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In all things in like manner without sin, he speaks to us from our own things. He who took up our weaknesses shows through these very infirmities of nature the way that is outside of evil. For now, understand for me that wisdom speaks to us through Solomon himself according to the flesh, and speaks these things, by which we might especially be led to contempt for the things eagerly pursued by men. For his discourse is not like that of the many, for whom what is desired is not in their 5.306 power, so as to be untrustworthy for this reason, condemning those things of which he has no experience. For we do not learn everything by our own experience, but only through reasoning do we know those things, the enjoyable experience of which poverty prevents. And if any advice is offered by us, that one should consider the things honored by men as nothing, the objection of the hearer is ready: that for this reason we dishonor those things, because we have not known the pleasure in them by experience. But in the case of him who discusses these things with us, every such objection is powerless. For it is Solomon who says these things. And this Solomon was the third among the kings of Israel after that Saul and David, who was chosen by the Lord. He, having received the rule from his father, and the dominion of the Israelites having already grown to greatness, is proclaimed king; who no longer wore down his subjects through war and battle, but living his life in peace with all authority, made it his business not the acquisition of things not present, but the enjoyment of things at hand. Since, therefore, there was no hindrance for him in any of his desires; for his abundance was coextensive with his desire, and his leisure for enjoyment was unhindered; with nothing unwanted interrupting his way of life in his desires, being wise in other matters and able by his intelligence to invent something for pleasure, he said he devised this and that 5.307 of the things eagerly sought for enjoyment, and having done all the things he enumerated in order in his account, he said he had learned by experience itself that one end of the things eagerly sought in these matters is vanity. And he imposed such an order on his narrative, that first, in the first periods of his own life, he gave his leisure to learning and was not softened toward the zealous pursuits arising from such toils, but used the choice of his spirit, that is, the impulse of his nature, for an increase of knowledge, even if what was pursued was accomplished with toils, and thus having grown through wisdom, he considered not by reason the impassioned and irrational deceit of men concerning bodily enjoyments, but also through the experience itself of each of the things pursued to recognize what is vain. Therefore, this is the purpose of what has been written after the things previously examined. But it would be time also to set forth in order, according to the sequence of what has been written, the literal interpretation. I spoke in my heart, saying, behold, I have become great. For when I saw, he says, around myself the greatness from my dominion and the majesty of the kingdom suddenly come upon me, I did not rest on the present things nor did I think that what came to me without toil was sufficient for a good life, but before these things I made the possession of wisdom of all importance, which it is not possible to acquire otherwise than with toils 5.308 and sweats. For this reason, having said, that I spoke in my heart, saying, behold, I have become great, he added, And I added wisdom. For I increased the majesty of the dominion that had come to me automatically by the addition of wisdom, saying these things to myself, that it is necessary especially through this to be shown superior to the kings who had gone before and to have the advantage in wisdom. For I added wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem, and I understood how these things might be. For who does not know that wisdom consists for the diligent in the knowledge of things previously labored on by others? Wherefore he says: my heart has seen much, wisdom and knowledge, not that the knowledge of such things came about automatically without effort, but because, he says, I gave my heart

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Κατὰ πάντα καθ' ὁμοιότητα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἡμῖν διαλέγεται. ὁ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἀναλαβὼν δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀσθενημάτων τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἔξω κακίας ὁδὸν ὑποδείκνυσι. νῦν γάρ μοι νόησον τὴν σοφίαν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα Σολομῶντος ἡμῖν διαλέγεσθαι, διαλέγεσθαι δὲ ταῦτα, δι' ὧν ἂν μάλιστα πρὸς ὑπεροψίαν ὁδηγηθείημεν τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σπουδαζο μένων. οὐ γὰρ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν πολλῶν, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι κατ' 5.306 ἐξουσίαν τὸ καταθύμιον, καὶ ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ γίνεται λόγος, ὡς διὰ τούτου τὸ ἀναξιόπιστον ἔχειν, κατηγορῶν ἐκείνων, ὧν οὐ πεπείραται. ἡμεῖς γὰρ οὐ τῇ ἑαυτῶν πείρᾳ πάντα μανθάνομεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ μόνων τῶν λογισμῶν ἐκεῖνα γινώσκομεν, ὧν τὴν ἀπολαυστικὴν τῶν ἡδέων πεῖραν ἡ πενία κωλύει. κἄν τινι προσάγηται συμβουλὴ παρ' ἡμῶν, τὸ παρ' οὐδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖν τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τιμώμενα, πρόχειρος ἡ παραγραφὴ τοῦ ἀκούοντος, τὸ διὰ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἀτιμάζειν ἐκεῖνα, ὅτι μὴ τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡδονὴν ἐγνωρίσαμεν. ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ταῦτα ἡμῖν διαλεγομένου ἀργεῖ πᾶσα τοιαύτη ἀντίρρησις. Σολομὼν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων. ὁ δὲ Σολομὼν οὗτος τρίτος ἦν ἐν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ τὸν Σαοὺλ ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἐξειλεγμένον ∆αβίδ. αὐτὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκδεξάμενος καὶ αὐξηθείσης εἰς μέγεθος ἤδη τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τῆς δυναστείας ἀναδεί κνυται βασιλεύς· ὃς οὐκέτι διὰ πολέμου καὶ μάχης τρίβων τὸ ὑποχείριον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν τῇ εἰρήνῃ ἐμβιοτεύων ἔργον ἐποιεῖτο οὐ τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν μὴ προσόντων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν περιόντων. ὡς οὖν οὐδενὸς αὐτῷ πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν καταθυμίων ὄντος κωλύματος· ἥ τε γὰρ περιουσία τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ συνεξετείνετο καὶ ἡ σχολὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἄνετος ἦν· οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀβουλήτων τὴν ἐν τοῖς καταθυμίοις διαγωγὴν ἐπικόπτοντος, τά τε ἄλλα σοφὸς ὢν καὶ ἐφευρεῖν τι τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν ὑπὸ συνέσεως ἱκανὸς εἶπε τὰ καὶ τὰ 5.307 τῶν πρὸς ἀπόλαυσιν σπουδαζομένων ἐπινοῆσαι καὶ πάντα ποιήσας, ὅσα καθεξῆς τῷ λόγῳ ἀπηριθμήσατο, δι' αὐτῆς εἶπε μεμαθηκέναι τῆς πείρας, ὅτι ἓν πέρας ἐστὶ τῶν ἐν τούτοις σπουδαζομένων ἡ ματαιότης. τάξιν δὲ τοιαύτην ἐπέθηκε τῷ διηγήματι, ὡς πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις χρόνοις τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς τῇ παιδεύσει δοῦναι σχολὴν καὶ μὴ καταμαλακισθῆναι πρὸς τὰς ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων πόνων σπουδάς, χρήσασθαι δὲ τῇ προαιρέσει τοῦ πνεύματος, τουτέστι τῇ ὁρμῇ τῆς φύσεως, εἰς προσθήκην γνώσεως, εἰ καὶ μετὰ πόνων κατωρθοῦτο τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, καὶ οὕτως αὐξηθεὶς διὰ σοφίας μὴ λόγῳ κατασκέψασθαι τὴν ἐμπαθῆ καὶ ἄλογον περὶ τὰς σωματικὰς ἀπολαύσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπάτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας ἑκάστου τῶν σπουδαζομένων ἐπιγνῶναι τὸ μάταιον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν σκοπὸς τῶν μετὰ τὰ προεξητασμένα γεγραμ μένων οὗτός ἐστι. καιρὸς δ' ἂν εἴη καὶ αὐτὴν παραθέσθαι καθεξῆς κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῶν γεγραμμένων τὴν ἐπὶ λέξεως θεωρίαν. Ἐλάλησα ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τῷ λέγειν, ἰδοὺ ἐμεγαλύνθην ἐγώ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον, φησίν, περὶ ἐμαυτὸν τὸ ἐκ τῆς δυναστείας μέγεθος καὶ τὸν ὄγκον τῆς βασιλείας ἀθρόως ἐπιγενόμενον, οὐκ ἔστην ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων οὐδὲ αὐταρκὲς ᾠήθην εἰς εὐκληρίαν βίου τὸ ἀπόνως μοι προσγενό μενον, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτων τὸ τῆς σοφίας κτῆμα περὶ παντὸς ἐποιησάμην, ὃ οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν ἄλλως εἰ μὴ μετὰ πόνων 5.308 τε καὶ ἱδρώτων κτήσασθαι. διὰ τοῦτο εἰπών, ὅτι Ἐλάλησα ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τῷ λέγειν, ἰδοὺ ἐμεγαλύνθην ἐγὼ ἐπήγαγε τὸ Καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν. τὸν γὰρ κατὰ τὸ αὐτό ματόν μοι προσγεγονότα τῆς δυναστείας ὄγκον ηὔξησα τῇ τῆς σοφίας προσθήκῃ, ταῦτα κατ' ἐμαυτὸν εἰπών, ὅτι χρὴ μάλιστα διὰ τούτου τῶν προγεγονότων βασιλέων δειχθῆναι ὑπέρτερον καὶ ἐν σοφίᾳ τὸ πλέον ἔχειν. Προσέθηκα γὰρ σοφίαν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς γενομένοις ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ὅπως ἂν ταῦτα γένοιτο κατενόησα. τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι ἐν τῇ γνώσει τῶν ἑτέροις προπεπονημένων τοῖς φιλοπονοῦσιν ἡ σοφία συνίσταται; διὸ φησίν· ἡ καρδία μου εἶδε πολλά, σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, οὐ κατὰ τὸ αὐτό ματον ἀκμητὶ τῆς τῶν τοιούτων γνώσεως ἐγγενομένης, ἀλλ' ἐπειδή, φησίν, Ἔδωκα τὴν καρδίαν