with missiles, but they do not harm our freedom. To lie is the same as to be quickly persuaded; for he who lies wrongs the one he persuades, and he who is persuaded wrongs himself by heeding a liar before he learns the truth. For slander is the mother of war and gives birth to anger, from which men fight and make war. 2.6 However, courage is not to kill men, for that is the work of a robber. But courage is to fight against the changes of the seasons with a naked body and to destroy the desire of the stomach and to conquer the inner wars even more and not to be overcome by desire so as to yearn for glory and wealth and pleasure. Conquer these first, Alexander, kill these; for if you conquer these, you have no need to fight against those outside; for the fight with those outside is so that you may bring tribute to these within. Do you not see that you conquer those outside and are conquered by those inside? How many kings of folly do you think tyrannize in fools? Tongue, hearing, smell, sight, touch, stomach, genitals, the whole skin. And many within, like relentless mistresses and insatiable tyrannies, give endless commands: desires, avarice, love of pleasure, treacheries, {fornications} murders, stinginess, dissensions, to all these and many more mortals are enslaved, because of which they kill and are killed. 2.7 But the Brahmans, having conquered the inner wars, are henceforth strengthened and are at rest, looking at the forests and the sky. And we hear the melodious sound of birds and the cry of eagles, and we are clothed in leaves and live in the air. We eat fruits and drink water, we sing hymns to God and desire the things to come, we listen to nothing that is not beneficial. Silent of many words, thus we Brahmans live. 2.8 But you say what must be done, and do what must not be said; and among you no philosopher knows anything, unless they speak; for your mind is your tongue and your intellect is on your lips. You gather gold and silver, you have need of slaves and great houses, you pursue offices, you eat and drink as much as cattle, but you do not even perceive things as common men do, you clothe yourselves in soft things, making yourselves like the silkworms. You do all things without fear and then you repent for what you do, you speak against yourselves as against enemies, having power over your tongue you are warred against by it; better than you are those who are silent; for they do not convict themselves. 2.9 From sheep, as if from captives, you borrow wool; you place glory on your fingers like carved images. Gold, like women, you wear and in these things you take pride, having been created in the likeness of the creator you beget the temper of untamed beasts. When you surround yourselves with many possessions, you take pride in them, not seeing that in truth nothing can benefit you; for gold does not raise the soul nor fatten the body, but rather on the contrary it both darkens the soul and wastes away the body. 2.10 But we, truly recognizing nature, take thought for those things allotted by it; when hunger comes we cure it with fruits and vegetables supplied to us by providence, and when thirst comes we go to the river and, treading upon gold, we drink water and so we heal it. But gold does not quench thirst nor console hunger nor heal a wound, it does not cure a disease, it does not satisfy greed, but rather it even further arouses this desire that is foreign to nature. And a thirsty man clearly desires to drink and having received water his thirst ceases, and he who is hungry naturally seeks food and having eaten is satisfied and his desire ceases. It is therefore altogether clear that to desire gold is foreign to nature; for every desire of mortals ceases when it finds satiety, since this has been sown together with nature. But the love of money is insatiable because it is contrary to nature. Then you also adorn yourselves with it and are glorified in it {and you boast in your garments} exalting yourselves above other men. And because of this you make the common property of all your own, the similar for all

βέλεσι, ἀλ λὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν οὐ βλάπτουσιν. ἶσον δέ ἐστι τὸ ψεύδεσ θαι καὶ τὸ ταχέως πείθεσθαι· ἀδικεῖ γὰρ ὁ ψευδόμενος ὃν πεί θει, ἀδικεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ πειθόμενος ψευδομένῳ προσέχων πρὶν ἢ τὸ ἀληθὲς μάθῃ. διαβολὴ γὰρ μήτηρ ἐστὶν πολέμου καὶ τίκτει ὀρ γήν, ἀφ' ἧς μάχονται καὶ πολεμοῦσι. 2.6 πλὴν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνδρεία τὸ φονεύειν ἄνδρας, λῃστοῦ γὰρ ἔργον ἐστίν. ἀνδρεία δέ ἐστι πρὸς τροπὰς ἀέρων μάχεσθαι γυμνῷ τῷ σώματι καὶ γαστρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἀναιρεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἔνδον πολέ μους μᾶλλον νικῆσαι καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας μὴ καταγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τὸ ὀρέγεσθαι δόξης καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῆς. τούτους νί κησον πρῶτον, Ἀλέξανδρε, τούτους ἀπόκτεινον· τούτους γὰρ ἐὰν νικήσῃς, οὐκ ἔστι σοι χρεία πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω μάχεσθαι· τοῖς γὰρ ἔξω μάχη, ἵνα τούτοις ἐνέγκῃς φόρους. οὐ βλέπεις ὅτι τοὺς ἔξω νικᾷς καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔσω νενίκησαι; πόσοι σοι δοκοῦσι βασιλεῖς ἀνοίας ἐν τοῖς ἄφροσι τυραννεῖν; γλῶσσα, ἀκοή, ὄσφρησις, ὅρα σις, ἁφή, γαστήρ, αἰδοῖα, ὅλος ὁ χρῶς. πολλαὶ δὲ καὶ ἔσωθεν ὥσπερ ἀμείλικτοι δέσποιναι καὶ τυραννίδες ἀκόρεστοι ἀπέραντα ἐπιτάττουσιν· ἐπιθυμίαι, φιλοχρηματίαι, φιληδονίαι, δολοφο νίαι, {σωματομιξίαι} φονοκτονίαι, φειδωλίαι, διχοστασίαι, αἷς πάσαις ταύταις καὶ ἄλλαις πλείοσι βροτοὶ δουλεύουσι, δι' ἅσπερ φονεύουσι καὶ φονεύονται. 2.7 Βραγμᾶνες δὲ νικήσαντες τοὺς ἔνδον πολέμους λοιπὸν ἀν ερρώσθησαν καὶ ἀναπαύονται βλέποντες ὕλας καὶ οὐρανόν. καὶ ἀκούομεν ὄρνεων ἦχον εὐμελῆ καὶ ἀετῶν κλαγγήν, φύλλα τε περι βεβλήμεθα καὶ ἀέρι ἐνδιαιτώμεθα. καρποὺς ἐσθίομεν καὶ ὕδωρ πίνομεν, θεῷ ὕμνους ἄδομεν καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, οὐδε νὸς μὴ ὠφελοῦντος ἀκούομεν. σιωπῶντες τοὺς πολλοὺς λόγους τοιαῦτα Βραγμᾶνες ζῶμεν. 2.8 ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε ἃ δεῖ ποιεῖν, καὶ ποιεῖτε ἃ μὴ δεῖ λέ γειν· παρ' ὑμῖν δὲ οὐδεὶς φιλοσόφων οὐδὲν οἶδεν, ἐὰν μὴ λαλή σωσιν· ὑμῶν γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἐστιν ἡ γλῶσσα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς χείλεσι αἱ φρένες. χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον συνάγετε, δούλων χρείαν ἔχετε καὶ μεγάλων οἴκων, ἀρχὰς διώκετε, ἐσθίετε καὶ πίνετε ὅσα καὶ τὰ κτήνη, οὐκ αἰσθάνεσθε δὲ οὐδὲ ὡς ἰδιῶται, περιβάλλεσθε μα λακὰ ἐξομοιούμενοι τοῖς σκώληξι τοῖς σηρικοδιασταῖς. ἀδεῶς πάντα πράττετε καὶ ἐφ' οἷς πράττετε μετανοεῖτε, καθ' ἑαυτῶν λαλεῖτε ὡς καθ' ἐχθρῶν, τῆς γλώττης ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντες ὑπὸ ταύ της πολεμεῖσθε· κρείττονες ὑμῶν οἱ σιγῶντες· ἑαυτοὺς γὰρ οὐκ ἐλέγχουσι. 2.9 παρὰ προβάτων ὡς αἰχμάλωτοι ἔρια δανείζεσθε· δόξαν τοῖς δακτύλοις ὑμῶν ὡς ξόανα περιτίθεσθε. χρυσόν, ὡς αἱ θήλειαι, φορεῖτε καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις μεγαλύνεσθε, καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ κτί σαντος δημιουργηθέντες ἀνημέρων θηρίων θυμὸν τίκτετε. ὅταν πολλὰς κτήσεις περιβάλλησθε, ἐπὶ τούτοις μεγαλύνεσθε μὴ βλέ ποντες, ὅτι πρὸς ἀλήθειαν οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς δύναται ὠφελεῖν· χρυσὸς γὰρ ψυχὴν οὐκ ἀνίστησιν οὐδὲ σῶμα πιαίνει, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον μᾶλλον καὶ ψυχὴν σκοτοῖ καὶ σῶμα ἐκτήκει. 2.10 ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν τὴν φύσιν ἐπιγνόντες τὰ ταύτῃ ἀποκληρωθέντα ἐκείνων καὶ προνοοῦμεν· πείνης παραγενομένης ἀκροδρύοις καὶ λαχάνοις τοῖς ἐκ τῆς προνοίας ἡμῖν χορη γουμένοις ἰώμεθα ταύτην, καὶ δίψης παραγενομένης ἐπὶ τὸν πο ταμὸν ἐρχόμενοι χρυσὸν πατοῦντες ὕδωρ πίνομεν καὶ ταύτην θε ραπεύομεν. χρυσὸς δὲ οὐ παύει δίψαν οὐδὲ λιμὸν παραμυθεῖται οὐδὲ τραῦμα θεραπεύει, οὐ νόσον ἰᾶται, οὐκ ἀπληστίαν ἐμπίπλη σιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ προσεξεγείρει ταύτην τὴν ξενὴν τῆς φύσεως ἐπιθυμίαν. καὶ διψῶν μὲν ἄνθρωπος δῆλον ὅτι ἐπιθυμεῖ πιεῖν καὶ λαβὼν ὕδωρ πέπαυται τῆς δίψης, καὶ ὁ πεινῶν φυσικῶς ἐπιζητεῖ τροφὴν καὶ φαγὼν κορέννυται καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας πέπαυται. παν τάπασιν οὖν δῆλον ὅτι ξένον τῆς φύσεώς ἐστι τὸ χρυσοῦ ἐπιθυ μεῖν· πᾶσα γὰρ ἐπιθυμία πέπαυται βροτῶν, ὅταν λάβῃ κόρον, ἐπει δὴ τῇ φύσει τοῦτο συνέσπαρται. ὁ δὲ τῶν χρημάτων ἔρως ἀκόρεστός ἐστι διὰ τὸ εἶναι τοῦτον παρὰ φύσιν. ἔπειτα καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ κοσμεῖσ θε καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐνδοξάζεσθε {καὶ τοῖς ἐνδύμασι κομπάζετε} τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ὑπερμεγαλούμενοι. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ κοινὰ τῶν πάντων ἴδια ποιεῖτε, τὴν ὁμοίαν πᾶσι