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will he be able to bear it, so as to see what has happened? he says. See how he continually for a time casts them into contempt for money and not seeking it after the departure from here.

4 And I returned and saw all the oppressions. I returned, what

is it? I considered, he says, the good things of life and saw they were vain; then I changed myself and considered its sorrows and saw they were excessive. This is 'I returned.' When therefore its good things are vain, and its terrible things are grievous, what is the gain? tell me. I saw the tear of the oppressed and there is no one to comfort them. They weep inconsolably; for oppression is terrible. Terrible; and yet this ought not to be terrible, but the contrary. For when a judge does not condemn, for what reason do you lament? But nevertheless the race of men is so sorrowful, as to lament even at this. And I praised all the dead, who have already died, more than the living, as many as are alive until now; and better than both of these is he who has not been born. This is not his vote, but that of a confused mind; for in despondency we say many things, which it is not necessary to take as authoritative doctrines. For this reason, he says: I said in my haste: all men are liars; so that the decision is not mine, but the vote of a despondent soul. See this one hearing and seeing and looking, lamenting those ones; thus the suffering has disturbed him. How is it likely they are disposed? Of how much punishment would the oppressors be worthy? Reasonably the external laws also subject them to the same penalties. And I saw all the toil and all the courage of the work, that it is a man's envy of his neighbor, and this too is vanity.

That is, this youthful trait of theirs. When they do well, then again there is envy, and envy even from a kinsman; this is the terrible thing, so that, even if it were not vain *** But on the other hand again see two contrary evils defined, and marvel how he envies things that are nothing as if they are permanent and everlasting. Why do you envy things that are not? he says. The fool has folded his hands and has eaten his own flesh. That is, he spares nothing, but if it were necessary even to eat himself, he is unsparing and cruel; that is, he bound himself and devoured himself. A handful of rest is better than two handfuls of toil. Two are better than one. Thus also Christ: where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. He gathers us and teaches us to love one another, even if not kinsmen, because of the necessary need; for since he spoke of one enjoying wealth, it is better to be two, and if three, much better.

And he teaches from miserable and worldly matters; whether it is necessary to rest or to suffer badly, great is the sympathy. Two are better than one, who have for themselves a reward in their toil; for if they fall, the one lifts up his partner, and woe to the one, when he falls <and there is not a second to raise him up. And if two lie together, they also have warmth;> and how can one be warm alone? And <if> one be overpowered, the two shall stand against him, and the threefold cord will not be quickly broken. The one, he says, will not be able to rise up, nor to rest; but the two are a great thing even in misfortunes. But the threefold cord will not be quickly broken. In a rope, he says, the connection is a great security; is not concord and love much more so in a human being? A poor and wise child is better than an old and foolish king; for out of the house of bonds he will come forth to be king, for even in his kingdom he was born poor. That one, he says, is poor even in his kingdom, but this one will be wonderful from his bonds. The bonds hindered that one in nothing, nor did the kingdom profit this one in anything. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before him. That is, the things that had already happened were excessive, to solve

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δυνήσεται ἐνεγκεῖν, ὥστε ἰδεῖν τὰ γενόμενα; φησίν. Ὅρα πῶς συνεχῶς αὐτοὺς τέως ἐμβάλλει εἰς τὸ καταφρονεῖν χρημάτων καὶ μὴ ζητεῖν μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν.

4 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ καὶ εἶδον συμπάσας τὰς συκοφαντίας. Ἐπέστρεψα, τί

ἐστιν; Ἐλογισάμην, φησίν, τὰ καλὰ τοῦ βίου καὶ εἶδον μάταια· εἶτα μετέβαλον ἐμαυτὸν καὶ ἐλογισάμην αὐτοῦ τὰ λυπηρὰ καὶ εἶδον ὑπερβάλλοντα. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐπέστρεψα. Ὅταν οὖν τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ μάταια, τὰ δὲ δεινὰ χαλεπά, τί τὸ κέρδος; εἰπέ μοι. Εἶδον δάκρυον τῶν συκοφαντουμένων καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοὺς ὁ παρακαλῶν. Ἀπαρηγόρητα κλαίουσιν· δεινὸν γὰρ συκοφαντία. ∆εινόν· καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἔδει τοῦτο δεινὸν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον. Ὅταν γὰρ δικαστὴς μὴ καταδικάζῃ, τίνος ἕνεκεν θρηνεῖς; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὕτω λυπηρὸν τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ θρηνεῖν. Καὶ ἐπῄνεσα ἐγὼ σύμπαντας τοὺς τεθνηκότας, τοὺς ἤδη ἀποθανόντας ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας, ὅσοι ζῶσιν ἕως τοῦ νῦν· καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο τούτους ὅστις οὐκ ἐγένετο. Τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ ψῆφος, ἀλλὰ τῆς συγκεχυμένης διανοίας· πολλὰ γὰρ ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ φθεγγόμεθα, ἅπερ οὐκ ἀνάγκη φέρειν εἰς δογμάτων αὐθεντίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ φησιν· εἶπον ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης· ὥστε οὐκ ἐμὴ ἡ ἀπόφασις, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀθυμούσης ψυχῆς ἡ ψῆφος. Ἴδε τοῦτον ἀκούοντα καὶ ὁρῶντα καὶ βλέποντα, θρηνοῦντα ἐκείνους· οὕτω τὸ πάθος ἐτάραξεν. Πῶς εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς διακεῖσθαι; Πόσης ἄξιοι τιμωρίας ἂν εἶεν οἱ συκοφάνται; Εἰκότως καὶ οἱ τῶν ἔξωθεν νόμοι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑπάγουσιν αὐτοὺς ἐπιτιμίοις. Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ σύμπαντα τὸν μόχθον καὶ σύμπασαν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ ποιήματος, ὅτι τὸ ζῆλος ἀνδρὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑταίρου αὐτοῦ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.

Τουτέστιν, τὸ νεωτερικὸν αὐτῶν τοῦτο. Ὅταν εὖ πράττωσιν, τότε πάλιν βασκανία, καὶ βασκανία καὶ παρὰ τοῦ οἰκείου· τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ δεινόν, ὥστε, εἰ καὶ μὴ μάταια ἦν *** Ἀλλ' ἑτέρωθεν πάλιν ὅρα ἐναντίας δύο κακίας διωρισμένας, καὶ θαύμασον πῶς οὐδὲν ὄντα φθονεῖ δὲ ὡς μένοντα καὶ ἀεὶ ὄντα. Τί φθονεῖς τοῖς μὴ οὖσιν; φησίν. Ὁ ἄφρων περιέλαβεν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔφαγεν τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, οὐδενὸς φείδεται, ἀλλ' εἰ δέοι καὶ ἑαυτὸν φαγεῖν, ἀφειδής ἐστιν καὶ ὠμός· τουτέστιν, συνέδησεν ἑαυτὸν καὶ κατέφαγεν. Ἀγαθὸν πλήρωμα δρακὸς ἀναπαύσεως ὑπὲρ πλήρωμα δύο δρακῶν μόχθου. Ἀγαθοὶ οἱ δύο ὑπὲρ τὸν ἕνα. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστός· οὗ εἰσιν δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Συνάγει ἡμᾶς καὶ διδάσκει ἀλλήλους φιλεῖν, εἰ καὶ μὴ οἰκεῖοι, διὰ τὴν χρείαν τὴν ἀναγκαίαν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν περὶ ἑνὸς ἀπολαύοντος πλούτου, βέλτιον εἶναι δύο, εἰ δὲ καὶ τρεῖς πολλῷ κρεῖττον.

Καὶ διδάσκει ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν οἰκτρῶν καὶ βιωτικῶν· ἄν τε ἀναπαύεσθαι δέῃ ἄν τε πάσχειν κακῶς, μεγάλη ἡ συμπάθεια. Ἀγαθοὶ οἱ δύο ὑπὲρ τὸν ἕνα, οἷς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς μισθὸς ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτῶν· ὅτι ἐὰν πέσωσιν, ὁ εἷς ἐγείρει τὸν μέτοχον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐαὶ τῷ ἑνί, ὅταν πέσῃ <καὶ μὴ ᾖ δεύτερος τοῦ ἐγεῖραι αὐτόν. Καί γε ἐὰν κοιμηθῶσιν δύο, καὶ θέρμη αὐτοῖς·> καὶ ὁ εἷς πῶς θερμανθῇ; Καὶ <ἐὰν> συνεκραταιώθη ὁ εἷς, οἱ δύο στήσονται κατέναντι αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ σπαρτίον τὸ ἔντριτον οὐ ταχὺ ἀπορραγήσεται. Ὁ εἷς, φησίν, οὐδὲ ἀναστῆναι δυνήσεται, οὐδὲ ἀναπαύεσθαι· οἱ δὲ δύο καὶ ἐν συμφοραῖς μέγα εἰσίν. Τὸ δὲ σπαρτίον τὸ ἔντριτον οὐ ταχὺ ἀπορραγήσεται. Ἐπὶ σχοινίου, φησίν, μεγάλη ἀσφάλεια ἡ συνάφεια· οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπου ἡ ὁμόνοια καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη; Ἀγαθὸς παῖς πένης καὶ σοφὸς ὑπὲρ βασιλέα πρεσβύτερον καὶ ἄφρονα· ὅτι ἐξ οἴκου δεσμῶν ἐξελεύσεται τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι, ὅτι καί γε ἐν βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐγενήθη πένης. Ἐκεῖνος μέν, φησίν, καὶ ἐν βασιλείᾳ πένης, οὗτος δὲ ἀπὸ δεσμοῦ θαυμαστὸς ἔσται. Οὐδὲν ἐκεῖνον ἐκώλυσεν τὰ δεσμά, οὐδὲν τοῦτον ὤνησεν ἡ βασιλεία. Οὐκ ἔστιν περασμὸς τῷ παντὶ λαῷ, τοῖς πᾶσιν ὅσοι ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, ὑπερβάλλοντα ἦν τὰ ἤδη γεγενημένα, λῦσαι