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a provision for madness, a poison for the soul, a deadening of the mind, an estrangement from virtue? From it comes unprovoked laughter, weeping without cause, the spontaneous tear, groundless boasting, shamelessness in falsehood, desire for non-existent things, hope for the impossible, the excessive threat, irrational fear, insensibility to things truly terrible, baseless suspicion, irrational benevolence, the promise of impossible things; to pass over the other things, the unseemly drowsiness, the resulting headache, the disgrace from immoderate excess, the loosening of the joints, the bending of the neck no longer holding itself up on the shoulders, as the moisture from the wine loosens the sinew of the neck. What produced the lawless abomination of incest with daughters? What stole Lot's mind away from what was happening, who both dared the abomination and was ignorant of what he dared? Who, as if in a riddle, invented the strange name of those children? How did the mothers of the accursed offspring become sisters of their own children? How did the children have the same man as both father and grandfather? Who was it that confounded nature in lawlessness? Did not wine, exceeding its measure, bring about this unbelievable tragedy? Did not drunkenness fabricate such a tale for history, 5.330 which in its exaggerations surpasses even actual fables? For, it says, they gave their own father wine to drink, and thus, with his mind driven out by the wine, as if possessed by some madness, he left this tragic story for posterity, his perception having been stolen from him by drunkenness at the time of the abomination. O how badly those women acted, carrying the wine with them from the storehouses of Sodom! O what an evil cup of friendship they poured for their father from a wicked mixing-bowl! How much better it would have been for that wine to have been destroyed with everything else in Sodom before it became the agent of such a tragedy! And with such examples existing and so many evils from wine arising in life each day, the one who shamelessly denounces himself through his confession says that he has done this: not only using wine in reality, but also taking care that the supply of such a possession might increase. For I planted, he says, vineyards for myself, of which he would have no need who becomes himself a flourishing vine, a spiritual vine, both thriving and luxuriant, entwined with its own kind by the branches of life and by loving tendrils, and luxuriant with seemliness of character instead of leaves, and nourishing the sweet and ripe cluster of virtue 5.331. He who plants these things in his own soul and cultivates wine that gladdens the heart and 'Works his own land' according to the proverbial saying, as the law of such farming requires, as it were hoeing his life with his reasonings and plucking out the bastard growths that sprout beside the roots of the virtues, watering his soul with teachings and with the sickle of critical reason cutting back the mind’s tendency toward superfluous and unprofitable things—this man of farming would be blessed, pressing his own grape-cluster into the mixing-bowl of wisdom. But he who looks to the earth and embraces the things from it does not know such cultivation. For to these he adds the adornments of wealth from gardens and parks. What need of many parks has one who looks to the one paradise? And what profit for me is there from a garden that grows vegetables, the food of the weak? If I were in the one paradise, I would not be poured out in desire for many parks. If I led my soul in health, so as to be able to partake of more solid food, I would not be occupied with vegetables, gardening for myself the food suitable for my weakness. But since luxury has once entered in with necessity, and desire has passed its bounds, 5.332 after the extravagance in the house and the indoor expenditure on vanities, then he also pursues open-air luxury and for the service of his pleasures with the nature of the air

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παρανοίας ἐφόδιον, ψυχῆς δηλητήριον, διανοίας νέκρωσις, ἀρετῆς ἀλλοτρίωσις; ἐκεῖθεν ὁ ἀπροφάσιστος γέλως, ὁ ἄνευ αἰτίας θρῆνος, τὸ αὐτόματον δάκρυον, ἡ ἀνυπόστατος μεγαλαυχία, ἡ ἐπὶ τῷ ψεύδει ἀναισχυντία, ἡ τῶν ἀνυπάρκτων ἐπιθυμία, ἡ τῶν ἀμηχάνων ἐλπίς, ἡ ὑπέρογκος ἀπειλή, ὁ ἄλογος φόβος, ἡ τῶν κατ' ἀλήθειαν φοβερῶν ἀναισθησία, ἡ ἀναίτιος ὑποψία, ἡ παράλογος φιλανθρωπία, ἡ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐπαγγελία· ἵνα παρῶμεν τὰ ἄλλα, τὸν ἀπρεπῆ νυσταγμόν, τὴν πάρετον καρηβαρίαν, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀμέτρου πληθώρας ἀσχημοσύνην, τὴν τῶν ἄρθρων λύσιν, τὸν λυγισμὸν τοῦ αὐχένος οὐκέτι ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀνέχοντος, τῆς ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου ὑγρότητος τὸν σύνδεσμον τοῦ αὐχένος ὑπολυούσης. τί τὸ παράνομον ἄγος τῆς θυγατρομιξίας εἰργάσατο; τί τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ Λὼτ ἀπὸ τῶν γινομένων ἐξέκλεψεν, ὃς καὶ τὸ ἄγος ἐτόλμησε καὶ ἠγνόησεν, ὅπερ ἐτόλμησεν; τίς ὥσπερ ἐν αἰνίγματι τὴν ἀλλόκοτον τῶν τέκνων ἐκείνων προσηγορίαν ἐκαινοτόμησεν; πῶς αἱ τοῦ ἐναγοῦς τόκου μητέρες ἀδελφαὶ τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων ἐγένοντο; πῶς οἱ παῖδες τὸν αὐτὸν ἔσχον πατέρα τε ὁμοῦ καὶ προπάτορα; τίς ὁ συγχέας ἐν παρανομίᾳ τὴν φύσιν; οὐκ οἶνος ἐκβὰς τὰ μέτρα τὴν ἀπιστουμένην ταύτην τραγῳδίαν εἰσήνεγκεν; οὐ μέθη τὸν τοιοῦτον μῦθον τῇ ἱστορίᾳ συνέπλασεν, 5.330 ὃς ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς καὶ τοὺς ὄντως μύθους παρέρχεται; Ἐπό τισαν γάρ, φησίν, οἶνον τὸν ἑαυτῶν πατέρα, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ τῆς διανοίας ἐξωσθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ οἴνου καθάπερ μανίᾳ τινὶ κατεχόμενος τὸ τραγικὸν τοῦτο διήγημα τῷ βίῳ κατέλι πεν, ἐκκλαπείσης παρὰ τὸν τοῦ ἄγους καιρὸν ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης αὐτῷ τῆς αἰσθήσεως. ὢ κακῶς τῶν Σοδομιτικῶν ἀποθέτων αἱ γυναῖκες ἐκεῖναι τὸν οἶνον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐκκομίσασαι! ὢ κακὴν φιλοτησίαν ἐκ πονηροῦ κρατῆρος τῷ πατρὶ παρεγχέασαι! ὡς πολύ γε ἄμεινον ἦν μετὰ πάντων κἀκεῖνον τὸν οἶνον ἐν Σοδόμοις καταφθαρῆναι πρὶν τῆς τοιαύτης τραγῳδίας χορηγὸν γενέσθαι! Καὶ τοιούτων ὄντων ὑποδειγμάτων καὶ τοσούτων καθ' ἑκά στην ἡμέραν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου κακῶν ἐμφυομένων τῷ βίῳ, καὶ τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι φησὶν ὁ ἀνεπαισχύντως διὰ τῆς ἐξαγο ρεύσεως τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στηλιτεύων, τὸ μὴ μόνον τῷ ὄντι κεχρῆσθαι οἴνῳ, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν καὶ πλεονάσειεν ἡ τοῦ τοιούτου κτήματος χορηγία προνοηθῆναι. Ἐφύτευσα γάρ μοι, φησίν, ἀμπελῶνας, ὧν οὐκ ἂν δεηθείη ὁ αὐτὸς ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα γινόμενος, ἄμπελος πνευματική, εὐθαλής τε καὶ ἀμφιλαφής, τοῖς τοῦ βίου κλάδοις καὶ ταῖς ἀγαπητικαῖς ἕλιξι διαπλεκομένη πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον, καὶ κομῶσα μὲν ἀντὶ φύλλων τῇ εὐσχημοσύνῃ τῶν τρόπων, ἡδὺν δὲ καὶ πέπειρον τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς βότρυν 5.331 ἐκτρέφουσα. ὁ ταῦτα ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ καταφυτεύων ψυχῇ καὶ γεωργῶν οἶνον τὸν τὴν καρδίαν εὐφραίνοντα καὶ Ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν κατὰ τὴν παροιμιώδη φωνήν, ὡς ὁ τῆς τοιαύτης γεωργίας ἀπαιτεῖ νόμος, οἱονπερεὶ σκάλλων τοῖς λογισμοῖς τὸν βίον καὶ τὰ νόθα τῶν παραφυομένων ταῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν ῥίζαις ἐκτίλλων, ἐπάρδων δὲ τοῖς μαθήμασι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τῇ δρεπάνῃ τοῦ κριτικοῦ λόγου περικόπτων τὴν εἰς τὰ περιττὰ καὶ ἀνόνητα τῆς διανοίας φοράν, μακα ριστὸς ἂν εἴη τῆς γεωργίας οὗτος τῷ τῆς σοφίας κρατῆρι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βότρυν ἐνθλίβων. Ἀλλ' οὐ γινώσκει τὴν τοιαύτην φυτουργίαν ὁ πρὸς τὴν γῆν βλέπων καὶ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀσπαζόμενος. προστίθησι γὰρ τούτοις τὰ τῶν κήπων τε καὶ παραδείσων τοῦ πλούτου ἐγκαλλωπίσματα. τίς χρεία παραδείσων πολλῶν τῷ πρὸς τὸν ἕνα παράδεισον βλέποντι; τίς δέ μοι ἡ ἐκ κήπου ὄνησις τοῦ τὰ λάχανα φύοντος, τὴν τῶν ἀσθενούντων τροφήν; εἰ ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ παραδείσῳ ἤμην, οὐκ ἂν εἰς πολλῶν παραδείσων ἐπιθυμίαν διεχεόμην. εἰ ἐν ὑγείᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν διῆγον, ὡς δύνασθαι τῆς στερροτέρας μετέχειν τροφῆς, οὐκ ἂν ἐν τοῖς λαχάνοις ἀπησχολούμην, κηπεύων ἐμαυτῷ τὴν κατάλληλον τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τροφήν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ συνεισῆλθε μὲν ἡ τρυφὴ τῇ χρείᾳ, παρῆλθε δὲ τοὺς ὅρους αὐτῆς ἡ ἐπιθυμία, 5.332 μετὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις πολυτέλειαν καὶ τὴν ὑπωρόφιον τῶν ματαίων δαπάνην τότε καὶ τὴν ὕπαιθρον ἐπιτηδεύει τρυφὴν καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀέρος φύσει πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑπηρεσίαν