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Antigonus the King. This man, while sacrificing to the gods, prayed that they protect him from those who seemed to be (764) friends. And when someone asked for what reason he made such a prayer, he said. Because knowing my enemies, I guard myself against them.

Alexander. Having been asked by someone, Where do you have your treasures? pointing to his friends, he said, In these.

Of Libanius. One must rejoice with friends who are doing well, just as one must also grieve with those who are pained.

The griefs that come from friends to a friend, happen to be very difficult to heal, and their insults are greater than those of enemies.

Of Pisonianus. Of Dion. Insofar as one makes his friends stronger, he becomes stronger than them.

For what misfortune is not unbearable without friendship? and what good fortune is not charmless without friends?

One would more easily bear a most difficult misfortune with friends, than the greatest good fortune alone.

I rightly judge him most wretched, who in his misfortunes has very many who rejoice over them, but in his good fortunes has no one to rejoice with him.

The one who bestows favors upon friends, is pleased in giving as one who bestows favor, and at the same time as one who is himself acquiring.

DISCOURSE 7. Concerning almsgiving. 15Ε_072 Matt. 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Deut. 15. The needy will never cease from the land. Therefore I command you this

word, saying, Opening you shall open your hands to your poor brother. Job 29. I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame; I was a father

of the weak. Prov. 3. Let not alms and faith fail you; but bind them upon

your neck, and you will find grace. Dan. 4. Redeem your sins with alms, and your iniquities with

compassion for the poor. Sirach 3. As water will quench a flaming fire, so almsgiving atones for

sins. Sirach 4. Incline your ear to a poor man without grief, and answer him with peaceful words in

meekness. Sirach 12. Give to the godly, and do not help the sinner; do good to the

humble, and do not give to the ungodly. Sirach 29. Shut up alms in your storehouses, and it will deliver

you from all punishment [affliction], and it will fight for you against the enemy better than a mighty spear.

Sirach 35. Mercy is beautiful in a time of affliction, like a cloud of rain in a time of drought.

765 Of Basil. The most grievous kind of avarice, is not to share perishable things with the needy.

15Ε_074 You wrong as many as you were able to provide for. Of the Theologian. To do good is more honorable than to suffer it, and mercy is more to be desired

than gain.

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Ἀντίγονος Βασιλεύς. Οὗτος θύων τοῖς θεοῖς, ηὔχετο φυλάττειν αὐτόν ἀπό τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι (764) φίλων. Πυνθανομένου δέ τινος, διά ποίαν αἰτίαν τοιαύτην εὐχήν ποιεῖται, ἔφη. Ὅτι τούς ἐχθρούς γινώσκων φυλάσσομαι.

Ἀλέξανδρ. Ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, Ποῦ τούς θησαυρούς ἔχεις; δείξας τούς φίλου, ἔφη, Ἐν τούτοις.

Λιβανίου. Συγχαίρειν χρή τοῖς φίλοις καλῶς πράττουσιν, ὡς καί συναλγεῖν λυπουμένοις.

Αἱ ἐκ φίλων εἰς φίλου γενόμεναι λύπαι, δυσθεράπευτοι λίαν τυγχάνουσι, καί μείζους τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἔχουσι τάς ἐπηρείας.

Πεισωνιανοῦ. ∆ίωνος. Ὅσῳ δ᾿ ἄν τις τούς φίλους ἰσχυροτέρους ποιεῖ, οὗτος ἰσχυρότερος αὐτῶν γίνεται.

Ποία μέν συμφορά δίχα φιλίας οὐκ ἀφόρητος; ποία δέ εὐτυχία χωρίς φίλων οὐκ ἄχαρις;

Ῥᾷον ἄν τις συμφοράν χαλεπωτάτην φέρει μετά φίλων, ἤ μόνος εὐτυχίαν μεγίστην.

Ἐκεῖνον ἀθλιώτατον κρίνω δικαίως, ὅς ἐν μέν ταῖς συμφοραῖς πλείστους ἔχει τούς ἐφηδομένους, ἐν δέ ταῖς εὐτυχίαις οὐδένα τόν συνηδόμενον.

Ὁ τοῖς φίλοις χαριζόμενος, ἅμα μέν ὡς χαριζόμενος ἥδεται διδούς, ἅμα δέ ὡς αὐτός κτώμενος.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ζ´. Περί ἐλεημοσύνης. 15Ε_072 Ματθ. ε´. Μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοί ἐλεηθήσονται. ∆ευτ. ιε´. Οὐ μή ἐκλίπῃ ἐνδεής ἀπό τῆς γῆς. ∆ιά τοῦτο ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι τό

ῥῆμα τούτο λέγων, Ἀνοίγων ἀνοίξεις τάς χεῖράς σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ πένητι. Ἰώβ κθ´. Ὀφθαλμός ἤμην τυφλῶν, πούς δέ χωλῶν· ἐγώ ἤμην πατήρ

ἀδυνάτων. Παροιμ. γ´. Ἐλεημοσύναι καί πίστις μή ἐκλειπέτωσάν σε· ἔφαψαι δέ αὐτάς ἐπί

σῷ τραχήλῳ, καί εὑρήσεις χάριν. ∆αν. δ´. Τάς ἁμαρτίας ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι, καί τάς ἀνομίας σου ἐν

οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων. Σιράχ γ´. Πῦρ φλογιζόμενον κατασβέσει ὕδωρ, καί ἐλεημοσύνη ἐξιλάσκεται

ἁμαρτίας. Σιράχ δ´. Κλῖνον πτωχῷ ἀλύπως τό οὖς σου, καί ἀποκρίθητι αὐτῷ ἐν

πραΰτητι εἰρηνικά. Σιράχ ιβ´. ∆ός τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, καί μή ἀντιλαβοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ· εὖ ποίησον

ταπεινῷ, καί μή δῷς ἀσεβεῖ. Σιράχ κθ´. Σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις σου, καί αὕτη σε

ἐξελεῖται ἐκ πάσης κολάσεως [κακώσεως], καί ὑπέρ δόρυ ἀλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπέρ σοῦ.

Σιράχ λε´. Ὡραῖον ἔλεος ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως, ὡς νεφέλη ὑετοῦ ἐν καιρῷ ἀβροχίας.

765 Βασιλείου.Πλεονεξίας εἴδος τό χαλεπώτατον, μήτε τῶν φθειρομένων μεταδιδόναι τοῖς ἐνδεέσιν.

15Ε_074 Τοσούτους ἀδικεῖς, ὅσοις παρέχειν ἠδύνασο. Θεολόγου. Τό εὖ ποιεῖν, τοῦ πάσχειν τιμιώτερον, καί περισπουδαστότερον

κέρδους ἔλεος.