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he who follows, will never be delivered over to the ruin of wickedness. He therefore who understands words of prudence, knows which are sophistical, and which are to be practiced in life and which propose the best things for us; and as an approved money-changer, he will hold fast to what is good, and abstain from every form of evil.

For he who has mixed the wisdom of the serpent concerning evil, and the harmlessness of the dove concerning good, will neither allow wisdom to become malicious, nor simplicity to be foolish.

Chrysostom. The source and mother and root of prudence is virtue; just as all wickedness has its origin from foolishness, 15Ε_026 just as indeed the Prophet also says: There is no healing in my flesh, because of my foolishness. But he who is virtuous and has the fear of God, is wiser than all. Wherefore one also says: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

Of Ignatius. Being perfect, think perfect things. For if you wish to do well, God is ready to provide.

Plutarch. Prudence is the sight, not of bodies, but of affairs, before a man is in the midst of them; so that he may best use what meets and befalls him, allowing him to examine the future. The body, then, is furnished with eyes only in front; 733 but it is blind to what is behind. But the mind is by nature able to see even past things by memory.

A foolish man on the same day proclaims his anger. Every foolish man is impulsive and fainthearted; for he is not steadfast. If he ever saw someone sinning, he would say: Lest I also into such a thing

should fall. Of Menander. All things become slaves to prudence. Deliberating, they make past things examples for future things. For

the unseen is most quickly diagnosed from the seen. Isocrates. He who has thought ill concerning his own affairs will never deliberate well

concerning those of others. Demonax. In the examples of others, educate yourself, and you will be untouched by evils.

Of Aristeides. To be victorious in battles, often falls even to the worthless;

but to be able to prevail by prudence and wisdom, belongs only to those who know how to deliberate.

15Ε_028 Of Gaius. I think it is more prudent, than to make accusations with passion, to

guard against suffering before one suffers. Of Solon. Advise not the most pleasant things, but the best. Of Epictetus. Deliberate much about saying or doing something; for you will not have

the power to recall what has been said or done. Bias. To become strong in body is the work of nature; but to say things

advantageous to the fatherland is proper to the soul and to prudence. The same man, having been asked who is the best counselor, said: Opportunity.

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ὁ ἐπακολουθῶν, οὐδέποτε τῷ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς κακίας περιπαρήσεται. Ὁ τοίνυν νοῶν λόγους φρονήσεως, οἶδεν τίνες μέν σοφισματώδεις, τίνες δέ οἱ κατά βίον πρακτέοι καί τά βέλτιστα ἡμῖν ὑποτιθέμενοι· καί ὡς δόκιμος τραπεζίτης, τό μέν καλόν καθέξει, ἀπό δέ παντός εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀφέξεται.

Ὁ γάρ τό τοῦ ὄφεως φρόνιμον περί τό κακόν, τό τε τῆς περιστερᾶς ἀκέραιον περί τό καλόν ἀναμίξας, οὔτε τό φρόνιμον ἐάσει κακουργόν γενέσθαι, οὔτε τό ἁπλοῦν ἀνόητον.

Χρυσοστ. Πηγή καί μήτηρ καί ῥίζα φρονήσεως, ἡ ἀρετή· ὥσπερ καί πᾶσα πονηρία ἐξ ἀνοίας ἔχει τήν ἀρχήν, 15Ε_026 ὥσπερ δή καί ὁ Προφήτης φησίν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀπό προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου. Ὁ δέ ἐνάρετος καί φόβον Θεοῦ ἔχων, πάντων ἐστί συνετώτερος. ∆ιό καί τίς φησιν· Ἀρχή σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου.

Ἰγνατίου. Τέλειοι ὄντες, τέλεια φρονεῖτε. Θέλουσι γάρ ὑμῖν εὖ πράττειν, Θεός ἕτοιμος εἰς τό παρέχειν.

Πλουτάρχ. Ἡ φρόνησις, οὐ σωμάτων, ἀλλά πραγμάτων ὄψις ἐστί, πρίν ἐν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι τόν ἄνθρωπον· ὅπως ἄριστα χρήσεται τοῖς ἀπαντῶσι καί προστυγχάνουσι, παρέχουσα διασκοπεῖν τό μέλλον. Τό μέν οὖν σῶμα, πρόσω που μόνον ὠμμάτωται· 733 τοῖς δέ ὄπισθεν, τυφλόν ἐστιν. Ἡ δέ διάνοια, καί τά παρῳχημένα βλέπειν τῇ μνήμῃ πέφυκεν.

Ἄφρων αὐθημερόν ἐξαγγέλλει ὄργήν αὐτοῦ. Πᾶς ἄφρων, εὐθύς καί μικρόψυχος· οὐ γάρ ἐστι πάγιος. Εἰ ποτέ τινα ἑώρακεν ἁμαρτάνοντα, ἔλεγε· Μήποτε καί ἐγώ τοιούτῳ

περιπέσω. Μενάνδρου. Ἅπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ φρονεῖν καθίσταται. Βουλευόμενοι παραδείγματα ποιοῦνται παρεληλυθότα τῶν μελλόντων. Τό

γάρ ἀφανές, ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ ταχίστην ἔχει τήν διάγνωσιν. Ἰσοκράτ. Ὁ κακῶς διανοηθείς περί τῶν οἰκείων, οὐδέποτε καλῶς

βουλεύσεται περί τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. ∆ημώνακτ. Ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις παραδείγμασι παίδευε σεαυτόν, καί ἀπαθής τῶν

κακῶν ἔσῃ. Ἀριστείδου. Τό μέν νικᾷν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις, καί τοῖς φαύλοις πολλάκις

περιγίνεται· φρονήσει δέ καί σοφίᾳ κρατεῖν δύνασθαι, μόνον ἐστί τῶν εἰδότων βουλεύεσθαι.

15Ε_028 Γαΐου. Σωφρονέστερον οἶμαι τοῦ μετά τοῦ πάθους ἐγκαλεῖν, τό

πρί παθεῖν φυλάξασθαι τοῦ μή παθεῖν. Σόλωνος. Συμβούλευε, μή τά ἤδιστα, ἀλλά τά ἄριστα. Ἐπικτήτου. Βουλεύου πολλά περί τοῦ λέγειν τι ἤ πράττειν· οὐ γάρ ἕξεις

ἄδειαν ἀνακαλέσασθαι τά λεχθέντα ἤ πραχθέντα. Βίας. Τό μέν ἰσχυρόν τῷ σώματι γενέσθαι, φύσεως ἔργον· τό δέ λέγειν τά

συμφέροντα τῇ πατρίδι, ψυχῆς ἴδιον καί φρονήσεως. Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, τίς ἄριστος σύμβουλος, ἔφη· Ὁ καιρός.