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threw it away; so frenzied were they all for the possession of this savage beast. Let us not then weep because God has delivered us from this tyranny, which is shameful and ridiculous and has many reproaches; for it has only a splendid name, but in its works it disposes those who have it to the opposite of its name, and there is no one who does not laugh at the one who does something for the sake of glory. For only he will be able to become admired and glorious who does not look to this; but the one who sets great store by the glory from the many, and endures and does everything to obtain it, this is the one who will most of all fail to get it and fall away from it, and will reap all the opposite things: laughter and accusation, jests and enmity and hatred. And this is accustomed to happen not only among men, but also among you women, and especially indeed among you. For the unaffected woman, both in posture and in gait and in clothing, who seeks honor from no one, all women admire and are astonished and count blessed and pray for all good things for her; but the vainglorious woman they turn away from and hate, and flee as from some savage beast and assail with countless curses and revilings.

And not only do we escape these evils by not accepting glory from the many, but in addition to what has been said we also gain the greatest things of all, being taught little by little to ascend and fly towards heaven and to despise all things on earth. For he who does not need honor from men, whatever good things he may do, he will do all these things with security, and he will suffer nothing terrible, either in the sorrows or in the prosperities of this life. For neither can the latter sink and overwhelm him, nor can the former puff him up and inflate him, but amid changeable and troubled affairs he himself remains outside of all change; which I expect will also happen quickly in your soul, and being suddenly detached from all worldly things, you will show us the citizenship in heaven, and a little later you will laugh at the glory for which you now mourn, and you will see its empty and vain mask. But if you desire the security which has come to you through him and the protection of your affairs, and not to be plotted against by any of those who leap upon the misfortunes of others, “Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will sustain you.” “For look,” it says, “at the ancient generations and see: who hoped in the Lord and was put to shame? Or who called upon him, and he overlooked him? Or who remained in his commandments, and he forsook him?” For He who brought past the so unbearable misfortune and caused there to be calm now, He will also ward off the things to come; for that you will henceforth receive no other blow more grievous than this one, you yourself would agree with us. You then who have so nobly borne the things at hand, and this while being inexperienced, much more easily will you bear the things to come, if ever—which may it not be—any of the things we do not wish should happen to us. For seek heaven and all things that lead to the life there, and nothing of the things here will be able to harm you, not even the world-ruler of darkness himself, only let us not harm ourselves. For even if someone takes away your property, or even cuts your body to pieces, none of these things matters to us, as long as our soul remains healthy. But in general, if you wish for your money also to remain in security and to increase again, I will show you both the manner and the place, where it is not permitted for any of those who plot to enter. What then is the place? Heaven. Send them to that good man, and neither thief, nor plotter, nor any other of the things which cause ruin will be able to leap upon them. If you bury this money there, you will find great fruit from it. For all the things planted by us in heaven have a more abundant and better yield, and of such a kind as is fitting for things rooted in heaven. And if you do this, see what good things you will enjoy; first,

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ἔρριψεν· οὕτως ἅπαντες ἦσαν ἐμμανεῖς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ χαλεποῦ τούτου κτῆσιν θηρίου. Μὴ δὴ δακρύωμεν ὅτι ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ταύτης τῆς τυραννίδος ἀπήλλαξε τῆς αἰσχρᾶς καὶ καταγελάστου καὶ πολλὰ ἐχούσης ὀνείδη· ὄνομα γὰρ ἔχει μόνον λαμπρόν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔργοις τἀναντία τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτὴν διατίθησι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς ὁ μὴ καταγελῶν τοῦ πρὸς δόξαν τι πράττοντος. Μόνος γὰρ ἐκεῖνος περίβλεπτος καὶ ἐπίδοξος γενέσθαι δυνήσεται ὁ μὴ πρὸς τοῦτο ὁρῶν· ὁ δὲ μεγάλην δόξαν τιθέμενος τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ πάντα ὑπὲρ τοῦ ταύτης τυχεῖν ὑπομένων καὶ ποιῶν, οὗτος μάλιστα αὐτῆς ἀποτεύξεται καὶ ἀποπεσεῖται καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀπολαύσεται πάντων, γέλωτος καὶ κατηγορίας, σκωμμάτων καὶ ἀπεχθείας καὶ μίσους. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν δὲ μόνον τοῦτο συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ ὑμῶν τῶν γυναικῶν, καὶ μάλιστά γε ἐφ' ὑμῶν. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἄπλαστον καὶ ἐν σχήματι καὶ ἐν βαδίσει καὶ ἐν ἱματίοις καὶ παρὰ μηδενὸς ἐπιζητοῦσαν τιμὴν θαυμάζουσιν ἅπασαι καὶ ἐκπλήττονται καὶ μακαρίζουσι καὶ πάντα αὐτῇ συνεύχονται τὰ καλά· τὴν δὲ κενόδοξον ἀποστρέφονται καὶ μισοῦσι, καὶ ὥσπερ τι θηρίον ἄγριον φεύγουσι καὶ μυρίαις ἀραῖς τε καὶ λοιδορίαις βάλλουσιν.

Οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ προσίεσθαι τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν διαφεύγομεν τὰ κακά, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα πάντων κερδανοῦμεν πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις, παιδευόμενοι κατὰ μικρὸν ἀνιέναι καὶ πέτασθαι πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πάντων καταφρονεῖν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ δεόμενος τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τιμῆς, ἅπερ ἂν πράττῃ καλά, ταῦτα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἅπαντα πράξει, καὶ οὔτε ἐπὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν, οὔτε ἐπὶ τῶν χρηστῶν τοῦ βίου τούτου πείσεταί τι δεινόν. Οὔτε γὰρ ταῦτα αὐτὸν βαπτίσαι καὶ καθελεῖν, οὔτε ἐκεῖνα ἐξογκῶσαι καὶ φυσῆσαι δύναται, ἀλλ' ἐν πράγμασιν εὐμεταπτώτοις καὶ τεταραγμένοις αὐτὸς μένει πάσης ἐκτὸς ὢν μεταβολῆς· ὅπερ ταχέως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς ἔσεσθαι προσδοκῶ ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀθρόως ἁπάντων ἀποσπασθεῖσαν τῶν βιωτικῶν, τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἡμῖν ἐπιδείξεσθαι πολιτείαν, καὶ τῆς δόξης ἣν θρηνεῖς νῦν μικρὸν ὕστερον καταγελάσεσθαι, καὶ τὸ διάκενον καὶ μάταιον κατοπτεύσειν προσωπεῖον αὐτῆς. Εἰ δὲ ἀσφάλειαν ποθεῖς τὴν δι' ἐκεῖνόν σοι γεγενημένην καὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων φυλακήν, καὶ τὸ παρὰ μηδενὸς ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι τῶν ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις ἐπιπηδώντων συμφοραῖς, «Ἐπίρριψον ἐπὶ Κύριον τὴν μέριμνάν σου, καὶ αὐτός σε διαθρέψει.» «Ἐμβλέψατε γάρ, φησίν, εἰς ἀρχαίας γενεὰς καὶ ἴδετε τίς ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον καὶ κατῃσχύνθη, ἢ τίς ἐπεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπερεῖδεν αὐτόν, ἢ τίς ἐνέμεινε ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτόν.» Ὁ γὰρ τὴν συμφορὰν τὴν οὕτως ἀφόρητον παρενεγκὼν καὶ ποιήσας εἶναι ἐν γαλήνῃ νῦν, οὗτος καὶ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἀποκρούσεται· ὅτι γὰρ ταύτης τῆς πληγῆς οὐδεμίαν ἑτέραν χαλεπωτέραν λήψῃ λοιπόν, καὶ αὐτὴ συνομολογήσαις ἡμῖν. Ἡ τοίνυν οὕτω γενναίως ἐνεγκοῦσα τὰ ἐν χερσὶ καὶ ταῦτα ἄπειρος οὖσα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, εἴποτε, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, συμβῇ τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων ἡμῖν, οἴσεις εὐκόλως. Τὸν γὰρ οὐρανὸν ζήτει καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖ φέροντα ζωήν, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ἐνταῦθα βλάψαι δυνήσεταί σε, οὐδὲ ὁ τοῦ σκότους κοσμοκράτωρ αὐτός, μόνον μὴ ἑαυτοὺς καταβλάψωμεν ἡμεῖς. Κἂν γὰρ τὴν οὐσίαν τις ἀφέληται, κἂν κατατέμῃ τὸ σῶμα, τούτων οὐδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὑγιοῦς μενούσης ἡμῖν τῆς ψυχῆς. Ὅλως δὲ εἰ βούλει καὶ τὰ χρήματά σοι μένειν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καὶ αὔξεσθαι πάλιν, ἐγώ σοι καὶ τὸν τρόπον ὑποδείξω καὶ τὸν τόπον, ἔνθα οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων θέμις εἰσελθεῖν. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ τόπος; Ὁ οὐρανός. Ἀπόστειλον αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν καλὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄνδρα, καὶ οὔτε κλέπτης, οὔτε ἐπίβουλος, οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν λυμαινομένων αὐτοῖς ἐπιπηδῆσαι δυνήσεται. Ἂν ἐκεῖ κατορύξῃς ταῦτα τὰ χρήματα, πολὺν εὑρήσεις τὸν ἀπὸ τούτων καρπόν. Τὰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς φυτευόμενα πάντα παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ πλείονα καὶ κρείττονα ἔχει τὴν φορὰν καὶ τοιαύτην οἵαν εἰκὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐρριζωμένων αὐτῶν. Κἂν τοῦτο πράξῃς, ὅρα ποίων ἀπολαύσῃ καλῶν· πρῶτον μὲν