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. He therefore who knows true justice, and has been taught by it to render to each his own, this man is able to direct judgment. For just as the archer directs the arrow toward the target, not straying from his aim by overshooting, nor by falling short, nor by swerving to either side; so the judge aims at what is just, neither showing partiality (for it is not good to show partiality in judgment), nor acting according to bias, but delivering straight and unperverted judgments. And when two are being judged before him, both the one who has more and the one who has less, the judge stands equalizing them toward one another, and taking away from the one who has too much as much as he finds the one who is wronged to be lacking. But he who does not have true justice pre-established in his soul, but is either corrupted by money, or showing favor due to friendship, or avenging an enmity, or being swayed by power, cannot direct judgment. To whom the psalm will say: If you then speak righteousness truly, judge rightly, you sons of men. For correctness in judging is a test of a just disposition. Wherefore he also goes on to forbid, saying: A great and a small weight are abominations to the Lord, proverbially alluding by the term 'weights' to inequality in judgment. This is useful not only for those who judge, but also for the choices concerning each thing in life. Since we have within ourselves a natural criterion, by which we distinguish good things from evil ones, it is necessary for us in the choice of what is to be done to make correct distinctions of things; and, like a judge awarding the prize to opposites with an equal and most just opinion, to obey virtue, but to condemn vice. For example, fornication and chastity are judged by you, and your mind sits on high, entrusted with the court; and pleasure advocates for fornication, while the fear of God stands with chastity.

If, therefore, you condemn sin, but grant victory to chastity, you have made a straight judgment of the matter; but if, giving the advantage to pleasure, you declare sin to be preferable, you have made a crooked judgment, becoming subject to the curse of the one who said: Woe to those who call 31.408 bitter sweet, and sweet bitter; who call light darkness, and darkness light. Since, therefore, according to Solomon himself, The thoughts of the just are judgments, it is necessary to be zealous in the hidden tribunal of thoughts to make the judgments about a matter unswerving, and to have the mind like a balance, weighing each of the things to be done without inclination. When each commandment is tried before you against its opposing vice, grant the victory to the law of God against sin. Greed and equality are being judged? Decide against the desire for what belongs to others, give the better vote to virtue. Slander and long-suffering are set against each other? Put slander to shame, and prefer long-suffering. Hatred and love? Having dishonored the one, banish it as far as possible; but having exalted love, make it your own. Hypocrisy and simplicity, courage and cowardice, prudence and folly, justice and injustice, chastity and licentiousness, and to put it briefly, is every virtue tried against every vice? Then indeed, therefore, show the straightness of your judgments, in the secret tribunal of your soul, and having made the commandment as it were an assessor for yourself, show your hatred of evil; turning away from sins, but esteeming virtues above all. For if in each action you cause the better things to conquer within you, you will be blessed On that day, when God will judge the secret things of men according to our Gospel, and when their thoughts accuse or even defend them, you will not depart condemned because of the toward

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. Ὁ οὖν εἰδὼς τὴν ἀληθῆ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς διδαχθεὶς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀπονέμειν ἑκάστῳ, οὗτος δύναται κατευθύνειν τὸ κρῖμα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τοξότης πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν ἀπευθύνει τὸ βέλος, οὔτε ὑπερβολαῖς, οὔτε ἐλλείψεσιν, οὔτε ταῖς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα παρατροπαῖς ἀποπλανῶν τὴν τοξείαν· οὕτως ὁ κριτὴς τοῦ δικαίου καταστοχάζεται, οὔτε πρόσωπα λαμβάνων (γνωρίζειν γὰρ πρόσωπον ἐν κρίσει οὐ καλόν), οὔτε ποιῶν κατὰ πρόσκλισιν, ἀλλ' εὐθείας καὶ ἀδια- στρόφους ἐκφέρων τὰς κρίσεις. Καὶ δύο κρινομένων παρ' αὐτῷ, τοῦ τε πλεονεκτοῦντος καὶ τοῦ τὸ ἔλαττον ἔχοντος, ἕστηκεν ὁ κριτὴς ἐπανισῶν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀφαιρῶν τοῦ ὑπερέχοντος, ὅσον ἐλαττούμενον εὑρίσκει τὸν ἀδικούμενον. Ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀληθῆ δικαιοσύνην μὴ ἔχων προεναποκειμένην αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀλλ' ἢ χρήμασι διεφθαρμένος, ἢ φιλίᾳ χαριζόμενος, ἢ ἔχθραν ἀμυνόμενος, ἢ δυναστείαν δυσωπούμενος, τὸ κρῖμα κατευθύνειν οὐ δύναται. Πρὸς ὃν ἐρεῖ ὁ ψαλμὸς τό· Εἰ ἀληθῶς ἄρα δικαιοσύνην λαλεῖτε, εὐθείας κρίνατε, υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔλεγχος γὰρ τῆς τοῦ δικαίου διαθέσεως ἡ περὶ τὸ κρίνειν ὀρθότης. Ὅθεν καὶ αὐτὸς προϊὼν ἀπαγορεύει λέγων· Στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρὸν, βδελυκτὰ παρὰ Κυρίῳ, τὸ περὶ τὴν κρίσιν ἄνισον τῇ τῶν σταθμίων προσηγορίᾳ παροιμιακῶς αἰνισσόμενος. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῖς δικάζουσι τοῦτο χρήσιμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐκλογαῖς. Ἐπειδή τι ἔχομεν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς κριτήριον φυσικὸν, δι' οὗ τὰ καλὰ τῶν πονηρῶν διακρίνομεν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐκλογῇ τῶν πρακτέων ὀρθὰς ποιεῖσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς διακρίσεις· καὶ, οἷόν τινα δικαστὴν ἴσῃ καὶ δικαιοτάτῃ γνώμῃ τοῖς ἐναντίοις βραβεύοντα, πείθεσθαι μὲν τῇ ἀρετῇ, καταδικάζειν δὲ τὴν κακίαν. Οἷον πορνεία καὶ σωφροσύνη παρὰ σοὶ κρίνεται, καὶ ὑψηλὸς προκαθέζεταί σου ὁ νοῦς πεπιστευμένος τὸ δικαστήριον· καὶ ἡ μὲν ἡδονὴ συνηγορεῖ τῇ πορνείᾳ, ὁ δὲ φόβος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ σωφροσύνῃ συνίσταται.

Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν καταδικάσῃς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, δῷς δὲ νικῆσαι τὴν σωφροσύνην, εὐθεῖαν ἐποιήσω τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ πράγματος· ἐὰν δὲ, τῇ ἡδονῇ δοὺς τὴν ῥοπὴν, προτιμοτέραν ἀποφήνῃς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, σκολιὸν ἐποιήσω τὸ κρῖμα, ὑπόδικος γενόμενος τῇ ἀρᾷ τοῦ εἰπόντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες 31.408 τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν· οἱ λέγοντες τὸ φῶς σκότος, καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς. Ἐπεὶ οὖν, κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν Σολομῶντα, Λογισμοὶ δικαίων κρίματα, ἔνδον ἐν τῷ κεκρυμμένῳ τῶν λογισμῶν κριτηρίῳ σπουδάζειν χρὴ τὰς περὶ τοῦ πράγματος κρίσεις ἀπαρατρέπτους ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν νοῦν τρυτάνῃ ἔχειν προσεοικότα, ἀκλινῶς ἕκαστον τῶν πρακτέων ζυγοστατοῦντα. Ὅταν ἑκάστη ἐντολὴ παρὰ σοὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀντικειμένην αὐτῇ κακίαν διαδικάζηται, δὸς τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὰ νικητήρια. Πλεονασμὸς καὶ ἰσότης κρίνονται; ἀπόφηνε κατὰ τῆς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμίας, δὸς τὴν βελτίονα ψῆφον τῇ ἀρετῇ. Λοιδορία καὶ μακροθυμία ἀλλήλαις ἀντικαθίστανται; καταίσχυνον τὴν λοιδορίαν, καὶ προτίμησον τὸ μακρόθυμον. Ἔχθρα καὶ ἀγάπη; τὴν μὲν ἄτιμον ποιήσας, ὑπερόρισον ὡς ποῤῥωτάτω· τὴν δὲ ἀγάπην σεμνύνας, οἰκείαν ποίησον σεαυτῷ. Ὑπόκρισις καὶ ἁπλότης, ἀνδρία καὶ δειλία, φρόνησις καὶ ἀφροσύνη, δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἀδικία, σωφροσύνη καὶ ἀκολασία, καὶ συνελόντι φῆσαι, πᾶσα ἀρετὴ πρὸς πᾶσαν κακίαν διαδικάζεται; Τότε δὴ οὖν ἐπίδειξαι τὴν εὐθύτητα τῶν κριμάτων, ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ σου τῆς ψυχῆς κριτηρίῳ, καὶ οἱονεὶ πάρεδρον σεαυτῷ τὴν ἐντολὴν ποιησάμενος, δεῖξον τὸ μισοπόνηρον· ἀποστρεφόμενος μὲν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ὑπερτιμῶν δὲ τὰς ἀρετάς. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐφ' ἑκάστης πράξεως νικᾷν ποιήσῃς παρὰ σοὶ τὰ βελτίονα, μακάριος ἔσῃ Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὅτε κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, καὶ μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων, οὐκ ἀπέρχῃ καταδεδικασμένος διὰ τὴν πρὸς