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stumbling. And he calls a drinking club immoderate and contentious conversation at banquets. And fractures happen to the drunkards for no reason, who are not able to stand upright because of drunkenness. For they are overturned into all sorts of falling positions, so that it is necessary for them to have fractures on their body for no reason. But who can say these things to the wine-stricken? For they are heavy-headed from the hangover, they are drowsy, they yawn, they see a mist, they are nauseous. For this reason they do not hear the teachers shouting at them from all sides: "Do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery;" and again: "Wine is intemperate, and drunkenness is insolent." Disregarding these things, they immediately have the fruits of drunkenness. For the body swells, the eyes are watery, the mouth is dry and burning. For just as ravines, as long as the winter torrents flow into them, seem to be full, but when the flood has passed, they are left dry; so also the mouth of drunkards, while the wine stagnates, is somehow full and moist, but when a little has passed, it is proven to be dry and without moisture. Being always dragged along and flooded by the immoderation of wine, it also loses its vital moisture. For what human constitution is so strong as to withstand the evils of drunkenness? For what device can prevent the body that is always being heated and always being soaked with wine from becoming washed out and faded and decayed? From this come tremors and weaknesses; for when their breath is cut short by the immoderation of wine, and the tension of their nerves is loosened, a convulsion comes upon the whole mass of the body. Why do you draw upon yourself the curse of Cain, 31.456 trembling and wandering throughout your whole life? For the body, not having its natural support, is necessarily tossed about and shaken. How long wine? How long drunkenness? You are in danger of being mud instead of a man, so completely have you been mixed with wine, and have rotted with it, stinking of wine from the daily hangover, and of this which has been corrupted, like the most useless of vessels. Isaiah laments these men: "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning and pursue strong drink, who stay late in the evening; for wine will burn them up; for with the lyre and pipes they drink wine, but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and do not consider the works of his hands." It is customary for the Hebrews to call any drink that can cause drunkenness "sikera."

Therefore, those who at the beginning of the day look about to see where drinking parties are happening, and go around wine-shops and taverns, and take one another along to drink, and spend all the care of their soul on the thought of such things, these are lamented by the prophet, as leaving no time for themselves for the contemplation of the wonders of God. For their eyes have no leisure to look up to heaven, and to learn the beauties in it, and to examine all the arrangement in existing things, so as to understand the creator from their good order; but immediately at the beginning of the day they adorn their own banquets with variegated carpets and flowered hangings, and they show eagerness and care in the preparation of drinking-cups, setting out coolers and mixing bowls and libation bowls, as if in some procession and festival, so that the variety of vessels may steal away their satiety, and the change and transition of drinking-cups may create sufficient diversion for them in drinking. And over these things are certain masters of the feast and chief wine-pourers, and masters of the dining-room; and order in disorder, and arrangement in an unseemly matter has been devised, so that, just as the dignity of external authorities is increased by their bodyguards, so also for drunkenness, having provided attendance as for some queen, they may conceal its reproachfulness by the excess of their zeal. Wreaths 31.457 on these things and flowers and

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ἐνολισθαίνουσα. Λέσχην δὲ λέγει τὴν ἄμετρον ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις καὶ ἐμφιλόνεικον ὁμιλίαν. Καὶ συντρίμματα διακενῆς γίνεται τοῖς οἰνόφλυ ξιν, οὐ δυναμένοις ὀρθοῦσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης. Ἀνατρέπονται γὰρ εἰς παντοῖα πτωμάτων σχήματα, ὥστε ἀναγκαῖον αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος συντρίμ ματα ἔχειν διακενῆς. Ἀλλὰ τίς εἴπῃ ταῦτα τοῖς οἰνοπλήκτοις; Κα ρηβαροῦσι γὰρ ἐκ τῆς κραιπάλης, νυστάζουσι, χα σμῶνται, ἀχλὺν βλέπουσι, ναυτιῶσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀκούουσι τῶν διδασκάλων πολλαχόθεν αὐτοῖς ἐμβο ώντων· Μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία· καὶ πάλιν· Ἀκόλαστον οἶνος, καὶ ὑβριστικὸν μέθη. Ὧν παρακούοντες, αὐτόθεν ἔχουσι τὰς ἐπικαρπίας τῆς μέθης. Οἰδαίνει μὲν γὰρ ὁ ὄγκος, ὀφθαλμοὶ δίυγροι, στόμα ξηρὸν καὶ διακαές. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ χαράδραι, ἕως μὲν ἂν αὐταῖς ἐπιῤῥέωσιν οἱ χεί μαῤῥοι, πλήρεις εἶναι δοκοῦσι, παρελθούσης δὲ τῆς πλημμύρας, ξηραὶ καταλιμπάνονται· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς οἰνόφλυξι τὸ στόμα, ἐλλιμνάζοντος μὲν τοῦ οἴ νου, πλῆρές ἐστί πως καὶ δίυγρον, μικρὸν δὲ παρα δραμόντος, ξηρὸν καὶ ἄνικμον ἀπελέγχεται. Παρασυ ρόμενον δὲ ἀεὶ καὶ κατακλυζόμενον τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ τὴν ζωτικὴν ἰκμάδα προσαποβάλλει. Ποία· γὰρ κατασκευὴ ἀνθρώπου οὕτως ἰσχυρὰ, ὥστε τοῖς ἐκ τῆς μέθης κακοῖς ἀντισχεῖν; Τίς γὰρ μηχανὴ τὸ ἀεὶ θερμαινόμενον καὶ ἀεὶ διάβροχον τῷ οἴνῳ γινό μενον σῶμα μὴ οὐχὶ ἔκπλυτον καὶ ἐξίτηλον καὶ διεῤῥυηκὸς γενέσθαι; Ἐντεῦθεν οἱ τρόμοι καὶ αἱ ἀσθένειαι· κοπτομένου γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῦ πνεύματος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμετρίας τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ τῶν νεύρων λυομένων τῆς συντονίας, ὁ κλόνος τῷ σύμπαντι ὄγκῳ τοῦ σώ ματος ἐπιγίνεται. Τί τὴν κατάραν τοῦ Κάϊν ἐφ' ἑαυ 31.456 τὸν ἐπισπᾶσαι, τρέμων καὶ περιφερόμενος διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου; Οὐ γὰρ ἔχον τὸ σῶμα τὸν ἐκ τῆς φύσεως στηριγμὸν, ἀναγκαίως πεοιδονεῖται καὶ κα τασείεται. Μέχρι πότε οἶνος; μέχρι τίνος μέθη; Κινδυ νεύεις λοιπὸν βόρβορος εἶναι ἀντὶ ἀνθρώπου, οὕτως ὅλος ἀνεμίχθης τῷ οἴνῳ, καὶ συγκατεσάπης αὐτῷ, ἐκ τῆς καθημερινῆς κραιπάλης οἴνου ἀπόζων, καὶ τούτου διεφθαρμένου, ὥσπερ τῶν ἀγγείων τὰ ἀχρηστότατα. Τούτους Ἡσαΐας ὀδύρεται· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγει ρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ, καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες, οἱ μένον τες τὸ ὀψέ· ὁ γὰρ οἶνος αὐτοὺς συγκαύσει· μετὰ γὰρ κιθάρας καὶ αὐλῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνουσι, τὰ δὲ ἔργα Κυρίου οὐκ ἐμβλέπουσι, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοοῦσι. Σίκερα πᾶν τὸ δυνάμενον μέ θην ἐμποιῆσαι πόμα τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ὀνομάζειν σύνηθες.

Οἱ οὖν ἀρχομένης ἡμέρας περισκοποῦντες, ποῦ πότοι γίνονται, καὶ οἰνοπώλια καὶ καπηλεῖα περιαθροῦντες, καὶ ἀλλήλους ἐπὶ τὸ πίνειν παραλαμβάνοντες, καὶ πᾶσαν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν μέριμναν περὶ τὴν τῶν τοιού των φροντίδα καταναλίσκοντες, οὗτοι ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου καταθρηνοῦνται, ὡς καιρὸν οὐδένα ἑαυτοῖς πρὸς τὴν τῶν θαυμασίων τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησιν ἀπολεί ποντες. Οὐ γὰρ ἄγουσι σχολὴν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἀνανεῦσαι πρὸς οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ κάλλη κα ταμαθεῖν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι διακόσμησιν ἐπισκέψασθαι, ὥστε ἐκ τῆς τούτων εὐταξίας τὸν δη μιουργὸν ἐννοῆσαι· ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἀρχομένης ἡμέρας κοσμοῦσιν ἑαυτῶν τὰ συμπόσια τάπησι ποικίλοις καὶ ἀνθίνοις παραπετάσμασι, σπουδήν τε καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐκπωμάτων παρασκευὴν ἐπιδείκνυνται, ψυκτῆρας καὶ κρατῆρας καὶ φιάλας, ὥσπερ ἐν πομ πῇ τινι καὶ πανηγύρει, διατιθέντες, ὡς ἂν τὸ τῶν ἀγγείων διάφορον τὸν κόρον αὐτοῖς ὑποκλέπτῃ, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐκπωμάτων ὑπαλλαγὴ καὶ μετάβασις ἱκα νὴν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ πίνειν διατριβὴν ἐμποιῇ. Συμπο σίαρχοι δέ τινες ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἀρχιοινοχόοι, καὶ ἀρ χιτρίκλινοι· καὶ τάξις ἐν ἀταξίᾳ, καὶ διάθεσις ἐν ἀκόσμῳ πράγματι ἐπινενόηται, ἵν', ὥσπερ ταῖς ἀρ χαῖς ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐκ τῶν δορυφορούντων ἡ σεμνότης συναύξεται, οὕτω καὶ τῇ μέθῃ οἷον βασιλίδι τινὶ θερα πείαν περιστήσαντες, τὸ ἐπονείδιστον αὐτῆς τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντι τῆς σπουδῆς περιστέλλωσι. Στέφανοι 31.457 ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἄνθη καὶ