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the evil? But if it is worthy of pardon, why are you angry with the one who is angry? So that, if you came second to the retaliation, this will profit you nothing. For not even in the crowned contests is it the one who began the wrestling matches, but the one who overcomes who is crowned. And therefore, not only is the one who led the way to the terrible deed condemned, but also the one who followed a wicked leader to sin.

If he calls you poor, if he speaks the truth, accept the truth; but if he lies, what is what is said to you? Neither be puffed up by praises beyond the truth; nor be savage toward insults that do not touch you. Do you not see the arrows, how they are wont to pass through things that are hard and resistant, but in things that are soft and yielding to exhaust their force? Think that the matter of reviling is also something of this kind. The one who resists receives it into himself; but the one who gives in and yields in the softness of his character has dissolved the wickedness borne against him. But why does the name "poor man" disturb you? Remember your own nature; that naked you came into the world, and naked you shall depart.

What is poorer than a naked man? You have heard nothing terrible, unless you appropriate to yourself 31.364 the things that were said. Who was ever led away to prison on account of poverty? To be poor is not a reproach, but not to bear poverty nobly. Remember the Lord; that though He was rich, He became poor for our sake. If he calls you foolish and ignorant, be mindful of the Jewish insults, with which they reviled the true wisdom: You are a Samaritan, and have a demon. If, therefore, you become angry, you have confirmed the reproaches; for what is more foolish than anger? but if you remain without anger, you have shamed the one who insulted you, showing moderation by your deed. Were you struck? For so was the Lord. Were you spat upon? For so was our Master. For he did not turn his face away from the shame of spitting. Were you slandered? For so was the Judge.

Did they tear off your tunic? They stripped my Lord also, and divided his garments among themselves. You have not yet been condemned, you have not yet been crucified. Much is lacking for you, that you may attain to the imitation of him. Let each of these things run through your mind, and let it suppress the inflammation. For such preparations and dispositions, removing as it were the leapings and throbbings of the heart, bring the thoughts back to stability and calm. And this, then, is what was said by David: I was prepared, and was not troubled. Therefore, one must suppress the mad and frantic movement of the soul by the memory of the examples of the blessed men; how the great David meekly bore the insolence of Shimei. For he did not give opportunity for his anger to be stirred, transferring his thought to God; for the Lord has told, he says, Shimei to curse David.

Therefore, hearing "man of blood," and "lawless man," he was not angry with him, but humbled himself, as though the insult met him according to his desert. Take these two things, then, from yourself: neither judge yourself worthy of great things, nor think that any man is by much inferior to you in worth. For thus anger will never rise up in the dishonors brought upon us. It is a terrible thing, indeed, for one who has been treated well, and is indebted for the greatest favors, in addition to being ungrateful to also initiate insult and dishonor. It is a terrible thing, indeed, but it is a greater evil for the one doing it than for the one suffering it. Let him insult; but you, do not insult. Let his 31.365 words be an exercise for you in philosophy. If you are not bitten, you are unwounded. But if you do suffer something in your soul, restrain the painful thing within yourself. For "within me," he says, "my heart was troubled"; that is, the passion was not spread abroad, but like some wave breaking within the shores, it was stilled.

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τὸ κακόν; εἰ δὲ συγγνώμης ἄξιον, τί χαλεπαίνεις τῷ θυμου μένῳ; Ὥστε, εἰ δεύτερος ἦλθες πρὸς τὴν ἀντίδοσιν, οὐδέν σε τοῦτο ὀνήσει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς στεφανίταις ἀγῶσιν ὁ κατάρξας τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἀλλ' ὁ ὑπερ βαλλόμενος στεφανοῦται. Καὶ κατακρίνεται τοίνυν οὐχὶ μόνον ὁ καθηγησάμενος τοῦ δεινοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ καὶ πονηρῷ ἡγεμόνι πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξακολου θήσας.

Ἐὰν πένητά σε προσείπῃ, εἰ μὲν ἀληθῆ λέγει, κατάδεξαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· εἰ δὲ ψεύδεται, τί πρὸς σὲ τὸ λεγόμενον; Μήτε πρὸς ἐπαίνους χαυνωθῇς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· μήτε πρὸς ὕβρεις ἀγριανῇς τὰς οὐχ ἁπτομένας σου. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὰ τοξεύματα, πῶς τῶν μὲν στεῤῥῶν καὶ ἀντιτύπων πέφυκε διεκπίπτειν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἁπαλοῖς καὶ ὑπείκουσι τὴν ὁρμὴν ὑπεκλύειν; Τοιοῦτον δή τι νόμιζε εἶναι καὶ τὸ τῆς λοιδορίας. Ὁ μὲν ἀντιβαίνων εἰς ἑαυτὸν καταδέχεται· ὁ δὲ ἐν διδοὺς καὶ ὑπείκων ἐν τῇ ἁπαλότητι τοῦ τρόπου τὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν φερομένην πονηρίαν διέλυσε. Τί δέ σε ταράσσει ἡ προσηγορία τοῦ πένητος; Μνήσθητι τῆς φύσεως σεαυτοῦ· ὅτι γυμνὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθες, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσῃ.

Τί δὲ γυμνοῦ πενιχρότερον; Οὐδὲν ἤκουσας δεινὸν, ἐὰν μὴ σεαυτῷ οἰκειώσῃς 31.364 τὰ εἰρημένα. Τίς ποτε ἀπήχθη διὰ πενίαν εἰς δεσμω τήριον; Οὐ τὸ πένεσθαι ἐπονείδιστον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ φέρειν εὐγενῶς τὴν πενίαν. Μνήσθητι τοῦ ∆εσπότου· ὅτι Πλούσιος ὢν, ἐπτώχευσε δι' ἡμᾶς. Ἐὰν ἄφρονά σε καὶ ἀμαθῆ προσαγορεύσῃ, ὑπομνήσθητι τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν ὕβρεων, αἷς τὴν ἀληθινὴν σοφίαν ἐλοιδο ρήσαντο· Σαμαρείτης εἶ, καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ὀργισθῇς, ἐβεβαίωσας τὰ ὀνείδη· τί γὰρ ὀργῆς ἀφρονέστερον; ἐὰν δὲ μείνῃς ἀόργητος, ᾔσχυ νας τὸν ὑβρίσαντα, ἔργῳ τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐπιδειξά μενος. Ἐῤῥαπίσθης; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος. Ἐνεπτύσθης; καὶ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπὸ αἰσχύνης ἐμπτυσμάτων. Ἐσυκοφαντήθης; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ κριτής.

Περιέῤῥηξάν σου τὸν χιτωνίσκον; Ἀπέδυσάν μου καὶ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἑαυτοῖς. Οὔπω κατ εκρίθης, οὔπω ἐσταυρώθης. Πολλά σοι λείπει, ἵνα φθάσῃς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν. Τούτων ἕκαστον ὑποτρεχέτω σου τὴν διά νοιαν, καὶ καταστελλέτω τὴν φλεγμονήν. Αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται προπαρασκευαὶ καὶ διαθέσεις, οἷον πηδή ματα τῆς καρδίας καὶ σφυγμοὺς ἀφαιροῦσαι, εἰς εὐστάθειαν καὶ γαλήνην τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἐπανάγουσι. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἄρα τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰρημέ νον· ὅτι Ἡτοιμάσθην, καὶ οὐκ ἐταράχθην. ∆εῖ τοίνυν τὸ μανικὸν καὶ ἔκπληκτον κίνημα τῆς ψυχῆς καταστέλλειν τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν ὑπο δειγμάτων· πῶς ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ πράως ἠνείχετο τῆς παροινίας τοῦ Σεμεεί. Οὐ γὰρ ἐδίδου καιρὸν τῇ ὀργῇ κινηθῆναι, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μεταφέρων τὴν ἔννοιαν· ὅτι Κύριος εἶπε, φησὶ, τῷ Σεμεεὶ καταρᾶσθαι τὸν ∆αβίδ.

∆ιόπερ ἀκούων αἱμάτων ἀνὴρ, καὶ ἀνὴρ παράνομος, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ ἐχαλέπαινεν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνου, ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτῷ τῆς ὕβρεως ἀπαντώσης. ∆ύο δὴ ταῦτα περίελε σεαυτοῦ, μήτε σεαυτὸν μεγάλων ἄξιον κρίνῃς, μήτε ἀνθρώπων τινὰ παρὰ πολὺ ἐλαττοῦσθαί σου κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν νομίσῃς. Οὕτω γὰρ οὐδέποτε ὁ θυμὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπ αγομέναις ἡμῖν ἀτιμίαις ἐπαναστήσεται. ∆εινὸν μὲν τὸν εὐεργετηθέντα, καὶ ταῖς μεγίσταις ὑπόχρεων χά ρισι, πρὸς τῷ ἀχαρίστῳ ἔτι καὶ ὕβρεως καὶ ἀτιμίας κατάρξαι. ∆εινὸν μὲν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ποιοῦντι μεῖζόν ἐστι κακὸν ἢ τῷ πάσχοντι. Ἐκεῖνος ὑβριζέτω· σὺ δὲ μὴ ὑβρίζου. Γυμνάσιόν σοι πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν ἔστω τὰ 31.365 ῥήματα. Ἐὰν μὴ δηχθῇς, ἄτρωτος εἶ. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ πάθῃς τι τὴν ψυχὴν, ἐν σεαυτῷ κάτασχε τὸ λυπηρόν. Ἐν ἐμοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου· τουτ έστιν, οὐ διεδόθη πρὸς τὸ ἔξω τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ' οἷόν τι κῦμα εἴσω τῶν αἰγιαλῶν κατακλασθὲν ἐστορέσθη.