, a little with the staff, but mostly with the pipe. And there is no other task for the shepherd or the herdsman except to fight a little with the wolves, and somewhere to look after one that is sick; for the most part his concern will be for the oak, and shade, and reeds, and to lie down on the fine grass, and beside cool water, and 35.420 to make a bed of leaves under the breezes, and somewhere to sing some love-song with his wooden cup, and to talk to his cattle or his flock; and from these very animals to feast on or to sell the fattest. But no one yet has cared for the virtue of flocks or herds. For what virtue have they? Or who has considered their good before his own pleasure?

10. But while it is difficult for a man to know how to be ruled, it is likely much more difficult to know how to rule men, and especially such a rule as ours, which is under the divine law and leads to God, of which, as great as is its height and dignity, so great also is the danger to one who has understanding. For it will be necessary for him, in the first place, like silver or gold, being turned on all sides and in all sorts of times and affairs, nowhere to ring false or with a base alloy, nor to bear in himself any of the worse material that deserves a hotter fire; or the evil will be as much greater as the number he rules; if indeed the wickedness that makes its way to many is greater than that which is confined to one.

11. For neither does a fabric so easily take on a deep-dyed color, nor that which is near it a bad smell or its opposite, nor is a pestilential vapor so easily diffused into the air and through the air communicates with living creatures—which indeed is and is called a plague—as the subject is wont to be very quickly filled with the wickedness of the ruler, and much more easily than with its opposite, virtue. For this is the point in which wickedness has the advantage over goodness, and which I especially resent when I consider it, that wickedness is an object of easy imitation and a ready matter, and nothing is so easy, as

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Ηʹ. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις πρᾶγμα ἔπαθον, ἐκλαλήσω γὰρ πρὸς ὑμᾶς πᾶν τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, οὐκ οἶδ' εἴτε ἄγροικον εἴτε ἐλεύθερον, ἔπαθον δ' οὖν· ᾐσχύνθην ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοι, μηδὲν τῶν πολλῶν ὄντες βελ τίους, μέγα μὲν οὖν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πολλῷ χείρους, ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, καὶ ἀμυήτοις ψυχαῖς τοῖς ἁγιωτάτοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεισάγουσι· καὶ πρὶν ἄξιοι γενέσθαι προσιέναι τοῖς ἱεροῖς, μεταποι οῦνται τοῦ βήματος, θλίβονταί τε καὶ ὠθοῦνται περὶ τὴν ἁγίαν τράπεζαν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀρετῆς τύπον, ἀλλ' ἀφορμὴν βίου τὴν τάξιν ταύτην εἶναι νομίζον τες, οὐδὲ λειτουργίαν ὑπεύθυνον, ἀλλ' ἀρχὴν ἀνεξ έταστον. Καὶ εἰσὶ σχεδόν τι πλείους κατ' ἀριθμὸν ἢ ὁπόσων ἄρχουσι· δείλαιοι τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ ἄθλιοι τῆς λαμπρότητος· ὥστε ἔμοιγε δοκοῦσι, προϊόν τος τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, μηδὲ ἔχειν λοιπὸν ὧν 35.417 ἄρξουσι, πάντων διδασκόντων ἀντὶ τοῦ διδακτοὺς εἶ ναι Θεοῦ, ὥς φησιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία, καὶ πάντων προφητευόντων, ὥστε εἶναι καὶ Σαοὺλ ἐν προφήταις, κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν καὶ παροιμίαν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω πολὺ κατ' οὐδένα καιρὸν οὔτ' ἐστὶν, οὔτ' ἐγέ νετο, ἄλλοτε ἄλλων ἀκμασάντων τε καὶ ληξάντων, ὡς νῦν Χριστιανοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ὀνείδη καὶ ἁμαρτή ματα. Ὧν εἰ καὶ στῆσαι τὴν φορὰν κρεῖσσον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ τό γε μισεῖν καὶ αἰσχύνεσθαι μέρος εὐσε βείας οὐ τὸ σμικρότατον.

Θʹ. Ὃ δὲ τελευταῖον καὶ μεῖζον τῶν εἰρημένων, εἶμι γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἤδη τὸν κολοφῶνα τοῦ λόγου, καὶ οὐ ψεύσομαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ θέμις τοῖς περὶ τηλικού των ποιουμένοις τὸν λόγον· οὐκ ᾤμην ἴσον εἶναι, οὐδὲ νῦν οἴομαι, ποίμνης ἄρχειν ἢ βουκολίου, καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιστατεῖν ψυχαῖς. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἐξαρ κεῖν, ὅτι παχύτατον καὶ πιότατον ἀποδεῖξαι τὸ βουκόλιον ἢ τὸ ποίμνιον· καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ὁρῶν ὅ τε βουκόλος καὶ ὁ ποιμὴν τῶν τε χωρίων ἐπισκέψεται τὰ ἔνυδρα καὶ ἐπίνομα, εἰσελάσει τε καὶ ἐξελάσει ἀπό τε νομῶν καὶ ἐπὶ νομὰς, ἀναπαύ σει τε καὶ ἀποκινήσει καὶ ἀνακαλέσει, ὀλίγα μὲν τῇ βακτηρίᾳ, τὰ πολλὰ δὲ τῇ σύριγγι. Ἄλλο δὲ οὐδὲν ἔργον εἶναι τῷ ποιμένι ἢ τῷ βουκόλῳ πλὴν ὅσον βραχέα προσπολεμῆσαι τοῖς λύκοις, καὶ ποῦ τι καὶ ἀῤῥωστοῦν ἐπισκέψασθαι· τὰ πολλὰ δὲ αὐτῷ μελήσει δρῦς, καὶ σκιὰ, καὶ δόνακες, καὶ ἐν καλῷ τῆς πόας κατακλιθῆναι, καὶ παρὰ ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ, καὶ 35.420 ὑπὸ ταῖς αὔραις σχεδιάσαι στιβάδα, καὶ ποῦ τι καὶ ἐρωτικὸν ᾆσαι μετὰ τοῦ κισσυβίου, καὶ προσλα λῆσαι ταῖς βουσὶν ἢ τῇ ποίμνῃ· καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν θοινήσασθαι ἢ ἀποδόσθαι τὸ πιότατον. Ἀρετῆς δὲ οὐδείς πω ποιμνίων ἢ βουκολίων ἐφρόντισε. Τίς γὰρ καὶ ἀρετὴ τούτων; ἢ τίς τὸ ἐκείνοις καλὸν πρὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἡδονῆς ἐσκέψατο;

Ιʹ. Ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ χαλεποῦ ὄντος τοῦ εἰδέναι ἄρχε σθαι, κινδυνεύει πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον εἶναι τὸ εἰδέναι ἄρχειν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ μάλιστα δὴ ἀρχὴν ταύ την τὴν ἡμετέραν, τὴν ἐν νόμῳ θείῳ, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἄγουσαν, ἧς ὅσον τὸ ὕψος καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα, τοσοῦ τος καὶ ὁ κίνδυνος τῷ γε νοῦν ἔχοντι. Ὅν γε πρῶ τον μὲν δεήσει, καθάπερ ἄργυρον ἢ χρυσὸν, παντα χόθεν στρεφόμενον, καὶ ἐν παντοίοις καιροῖς καὶ πράγμασι, μηδαμοῦ κίβδηλον ἠχεῖν ἢ ὑπόχαλκον, μηδέ τι φέρειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὕλης τῆς χείρονος, καὶ θερ μοτέρου πυρὸς ἀξίας· ἢ τοσούτῳ μεῖζον ἔσται κα κὸν, ὅσῳ περ ἂν ἄρχῃ πλειόνων· εἴπερ καὶ μεί ζων τῆς περὶ ἕνα ἱσταμένης πονηρίας ἡ εἰς πολλοὺς ὁδεύουσα.

ΙΑʹ. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως οὔτε δευσοποιοῦ βαφῆς μετα λαμβάνει ῥᾳδίως ὕφασμα, οὔτε δυσωδίας ἢ τοῦ ἐναν τίου τὸ πλησιάσαν, οὔτε νοσερά τις οὕτως εὐκόλως ἀναχεῖται εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ὁμιλεῖ τοῖς ζώοις ἀτμὶς, ὃ δὴ λοιμός ἐστί τε καὶ ὀνομά ζεται, ὡς φιλεῖ τάχιστα τῆς τοῦ προεστῶτος κακίας ἀναπίμπλασθαι τὸ ὑπήκοον, καὶ πολλῷ γε ῥᾷον ἢ τοῦ ἐναντίου, τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὃ μάλιστα πλεονεκτεῖ τὴν καλοκαγαθίαν ἡ πονη ρία, καὶ ὃ μάλιστα ἐγὼ δυσχεραίνω κατανοῶν, ὅτι εὐζήλωτον μέν τι καὶ πρόχειρον πρᾶγμα ἡ μο χθηρία, καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτω ῥᾴδιον, ὡς