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of eternal life and of the things promised to those who love God, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, then of dwelling with this good for all eternity, and here, too, you will free yourself from cares and fears and dangers and plots and enmity and hatred.

For as long as you are clothed with these things, perhaps there will be some who will attack; but if you transfer them to heaven, you will live a life without danger and secure and full of much tranquility, enjoying self-sufficiency with piety. For it is of great foolishness for one wanting to buy a field to seek out the most fertile land, but when heaven is set before him instead of earth, and it is possible to acquire a place there, to remain on the earth and to endure its toils and those arising from sins; for it often disappoints our hope. But since the expectation that he would often come to the dignity of his predecessors, and be snatched away prematurely from his office, terribly agitates and disturbs your soul, first consider this, that even if this hope were very clear, it was nevertheless the hope of men, which often fails. And we see many such things happening in life, with those things most expected remaining unfulfilled, while things that never even entered our minds often came to pass, and we see this happening always in offices, in kingdoms, in inheritances, and in marriages, and everywhere. So that even if the time was very near, yet, according to the proverb, there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. And Scripture also says: "From morning until evening the time changes." Thus also: "The king who is today, dies tomorrow." And again, showing us the unexpected, this same wise man says: "Many tyrants have sat on the ground, and one who was never thought of has worn the diadem." And it was not at all clear that if he had lived he would have come to that office; for the uncertainty of the future allowed us to suspect other things as well. For how is it clear that if he had lived he would have come to that office? that the opposite would not have happened, and that he would not have fallen from his present honor, being given over to sickness, and struck by the envy and malice of those wishing to outshine him, or even having suffered some other grievous thing? But let us suppose, if you wish, that it was also perfectly clear that he was certainly destined, had he survived, to attain this summit; for the greater the dignity, the greater of necessity would have been the dangers and cares and plots. But let us not even suppose these things, but that he might have sailed that sea without danger and with much tranquility; and what would the end be, tell me? Not this which is now, or rather, not this, but perhaps something else unpleasant and to be deprecated.

First, to have seen heaven and the things in the heavens more slowly, which is no small loss to those who have believed concerning the things to come; then, even if he lived very purely, nevertheless the length of his life and the necessity of that office would not have allowed him to depart as pure as he is now. And it is uncertain whether, after having received many changes and inclined toward carelessness, he might have swerved at the last. For now we are confident that by the grace of God he has flown away to the place of rest, because nothing has been dared by him of those things that shut one out from the kingdom of heaven; but then, having spent a long time in public affairs, he would perhaps have also contracted much defilement. For to live uprightly while being in the midst of so many evils is one of the very rare things, but to sin both unwillingly and willingly is among the likely and ever-present things. But now we have been freed from this fear and are fully persuaded that on that day he will come with much brightness, shining near the King and preceding Christ with the angels, and clothed in unspeakable glory, and standing by the judging King, and serving Him in the first ranks. Therefore, putting aside lamentations and wailings, hold to the same way of life, or rather, an even more exact one, so that, having attained to a virtue equal to his, you may inhabit the same tabernacle with him and be able to be joined to him again for the

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τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν ἃ οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ἔπειτα τοῦ πάντα συνοικῆσαι τῷ καλῷ τούτῳ τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ φροντίδων καὶ φόβων καὶ κινδύνων καὶ ἐπιβουλῶν καὶ ἔχθρας καὶ μίσους ἀπαλλάξεις σαυτήν.

Ἕως μὲν γὰρ αὐτὰ περικειμένη ᾖς, ἴσως ἔσονταί τινες οἱ ἐπιτεθησόμενοι· ἂν δὲ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν αὐτὰ μεταθῇς, ἀκίνδυνον καὶ ἀσφαλῆ καὶ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας γέμοντα βιώσῃ βίον αὐταρκείας μετὰ εὐσεβείας ἀπολαύουσα. Καὶ γὰρ πολλῆς ἀλογίας ἀγρὸν μὲν βουλόμενον ὠνήσασθαι τὴν εὐφοροῦσαν γῆν ἐπιζητεῖν, οὐρανοῦ δὲ ἀντὶ γῆς προκειμένου, παρὸν ἐκεῖ κτήσασθαι χωρίον, μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐκ ταύτης ἀνέχεσθαι πόνων καὶ τῶν δι' ἁμαρτιῶν· πολλάκις γὰρ σφάλλει τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμᾶς. Ἐπειδὴ δέ σου δεινῶς στρέφει τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ θορυβεῖ τὸ προσδοκηθὲν πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν ὑπάρχων ἥξειν ἀξίωμα, καὶ προανηρπάσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς, πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο σκόπει, ὅτι εἰ καὶ σφόδρα δήλη ἦν αὕτη ἡ ἐλπίς, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀνθρώπων ἐλπὶς ἦν, πολλάκις διαπίπτουσα· καὶ πολλὰ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τοιαῦτα ὁρῶμεν γινόμενα, καὶ τῶν σφόδρα προσδοκηθέντων ἀτελέστων μεινάντων, τὰ δὲ μηδ' εἰς νοῦν ἐλθόντα ἡμῖν εἰς τέλος ἐξῆλθε πολλάκις, καὶ τοῦτο κἀν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, κἀν ταῖς βασιλείαις, κἀν ταῖς κληρονομίαις, καὶ τοῖς γάμοις, καὶ πανταχοῦ συμβαῖνον ὁρῶμεν ἀεί. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐγγὺς ἦν ὁ καιρός, ἀλλὰ πολλά, κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλεος ἄκρου. Καὶ ἡ Γραφὴ δέ φησιν· «Ἀπὸ πρωΐθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας μεταβάλλει καιρός.» Οὕτω καί· «Ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ σήμερον ὢν αὔριον τελευτᾷ.» Καὶ πάλιν τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐμφαίνων ἡμῖν αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ σοφός φησι· «Πολλοὶ τύραννοι ἐκάθισαν ἐπὶ ἐδάφους, ὁ δὲ ἀνυπονόητος ἐφόρεσε διάδημα.» Καὶ οὐ πάντως δῆλον ἦν ὅτι ζήσας ἐπ' ἐκείνην ἥξει τὴν ἀρχήν· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄδηλον καὶ ἕτερα ὑποπτεύειν παρεῖχεν ἡμῖν. Πόθεν γὰρ δῆλον ὅτι ζήσας ἐπ' ἐκείνην ἥξει τὴν ἀρχήν; ὅτι οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἐναντία ἐξέβαινε, καὶ τῆς οὔσης ἐξέπιπτε τιμῆς νόσῳ παραδοθείς, καὶ φθόνῳ καὶ βασκανίᾳ τῶν βουλομένων αὐτὸν παρευημερῆσαι βληθείς, ἢ καὶ ἕτερόν τι παθὼν χαλεπόν; θῶμεν δέ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ δῆλον εἶναι σαφῶς ὅτι πάντως ἐπιβιώσας ταύτης ἔμελλεν ἐπιτυγχάνειν τῆς κορυφῆς· ὅσῳ γὰρ ἡ ἀξία μείζων, τοσούτῳ καὶ μείζονας ἔχειν ἀνάγκη τοὺς κινδύνους ἦν καὶ φροντίδας καὶ ἐπιβουλάς. Μηδὲ ταῦτα ἔστω, ἀλλ' ἀκινδύνως καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἡσυχίας ἐκεῖνο διαπλείτω τὸ πέλαγος· καὶ τί τὸ πέρας, εἰπέ μοι; οὐ τοῦτο ὅπερ νῦν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἕτερον ἴσως ἀηδὲς καὶ ἀπευκτόν.

Πρῶτον μὲν τὸ βραδύτερον ἰδεῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅπερ οὐ μικρὰ ζημία τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων πεπιστευκόσιν ἐστίν· ἔπειτα δὲ εἰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐβίου καθαρῶς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ μῆκος τοῦ βίου καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκείνης ἀνάγκη οὐκ ἂν ἀφῆκεν οὕτως ἀπελθεῖν καθαρὸν ὥσπερ νῦν. Ἄδηλον δὲ εἰ καὶ πολλὰς δεξάμενος μεταβολὰς καὶ πρὸς ῥαθυμίαν ἀποκλίνας ἐσχάτως ἀπένευσε. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ θαρροῦμεν ὅτι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως ἀπέπτη χωρίον, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν αὐτῷ τετολμῆσθαι τῶν ἀποκλειόντων τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· τότε δὲ πολὺν χρόνον δημοσίοις πράγμασιν ἐνδιατρίψας, ἴσως ἂν καὶ ῥύπον πολὺν προσετρίψατο. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ στρεφόμενον τοσούτων κακῶν κατορθῶσαι μὲν τῶν σφόδρα σπανίων ἐστίν, ἁμαρτεῖν δὲ καὶ ἄκοντα καὶ ἑκόντα, τῶν εἰκότων καὶ συμβαινόντων ἀεί. Ἀλλὰ νῦν τούτου τοῦ δέους ἀπηλλάγμεθα καὶ σφόδρα πεπείσμεθα ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ πολλῆς ἥξει τῆς φαιδρότητος, ἐγγὺς τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπολάμπων καὶ μετ' ἀγγέλων προηγούμενος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἄρρητον δόξαν ἠμφιεσμένος, καὶ κρίνοντι παρεστὼς τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὰ πρῶτα διακονούμενος αὐτῷ. ∆ιὸ τοὺς θρήνους ἀφεῖσα καὶ τὰς οἰμωγὰς ἔχου τῆς αὐτῆς πολιτείας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀκριβεστέρας, ἵνα πρὸς τὴν ἴσην αὐτῷ φθάσασα ἀρετήν, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνῳ κατοικήσῃς σκηνὴν καὶ συναφθῆναι πάλιν αὐτῷ δυνηθῇς εἰς τοὺς