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3. Speaking these things, let him also roll before the feet of his hearers, and sprinkle ashes on his head, and shame his face with the dust, and implore everyone to stretch out a hand, let him tear out his gray hair. Perhaps our fine accuser has been perfected for the purpose of inflaming all his hearers, and of persuading them to throw down precipices those who have done such things. For it was for this reason that I pushed the argument to the extreme of all the charges, so that when this one, so constructed, has been defeated by us through the grace of God, there might be no room for the remaining arguments. For when the one who has all these things together has been silenced, the one who does not have all of them together—for it is not possible for all to easily come together—will then readily yield the victory to us. Let him, then, say these things and more than these. But I shall ask the judges not to pity this old man now, but when we show him mourning for his son, who has suffered nothing dreadful, but has enjoyed the greatest blessings, beyond which it is not possible to find others. For then he would be truly worthy of pity and tears, being unable even to perceive his child's good fortune, but being so far from it as to lament as though over the greatest evils. 47.335 From where, then, shall we begin our argument against him? From his wealth and money, since he himself laments this most of all, and to all it seems to be the most dreadful thing, if children of wealthy parents are drawn to this way of life. Tell me then, whom do we all count blessed, and say is to be envied: the one who is always in a state of thirst, and before being sated with the first cup, needs another, and is always in this state; or the one who is established above that necessity, and always remains without thirst, and is never drawn down to the need of this drink? Does not the one resemble a man with a fever, who has a most grievous need, even if he can draw streams from springs, while the other is free with the freedom that is truly freedom, and is healthy with the health that is truly health, and has become greater than human nature? Again, what if one who loves a woman should be with her continually, but after intercourse should be even more inflamed with this passion, while another should stand outside this madness, and not even in a dream be captured by the evil; who again is to be envied by us and blessed? Is it not this one? And who is wretched and miserable? Is it not he who is sick with that empty love, which can nowhere be quenched, but is rather aggravated by the remedies devised for it? But if, in addition to what has been said, he should count himself blessed in his sickness, and should not himself wish to be freed from that necessity, and should bemoan those who are delivered from the passion, as this man does now, will he not on this account again be more pitiful and wretched, not only being sick, but not even knowing this very thing, that he is sick, and for this reason neither wishing to be delivered, and lamenting those who have been delivered? Let us then apply this argument also to the possession of money, and we shall see who is wretched and miserable. For this love is more vehement and more frantic than those other loves. Therefore it could cause more pain, not only because it has a fiercer flame, but also because toward the consolation devised for it, it is more unyielding and harder than they. For those who lust for drink and bodies are more likely to be sated after enjoyment than those who are mad for wealth. For which reason we were compelled to invent those cases in our argument, because the thing does not quickly appear in experience; but of this disease we shall be able to provide many examples from real life. For these reasons, then, tell me, do you lament your son, because he has been delivered from madness and so great a helplessness, because he does not love an incurable love, because he stands outside this war and battle? But he would not have suffered this, he says, nor would he have loved more, but the enjoyment of what he had would have been enough for him. In the first place you say a thing contrary, so to speak, to nature; but still let this also be so, and let it be conceded to the argument, that he would not have wished to add to what he had, nor to have been captured by that desire; for I him also

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γʹ. Ταῦτα λέγων, καὶ προκυλινδείσθω τῶν ποδῶν τῶν ἀκουόντων, καὶ καταπασσέσθω τέφραν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, καὶ αἰσχυνέτω τῇ κόνει τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ παρακαλείτω πάντας ὀρέξαι χεῖρα, κατατιλλέτω τὴν πολιάν. Τάχα ἡμῖν καλὸς ὁ κατήγορος ἀπηκρίβωται πρὸς τὸ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐμπρῆσαι ἅπαντας, καὶ πεῖσαι κατὰ κρημνῶν τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργασαμένους ἐμβαλεῖν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο πρὸς ἄκρον ἁπασῶν τῶν αἰτιῶν τὸν λόγον ἤγαγον, ἵνα τούτου τοῦ οὕτω κατασκευασθέντος, ἡττηθέντος ὑφ' ἡμῶν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι, μηδεὶς τοῖς λοιποῖς γένοιτο λόγος. Τοῦ γὰρ πάντα ὁμοῦ ἔχοντος ταῦτα ἐπιστομισθέντος, ὁ μὴ πάντα ἔχων ὁμοῦ οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντα οἷόν τε συνελθεῖν εὐκόλως ἡμῖν παραχωρήσει τῆς νίκης λοιπόν. Οὗτος μὲν οὖν ταῦτα λεγέτω καὶ τούτων πλείονα. Ἐγὼ δὲ παραιτήσομαι τοὺς δικάζοντας, μὴ νῦν ἐλεεῖν τὸν γέροντα τοῦτον, ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐτὸν δείξωμεν πενθοῦντα τὸν υἱὸν, δεινὸν μὲν οὐδὲν πεπονθότα, τῶν δὲ μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσαντα, καὶ ὧν ἐπέκεινα ἕτερα οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Τότε γὰρ ὄντως ἄξιος ἐλέου καὶ δακρύων ἂν εἴη, μηδὲ συνιδεῖν τὴν εὐπραγίαν δυνάμενος τοῦ παιδὸς, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχων αὐτῆς ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ μεγίστοις θρηνεῖν τοῖς κακοῖς. 47.335 Πόθεν οὖν ἀρξόμεθα τοῦ λόγου τοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν χρημάτων, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων ὀδύρεται, καὶ πᾶσι τοῦτο αὐτὸ εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ δεινότατον, εἰ πλουτοῦντες παῖδες ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἕλκοιντο τὸν βίον. Εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, τίνα μακαρίζομεν ἅπαντες, καὶ ζηλωτὸν εἶναί φαμεν, τὸν ἐν δίψῃ καθεστῶτα ἀεὶ, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τῆς προτέρας ἐμφορηθῆναι κύλικος, δεόμενον πάλιν ἑτέρας, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ὄντα διαπαντὸς, ἢ τὸν ἀνωτέρω καθεστῶτα τῆς ἀνάγκης ἐκείνης, καὶ ἄδιψον ἀεὶ μένοντα, καὶ οὐδέποτε εἰς τὴν τοῦ πόματος τούτου καθελκόμενον χρείαν; οὐχ ὁ μὲν πυρέττοντι προσέοικε, καὶ χαλεπωτάτην ἀνάγκην ἔχοντι, κἂν ἐκ πηγῶν ἀρύεσθαι ἔχῃ τὰ νάματα, ὁ δὲ ἐλεύθερός τέ ἐστι τὴν ὄντως ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ ὑγιαίνει τὴν ὄντως ὑγίειαν, καὶ μείζων ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνην γέγονε φύσιν; Τί δαὶ, εἴ τις γυναικὸς ἐρῶν συγγίνοιτο μὲν αὐτῇ διηνεκῶς, μειζόνως δὲ μετὰ τὴν συνουσίαν φλέγοιτο ταύτην, ἕτερος δὲ ταύτης ἐκτὸς τῆς μανίας ἑστήκοι, καὶ μηδὲ ὄναρ ἁλίσκοιτο τῷ κακῷ, τίς πάλιν ἡμῖν ὁ ζηλωτὸς καὶ μακάριος; οὐχ οὗτος; τίς δὲ ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος; οὐχ ὁ νοσῶν τὸν κενὸν ἐκεῖνον ἔρωτα, καὶ μηδαμοῦ σβεσθῆναι δυνάμενον, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐπινενοημένοις φαρμάκοις ἐπιτριβόμενος μᾶλλον; Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις μακαρίζοι μὲν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ νόσῳ, καὶ μήτε αὐτὸς ἐκείνης τῆς ἀνάγκης ἀπαλλάττεσθαι βούλοιτο, τούς τε ἀπηλλαγμένους τοῦ πάθους ἀποδύροιτο, ὥσπερ οὗτος νῦν, οὐχὶ ταύτῃ πάλιν ἐλεεινότερος ἔσται καὶ ἀθλιώτερος, μὴ μόνον νοσῶν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὅτι νοσεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μήτε ἀπαλλαγῆναι βουλόμενος, καὶ τοὺς ἀπηλλαγμένους θρηνῶν; Ἀγάγωμεν δὴ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων κτῆσιν, καὶ ὀψόμεθα τίς ὁ ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος· ἐκείνων μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐρώτων σφοδρότερος οὗτός ἐστι καὶ μανικώτερος· οὐκοῦν καὶ πλεῖον ὀδυνῆσαι δύναιτ' ἂν, οὐ τούτῳ μόνον ὅτι τὴν λαμπάδα δριμυτέραν ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐπινενοημένην παραμυθίαν ἀνένδοτός ἐστι καὶ σκληρότερος πλέον ἐκείνων. Μᾶλλον γὰρ οἱ ποτοῦ καὶ σωμάτων ἐρῶντες μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν λήψονται κόρον, ἢ οἱ περὶ πλοῦτον μαινόμενοι. Ὅθεν ἐκείνους μὲν καὶ τῷ λόγῳ συμπλάσαι ἠναγκάσθημεν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ταχέως ἐπὶ τῆς πείρας ὁρᾷν αὐτὸ φαινόμενον· τούτου δὲ τοῦ νοσήματος ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πολλὰ ἕξομεν παρασχεῖν τὰ ὑποδείγματα. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, θρηνεῖς τὸν υἱὸν, ὅτι μανίας καὶ τοσαύτης ἀμηχανίας ἀπήλλακται, ὅτι ἔρωτα ἀνίατον οὐκ ἐρᾷ, ὅτι τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς μάχης ταύτης ἕστηκεν ἐκτός; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔπαθε τοῦτο, φησὶν, οὐδ' ἂν ἠράσθη τοῦ πλείονος, ἀλλ' ἀπέχρησεν ἂν αὐτῷ τῶν παρόντων ἡ ἀπόλαυσις. Μάλιστα μὲν πρᾶγμα λέγεις ἐναντίον, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τῇ φύσει· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἔστω, καὶ συγκεχωρήσθω τῷ λόγῳ, μὴ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐθελῆσαι προσθεῖναι τοῖς οὖσι, μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἁλῶναι ἐκείνης· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ