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of those who have played wickedly in life? But will anything more playful be seen? One drinking-companion said wine rules all, another, woman, but a wise man, the truth; but I would have said gold, since it has the power. By this all things are easily gambled away. This is not yet the terrible thing, if only the things of the world prevail among us more than the Spirit. But from where did the dog get the gold? That must be investigated. A certain presbyter coming here from Thasos, bringing gold of the church there, in order to buy Proconnesian marble slabs, having fawned upon this man and taken him as an accomplice and bound the miserable wretch with many hopes— for the evil are most quickly mixed with the evil— he had the gold as a servant for everything, a faithful co-worker, a genuine fellow-trader. And here is the proof: for even my dearest friends who formerly revered me, now despise me as a useless, gold-less friend, and easily incline towards the worse, like the tipping of a scale. It was night; and I was ill; but they, like wolves, appearing as thieves suddenly inside the sheepfold, having many hirelings from the fleet, by whom Alexandria is most easily set ablaze— for they clearly fall in with the fleet— they were eager to tonsure the dog for the episcopal chair, before making it known to the people, before to the founders of the church, before to us ourselves, as to dogs at least. Thus they say they were also ordered to do these things. Thus Alexandria honors labors. Thus may some other well-disposed person judge for you.

It was dawn; and the clergy—for they lived nearby—were roused and most quickly one gives the report to another. Then a very bright flame is raised; oh, how many in authority, how many strangers and bastards flowed together. For there was no one who was not enraged then, seeing such rewards for labors. Why do I prolong the story? At once they withdraw from us in anger, grieving that they did not achieve their purpose. But so that they might not be evil in vain, they fulfill the remaining end of the drama. For having been led to the wretched dwelling of a flute-player, the venerable and God-loving men, having with them a crowd of certain outcasts, they install the most wicked shepherd of dogs, having tonsured him, not having bound him nor with force; for the dog was eager for better things. But a cutting came upon the spurge-like locks, effortlessly releasing the great labor of his hands, having given him only this much, to lay bare the mystery of his hairs, hairs, in which lay all his strength, just as they say of the judge Samson once, whom his shorn hair betrayed, hairs of an untimely and wind-blasted summer, which some woman has cut for the sake of his enemies. But having been shown a shepherd from dogs, from shepherds he has appeared a dog again; what a disgrace! A deserted dog, no longer bearing the beauty of his hair, nor tending the flock, again running after the bones of the meat-market. But what will you do with your beautiful hair? Will you grow it again, being industrious? Or will you remain such a laughing-stock? For both are shameful, and it is not possible to find any middle ground between the two—except a noose. But where will you put the hairs for me, and where will you send them? To the stages of theaters, tell me, or to virgins? And to which of these again? To your Corinthian women, with whom you once practiced divine things, alone with them alone, communicating most wisely? In return for which, I shall make you a dog of heaven instead. Immediately, then, the city grieved so much at the evils that had happened then, that all were sawn asunder; and everyone poured out unpleasant words, accusations against his life, as anger brought forth what their minds had devised. And one contributed one thing, another another, to a complete symphony of one perfect evil from all sides. For just as in bodies small afflictions arise together with great sicknesses, even if they happen to be quiet for a time while it is strong, so the final sedition exposed all his former evils. But these things would never come from me. Those who say them know; but I bite them back out of respect for the past, although I have been wronged. "What then? Did you not have this man among your friends yesterday and deem him worthy of the greatest praises?" Perhaps one of those who know these things might reply, and who blame my then easiness of temper, by which I used to honor even those worse than dogs. I was ignorant of an ignorance worthy of hatred. I was deceived like Adam by an evil taste. The bitter wood was beautiful to sight. The appearance deceived me of a faith and of words seen only as far as the face. For of a faithful man nothing

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πονηρῶς ἐν βίῳ πεπαισμένων; ὀφθήσεται δὲ ἄλλο παιγνικώτερον; οἶνόν τις εἶπε συμπότης πάντων κρατεῖν, ἄλλος γυναῖκα, τὴν δ' ἀλήθειαν σοφός· ἐγὼ δ' ἂν εἶπον χρυσόν, ὡς ἔχει κράτος. τούτῳ τὰ πάντα ῥᾳδίως πεσσεύεται. οὔπω τὸ δεινόν, εἰ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου μόνα πλέον παρ' ἡμῖν ἰσχύει τοῦ πνεύματος. πόθεν δ' ὁ χρυσὸς τῷ κυνί, ζητητέον. πρεσβύτερον ἐκ Θάσου τιν' ἥκοντ' ἐνθάδε χρυσὸν φέροντα τῆς ἐκεῖσ' ἐκκλησίας, ἐφ' ᾧ πρίασθαι Προικονησίας πλάκας, τοῦτον περισήνας καὶ λαβὼν συμπράκτορα πολλαῖς τε δήσας ἐλπίσιν τὸν ἄθλιον- οἱ γὰρ κακοὶ τάχιστα μίγνυνται κακοῖς- τὸν χρυσὸν εἶχεν εἰς ἅπανθ' ὑπηρέτην, πιστὸν συνεργόν, γνήσιον συνέμπορον. τεκμήριον δέ· καὶ γὰρ οἱ πρώην ἐμέ σέβοντες, ὡς ἄχρηστον, ἄχρυσον φίλον περιφρονοῦσι φίλτατοι καὶ ῥᾳδίως κλίνουσι πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ. Νὺξ ἦν· ἐγὼ δ' ἔκαμνον· οἱ δ' ὥσπερ λύκοι κλέπται φανέντες ἀθρόως μάνδρας ἔσω, πολλοὺς ἔχοντες μισθίους ἐκ τοῦ στόλου, ἐξ ὧν Ἀλεξάνδρεια ῥᾷστ' ἀνάπτεται- καὶ γὰρ συνεμπίπτουσι τῷ στόλῳ σαφῶς-, κεῖραι προθυμοῦντ' εἰς καθέδραν τὸν κύνα, πρὶν ἤ τι λαῷ, πρὶν κτίλοις ἐκκλησίας, πρὶν ἡμὶν αὐτοῖς, ὡς κυσὶν γοῦν, γνωρίσαι. οὕτω φασὶν καὶ ταῦτα προστεταγμένοι. οὕτως Ἀλεξάνδρεια τιμᾷ τοὺς πόνους. οὕτω δικάσαι τις ὑμὶν ἄλλος εὐμενής.

Ἦν ὄρθρος· ὁ κλῆρος δέ-καὶ γὰρ ἐγγύθεν ᾤκουν-ἀνήφθη καὶ τάχιστα τὸν λόγον ἄλλῳ δίδωσιν ἄλλος. εἶτ' ἐγείρεται φλὸξ λαμπρὰ λίαν· ὢ πόσων μὲν ἐν τέλει, πόσων ξένων δὲ συρρυέντων καὶ νόθων. οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ὅστις οὐκ ἐμεμήνει τοῖς τότε τοιαῦθ' ὁρῶντες τἀπίχειρα τῶν πόνων. τί μακρὰ τείνω; ἐκ μὲν ἡμῶν αὐτίκα χωροῦσιν ὀργῇ, τοῦ σκοποῦ τῷ μὴ τυχεῖν ἀλγοῦντες. ὡς δ' ἂν μὴ μάτην ὦσιν κακοί, τὸ λεῖπον ἐκπληροῦσι τῇ σκηνῇ τέλος. εἰς γὰρ χοραύλου λυπρὸν οἰκητήριον ἀχθέντες οἱ σεμνοί τε καὶ θεῷ φίλοι λαόν τ' ἔχοντες τῶν ἀποβλήτων τινάς κυνῶν τυποῦσι τὸν κάκιστον ποιμένα, κείραντες οὐ δήσαντες οὐδὲ σὺν βίᾳ· κύων γὰρ ἦν πρόθυμος εἰς τὰ κρείσσονα. τομὴ δ' ὑπῆλθε βοστρύχους εὐφορβίους λύουσ' ἀμόχθως τὸν πολὺν χειρῶν πόνον, τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ καὶ μόνον δεδωκυῖα, ὅσον γυμνῶσαι τὸ τριχῶν μυστήριον, τριχῶν, ἐν αἷς ἔκειτο τὸ σθένειν ἅπαν, ὥσπερ λέγουσι τῷ κριτῇ Σαμψών ποτε, ὃν ἡ κόμη προὔδωκεν ἐξυρημένη, τριχῶν, ἀώρου κἀνεμοφθόρου θέρους, ἅς τις γυνὴ τέτμηκεν εἰς ἐχθρῶν χάριν. Ποιμὴν δὲ δειχθεὶς ἐκ κυνῶν ἐκ ποιμένων πάλιν κύων πέφηνε· τῆς ἀτιμίας. κύων ἔρημος, μήτε τῆς κόμης ἔτι φέρων τὸ κάλλος, μήτε τὴν ποίμνην στρέφων, αὖθις μακέλλων ὀστέοις ἐπιτρέχων. δράσεις δὲ δὴ τί τὴν καλὴν κόμην; πάλιν θρέψεις φιλεργῶν; ἢ μενεῖς τοῖος γέλως; ἄμφω γὰρ αἰσχρά, καί τι τοῖν δυοῖν μέσον οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν οὐδὲ ἕν-πλὴν ἀγχόνης. θήσεις δὲ ποῦ μοι τὰς τρίχας, πέμψεις δὲ ποῦ; σκηναῖς θεάτρων, εἰπέ μοι, ἢ παρθένοις; τίσιν δὲ τούτων αὖθις; ἦ Κορινθίαις ταῖς σαῖς, μεθ' ὧν τὰ θεῖα ἐξησκοῦ ποτε μόνος μόναις τε πανσόφως κοινούμενος; ἀνθ' ὧν σε θήσω μᾶλλον οὐρανοῦ κύνα. Εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν τοσοῦτον ἤλγησεν πόλις τοῖς τηνικαῦτα συμβεβηκόσιν κακοῖς, ὥστ' ἐπρίοντο πάντες· ἐξέχει θ' ἅπας λόγους ἀηδεῖς τοῦ βίου κατηγόρους, θυμοῦ φέροντος ἃ φρένες συνεκρότουν. ἄλλος τι δ' ἄλλο ἠράνιζεν εἰς ἑνός κακοῦ τελείου πάντοθεν συμφωνίαν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν συνανίσταται πάθη τὰ μικρὰ ταῖς μεγάλαις ἀρρωστίαις, κἂν ἠρεμοῦντα τῷ σθένειν τέως τύχῃ, οὕτως ἐκείνου πάντα τὰ πρόσθεν κακά ἐστηλίτευσεν ἡ τελευταία στάσις. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμοῦ γε ταῦτ' ἂν ἐξέλθοι ποτέ. ἴσασιν οἱ λέγοντες· ἐνδάκνω δ' ἐγώ τῶν πρόσθεν αἰδοῖ καίπερ ἠδικημένος. «Τί οὖν; σὺ τοῦτον οὐ χθὲς εἶχες ἐν φίλοις καὶ τῶν μεγίστων ἠξίους ἐγκωμίων;» τάχ' ἄν τις ἀπαντήσειε τῶν ταῦτ' εἰδότων καὶ τὴν τότ' εὐχέρειαν αἰτιωμένων, ὑφ' ἧς ἐτίμων καὶ κυνῶν τοὺς χείρονας. ἄγνοιαν ἠγνόησα μίσους ἀξίαν. ἐξηπατήθην ὡς Ἀδὰμ γεύσει κακῇ. ὡραῖον ἦν τὸ πικρὸν εἰς ὄψιν ξύλον. τὸ σχῆμά μ' ἠπάτησε τῆς ὁρωμένης ἄχρι προσώπου πίστεως καὶ ῥημάτων. πιστοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲν