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wishing again to restrain the puffed up man, he does not employ long arguments, but only reminds him of his nature, and rebukes him sharply, saying thus: Why is earth and ash proud? Are you telling me things that appear after death? Restrain him while he is living. He does not know now that he is earth and ash. He sees the comeliness of his body, he sees the power, the service of flatterers, the parasites following. He is clothed in costly garments, he is robed in the great pomp of office, the outward show deceives him and makes him forget his nature. We know that we are earth and ash; but we are the ones who are sound of mind; but that man does not wait for the proof that comes from the end, nor does he go to the coffins and tombs of his ancestors, but he looks at present things, he thinks nothing of the things to come. Teach him from this moment on that he is earth and ash. Wait for me, he says, and I teach not this, but something else much more worthless; so that, when he puts on airs, he may recognize his own worthlessness; so that while living he might receive the remedy. For having said, Why is earth and ash proud? he added: Because even in his life his inwards are worthless. What is, "Because even in his life his inwards are worthless"? Perhaps what was said is unclear. By inwards he means the bowels, he means the viscera, the stomach full of dung and much uncleanness and foul odor, not accusing nature, but leading to humility; Because even in his life they are worthless. Have you seen the worthlessness and transience of his substance? Do not wait for the day of death, so that you may learn your weakness; examine for me the man while he is still living, and go into his bowels with your reason, and you will see all his nothingness. But do not be cast down; for God made us thus, not hating us but sparing us, providing for us great occasions for humility. For if man, being earth and ash, dared to say, "I will ascend into heaven"; if he did not have the bridle of nature, to what lengths would his thought not have gone astray? When therefore you see someone puffed up, 56.185 stretching out his neck, raising his eyebrows, being carried on a chariot, threatening, throwing people into prison, handing them over to death, acting insolently, say to him: Why is earth and ash proud? Because even in his life his inwards are worthless. These things can be said not only about a private person, but also about him who sits on the royal throne. For do not look at the purple robe, nor the diadem, nor the golden garments, but examine his nature itself, and you will see it has nothing more than the common man; or rather, if you wish, inspect the purple robe, and the diadem, and the garments, and all that show, and of these things themselves you will see again that earth is their substance. For all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. Behold, all that adornment appeared even more worthless than earth. Do you see how it suppresses pride? how the thought of nature itself casts down all arrogance? It is enough only to consider who we are and from what we are composed, and all arrogance of thought will be gone. For this reason God constructed us from two substances, so that when you are lifted up into arrogance, the worthlessness of the flesh may restrain you; but when you think something unworthy and ignoble of the honor given to you by God, the nobility of the soul may lift you up to the zeal of the heavenly powers. 7. But the examination of nature is not only suitable for the destruction of arrogance, but also if some other desire disturbs you, whether that of money, or that of bodies, this absurd desire that calls one to licentiousness, this is sufficient for the consolation of the passion. When therefore you see a beautiful woman, having a shining, bright eye, with gleaming cheek, bearing some indescribable beauty on her face, inflaming your

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βουλόμενος πάλιν τὸν πεφυσιωμένον ἄνθρωπον καταστεῖλαι, οὐ μακροὺς κινεῖ λόγους, ἀλλ' ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτὸν τῆς φύσεως μόνον, καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷ σφοδρῶς, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός; Τὰ μετὰ τὸν θάνατόν μοι φαινόμενα λέγεις; Κατάστειλον αὐτὸν ζῶντα. Οὐκ οἶδε νῦν, ὅτι γῆ καὶ σποδός ἐστιν. Ὁρᾷ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν τοῦ σώματος, ὁρᾷ τὴν δυναστείαν, τὴν θεραπείαν τῶν κολάκων, τοὺς παρασίτους ἀκολουθοῦντας. Ἱμάτια περίκειται πολυτελῆ, ὄγκον ἀρχῆς περιβέβληται μέγαν, ἡ φαντασία αὐτὸν ἀπατᾷ καὶ ἐπιλαθέσθαι ποιεῖ τῆς φύσεως. Οἴδαμεν, ὅτι γῆ ἐσμεν καὶ σποδός· ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οἱ σωφρονοῦντες· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐκ ἀναμένει τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους ἀπόδειξιν, οὐδὲ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὰς σοροὺς καὶ τὰς θήκας τῶν προγόνων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα βλέπει, οὐδὲν τῶν μελλόντων ἐννοεῖ. ∆ίδαξον αὐτὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη, ὅτι γῆ καὶ σποδός ἐστιν. Ἀνάμεινόν με, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ διδάσκω τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ ἄλλο εὐτελέστερον· ἵν', ὅταν φαντάζηται, ἐπιγινώσκῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εὐτέλειαν· ἵνα ζῶν λάβῃ τὸ φάρμακον. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός; ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ ἐξουδένωται τὰ ἐνδόσθια αὐτοῦ. Τί ἐστιν, Ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ ἐξουδένωται τὰ ἐνδόσθια αὐτοῦ; Τάχα ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον. Ἐνδόσθια τὰ ἔγκατα λέγει, τὰ σπλάγχνα λέγει, τὴν γαστέρα τὴν γέμουσαν σκυβάλων καὶ πολλῆς ἀκαθαρσίας καὶ δυσωδίας, οὐ κατηγορῶν τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐνάγων· Ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ ἐξουδένωται. Εἶδες τὸ εὐτελὲς καὶ ἐπίκηρον τῆς οὐσίας; Μὴ ἀναμείνῃς τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς τελευτῆς, ἵνα μάθῃς σου τὴν ἀσθένειαν· ἔτι μοι ζῶντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον διερεύνησον, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ διάβηθι τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐδένειαν ὄψει. Ἀλλὰ μὴ καταπέσῃς· οὐδὲ γὰρ μισῶν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ φειδόμενος οὕτως ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, προφάσεις ἡμῖν ταπεινοφροσύνης παρέχων μεγάλας. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος γῆ ὢν καὶ σποδὸς, ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι· εἰ μὴ τὸν τῆς φύσεως χαλινὸν εἶχε, ποῦ οὐκ ἂν ἐξέπεσε τῇ διανοίᾳ; Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ πεφυσιωμένον, 56.185 τὸν αὐχένα ἀνατείνοντα, τὰς ὀφρῦς ἀνασπῶντα, ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀχήματος φερόμενον, ἀπειλοῦντα, εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐμβάλλοντα, θανάτῳ παραδιδόντα, ἐπηρεάζοντα, εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός; Ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ ἐξουδένωται τὰ ἐνδόσθια αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα οὐ περὶ ἀνθρώπου μόνον ἰδιώτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Μὴ γὰρ τὴν ἁλουργίδα ἴδῃς, μηδὲ τὸ διάδημα, μηδὲ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ χρυσᾶ, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν ἐρεύνησον, καὶ οὐδὲν ὄψει πλέον ἔχουσαν τῶν πολλῶν· μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ τὴν ἁλουργίδα, καὶ τὸ διάδημα, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ πᾶσαν περίελθε τὴν φαντασίαν ἐκείνην, καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν ὄψει πάλιν τὴν γῆν οὖσαν ὑπόθεσιν. Πᾶσα γὰρ δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἰδοὺ καὶ γῆς εὐτελέστερος ἐφάνη ὁ καλλωπισμὸς ἐκεῖνος ἅπας. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καταστέλλει τὸ φύσημα; πῶς καθαιρεῖ πᾶσαν ἀπόνοιαν ἡ ἔννοια τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς; Ἀρκεῖ μόνον λογίσασθαι τίνες ἐσμὲν, καὶ πόθεν συνεστήκαμεν, καὶ πᾶσα οἰχήσεται λογισμῶν ἀπόνοια. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐκ δύο οὐσιῶν κατεσκεύασεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, ἵν' ὅταν μὲν εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐπαρθῇς, καταστείλῃ σε τὸ εὐτελὲς τῆς σαρκός· ὅταν δὲ ἀνάξιόν τι καὶ ἀγεννὲς τῆς δοθείσης σοι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμῆς ἐννοήσῃς, ἀναγάγῃ σε πρὸς τὸν τῶν οὐρανίων δυνάμεων ζῆλον ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐγένεια. ζʹ. Οὐκ εἰς ἀναίρεσιν δὲ ἀπονοίας μόνον ἐπιτηδεία ἡ ἐπίσκεψις τῆς φύσεως ἀλλὰ κἂν ἑτέρα τις ἐπιθυμία διενοχλῇ, κἂν ἡ τῶν χρημάτων, κἂν ἡ τῶν σωμάτων, ἡ ἄτοπος αὕτη καὶ εἰς ἀσέλγειαν ἐκκαλουμένη, ἀπόχρη τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίαν τοῦ πάθους. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς γυναῖκα εὔμορφον, λάμποντα ἔχουσαν ὀφθαλμὸν, φαιδρὸν, στίλβουσαν ἀπὸ τῆς παρειᾶς, ἀμήχανόν τινα ὥραν ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως φέρουσαν, φλέγουσάν σου τὸν