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And if it should happen that both the one and the other fall, the one deprived of virtue, the other of his kingdom, the one would easily become his own master again, and quickly wiping away his sins through prayer and tears and mourning and service to the poor, he easily runs back to his former rule; but a king, having fallen, would need many allies, and many heavy-armed soldiers and horsemen and horses and money and dangers; and the one has his hope of salvation entirely in others; but the other will have salvation immediately following his will and zeal and change of mind; For the kingdom, he says, of heaven is within you. And indeed, death is terrible to the king, but without grief to the one who philosophizes; for he who scorns wealth and pleasure and luxury, for the sake of which the many desire to live, must of necessity bear the departure from hence easily. But if it should happen that both this one and that one be slain, the one will draw dangers upon himself for the sake of piety, procuring for himself immortal and heavenly life through death; but the king will have a tyrant as his slayer and a lover of his rule, becoming a pitiful and terrible sight after the slaughter; but to see a monk slain for the sake of piety is a sweet and saving sight. And the one will have lovers of his own goods and imitators and many disciples praying to appear like him; but the other would spend many words in prayers beseeching God that no one might appear as a lover of his kingdom. And no one would dare to kill the one, thinking it impious toward God if he should destroy such a man; but for the other, many slayers stand ready, lovers of tyranny. Therefore the one is guarded by soldiers, but the other fortifies cities with prayers, fearing no one; but the king always lives with fear and in expectation of slaughter; for the one has a dangerous pre-eminence, but the other a safe salvation. Concerning the affairs of the present life, then, it seems to me that enough has been said. But if we should wish to examine the contest to come, we will see the one, bright and glorious, caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, according to the leader and teacher of this saving life and of all virtue; but the king, if he should appear to have administered his rule justly and benevolently—and this is very rare—will have less salvation and honor; for it is not equal, not equal, a good king and a monk living supremely in the service of God. But if he should appear wicked and perverse, having filled the earth with many evils, who could tell the calamities by which he will be seen to be afflicted, being burned with fire, scourged, racked, suffering such things as are neither speakable in word, nor bearable in deed? Considering and learning all these things, one must not admire the rich; for the master of these things, having appeared so, cannot even in a small way come near to the virtue of the monk. Therefore, when you see a rich man adorned with clothing, embellished with gold, carried on carriages, making splendid processions, do not call the man blessed; for wealth is temporary, and what seems to be good is corrupted along with this life; but when you see a monk walking alone, humble and meek and quiet and gentle, emulate the man, be an imitator of his philosophy, pray to become like the righteous one; For Ask, he says, and it will be given to you. For these things are truly good and saving and permanent, through the love for mankind and providence of Christ; to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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κἂν ἐκπεσεῖν συμβῇ καὶ τοῦτον κἀκεῖνον, τὸν μὲν τῆς ἀρετῆς, τὸν δὲ τῆς βασιλείας στερηθέντα, ὁ μὲν ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἑαυτοῦ γένοιτο, καὶ ταχέως διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ δακρύων καὶ πένθους καὶ θεραπείας πτωχῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀποτριψάμενος, πάλιν ῥᾳδίως ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἀρχὴν ἀνατρέχει· βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐκπεσὼν πολλῶν μὲν ἂν δεηθείη συμμάχων, πολλῶν δὲ ὁπλιτῶν καὶ ἱππέων καὶ ἵππων καὶ χρημάτων καὶ κινδύνων· καὶ ὁ μὲν ὅλως ἐν ἑτέροις ἔχει τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας· ὁ δὲ τῇ βουλήσει καὶ τῇ σπουδῇ καὶ τῇ μεταβολῇ τῆς γνώμης ἑπομένην ἕξει τὴν σωτηρίαν εὐθέως· Ἡ βασιλεία γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι. Καὶ μὴν ὁ θάνατος τῷ μὲν βασιλεῖ φοβερὸς, τῷ φιλοσοφοῦντι δὲ ἄλυπος· τὸν γὰρ ὑπερορῶντα πλούτου καὶ 47.392 ἡδονῆς καὶ τρυφῆς, ὧν ἕνεκα ζῇν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, καὶ τὴν ἐνθένδε μετάστασιν ἀνάγκη ῥᾳδίως φέρειν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ σφαγῆναι τοῦτον συμβαίη κἀκεῖνον, ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἐπισπάσεται κινδύνους, ἀθάνατον ζωὴν καὶ οὐράνιον διὰ θανάτου πραγματευόμενος· βασιλεὺς δὲ τύραννον ἕξει σφαγέα καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐραστὴν, ἐλεεινὸν θέαμα καὶ δεινὸν μετὰ τὴν σφαγὴν γινόμενος· μοναχὸν δὲ ἰδεῖν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἐσφαγμένον ἡδὺ καὶ σωτήριον θέαμα. Καὶ ὁ μὲν τοὺς ἐραστὰς τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν καὶ μιμητὰς ἕξει καὶ μαθητὰς πολλοὺς εὐχομένους αὐτῷ φανῆναι παραπλησίους· ὁ δὲ πολλοὺς ἂν ἐν προσευχαῖς ἀναλώσειεν λόγους δεόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ μηδένα φανῆναι τῆς βασιλείας ἐραστήν. Καὶ τὸν μὲν οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀποκτεῖναι τολμήσειεν, εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀσεβεῖν ἡγούμενος, εἰ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀνέλοι· τῷ δὲ πολλοὶ σφαγεῖς ἐφεστήκασιν ἐρασταὶ τυραννίδος. ∆ιόπερ ὁ μὲν φρουρεῖται στρατιώταις, ὁ δὲ πόλεις τειχίζει ταῖς εὐχαῖς, οὐδένα δεδοικώς· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀεὶ φόβῳ συζῇ καὶ προσδοκίᾳ σφαγῆς· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐπικίνδυνον ἔχει πλεονεξίαν, ὁ δὲ ἀσφαλῆ σωτηρίαν. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ πραγμάτων ἱκανῶς εἰρῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν μέλλοντα βουληθείημεν ἐξετάζειν, τὸν μὲν ὀψόμεθα λαμπρὸν καὶ περίβλεπτον ἁρπαζόμενον ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα, κατὰ τὸν ἡγεμόνα καὶ παιδευτὴν τοῦ σωτηρίου τούτου βίου καὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς, ἐὰν μὲν δικαίως φανείη καὶ φιλανθρώπως διοικήσας τὴν ἀρχὴν πολὺ δὲ τοῦτο σπάνιον, ἐλάττονος ἔσται σωτηρίας τε καὶ τιμῆς· οὐ γὰρ ἴσον, οὐκ ἴσον βασιλεύς τε χρηστὸς καὶ μοναχὸς ἄκρως τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείᾳ συζῶν. Εἰ δὲ φανείη πονηρὸς καὶ σκαιὸς, πολλῶν κακῶν ἐμπεπληκὼς τὴν γῆν, τίς ἂν εἰπεῖν δυνηθείη τὰς συμφορὰς αἷς ὀφθήσεται συνεχόμενος, πυρὶ καιόμενος, μαστιγούμενος, στρεβλούμενος, τοιαῦτα πάσχων ἅπερ οὔτε λόγῳ ῥητὰ, οὐδὲ ἔργῳ φορητά; Ταῦτα πάντα δεῖ λογιζομένους καὶ μανθάνοντας, μὴ τοὺς πλουτοῦντας θαυμάζειν· ὁ γὰρ τούτων δεσπότης πεφηνὼς, οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐγγὺς ἐλθεῖν δύναται τῆς τοῦ μοναχοῦ ἀρετῆς. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς πλούσιον ἐσθῆτι κεκοσμημένον, χρυσῷ καλλωπιζόμενον, ἐπ' ὀχημάτων φερόμενον, ἐξόδους ἐξιόντα λαμπρὰς, μὴ μακαρίσῃς τὸν ἄνθρωπον· πρόσκαιρος γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος, καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν εἶναι καλὸν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ συνδιαφθείρεται· μοναχὸν δὲ ἰδὼν βαδίζοντα μόνον, ταπεινὸν καὶ πρᾶον καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ ἥμερον, ζήλωσον τὸν ἄνδρα, φάνηθι μιμητὴς τῆς ἐκείνου φιλοσοφίας, εὖξαι γενέσθαι τῷ δικαίῳ παραπλήσιος· Αἰτεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν. Ταῦτα γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς καλὰ καὶ σωτήρια καὶ μόνιμα, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ πρόνοιαν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.