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Gospels: Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. And from this, he says, I had great abundance. "I made for myself male singers and female singers, in the delight of the son of man." But neither did I neglect to charm, 93.497 he says, my hearing through songs; for through these, not the sons of God, but the sons of man, take their delight. Male cupbearers, and female cupbearers." Either in order that by the exchange of those who drink toasts he might overstimulate the appetite, or as one describing the persona of a very luxurious and woman-loving man. "And I became great, and I increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; and yet wisdom remained with me." Thus, he says, being so exalted, I did not fail in those things which I planned and devised. "And whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them; I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure." So that, he says, I brought to fulfillment every desire of the eyes and every appetite of the soul concerning pleasure, which indeed he calls gladness. "For my heart rejoiced in all my labor." From the aforementioned labors, he says, I found this portion and lot, to attain enjoyment from them. "And I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and a choice of the spirit." Having accomplished all these things, he says, through my active and productive powers, I found that all human pursuits are vanity, and there is no advantage for those who toil at things that are seen and are under the sun, because all undergo the common death, both rich and poor alike. For those who labor for the things above the sun, and have leaped beyond the things that are seen, have some advantage, according to the voice of the Savior, who said: I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly; such as this, to be outside of punishment, and in the enjoyment of the promised goods. Note again, that to be zealous about vain things, and to be occupied with pleasures, is not the impulse of irrational chance, nor the necessity of fate, but they are movements of our own choice and of the free will within us. "And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and distraction, and folly: for what man is there that shall come after the counsel, which it has made?" Having stripped bare the persona of the man of many possessions who is concerned with earthly things, he returns to wisdom, and tests by placing side by side both wisdom and folly, which indeed he also calls distraction, either because it is carried about with every wind, or because it is a kind of frenzy, that is, madness. And he says, Let us inquire if the one who chooses folly is able at all to fulfill his own wishes; for this is what is meant by, "he shall come after the counsel." Then he finds that one rarely succeeds in this. Wherefore he put, "Who," 93.500 meaning "rarely." For neither does the one who wishes to be rich, always become rich; nor does the one who loves glory, always attain it; and so it is with the other things; but the one who loves wisdom, being led by God, will certainly come after the counsel, that is, he finds what he seeks. Alternatively: Being amazed, he says, that "Who then is the one able to turn back always from his own wishes, and to examine the impulse of his intention, so that he may be able to discern whether he acts in wisdom, or in folly?" Alternatively, Having gone outside the body, he says, and having contemplated through wisdom that after the end of life no one is able to return to this life and again be in the enjoyment of what he worked for in it according to his intention (for "who" is often used instead of "no one"), I preferred wisdom to folly. "And I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly, as light has an advantage over darkness." Darkness comes about by the privation of light; so that light has existence, but darkness is non-existent. So then, he says, it is also with wisdom and with folly; for the works of folly pass away, causing everlasting punishment to those who pursue them; but the works of wisdom remain everlasting, those of the

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Εὐαγγελίοις· Ἄρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἴδετε τὰς χώρας ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμόν. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν οὖν, φησὶ, πολλὴν ἔσχον τὴν εὐπορίαν. "Ἐποίησά μοι ᾄδοντας, καὶ ᾀδούσας, ἐν τρυφήματι υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ θέλγειν, 93.497 φησὶ, διὰ τῶν ᾀσμάτων τὴν ἀκοὴν ἠμέλησα· ἐντρυφῶσι γὰρ καὶ διὰ τούτων οὐχ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' υἱοὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Οἰνοχόους, καὶ οἰνοχόας." Ἢ ἵνα διὰ τῆς τῶν προπινόντων ἐξαλλαγῆς τὴν ὄρεξιν ὑπερερεθίσῃ, ἢ καὶ ὡς σφόδρα ἁβρὸς, καὶ φιλογύνου διαγράφων πρόσωπον. "Καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθην, καὶ προστέθηκα παρὰ πάντας οἳ ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καί γε σοφία ἐστάθη μοι." Οὕτως δὲ, φησὶν, ὑψωθεὶς, οὐδὲ περὶ ὧν ἐβουλευσάμην, καὶ ἐσοφισάμην, ἠστόχησα. "Καὶ πᾶν ὃ ᾔτησαν ὀφθαλμοί μου, οὐκ ἀφεῖλον ἀπ' αὐτῶν· οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσα τὴν καρδίαν μου ἀπὸ πάσης εὐφροσύνης." Ὥστε, φησὶν, πᾶσαν τῶν ὁφθαλμῶν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὄρεξιν τὴν περὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἣν δὴ καὶ εὐφροσύνην καλεῖ, εἰς πέρας ἤγαγον. "Ὅτι καρδία μου εὐφράνθη ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου." Παρὰ τῶν προειρημένων, φησὶ, μόχθων ταύτην εὕρισκον μερίδα καὶ κλῆρον, τὸ τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπιτυγχάνειν ἀπολαύσεως. "Καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ποιήμασί μου, οἷς ἐποίησαν αἱ χεῖρές μου· καὶ ἐν μόχθῳ ᾧ ἐμόχθησα τοῦ ποιεῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος." Ταῦτα, φησὶ, πάντα καταπραξάμενος διὰ τῶν δραστικῶν μου καὶ ποιητικῶν δυνάμεων, εὗρον ὅτι πάντα ἀνθρώπινα ἐπιτηδεύματα ματαιότης εἰσὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν περισσόν ἐστι τοῖς περὶ τὰ βλεπόμενα καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὄντα ἐνταλαιπωροῦσι, διὰ τὸ πάντας τὸν κοινὸν ὑφίστασθαι θάνατον, πλουσίους τε ἅμα καὶ πένητας. Οἱ γὰρ διὰ τὰ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον πονοῦντες, καὶ ὑπερπηδήσαντες τὰ ὁρώμενα, ἔχουσί τι περισσὸν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνὴν, φήσαντος· Ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχωσι, καὶ περισσὸν ἔχωσιν· οἷον δὴ τοῦτο, ἐκτὸς γενέσθαι κολάσεως, καὶ ἐν ἀπολαύσει τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν. Σημείωσαι δὲ πάλιν, ὅτι τὸ σπουδάζειν περὶ τὰ μάταια, καὶ ἡδοναῖς σχολάζειν, οὐ φορᾶς ἀλόγου τύχης, οὐδὲ εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκη, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμῶν προαιρέσεως, καὶ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτεξουσίου κινήματα τυγχάνουσι. "Καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν, καὶ περιφορὰν, καὶ ἀφροσύνην, ὅτι τίς ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς, ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὕτη;" Γυμνώσας τὸ τοῦ πολυκτήμονος καὶ περὶ τὰ γήϊνα στρεφομένου πρόσωπον, ἐπιστρέφει ἐπὶ τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ δοκιμάζει παράλληλα θεὶς τήν τε σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ἣν δὴ καὶ περιφορὰν καλεῖ, ἢ διὰ τὸ συμπεριφέρεσθαι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ· ἢ παραφοράν τινα οὖσαν, τουτέστι μανίαν. Καί φησιν, Ζητήσωμεν εἰ ὅλως δύναται ὁ αἱρούμενος τὴν ἀφροσύνην, πληρῶσαι τὰ θελήματα ἑαυτοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ, ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς. Εἶτα εὑρίσκει ὅτι σπανίως τις ἐπιτυγχάνει τούτου. ∆ιὸ τέθηκε τὸ, Τίς 93.500 σπάνιος. Οὕτε γὰρ ὁ θέλων πλουτῆσαι, πάντως πλουτεῖ· οὔτε ὁ δόξης ἐρῶν, πάντως ἐπιτυγχάνει· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀμοίως· ὁ δὲ τῆς σοφίας ἐρῶν ὁδηγούμενος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, πάντως ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς, τουτέστι, εὑρίσκει τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. Ἄλλως· Ἐκπληττόμενος, φησὶν, ὅτι Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ δυνάμενος ὑποστρέφειν ἀεὶ ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων θελημάτων, καὶ ἐπισκέπτεσθαι τὴν τῆς προθέσεως ὁρμὴν, ἵνα δυνηθῇ διακρῖναι εἰ ἐν σοφίᾳ πράττει, ἢ ἀφροσύνῃ; Ἄλλως, Ἔξω γεγονὼς, φησὶ, τῶν σωμάτων, καὶ θεωρήσας διὰ τῆς σοφίας, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου τελευτὴν οὐδεὶς δύναται ὑποστρέφειν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἀπολαύσει γίνεσθαι, ὧν κατὰ πρόθεσιν ἐν αὐτῷ εἰργάσατο (τὸ γὰρ, τίς, πολλάκις ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐδεὶς, κεῖται), προέκρινα τὴν σοφίαν τῆς ἀφροσύνης. "Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι περισσεία ἑστὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ὡς περισσεία τοῦ φωτὸς ὑπὲρ τὸ σκότος." Τὸ σκότος κατὰ στέρησιν γίνεται τοῦ φωτός· ὥστε τὸ μὲν ἐν ὑπάρξει εἶναι τὸ φῶς, τὸ δὲ ἀνύπαρκτον τὸ σκότος. Οὕτως οὖν, φησὶν, ἐστὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σοφίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀφροσύνης· τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀφροσύνης ἔργα παρέρχονται, κόλασιν διηνεκῆ προξενήσαντα τοῖς αὐτὰ μετελθοῦσι· τὰ δὲ τῆς σοφίας μένει διηνεκῆ, τοὺς τῆς