as he works an ambush for himself first and alone. But he who tears down another's safety will fall into a serpent's bite. But [perhaps] the one who removes stones will undergo no small labor; but also the one splitting wood will bear the danger in his own tool. And if the axe should happen to fly off the handle, the one working these things will be troubled, not gathering for good, and increasing his own unjust and swiftly-doomed power. But a serpent's bite is stealthy; the charmers will offer no comfort, for they are vain. But the good man works good things both for himself and for his neighbors; but the fool will fall into ruin through his own babbling. And once having opened his mouth, he begins foolishly, and ceases quickly, throughout it all displaying his own folly. And it is impossible for a man to know anything, and to learn from a man the things from the beginning, or the things to come. For who will be the one to announce it? But a man who does not know how to go to the good city, endures affliction, both in his eyes, and in his whole countenance. And for that city I foretell evils, whose king is young, and whose rulers are gluttonous. But I bless the good land, whose king is the son of a free man; where those deemed worthy to rule there will enjoy good things at the proper time. But the lazy and idle diminish a house, having become mockers; and for their own gluttony, misusing everything, led by silver, enduring to do all things shamefully and basely for the sake of a small price. But it is fitting to obey a king, and rulers, or potentates, and not to be hostile, nor to cast any grievous word at all against them. For there is fear, lest this and that spoken in private, should somehow come to light. For to the only and rich and great king swift and winged angels convey all things, performing a service both spiritual and rational.

CHAPTER 11. 1 To share indeed bread and the necessities, which are for the life of men,

is just. For even if for the moment you seem to some to be losing it, as if casting your bread upon the water, yet in the course of time your philanthropy will not appear unprofitable to you. But give unsparingly, and divide your things among many; for you do not know what the coming day has wrought. And not even clouds hold back their own great rain, but they release the shower upon the 1016 earth; and not even a tree stands forever, but even if men spare it, it will at least be overturned by the wind. But many wish also to foreknow the things that will be from heaven, and someone looking at the clouds and waiting for the wind, abstained from harvesting or winnowing, being persuaded of nothing, nor knowing any of the things that will be from God; just as one does not know what she who is pregnant will bring forth. But having sown in season, gather the fruits, whenever the season for this arrives; for it is uncertain which of them that have grown will be better. But may all things turn out for the good. But someone reckoning that the sun is beautiful, and this life is sweet, and it is good also to live long, rejoicing always, and that death is fearful, and an eternal evil, and leads to nothingness, thinks it necessary to enjoy all present and seemingly pleasant things. And he advises the young also to make use of their own season, giving their souls over to every pleasure, and to gratify their desires, and to do what seems good to them, and to look at pleasing things, and to turn away from things that are not so. To whom I will say this much; That you are being foolish, O you, not expecting the judgment from God that will be for all these things. But wickedness is profligacy and licentiousness, and the filthy abuse of our bodies is destructive. For folly accompanies youth; and folly leads to ruin.

CHAPTER 12.

ὡς ἑαυτῷ πρώτῳ καὶ μόνῳ ἔνεδρον ἐργάζεται. Ὁ δὲ καθαιρῶν ἄλλου ἀσφάλειαν, περιπεσεῖται ὄφεως δήγματι. Ἀλλὰ μὴ [ἴσ. μὴν] ὁ λίθους ἐξαιρούμενος, ὑποίσει πόνον οὐ μικρόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ σχίζων ξύλα, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ οἰκείῳ ὅπλῳ τὸν κίνδυνον οἴσει. Ἐὰν δὲ συμβῇ τοῦ στελεοῦ τὸν πέλεκυν ἐκπηδῆσαι, θορυβηθήσεται ὁ ταῦτα ἐργαζόμενος, οὐκ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ συγκομίζων, καὶ ἐπαύξων αὐτὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἄδικον καὶ ὠκύμορον δύ ναμιν. Ὄφεως δὲ δῆγμα λαθραῖον· οὐδὲν παραμυθή σονται οἱ ἐπᾴδοντες· μάταιοι γάρ εἰσιν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὰ ἐργάζεται αὑτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς πλη σίον· ὁ δὲ ἄφρων εἰς ὄλεθρον ἐμπεσεῖται διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ φλυαρίας. Καὶ ἄπαξ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα, ἄρχε ται ἀφρόνως, καὶ παύεται ταχέως, διὰ παντὸς ἐνδει κνύμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἄνοιαν. Ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ ἀδύνατόν τι γνῶναι, καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου μαθεῖν τὰ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἢ τὰ ἐπιόντα. Τίς γὰρ ἔσται ὁ μηνύσων; Ἄνθρωπος δὲ ὃς οὐκ οἶδεν εἰς τὴν ἀγαθὴν πορευθῆναι πόλιν, κά κωσιν ὑπομένει, τοῖς τε ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τῷ παντὶ προσώπῳ. Πόλει δὲ ἐκείνῃ κακὰ προλέγω, ἧς ὅ τε βασιλεὺς νέος, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες γαστρίμαργοι. Μακα ρίζω δὲ γῆν τὴν ἀγαθὴν, ἧς βασιλεύει ὁ τοῦ ἐλευθέ ρου υἱός· ἔνθα εὐκαίρως ἀπολαύσουσιν ἀγαθῶν, οἱ ἐκεῖσε ἄρχειν ἠξιωμένοι. Ὀκνηρὸς δὲ καὶ ἀργὸς, οἶκον ἐλαττοῦσι χλευασταὶ γενόμενοι· καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν λαιμαργίαν, τοῖς πᾶσι καταχρώμενοι, ἀργυ ρίῳ ἀγώγιμοι, ἕνεκα ὀλίγου τιμήματος πάντα αἰσχρῶς καὶ ταπεινῶς πράσσειν ὑπομένοντες. Βασι λεῖ δὲ, καὶ ἄρχουσιν, ἢ δυνάσταις ὑπακούειν προσήκει, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, οὐδ' ὅλως λυπηρόν τι εἰς αὐ τοὺς ῥῆμα ἀποῤῥίπτειν. ∆έος γὰρ, μὴ τὸ καὶ τὸ κα ταμόνας εἰρημένον, εἰς φανερόν πως ἔλθῃ. Τῷ γὰρ μόνῳ καὶ πλουσίῳ καὶ μεγάλῳ βασιλεῖ ἄγγελοι ὀξεῖς καὶ ὑπόπτεροι ἅπαντα διακομίζουσι, πνευματικὴν ὁμοῦ καὶ λογικὴν τελοῦντες ὑπηρεσίαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΑʹ. 1 Κοινωνεῖν γε μὴν ἄρτου καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἃ πρὸς τὸν βίον ἀνθρώποις,

δίκαιον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ παραυτίκα τισὶ δόξεις ἀπολλύναι, ὥσπερ ὕδατι τὸν ἄρτον παρα διδοὺς, ἀλλ' οὖν προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου, οὐκ ἀνόνητός σοι φανεῖται ἡ φιλανθρωπία. ∆ίδου δὲ ἀφειδῶς, καὶ μέριζε τὰ σαυτοῦ πλείοσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπίστασαι τί ποτε ἡ ἐπιοῦσα ἐποίησεν ἡμέρα. Κατέχουσι δὲ οὐδὲ νεφέλαι τὸν ἑαυτῶν πολὺν ὑετὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὄμβρον ἐπὶ 1016 γῆν ἀφιᾶσι· καὶ οὐδὲ δένδρον εἰς ἀεὶ ἕστηκεν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ φείσωνται, ἀνέμῳ γοῦν ἀνατραπή σεται. Πολλοὶ δὲ βούλονται καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐσόμενα προγινώσκειν, καί τις εἴς τε νεφέλας ἀφο ρῶν, καὶ περιμένων ἄνεμον, ἀμήτου ἢ λικμητοῦ ἀπέ σχετο, ἐπὶ μηδενὶ πεπεισμένος, μηδὲ γινώσκων τὶ τῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐσομένων· ὥσπερ οὐδὲ οἷον ἡ κυοφοροῦσα τέξεται. Σπείρας δὲ ἐν καιρῷ, συγκόμιζε τοὺς καρ ποὺς, ὁπότ' ἂν τούτου καιρὸς ἐνστῇ· ἄδηλον γὰρ, ὁποῖα αὐτῶν ἔσται ἀμείνω τῶν φυέντων. Γένοιτο δὲ ἅπαντα εἰς ἀγαθόν. Λογιζόμενος δέ τις, ὡς καλὸς μὲν ὁ ἥλιος, ἡδὺς δὲ οὗτος ὁ βίος, ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ πο λυχρόνιον γενέσθαι διαπαντὸς εὐφραινόμενον, καὶ ὡς φοβερὸν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ἀΐδιον κακὸν, καὶ εἰς τὸ μηδὲν ἄγων, οἴεται χρῆναι, πάντων μὲν ἀπολαύειν τῶν παρ όντων καὶ δοκούντων ἡδέων. Συμβουλεύει δὲ καὶ τοῖς νέοις, τῇ ἑαυτῶν ὥρᾳ καταχρῆσθαι ἀνέντας τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς εἰς πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν, καὶ χαρίζεσθαι μὲν ἐπιθυμίαις, πράττειν δὲ τὰ αὐτοῖς δοκοῦντα, καὶ βλέπειν τὰ τέρποντα, καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὰ μὴ οὕτως ἔχοντα. Πρὸς ὃν τοσοῦτον λέξω· Ὅτι ἀνοηταίνεις, ὦ οὗτος, μὴ προσδοκῶν τὴν ἐφ' ἅπασι τούτοις ἐκ Θεοῦ κρίσιν ἐσομένην. Πονηρὸν δὲ ἀσωτία καὶ ἀσέλ γεια, καὶ ῥυπαρὰ σωμάτων ἡμετέρων ὕβρις ὀλέθριος. Νεότητι μὲν γὰρ ἄνοια παρέπεται· ἄνοια δὲ ἄγει εἰς ὄλεθρον.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒ.