to comfort them at all from the perplexity possessing them from every side; but the violent are lifted up on high, from whence also they shall fall. Of the unjust and bold, those who have died have fared better than those who are still living. And more to be chosen than both of these is he who will be like them, but has not yet come to be, because he has not yet touched the wickedness that is among men. And it became clear to me how much envy from neighbors follows a man, being a sting of an evil spirit; and that he who has received it, and as it were embraced it, has nothing else but to devour his own soul, and to saw it through and to waste it away along with his body, an inconsolable grief, considering it to be the good fortune of others. But a man of good sense would choose to fill one of his hands, with ease and gentleness, rather than both with toil and the cunning of a deceitful spirit. And there is also something else, which I know happens contrary to what is fitting, on account of a man’s choice which is not good. He who is isolated on all sides, and has neither brother nor son, but abounds in many possessions, living with insatiability, does not wish to give himself at all to any goodness. Gladly, then, would I ask him for what reason such a man toils, fleeing headlong from doing anything good, but being torn apart by various desires of making money from somewhere. And are not those much better than this man who have established a fellowship of life, from which they might reap the best things? For when two men are rightly devoted to the same things, even if something befalls one of them, yet indeed he has no small help in the one who is with him. And the greatest misfortune for a man faring ill is also the solitude of having no one to restore him. But those, on the other hand, who live together, have both doubled their good fortune for themselves, and have comforted the storm of ill-advised affairs; so as to be brightened by day in their confidence in one another, and by night to be dignified with cheerfulness. But he who drags out an unsociable life, leads for himself a certain dreadful existence, not having perceived that even if someone attacks men who are bound together, he plans boldly and not safely, and that not even a threefold cord is by nature easily broken. But I prefer a poor, temperate young man to an old, foolish king, to whom it has not occurred that it is possible for someone from the prison to be established to rule, and for him himself to fall later from his unjust dominion by right. For it happens that those who are ranked under the young but prudent man are free from grief, as many as are of the former generation. For those born afterward, because they are inexperienced of another, cannot even praise this one, being led by an irrational opinion and by the impulse of a contrary spirit. But when you are in the assembly, keep before your eyes both to conduct your own life rightly, and to pray for the foolish, so that, having received understanding, they may know how to turn aside from the practice of evil things.

CHAPTER 5. 1 But it is good to spare the tongue, and to use a steadfast heart in the study of

words. For one who is irrational about them must not, even if they are strange, or whatever comes to mind, utter these things with the voice; but we must remember that even if we are far from heaven, we must know that we speak in the hearing of God, and it is profitable to speak without falling. And just as various anxieties of the soul are attended by all kinds of fantasy of dreams, so also is babbling yoked with foolishness. And a promise made through a vow, let it receive its fulfillment through deed. But it is characteristic of the foolish to be rejected; but you be true, knowing that it is much better for you not to vow, nor to promise to do something, than having vowed, then to omit it. And one must in every way flee 1001 the influx of these fine words, as God will hear. For to one who considers these things, there is nothing more than to perceive his own works being destroyed by God. For just as many dreams are vain, so also are many words.

ὅλως πα ραμυθησομένων αὐτοὺς πάσης πανταχόθεν κατεχού σης ἀπορίας· οἱ δὲ χειροδίκαι εἰς ὕψος αἴρονται, ἐξ οὗ καὶ πεσοῦνται. Τῶν δὲ ἀδίκων καὶ θρασέων, οἱ μὲν ἀποθανόντες, ἄμεινον παρὰ τοὺς μέχρι νῦν ζῶντας ἔπραξαν. Αἱρετώτερος δὲ τούτων ἀμφοτέρων, ὁ ὅμοιος αὐτοῖς ἐσόμενος, μηδέπω δὲ γεγονὼς, ὅτι οὔπω τῆς κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ἥψατο πονηρίας. Φανερὸν δέ μοι ἐγένετο καὶ ὁπόσος ἀνδρὶ φθόνος παρὰ τῶν πέλας ἕπεται, οἶστρος ὑπάρχων πονηροῦ πνεύματος· καὶ ὅτι ὁ ὑποδεξάμενός τε αὐτὸν, καὶ οἱονεὶ προστερνισά μενος, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἔχει, ἢ τὸ διεσθίειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, καὶ διαπρίειν τε καὶ δαπανᾷν μετὰ τοῦ σώμα τος ἑαυτοῦ λύπην ἀπαραμύθητον, τὴν τῶν ἄλλων εὐπραγίαν τιθέμενον. Ἕλοιτο δ' ἄν τις εὖ φρονῶν θατέραν ἐμπλῆσαι τῶν χειρῶν, σὺν ῥᾳστώνῃ καὶ πραότητι, ἤπερ ἀμφοτέρας σὺν μόχθῳ, καὶ δολεροῦ πνεύματος πανουργίᾳ. Ἔστι δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον, ὅπερ οἶδα συμβαῖνον παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον, ἀνδρὸς ἕνεκα προαιρέσεως οὐκ ἀγαθῆς. Ὃς μεμονωμένος πάντοθεν, καὶ οὔτε ἀδελφὸν ἔχων, οὔτε υἱὸν, κτήμασι δὲ πολλοῖς εὐθηνούμενος, ἀπληστίᾳ συζῶν, χρηστότητι ἑαυτὸν οὐθ' ὅλως ὁτιοῦν ἐπιδοῦναι θέλει. Ἡδέως οὖν ἂν αὐ τὸν ἐροίμην, ὅτου χάριν ὁ τοιοῦτος μοχθεῖ, τὸ μὲν ἀγαθόν τι δρᾶσαι προτροπάδην φεύγων, ποικίλαις δὲ τοῦ χρηματίσασθαί ποθεν ἐπιθυμίαις διασπώμενος. Πολλῷ δὲ τούτου βελτίους οἳ κοινωνίαν ἅμα βίου ἐστεί λαντο, ἐξ ἧς καρποῖντο ἂν τὰ βέλτιστα; ∆ύο γὰρ ἀν δρῶν τοῖς αὐτοῖς πράγμασιν ὀρθῶς προσκειμένων, εἰ καὶ θατέρῳ τινὶ προσπέσῃ τι· ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐ μικρὰν ἐπικουρίαν ἔχει, τὸν αὐτῷ συνόντα. Μεγίστη δὲ καὶ συμφορὰ ἀνθρώπῳ δυσπραγοῦντι, καὶ ἡ ἐρημία τοῦ ἀνακτησομένου. Οἱ δ' αὖ ὁμοδίαιτοι, καὶ τὴν εὐπρα γίαν αὐτοῖς ἐδιπλασίασαν, καὶ πραγμάτων ἀβουλή των χειμῶνα παρεμυθήσαντο· ὥστε καὶ μεθημέραν τῇ ἐπ' ἀλλήλοις λαμπρύνεσθαι παῤῥησίᾳ, καὶ νύκτωρ 1000 φαιδρότητι σεμνύνεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ βίον ἀκοινώνητον ἕλκων, φρικώδη τινὰ ἑαυτῷ διεξάγει ζωὴν, οὐκ ᾐσθη μένος, ὡς εἰ καὶ ἐπίθοιτό τις ἀνθρώποις συμπεφρα γμένοις, θρασέως καὶ οὐκ ἀσφαλῶς βουλεύεται, καὶ ὄτι οὐδὲ σχοῖνος τριπλῇ ῥᾳδίως ἀποῤῥήγνυσθαι πέφυκεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ προκρίνω νέον πένητα σώφρο να, γέροντος βασιλέως ἄφρονος, ᾧ ἐνθύμιον οὐ γεγέ νηται, ὡς δυνατόν ἐστι, τῶν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τινὰ εἰς τὸ βασιλεῦσαι καταστῆναι, αὐτὸν δὲ τῆς ἀδί κου δυναστείας, δικαίως ὕστερον ἐκπεσεῖν. Συμβαίνει γὰρ τοὺς ὑπὸ τῷ νέῳ μὲν, ἔμφρονι δὲ τασσομένους, ἀλύπους εἶναι τοὺς ὅσοι προγενέστεροι. Οἱ γὰρ μετέπειτα γενόμενοι, διὰ τὸ ἑτέρου ἀπειράτως ἔχειν, οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἐπαινεῖν δύνανται, ἀγόμενοί τε γνώμῃ ἀλογίστῳ, καὶ ὁρμῇ πνεύματος ἐναντίου. Ἐκκλησιά ζων δὲ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχε τόν τ' ἑαυτοῦ βίον ὀρθῶς διαπορεύεσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀφρόνων εὔχεσθαι, ὅπως ἐπίσταιντο σύνεσιν λαβόντες, ἐκκλίνειν τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν πονηρῶν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ Εʹ. 1 Γλώσσης δὲ φείδεσθαι καλὸν, καὶ εὐσταθούσῃ χρῆ σθαι καρδίᾳ ἐν τῇ περὶ

λόγους σπουδῇ. Οὐ γὰρ χρὴ ἀλογίστως αὐτῶν ἔχοντα, κἂν ἄτοπα, ἢ τὰ ἐπὶ νοῦν ἐλθόντα, ταῦτα προΐεσθαι διὰ τῆς φωνῆς· ἀλλ' ἐνθυ μουμένους, ὅτι εἰ καὶ πολὺ ἀφεστήκαμεν οὐρανοῦ, γινώσκειν χρὴ, ὅτι ἐπ' ἐπηκόῳ φθεγγόμεθα Θεοῦ, καὶ ἔστι λυσιτελὲς λαλεῖν ἀπεριπτώτως. Ὥσπερ δὲ φρον τίσι ψυχῆς ποικίλαις παρέπεται ὀνειράτων παντοδαπῇ φαντασίᾳ· οὕτω καὶ ἀφροσύνῃ φλυαρία συνέζευ κται. Ἐπαγγελία δὲ δι' εὐχῆς γινομένη, τέλος λαμ βανέτω δι' ἔργου. Ἀφρόνων δὲ ἴδιον, τὸ ἀποβλήτους εἶναι· σὺ δὲ ἀληθὴς ἔσο, γινώσκων ὡς πολλῷ ἄμει νον μὴ εὔξασθαί σε, μηδὲ ὑποσχέσθαι τὶ δρᾶσαι, ἢ εὐξάμενον, εἶτα παραλιπεῖν. ∆εῖ δὲ παντοίως φεύγειν 1001 τὴν τῶνδε καλῶν ῥημάτων ἐπιῤῥοὴν, ὡς ἀκουσομένου θεοῦ. Τῷ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐνθυμουμένῳ πλέον οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἢ τὸ αἰσθάνεσθαι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἔργων ὑπὸ θεοῦ διαφθειρο μένων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ ἐνύπνια μάταια, οὕτω καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ῥήματα.