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suddenly puffed up the soul, and having undermined the foundations of the virtues to the ground, has brought down heaven-high labors, causing the reward for labors to be sought from men, which ought to be worthily received from Him alone, by those who look only to God, and store up our achievements for Him. But we, having preferred to work for glory from men over being zealous for good things for God's sake, and demanding from them 31.1373 the empty reward of praise, we reasonably and justly fall away from the divine rewards, not laboring for God, but making ourselves workmen for men; from whom receiving the loss of rewards instead of rewards, what shall we also demand from God, for whom we chose to accomplish nothing? And that this is true, hear what the holy Gospel says, concerning those who do good things for the sake of men: Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. Let us flee vainglory, then, the sweet plunderer of spiritual wealth, the pleasant enemy of our souls, the moth of the virtues, the one who with pleasure pillages our good things, the one who has smeared with honey the poison of its own deceit, and offers the deadly cup to the minds of men, so that, I think, they might be insatiably filled with the passion. For human glory is sweet to the uneducated. And in another way, it also causes those who are caught to easily err from right judgment. For he who desires this has destroyed his own judgments; and has considered this honorable, whatever is admired by the common crowd. So that, if, being wicked or irrational, they should admire evil things, the one being praised will certainly do that, which he has considered the judges of his own practices to have supposed to be good; so that vainglory is not only a destroyer of good actions, but also a guide to wicked ones. Therefore it is fitting, looking to right reason and to God the teacher of right reason, to walk in this way, which God may show; and if some should praise such a way, not to make much of their praise, looking to the Praiser from above, but only to rejoice with them for their right judgment concerning good things; and if others should blame, in no way to be downcast, but to pity those who lack right judgment and endure the most terrible darkness of mind.

CHAPTER 11. Concerning the timeliness of words.

These then are the main points of the achievements, which not according to the greatness

of its own virtue have been recounted, but according to the measure of our ability; the subsequent virtues, however, as many as adorn a ready character, I think it is easy for all to perceive, such as timeliness of words and utterance for usefulness. And it would be useful either to discourse on virtue at 31.1376 the right time, or to make one's speeches for the present and pressing need, or indeed generally for the edification of the hearers; and to avoid the rest as superfluous and useless.

CHAPTER 12. That the ascetic ought not to look to jocularity.

It is fitting to abstain from all jocularity. For it often happens that those concerned with such

things err from right reason, the soul being dissipated toward jesting, and destroying the intellective and condensed quality of prudence. And often the evil, proceeding on its way, has ended even in shameful speech and the utmost impropriety, so that sobriety of soul and dissipation from jocularity do not occur at the same time. But if it should ever be necessary, so as to relax a little from gloominess, to be cheered by words, let your speech be full of spiritual grace, and with the

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ψυχῆς αἰφνίδιον ἐξεφύσησε, καὶ τοὺς θεμελίους τῶν ἀρετῶν ὑποσύρασα ἐπὶ γῆν, οὐρανο μήκεις πόνους κατήνεγκε, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπονημέ νοις μισθὸν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων αἰτεῖσθαι παρα σκευάσασα, οὓς ἔδει πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μόνον βλέπον τας, καὶ τούτῳ τὰ ἡμέτερα κατορθώματα ταμιεύον τας, παρ' ἐκείνου μόνου ἀξίως κομίζεσθαι. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, τοῦ διὰ Θεὸν ἐσπουδακέναι τὰ καλὰ τὸ διὰ ἀν θρώπων δόξαν ἐνεργεῖν προτιμήσαντες, παρ' ἐκείνων 31.1373 τε τὸν διάκενον τῆς εὐφημίας μισθὸν ἀπαιτοῦν τες, εἰκότως καὶ δικαίως τῶν θείων ἀμοιβῶν ἀπο πίπτομεν, οὐ τῷ Θεῷ πονοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ἑαυτοὺς ἐργατεύοντες· παρ' ὧν τὴν ζημίαν τῶν μισθῶν ἀντὶ μισθῶν κομιζόμενοι, τί καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἀπαιτήσωμεν, ᾧ οὐδὲν ἐργάσασθαι προειλόμεθα; Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἄκουσον τοῦ ἱεροῦ Εὐ αγγελίου λέγοντος, περὶ τῶν διὰ ἀνθρώπους τὰ καλὰ δρώντων· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. Φύγωμεν οὖν κενοδοξίαν, τὸν γλυκὺν σκυλευ τὴν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ πλούτου, τὸν ἡδὺν τῶν ἡμετέ ρων ψυχῶν πολέμιον, τὸν σῆτα τῶν ἀρετῶν, τὸν μεθ' ἡδονῆς τὰ ἡμετέρα καλὰ ληιζόμενον, τὸν μέ λιτι χρίσαντα τῆς οἰκείας ἀπάτης τὸ δηλητήριον, καὶ ταῖς διανοίαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν ὀλεθρίαν ὀρέ γοντα κύλικα, ἵνα, οἶμαι, τοῦ πάθους ἐμφορηθῶσιν ἀπλήστως. Γλυκὺ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνη δόξα τοῖς ἀπαι δεύτοις. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ κρίσεως ὀρθῆς εὐκόλως ἁμαρ τάνειν τοὺς ἀλόντας παρασκευάζει. Ὁ γὰρ ταύτης ἐφιέμενος τὰς μὲν οἰκείας κρίσεις κατέλυσε· τοῦτο δὲ νενόμικε τίμιον, ὅπερ ἂν παρὰ τῶν προσ τυχόντων θαυμάζηται. Ὡς, εἴγε, πονηροὶ ὄντες ἢ ἀλόγιστοι, θαυμάζοιεν τὰ κακὰ, τοῦτο δράσει πάν τως ὁ ἐπαινούμενος, ὅπερ τοὺς κριτὰς τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιτηδευμάτων καλὸν ὑπειληφέναι νενόμικεν· ὡς εἶναι τὴν κενοδοξίαν οὐ μόνον καθαιρέτιν τῶν καλῶν πράξεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν ὁδηγόν. ∆ιὸ δὴ προσήκει, πρὸς τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν βλέποντας τὸν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου καθηγητὴν, ταύτῃ βαδίζειν, ᾗπερ ἂν ὁ Θεὸς ὑφηγῆται· κἂν ἐπαι νῶσί τινες τὴν τοιαύτην ὁδὸν, μὴ μέγα τιθέναι τὸν ἐκείνων ἔπαινον, πρὸς τὸν ἄνωθεν ἐπαινέτην ὁρῶν τας, συγχαίρειν δὲ μόνον αὐτοῖς τῆς ὀρθῆς περὶ τὰ καλὰ κρίσεως· κἂν ψέγωσιν ἕτεροι, μηδαμῶς κατα δύεσθαι, ταλανίζειν δὲ ἐκείνους τοὺς ὀρθῆς κρίσεως ἀμοιροῦντας, καὶ σκότος διανοίας τὸ δεινότατον ὑπο μένοντας.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΑʹ. Περὶ εὐκαιρίας λόγων.

Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ κεφαλαιώδη τῶν κατορθωμά των, ἅπερ οὐ πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος

τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς διηγόρευται, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἡμετέρας δυνά μεως· τὰς μέντοιγε καθεξῆς ἀρετὰς, ὅσαι τὸ πρό χειρον ἦθος ἐπικοσμοῦσι, ῥᾴδιον οἶμαι κατιδεῖν ἅπα σιν, οἷον λόγων εὐκαιρίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον προ φοράν. Χρήσιμον δ' ἂν εἴη ἢ τὸ περὶ ἀρετῆς ἐν 31.1376 καιρῷ διαλέγεσθαι, ἢ τὸ πρὸς τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν καὶ κατεπείγουσαν χρείαν τοὺς λόγους ποιεῖσθαι, ἢ καὶ ὅλως πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων οἰκοδομήν· τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ὡς περιττοὺς καὶ ἀνωφελεῖς παραιτεῖσθαι.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΒʹ. Ὅτι οὐ χρὴ πρὸς εὐτραπελίαν βλέπειν τὸν ἀσκητήν.

Εὐτραπελίας ἁπάσης ἀπέχεσθαι προσήκει. Πολλὰ γὰρ συμβαίνει τοὺς περὶ τὰ

τοιαῦτα ἀσχολουμένους τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου διαμαρτάνειν, τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς γε λοιασμὸν διαχεομένης, καὶ τὸ τῆς φρονήσεως σύν νουν καὶ πεπυκνωμένον καταλυούσης. Πολλάκις δὲ τὸ κακὸν ὁδῷ βαδίζον καὶ εἰς αἰσχρολογίαν καὶ ἀτο πίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην κατέλυσεν, ὡς μὴ συμβαίνειν κατὰ ταυτὸν ψυχῆς νῆψιν καὶ εὐτραπελίας διάχυσιν. Εἰ δέ που καὶ δέοι, ὥστε μικρὸν ὑπανεῖναι τὸ σκυθρω πὸν, διὰ τῶν λόγων φαιδρύνεσθαι, ἔστω ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν χάριτος γέμων πνευματικῆς, καὶ τῷ