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of luxury. For just as the body does not discharge only its natural waste, but much more and from every direction; for eyes, and nostrils, and mouths, when the internal parts are weighed down by the resulting flood, are filled with the foulest moisture and corruption, and the very nature of the flesh, having become more flabby than its natural proportion, as if filled with mire and unclean swamps, becomes both foul-smelling and useless, and unfit for any good work. For the earth itself, when it is tyrannized by such excess and loses its own innate warmth, also destroys its strength, and is suitable neither for cultivation nor for its own produce. From this, those who live continually in luxury are seized by difficult and incurable diseases; for they become susceptible to tremors, and paralysis, and consumption, and catarrhs, and gout, and pains in the hands, and many other things, as the students of physicians say. Thus, even if there were no Gehenna, nor punishment, nor final condemnation from God, nor blame from men, nor the untimely expense, nor the countless other things that come from luxury, but only this were present, would it not be sufficient to turn everyone away? For such tables will prove no better than poisonous drugs; or rather, if the truth must be told, much worse. For the one immediately carries off the person who takes it and brings on death without sensation, so as not even to distress the one dying with this very thing; but these bring a life more difficult than ten thousand deaths upon those who value them highly—a life, I say, not only pitiful, but also shameful and ridiculous. For other sufferings have many who sympathize, but whatever comes from luxury and drunkenness does not allow those who see it to sympathize with those overcome by them, even if they wanted to; but while the excess of the evil bends one toward pity, the cause of the disease provokes the one who knows it. Therefore we would experience a middle sort of feeling, neither pitying them—for the cause of their troubles does not allow it—nor being angry—for the magnitude of their troubles does not permit it—but our stance is between accusation and forgiveness. For they were not afflicted by nature like others, nor were they plotted against by men, but they themselves became the creators of these diseases for themselves, willingly casting themselves into the abyss of evils. Therefore, just as we do not greatly pity those who tie nooses, and those who throw themselves from cliffs, and those who kill themselves by means of swords, so neither do we pity these. And yet if 50.772 they must receive forgiveness, those would sooner receive it than these, even if they themselves would be very unforgivable. For those, either from false accusations, or financial losses, or an expected danger, or anticipating blows, or awaiting some other fear, and snatching themselves from greater evils, take refuge in the consolation of death, running to death as to some place of asylum, or as if hurrying and hastening from expected storms into some calm harbor; but these, having no such thing to say, deliver themselves to a life more difficult than ten thousand violent deaths. It is opportune, therefore, now to say that saying of the wise man: Who will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent, and all those who bring themselves near to wild beasts? For luxury is a wild beast, a harsh and untamable wild beast, and a scorpion or a snake sitting in our inward parts does not wreak such havoc everywhere, as the desire for luxury overturns and destroys everything. For the attack of those wild beasts is limited to the body; but this, when it settles in, destroys the soul along with the body. Therefore let us flee from it; I speak as to wise men. If it has anything good, let us not endure, let us not be persuaded; but if what has been said is true, and it is the ruin of all things to

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τρυφῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα οὐ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν περιττώματα προΐεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλεῖον καὶ πανταχόθεν· καὶ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ ῥῖνες, καὶ στόματα, τῶν ἔνδον ὑπὸ τῆς γενομένης πλημμύρας βαρυνομένων, ἰκμάδος φαυλοτάτης καὶ διαφθορᾶς ἀναπίμπλαται, καὶ αὐτὴ τῆς σαρκὸς ἡ φύσις χαυνοτέρα γενομένη τῆς φυσικῆς συμμετρίας, καθάπερ βορβόρων καὶ ἀκαθάρτων τελμάτων πλησθεῖσα, δυσώδης τε ἅμα καὶ ἄχρηστος γίγνεται, καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἀδόκιμος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ γῆ ὅταν ὑπὸ τῆς τοιαύτης πλεονεξίας τυραννηθεῖσα τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ ἔμφυτον ἀπολέσῃ θερμότητα, συναπόλλυσιν αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ οὔτε πρὸς ἐργασίαν, οὔτε πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν γονήν ἐστιν ἐπιτήδειος. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ χαλεποῖς καὶ ἀνιάτοις ἁλίσκονται νοσήμασιν οἱ τρυφῇ συζῶντες διηνεκεῖ· καὶ γὰρ τρόμοις, καὶ παρέσει, καὶ φθόῃ, καὶ κορύζαις, καὶ ποδαλγίαις, καὶ χειραλγίαις, καὶ ἑτέροις πλείοσιν, ὅπερ ἰατρῶν λέγουσι παῖδες, ἁλώσιμοι γίνονται. Οὕτως εἰ καὶ μὴ γέεννα ἦν, μηδὲ κόλασις, μηδὲ κατάγνωσις ἐσχάτη παρὰ Θεοῦ, μηδὲ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις μέμψις, μηδὲ ἡ ἄκαιρος δαπάνη, μηδὲ ἕτερα μυρία τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς ἐγγινόμενα, τοῦτο δὲ μόνον προσῆν, οὐχ ἱκανὸν ἅπαντας ἀποτρέψαι; ∆ηλητηρίων γὰρ φαρμάκων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον αἱ τοιαῦται διακείσονται τράπεζαι, μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ δεῖ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, καὶ πολλῷ χεῖρον. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ εὐθέως ἀπήνεγκε τὸν λαβόντα, καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν ἀναισθήτως ἐπήγαγεν, ὡς μηδὲ αὐτῷ τούτῳ λυπῆσαι τὸν ἀποθανόντα· αὗται δὲ ζωὴν μυρίων θανάτων χαλεπωτέραν ἐπάγουσι τοῖς αὐτὰς περὶ πολλοῦ ποιουμένοις, ζωὴν ἔφην, οὐκ ἐλεεινὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰσχρὰν καὶ καταγέλαστον. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα πάθη πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς συναλγοῦντας, ὅσα δὲ ἀπὸ τρυφῆς καὶ μέθης γέγονεν, οὐδὲ βουλομένους τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἀφίησι συναλγῆσαι τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν χειρωθεῖσιν· ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ὑπερβολὴ τοῦ κακοῦ πρὸς ἔλεον ἐπικάμπτει, ἡ δὲ ὑπόθεσις τοῦ νοσήματος παροξύνει τὸν εἰδότα. ∆ιότι μέσον τι πάθος πάθοιμεν ἂν, οὔτε ἐλεοῦντες αὐτούς· οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς ἡ αἰτία τῶν δεινῶν· οὔτε ὀργιζόμεθα· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέπει τὸ μέγεθος τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ κατηγορίας καὶ συγγνώμης ἡ στάσις. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἐπηρεάσθησαν καθάπερ κἀκεῖνοι, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ δημιουργοὶ τῶν νοσημάτων ἑαυτοῖς τούτων ἐγένοντο, ἑκόντες ἑαυτοὺς ῥιπτοῦντες εἰς τὸ τῶν κακῶν βάραθρον. Ὥσπερ οὖν τοὺς βρόχους ἀνάπτοντας, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ κρημνῶν ἀφιέντας ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ τοὺς διὰ μέσων ξιφῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἀναιροῦντας οὐ σφόδρα οἰκτείρομεν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τούτους. Καίτοι εἰ 50.772 δεῖ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν, μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνοι τούτων ἂν τύχοιεν, εἰ καὶ αὐτοὶ σφόδρα ἂν εἶεν ἀσύγγνωστοι. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἢ συκοφαντίαις, ἢ ζημίαις χρημάτων, ἢ προσδοκώμενον κίνδυνον, ἢ πληγὰς ἐλπίσαντες, ἢ ἕτερόν τινα καραδοκήσαντες φόβον, καὶ μειζόνων, ἑαυτοὺς κακῶν ἐξαρπάζοντες, ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς τελευτῆς παραμυθίαν καταφεύγουσιν, ὥσπερ εἰς ἄσυλόν τι χωρίον τὸν θάνατον κατατρέχοντες, ἢ ὥσπερ εἰς λιμένα τινὰ εὔδιον ἀπὸ τῶν προσδοκωμένων χειμώνων σπεύδοντες καὶ ἐπειγόμενοι· οὗτοι δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔχοντες εἰπεῖν, μυρίων βιαίων θανάτων ζωῇ χαλεπωτέρᾳ παραδιδόασιν ἑαυτούς. Εὔκαιρον οὖν νῦν εἰπεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ τοῦ σοφοῦ· Τίς ἐλεήσει ἐπαοιδὸν ὀφιόδηκτον, καὶ πάντας τοὺς προσάγοντας θηρίοις ἑαυτούς; Θηρίον γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τρυφὴ, θηρίον χαλεπὸν καὶ ἀτίθασσον, καὶ οὐχ οὕτω σκορπίος ἢ ὄφις τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ἡμῶν ἐγκαθήμενος λυμαίνεται πανταχόσε, ὡς ἡ τῆς τρυφῆς ἐπιθυμία πάντα ἀνατρέπει καὶ ἀπόλλυσι. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ θηρίοις ἐκείνοις μέχρι τοῦ σώματος ἡ ἐπιβουλή· αὕτη δὲ, ὅταν ἐγκαθεσθῇ, μετὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προσαπόλλυσι. ∆ιόπερ φύγωμεν ἀπ' αὐτῆς, ὡς φρονίμοις λέγω. Εἰ μὲν ἔχει τι χρηστὸν, μὴ ἀνασχώμεθα, μὴ πεισθῶμεν· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ λύμη πάντων ἐστὶ τὸ