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He lightened the labors, and increased the rewards. For the rewards which those among us who marry chastely enjoy, those who practice virginity among them do not enjoy, but those who practice virginity among the heretics have become liable to the same penalty as fornicators. Why? From not doing anything with a right intention, but for the slander of God's creatures and His secret wisdom. Let us not then be slothful; God has given us moderate contests, having no toil. But let us not be contemptuous on this account. For if the heretics strain themselves with unprofitable labors, what defense will there be for us, who are not willing to bear even the lesser ones, which have a greater reward? For what is burdensome, what is oppressive in the commandments of Christ? You cannot practice virginity? You are permitted to marry. You cannot deprive yourself of all your possessions? You are permitted to contribute from what you have; Your abundance, he says, for their lack. For these things seem to be burdensome, I mean to despise money, and to overcome bodily desire; but the other things require no expense, no force. For what force, tell me, is it not to speak evil, nor to slander openly? and what force is it not to envy the good things of others? or what force is it not to be captured by vainglory? To be tortured and to bear it, is a matter of endurance; of endurance, also to practice philosophy; of endurance, to bear poverty; of endurance, to wrestle with hunger and thirst. But when there is none of these things, but it is permitted while enjoying one's possessions, as befits a Christian, not to envy others, what force is there? Envy comes from nowhere else, but from being attached to present things, or rather all evils do. For if you considered money to be nothing, and the glory of this world, you would not envy those who have them. 4. But since you gape, and admire them and are smitten with them, for this reason the things of envy trouble you, for this reason also the things of vainglory; and all things come from this, from admiring the things of the present life. Do you envy, because so-and-so is rich? And yet such a man is worthy of pity and tears. But you will say immediately, laughing; I am worthy of tears, not he. You are worthy of tears too, not because you are poor, but because you consider yourself to be pitiable. For we weep for those who have no evil and are discontented, not because they have any evil, but because though not having it, they think they have it. For tell me, if someone freed from a fever, is restless and tosses about, lying healthy on his bed, is such a one not more worthy of tears than those who have a fever, not because he has a fever, for he does not have a fever, but because having nothing terrible, he thinks he has something? And you are worthy of tears for this reason, that you consider yourself pitiable, not on account of poverty; for on account of poverty you are even blessed. Why do you envy the rich man? that he has made himself liable to more cares, that to a harsher slavery? that with ten thousand chains, like some dog, he is bound by his own money? Evening has come, night has come, and this man has the time of rest as a time of disturbance and displeasure and grief and anxiety. A noise was made? He immediately jumped up. So-and-so was robbed? The one who has not lost worries more than the one who has lost. For that man lost once, and having grieved, put aside the care; but this one has it continually. Night has come, the harbor of our evils, the comfort of our misfortunes, the medicine of our wounds. For those who are possessed by some sharp pain have not yielded or given way to friends and relatives and household members, and often even fathers who console them, but have even been vexed at their very words; for the bitterness of pain oppresses our souls more than any burning heat; but they have not had strength even to look against sleep when it bids them to cease. Just as then a body that is parched and worn out wrestling with a hotter ray, as if with some

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πόνους ἐπεκούφισε, καὶ τοὺς μισθοὺς ηὔξησεν. Ὧν γὰρ οἱ παρ' ἡμῖν γαμοῦντες σωφρόνως ἀπολαύουσι μισθῶν, οὐκ ἀπολαύουσιν οἱ παρθενεύοντες παρ' αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν πορνευόντων οἱ παρθενεύοντες παρὰ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς δίκῃ γεγόνασιν ὑπεύθυνοι. Πόθεν; Ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὀρθῷ σκοπῷ τι ποιεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κτισμάτων καὶ ἀποῤῥήτου σοφίας αὐτοῦ. Μὴ δὴ ῥᾳθυμῶμεν· ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς συμμέτρους ἀγῶνας, οὐδένα πόνον ἔχοντας. Ἀλλὰ μὴ καταφρονῶμεν διὰ τοῦτο. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ αἱρετικοὶ κατατείνουσιν ἑαυτοὺς πόνοις ἀνονήτοις, τίς ἡμῖν ἔσται ἀπολογία μηδὲ τοὺς ἐλάττονας, καὶ πλείονα μισθὸν ἔχοντας βουλομένοις ἐνεγκεῖν; Τί γὰρ φορτικὸν, τί δὲ ἐπαχθὲς τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Οὐ δύνασαι παρθενεύειν; ἔξεστί σοι γαμεῖν. Οὐ δύνασαι πάντων ἑαυτὸν ἀποστερῆσαι τῶν σῶν; ἔξεστί σοι ἀπὸ τῶν ὄντων χορηγεῖν· Τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα. Ταῦτα γὰρ εἶναι δοκεῖ φορτικὰ, χρημάτων λέγω καταφρονεῖν, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας σωματικῆς περιγενέσθαι· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα οὐδεμιᾶς δεῖται δαπάνης, οὐδεμιᾶς βίας. Ποία γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, βία τὸ μὴ κακῶς εἰπεῖν, μηδὲ διαβάλλειν ἁπλῶς; ποία δὲ βία τὸ μὴ βασκαίνειν τοῖς ἑτέρων ἀγαθοῖς; ἢ ποία βία τὸ μὴ δόξῃ ἁλῶναι; Τὸ βασανίζεσθαι καὶ φέρειν, καρτερίας ἐστί· καρτερίας, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκεῖν· καρτερίας, τὸ πενίαν διενεγκεῖν· καρτερίας, τὸ λιμῷ προσπαλαῖσαι καὶ δίψει. Ὅταν δὲ μηδὲν τούτων ᾖ, ἀλλ' ἔξεστιν ἀπολαύοντα τῶν ὄντων, ὡς Χριστιανῷ προσῆκε, μὴ φθονεῖν τοῖς ἑτέρων, ποία βία; Οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν ὁ φθόνος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ προστετηκέναι τοῖς παροῦσι, μᾶλλον δὲ πάντα τὰ κακά. Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν ἐνόμιζες εἶναι τὰ χρήματα, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὐκ ἂν τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἐβάσκηνας. δʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κέχηνας, καὶ θαυμάζεις αὐτὰ καὶ ἐπτόησαι, διὰ τοῦτό σοι καὶ τὰ τῆς βασκανίας ἐνοχλεῖ, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ τῆς κενοδοξίας· καὶ πάντα ἀπὸ τούτου γίνεται, ἀπὸ τοῦ θαυμάζειν τὰ τοῦ παρόντος βίου. Βασκαίνεις, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα πλουτεῖ; Καὶ μὴν ἐλέους καὶ δακρύων ἄξιος ὁ τοιοῦτος. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς εὐθέως γελῶν· Ἐγὼ δακρύων ἄξιος, οὐκ ἐκεῖνος. ∆ακρύων ἄξιος καὶ σὺ, οὐχ ὅτι πένῃ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ σεαυτὸν ἐλεεινὸν εἶναι νομίζειν. Τοὺς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔχοντας κακὸν καὶ δυσφοροῦντας δακρύομεν, οὐχ ὅτι κακόν τι ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μὴ ἔχοντες, ἔχειν νομίζουσιν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τις πυρετοῦ ἀπηλλαγμένος, ἀλύει καὶ περιστρέφεται, ὑγιαίνων ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κείμενος, ἆρα τῶν πυρεττόντων μᾶλλον οὐχὶ δακρύων ἄξιος ὁ τοιοῦτος, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πυρέττει, οὐδὲ γὰρ πυρέττει, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μηδὲν ἔχων δεινὸν, ἔχειν τι νομίζει; Καὶ σὺ δακρύων ἄξιος διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι σαυτὸν ἐλεεινὸν νομίζεις, οὐ διὰ τὴν πενίαν· τῆς γὰρ πενίας ἕνεκεν καὶ μακαριστός. Τί φθονεῖς τῷ πλουσίῳ; ὅτι φροντίδων ἑαυτὸν ὑπεύθυνον κατέστησε πλειόνων, ὅτι δουλείᾳ χαλεπωτέρα; ὅτι μυρίαις ἁλύσεσι, καθάπερ τις κύων, τοῖς αὑτοῦ δέδεται χρήμασι; Κατέλαβεν ἑσπέρα, κατέλαβε νὺξ, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀναπαύσεως καιρὸν οὗτος θορύβου καιρὸν καὶ ἀηδίας καὶ λύπης ἔχει καὶ μερίμνης. Ψόφος ἐγένετο; εὐθέως ἀνεπήδησεν. Ὁ δεῖνα ἐσυλήθη; μᾶλλον ἐκείνου φροντίζει τοῦ ἀπολωλεκότος ὁ μὴ ἀπολωλεκώς. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἅπαξ ἀπώλεσε, καὶ λυπηθεὶς ἀπέθετο τὴν φροντίδα· οὗτος δὲ αὐτὴν ἔχει διηνεκῶς. Κατέλαβε νὺξ, ὁ λιμὴν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν, τὸ παραμύθιον τῶν ἡμετέρων συμφορῶν, τὸ φάρμακον τῶν τραυμάτων. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ περιωδυνίᾳ τινὶ κατεχόμενοι τοῖς φίλοις μὲν καὶ συγγενέσι καὶ οἰκείοις, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πατράσι παραμυθουμένοις οὐκ εἶξαν οὐδὲ ὑπεχώρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ῥήματα αὐτὰ ἠγανάκτησαν· παντὸς γὰρ καύματος μᾶλλον τὸ πικρὸν τῆς ὀδύνης τὰς ἡμετέρας θλίβει ψυχάς· τῷ δὲ ὕπνῳ κελεύοντι παύεσθαι οὐδὲ ἀντιβλέψαι ἴσχυσαν. Καθάπερ οὖν σῶμα διακαὲς καὶ θερμοτέρᾳ προσπαλαῖσαν ἀκτῖνι κατατρυχόμενον, ὥσπερ τινὶ