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he comes and speaks a few things to the one lying down; but concerning medicines and foods and the rest of the treatment, having called those belonging to him, he entrusts everything to them. Why is this? Because the one who is sick does not immediately accept the exhortation, but the one who is healthy pays attention to what is said with much eagerness; for this reason I wish to converse with them and with you. Let us anticipate them at the gates tomorrow, let us lie in wait on the roads, men pull down the men, women the women, from their beasts of burden; let us bring them back here, let us not be ashamed; where there is the salvation of a brother, there is no shame. If they are not ashamed going up to the lawless procession, much more ought we not to be ashamed who are about to bring them back to this sacred festival. When a brother's salvation is at stake, let us refuse nothing. For if Christ died for us, it is necessary for us to endure all things for them; even if they inflict blows, even if they revile you, hold on, and do not depart before you have brought them back to the holy martyr; and if it is necessary to set up a court from those passing by, let those who wish listen; say, "I wish to save a brother, I see a soul perishing, and I cannot bear to overlook our kinship;" let him who wishes accuse, let him who wishes prosecute; rather no one will accuse, but all will even praise, all will embrace you. For I am not striving and fighting for money, nor in defense of a private enmity, nor for any other of the things of this life, but for a brother's salvation; who will not approve of these things? who will not marvel? Spiritual kinship has made us, who are in no way related to one another by carnal kinship, more affectionate than fathers. If you wish, let us also take the martyr with us; for he is not ashamed to come and save his brothers. Let us set him before their eyes, let them fear him present, let them stand in awe of him exhorting and entreating; for he is not ashamed even to exhort. For if his Master exhorts our nature; "We are ambassadors for Christ," says Paul, "as though God were making his appeal through us, Be reconciled to God;" much more will the servant do this; one thing only grieves him, our destruction; one thing gladdens him, our salvation, and for this reason he will refuse to do nothing for its sake. Therefore let us not be ashamed, nor think it to be superfluous.

For if human hunters go to cliffs and mountains and ravines and every impassable place, wishing to hunt either a hare, or a gazelle, or some other such thing, or often even these wild birds; you who are about to bring back from destruction not a worthless irrational creature, but a spiritual brother, for whom Christ died, and not to go out to mountains and glens, but only to the gate, 50.675 do you hesitate and blush? and what excuse will you have, tell me? do you not hear a certain wise man exhorting and saying: "There is a shame that brings on sin"? But are you afraid that someone might accuse you? Transfer the blame to me who have spoken; say that the teacher so commanded; I am ready to be judged by the accusers and to give an account; rather, no one will accuse either you or us, even if he be exceedingly shameless, but all will approve, and will marvel at us for our solicitude, not only those in our own country, but also those who inhabit the neighboring cities, that among us there is such a tyranny of love, such a zeal of affection. But why do I speak of men? the Lord of angels himself will approve of us. Knowing therefore the reward, let us not despise the hunt, nor let us return alone tomorrow, but let each one thus come having his catch with him. If you only come at that hour in which, leaving his house, he sets out on the road, and you 50.676 turn him toward arriving here, there will be no difficulty remaining, but when the time has passed he too will know great gratitude to you, and all the others will praise and marvel at you; and what is of all things

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θὼν ὀλίγα τῷ κειμένῳ διαλέγεται· τὰ δὲ περὶ φαρ μάκων καὶ σιτίων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης θεραπείας, καλέσας τοὺς αὐτῷ προσήκοντας, ἐκείνοις ἅπαντα ἐπισκήπτει. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν κάμνων οὐ δέχεται εὐθέως τὴν παραίνεσιν, ὁ δὲ ὑγιαίνων μετὰ πολλῆς προθυμίας προσέχει τοῖς λεγομένοις· διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τούτων καὶ ὑμῖν βούλομαι διαλεχθῆναι. Προκαταλάβωμεν αὔριον τὰς πύλας, ἐφεδρεύσωμεν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, ἄνδρες τοὺς ἄνδρας, γυναῖκες τὰς γυναῖκας κατασπάσωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ὑποζυγίων· ἐπαναγάγωμεν ἐνταῦθα, μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῶμεν· ἔνθα σωτηρία ἀδελφοῦ, οὐκ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη. Εἰ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ αἰσχύνονται πρὸς τὴν παράνομον πομπὴν ἀνιόντες, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς αἰσχύνεσθαι οὐ χρὴ πρὸς τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην πανήγυριν μέλλοντας αὐτοὺς ἐπαναγαγεῖν. Ὅταν ἀδελφοῦ σωτηρία προκέηται, μηδὲν παραιτώμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἅπαντα ὑπομένειν δι' αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς χρή· κἂν πληγὰς ἐντείνονται, κἂν λοιδορήσωνται, κάτασχε, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῇς, ἕως ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐπαναγάγῃς πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον μάρτυρα· κἂν δικαστήριον δέῃ καθίσαι ἐκ τῶν παριόντων, οἱ βουλόμενοι ἀκουέτωσαν· ἀδελφὸν, εἰπὲ, βούλομαι σῶσαι, ὁρῶ ψυχὴν ἀπολλυμένην, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχομαι περιιδεῖν τὴν συγγένειαν· ὁ βουλόμενος ἐγκαλείτω, ὁ βουλόμενος κατηγορείτω· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐγκαλέσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες ἐπαινέσονται, πάντες ἀσπάσονται. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων, οὐδὲ δι' οἰκείαν ἀπέχθειαν ἀμυνόμενος, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν βιωτικῶν φιλονεικῶ καὶ μάχομαι, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἀδελφοῦ σωτηρίας· ταῦτα τίς οὐκ ἀποδέξεται; τίς οὐ θαυ- μάσεται; Οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς προσήκοντας ἀλλήλοις κατὰ συγγένειαν σαρκικὴν ἡ πνευματικὴ συγγένεια πατρῶν φιλοστοργοτέρους ἐποίησεν. Εἰ βούλεσθε, καὶ τὸν μάρτυρα λάβωμεν μεθ' ἑαυτῶν· οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται γὰρ ἐλθεῖν καὶ σῶσαι τοὺς ἀδελφούς. Ἐπιστήσωμεν αὐτοῖς ἐκείνων ὀφθαλμοῖς, φοβηθῶσι παρόντα, αἰδεσθῶσι παρακαλοῦντα καὶ δεόμενον· οὐ γὰρ αἰσχύνεται καὶ παρακαλέσαι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτοῦ παρακαλεῖ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν· Ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύομεν, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν, Καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ δοῦλος τοῦτο ποιήσει· ἓν αὐτὸν λυπεῖ μόνον, ἡ ἀπώλεια ἡ ἡμετέρα· ἓν εὐφραίνει, ἡ σωτηρία ἡ ἡμετέρα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ παραιτήσεται οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ποιῆσαι. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ ἡμεῖς ἐπαισχυνθῶμεν, μηδὲ περιττὸν εἶναι νομίσωμεν.

Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρω-ποι θηραταὶ κρημνοὺς καὶ ὄρη καὶ βάραθρα καὶ πᾶν ἄβατον ἀπέρχονται χωρίον, εἴτε λαγωὸν, ἢ δορκάδα, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἢ καὶ ὄρνιθας πολλάκις ταύτας τὰς ἀγρίας θηρεῦσαι βουλόμενοι· σὺ μέλλων οὐκ ἄλογον εὐτελὲς, ἀλλ' ἀδελφὸν πνευματικὸν, δι' ὃν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν, ἐπαναγαγεῖν ἐξ ἀπωλείας, καὶ οὐκ ὄρη καὶ νάπας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πύλην ἐξελθεῖν, 50.675 μόνον ἀναδύῃ καὶ ἐρυθριᾷς; καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις, εἰπέ μοι, συγγνώμην; οὐκ ἀκούεις σοφοῦ τινος παραινοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν; Ἀλλὰ δέδοικας μή τις ἐγκαλέσῃ; Μετάγαγε τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸν εἰρηκότα· εἰπὲ ὅτι ὁ διδάσκαλος οὕτως ἐκέλευσεν· ἕτοιμος ἐγὼ δικάζεσθαι τοῖς ἐγκαλοῦσι καὶ παρασχεῖν εὐθύνας· μᾶλλον δὲ οὔτε ὑμῖν, οὔτε ἡμῖν ἐγκαλέσει τις, κἂν σφόδρα ἀναίσχυντος ᾖ, ἀλλ' ἀποδέξονται πάντες, καὶ θαυμά-σονται τῆς κηδεμονίας ἡμᾶς, οὐχὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὰς γείτονας πόλεις οἰκοῦντες, ὅτι τοσαύτη παρ' ἡμῖν ἀγάπης τυραννὶς, τοσοῦτος φιλοστοργίας ζῆλος. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους; αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡμᾶς ἀποδέξεται ∆εσπότης. Εἰδότες οὖν τὸν μισθὸν, μὴ καταφρονήσωμεν τῆς θήρας, μηδὲ ἐπανέλθωμεν μόνοι αὔριον, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τὴν ἄγραν ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ οὕτω πα-ραγενέσθω. Ἂν τὴν ὥραν ἐκείνην παραγένῃ μόνον, καθ' ἣν τῆς οἰκίας ἐξιὼν ἅπτεται τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ με 50.676 ταστήσῃς αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν ἐνταῦθα ἄφιξιν, οὐδεμία λοιπὸν ἔσται δυσκολία, ἀλλὰ τοῦ καιροῦ παρελθόντος πολλὴν εἴσεταί σοι κἀκεῖνος τὴν χάριν, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἐπαινέσουσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ θαυμάσουσι· καὶ ὃ πάντων