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to end his life in a foreign land. For do not tell me of the one carried on a couch of solid gold, whom the whole city escorts, whom the people acclaim, who has silk and gold-embroidered garments piled up in great abundance; for this is nothing other than to set a more lavish table for the worm. Therefore, do not show me this one, but show me this very man who is escorted with so much honor, on that day, when Christ sits enthroned on his high judgment seat, being brought in, being called, being required to give an account for what he said, what he did, and what he thought. For then no one from this crowd will stand by him, nor rescue him from chastisement and punishment, nor will these shouts and acclamations be present, but bowing his head, without confidence, ashamed at the accusations of his deeds, he will be led away, dragged by the evil powers to the immortal punishments with the most terrible gnashing of teeth, henceforth lamenting in vain and beating himself from unbearable pains. And such are the things there, but indeed the things here are not tolerable either. For after those acclamations in public that are bought or arise from some fear, he will hear everyone accusing him both in the streets and in the marketplace, and in the house and in taverns, and in other workshops, and on the road and in the country, and everywhere each of the passers-by to his neighbor with great fear relating and saying, what evils will befall him, what punishments will meet him, what torments now await him. What profit has the present life been to him? What more did he reap from his greed? Having left his money to others he has departed, but he himself has been buried, having taken his sins, and many accusers are from all sides, grieving with those who have been wronged, even those who have suffered no harm. For just as in the case of those who are well-treated, even those who have suffered nothing rejoice with those who have, and praise the one who did well; so also in the case of those who are abused, even those who have not been wronged grieve with those who have suffered evil, and they revile the one who did it. For this reason he says: The death of sinners is evil, both because of the accusations here, and because of the punishments there. This, then, is the one who dies more dishonorably than a dog, but it is not so for the righteous; but even if he ends his life in the desert, with no one to shroud him, with no one present, he departs having received a sufficient burial garment, boldness before God; he has a wonderful funeral procession, with angels present and guiding his soul, just as I have already shown in the case of Lazarus, leaving behind countless admirers of his life; and if he leaves children, all who inhabit the city will be their patrons and guardians, repaying them for the goodwill toward their father. But the one who has died in sins and greed, even if he departs leaving children, has he not left them as heirs of his own hatred, 50.693 and left them among enemies? And if he ends his life childless, through his buildings, through his other possessions, which he had from robbery and greed, he leaves behind an immortal accusation against himself. But not so the righteous man, but even having departed he gains the greatest things, benefiting all the living by the memory of his own virtue, and making them better, just as the wicked man is also punished in this way. For not only when living, but also when dead they harm many, leaving behind everywhere proofs of their own greed. Knowing these things, therefore, let us not bewail those who die in a foreign land, but those who die in their sins, nor those in their house and on their bed, but let us count blessed those who depart with virtue, and let us care for virtue, and flee 50.694 from vice. For the one indeed also

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ἀλλοτρίας καταλῦσαι τὸν βίον. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτον εἴπῃς τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης τῆς διαχρύσου φερόμενον, τὸν τῆς πόλεως προπεμπούσης ἁπάσης, τὸν τῶν δήμων εὐφημούντων, τὸν ἱμάτια σηρικὰ καὶ διάχρυσα μετὰ πολλῆς ἔχοντα ἐπεστοιβασμένα τῆς ἀφθονίας· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστι, ἀλλ' ἢ δαψιλεστέραν τῷ σκώληκι παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτόν μοι δείξῃς, ἀλλὰ δεῖξόν μοι τοῦτον αὐτὸν τὸν μετὰ τοσαύτης προπεμπόμενον τιμῆς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ προκαθέζηται τοῦ βήματος, εἰσαγόμενον, καλούμενον, εὐθύνας ἀπαιτούμενον, ὧν εἶπεν, ὧν ἔπραξεν, ὧν ἐνενόησε. Τότε γὰρ οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ τούτου τοῦ πλήθους παραστήσεται, οὐδὲ ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς κολάσεως αὐτὸν καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας, οὐδὲ παραστήσονται αἱ βοαὶ αὗται καὶ αἱ εὐφημίαι, ἀλλὰ κάτω κύπτων, ἀπαῤῥησίαστος, αἰσχυνόμενος ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν πραγμάτων κατηγορίαις ἀπαχθήσεται ἑλκόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν δυνάμεων ἐπὶ τὰς ἀθανάτους κολάσεις μετὰ τοῦ χαλεπωτάτου τῶν ὀδόντων βρυγμοῦ, ἀνόνητα λοιπὸν θρηνῶν καὶ κοπτόμενος ἐκ τῶν ἀφορήτων ὀδυνῶν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐκεῖ τοιαῦτα, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἀνεκτά. Μετὰ γὰρ τὰς εὐφημίας τὰς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τὰς ὠνητὰς ἐκείνας, ἢ ἐκ φόβου τινὸς γινομένας, πάντων ἀκούσει κατηγορούντων καὶ ἐν ἀμφόδοις καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ καὶ ἐν καπηλείοις, καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις ἐργαστηρίοις, καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ καὶ ἐν χώρᾳ, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῶν ὁδευόντων ἑκάστου πρὸς τὸν πλησίον μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ φόβου διηγουμένου καὶ λέγοντος, οἷα αὐτὸν διαδέξεται κακὰ, οἷαι ἀπαντήσονται τιμωρίαι, οἷαι νῦν ἀναμένουσι βάσανοι. Τί τὸ κέρδος αὐτῷ γέγονε τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς; τί τὸ πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς πλεονεξίας ἐκαρπώσατο; Ἑτέροις τὰ χρήματα καταλιπὼν ἀπῆλθεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα λαβὼν κατορώρυκται, καὶ πολλοὶ πανταχόθεν κατήγοροι τοῖς ἠδικημένοις συναλγοῦντες, καὶ οἱ μηδὲν πεπονθότες δεινόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν εὐεργετουμένων, καὶ οἱ μηδὲν παθόντες συνήδονται τοῖς παθοῦσι, καὶ τὸν εὖ ποιήσαντα ἐπαινοῦσιν· οὕτως ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπηρεαζομένων καὶ οἱ μηδὲν ἠδικημένοι συναλγοῦσι τοῖς κακῶς πεπονθόσι, καὶ τὸν ποιήσαντα κακίζουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρὸς, καὶ διὰ τὰς ἐνταῦθα κατηγορίας, καὶ διὰ τὰς ἐκεῖ κολάσεις. Οὗτος τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὁ κυνὸς ἀτιμότερον τελευτῶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν δικαίων οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, κἂν μηδενὸς περιστέλλοντος, κἂν μηδενὸς παρόντος καταλύσῃ τὴν ζωὴν, ἱκανὸν ἐντάφιον λαβὼν ἄπεισι, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν· θαυμαστὴν ἔχει τὴν ἐκφορὰν, ἀγγέλων παρόντων, καὶ ψυχὴν ὁδηγούντων, καθάπερ οὖν ἔφθην ἀποδείξας ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, μυρίους ἐπαινέτας καταλιμπάνων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς· κἂν παῖδας καταλίπῃ, πάντες οἱ τὴν πόλιν οἰκοῦντες προστάται καὶ κηδεμόνες αὐτῶν ἔσονται, τῆς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εὐνοίας αὐτοὺς ἀμειβόμενοι. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις καὶ πλεονεξίαις τετελευτηκὼς, κἂν ἀφεὶς παῖδας ἀπέλθῃ, κληρονόμους τῆς οἰκείας ἀπεχθείας 50.693 εἴασε, καὶ μεταξὺ πολεμίων ἀφῆκε; κἂν ἄπαις τελευτήσῃ τὸν βίον, διὰ τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων, διὰ τῶν ἄλλων κτημάτων, ἅπερ ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἔσχεν, ἀθάνατον ἑαυτοῦ καταλιμπάνει τὴν κατηγορίαν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ δίκαιος οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπελθὼν κερδαίνει τὰ μέγιστα, τῇ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς μνήμῃ τοὺς ζῶντας ἅπαντας ὠφελῶν, καὶ βελτίους ποιῶν, ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ταύτῃ κολάζεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ζῶντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποθανόντες πολλοὺς παραβλάπτουσι τῆς οἰκείας πλεονεξίας ἐλέγχους πανταχοῦ καταλιμπάνοντες. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, μὴ τοὺς ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις τελευτῶντας ταλανίζωμεν, μηδὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μετ' ἀρετῆς ἀπιόντας μακαρίζωμεν, καὶ ἀρετῆς μὲν ἐπιμελώμεθα, κακίαν δὲ φεύ50.694 γωμεν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ καὶ