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a thing, and an utter mockery, spare yourselves for the sake of your body's strength, of your soul's health. I am not saying to lead yourselves to harsh discipline, unless you wish it; let us get rid of what is superfluous, let us cut away what is beyond necessity. For what pardon do we have, when others, though they are masters, do not even enjoy what is necessary, while we proceed even beyond what is necessary? Let the limit of our food be what does not harm, what is able to stop hunger without harm, and let us seek nothing further; or rather, if one must say something wonderful, and contrary to the opinion of the many, but true, if we seek even pleasure, we will find it to exist more in self-sufficiency than in luxury. Hear how this pleasure is greater and more readily available than that one. For the one can no longer even exist, nor does it find the nature of foods suitable for it; but the other can be composed even from opposite things. Who says this? The one who has enjoyed it most of all. For to a soul in want, he says, even bitter things seem sweet; a soul that is sated mocks honeycombs. Do you see how easy it is for that one to be composed from few things and from everything, but this one in no way? For if we do not accept honeycombs, what then could be pleasant for us? if the sweetest of all things could not provide pleasure, what will be that which is able to cause pleasure? So if we seek pleasure, we will find it here more. How then is it not the height of folly to flee the table that has pleasure, and health, and all good and God-pleasing things, and to prepare another filled with countless calamities, both unpleasant and painful, and disease-inducing, and, what is most grievous of all, provoking our God? For if the widow who lives in luxury is dead while she lives, what could we say 50.773 about men? if in the Old Testament this was forbidden with much precision, and the prophet uses a strong denunciation against those who live luxuriously; and yet he set forth a form of luxury not very expensive, nor truly delicate; Those who eat kids from the flocks and suckling calves, those who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the finest ointments, who sleep on ivory beds, and live wantonly upon their couches; if these things were worthy of accusation, when all things were carnal, and there was no word of heaven, when the Jewish ways were a tutelage, what might we say to the stupidity of today? For if eating kids and suckling calves denounces those living a sort of soft and superfluous life, what might we say about those who search the depths of the sea, and the ends of the earth, and gather for themselves from all quarters various hunters of birds and fish? If those who drink strained wine are at fault, what would you say to those who are sent on overseas journeys for the sake of wine, and move everything, so that no kind of vine escapes them, as if they were about to be held accountable, or to be condemned for the worst offenses, if they did not fill themselves with every kind of wine? If to use an ivory bed is worthy of accusation, those who cover them with much silver, or rather, forge them from silver alone, not beds, but now even footstools, and cauldrons, and jars, and chamber pots, what sort of pardon could they obtain? What small or great thing will they be able to say in that accounting? And I add to this what is most grievous of all, that these things have also been gathered from the misfortunes of others. And yet the prophet did not set this forth, but only denounced the luxury. But when there is also a cause more grievous than luxury, who will deliver those who do such things from the ultimate punishment? what Noah will stand by them, what Job, what Daniel? There is no one. But concerning these it is possible to say: My wrath will be kindled like smoke. For is it not a matter, I ask, to be truly filled with the utmost wrath and anger, and to burst, when another does not even enjoy necessary food, while you fashion so much in vain and to no purpose

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πρᾶγμα, καὶ κατάγελως ἔσχατος, ὑμῶν αὐτῶν φείσασθε τῆς τοῦ σώματος ῥώσεως, τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ὑγιείας. Οὐ λέγω πρὸς σκληραγωγίαν ἑαυτοὺς ἀγαγεῖν, ἂν μὴ βουληθείης· τὸ περιττὸν ἀνέλωμεν, τὸ τῆς χρείας ἔξω περικόψωμεν. Ποίαν γὰρ συγγνώμην ἔχομεν, ὅταν ἕτεροι μὲν μηδὲ τῆς χρείας ἀπολαύωσι κύριοι ὄντες, ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν ὁδεύωμεν; Ὅρος ἡμῖν ἔστω τροφῆς τὸ μὴ βλάπτον, τὸ παῦσαι πεινῶντας χωρὶς βλάβης δυνάμενον, περαιτέρω δὲ μηδὲν ἐπιζητῶμεν· μᾶλλον δὲ εἰ χρή τι θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ παρὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόληψιν, ἀληθὲς δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἡδονὴν ἐπιζητοῦμεν, ἐν αὐταρκείᾳ ταύτην μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τρυφῇ οὖσαν εὑρήσομεν. Ἄκουσον πῶς αὕτη μείζων ἐκείνης ἐστὶν ἡ ἡδονὴ καὶ εὐπορωτέρα. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ συστῆναι δύναται λοιπὸν, οὐδὲ εὑρίσκει φύσιν βρωμάτων ἐπιτηδείαν αὐτῇ· ἡ δὲ καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίων συνίστασθαι δύναται. Τίς τοῦτό φησιν; Ὁ μάλιστα πάντων αὐτῆς ἀπολελαυκώς. Ψυχῇ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐνδεεῖ καὶ τὰ πικρὰ γλυκέα φαίνεται· ψυχὴ ἐμπεπλησμένη κηρίοις ἐμπαίζει. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐκείνην μὲν καὶ ἐξ ὀλίγων καὶ ἐκ πάντων συστῆναι ῥᾴδιον, ταύτην δὲ οὐδαμῶς; Εἰ γὰρ τὰ κηρία μὴ προσιέμεθα, τί γένοιτο ἂν ἡμῖν ἡδὺ λοιπόν; εἰ τὸ πάντων γλυκύτατον οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο παρέχειν ἡδονὴν, ποῖον ἔσται τὸ δυνάμενον ποιῆσαι ἐν ἡδονῇ; Ὥστε εἰ ἡδονὴν ἐπιζητοῦμεν, ἐνταῦθα μᾶλλον εὑρήσομεν. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τὴν μὲν ἡδονὴν, καὶ ὑγίειαν, καὶ πάντα ἔχουσαν τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ θεοφιλῆ φεύγειν τράπεζαν, ἑτέραν δὲ κατασκευάζειν μυρίων γέμουσαν συμφορῶν, ἀηδῆ τε καὶ λυπηρὰν, καὶ ἐπίνοσον, καὶ, τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, παροξύνουσαν ἡμῶν τὸν Θεόν; Εἰ γὰρ Ἡ χήρα ἡ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκε, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν 50.773 περὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν; εἰ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τοῦτο ἀπηγόρευται μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας, καὶ πολλῇ κέχρηται κατὰ τῶν τρυφώντων καταφορᾷ ὁ προφήτης· καίτοι γε εἶδος τέθεικε τρυφῆς οὐ σφόδρα δαπανηρὸν, οὐδὲ ὄντως ἁβρόν· Οἱ δὲ ἐσθίοντες ἐρίφια ἐκ ποιμνίων καὶ μοσχάρια γαλαθηνὰ, οἱ πίνοντες τὸν διυλισμένον οἶνον, καὶ τὰ πρῶτα μύρα χριόμενοι, οἱ καθεύδοντες ἐπὶ κλινῶν ἐλεφαντίνων, καὶ κατασπαταλῶντες ἐπὶ ταῖς στρωμναῖς αὐτῶν· εἰ ταῦτα κατηγορίας ἄξια, ὅτε πάντα ἦν σαρκικὰ, καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λόγος οὐδεὶς, ὅτε παιδαγωγία ἦν τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν πρὸς τὴν βλακείαν τὴν νῦν; Εἰ γὰρ ἐρίφια καὶ μοσχάρια γαλαθηνὰ ἐσθίειν ὡς ὑγρόν τινα καὶ περιττὸν τοὺς ζῶντας διαβάλλει βίον, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν περὶ τῶν τοὺς μυχοὺς τῆς θαλάσσης διερευνώντων, καὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς γῆς, καὶ παντοδαποὺς ὀρνίθων καὶ ἰχθύων θηρευτὰς πανταχόθεν συλλεγόντων ἑαυτοῖς; Εἰ τὸν διυλισμένον οἶνον οἱ πίνοντες ἐν μέμψει, τί ἂν εἴποις πρὸς τοὺς ἀποδημίας διαποντίους στελλομένους ὑπὲρ οἴνου, καὶ πάντα κινοῦντας, ὥστε μηδὲν γένος διαλαθεῖν ἀμπέλου, καθάπερ μέλλοντας εὐθύνας διδόναι, ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις καταγινώσκεσθαι, εἰ μὴ παντὸς γένους ἐμφορηθεῖεν οἴνου; Εἰ ἐλέφαντος κλίνῃ κεχρῆσθαι κατηγορίας ἄξιον, οἱ πολὺν αὐταῖς περιβάλλοντες ἄργυρον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐξ ἀργύρου μόνου χαλκεύοντες, οὐ κλίνας, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ ὑπόβαθρα, καὶ λέβητας, καὶ κεράμια, καὶ ἀμίδας, ποίας ἂν τύχοιεν συγγνώμης; Τί μικρὸν ἢ μέγα εἰπεῖν εἰς τὰς εὐθύνας ἐκείνας δυνήσονται; Ἐγὼ δὲ τούτοις προστίθημι τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ὅτι καὶ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων συμφορῶν ταῦτα συνείλεκται. Καίτοι γε ὁ προφήτης τοῦτο οὐ τέθεικεν, ἀλλὰ μόνον διέβαλε τὴν τρυφήν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ αἰτία προσῇ χαλεπωτέρα τῆς τρυφῆς, τίς ἐξαιρήσεται τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιοῦντας τῆς ἐσχάτης κολάσεως; ποῖος Νῶε παραστήσεται, ποῖος Ἰὼβ, ποῖος ∆ανιήλ; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδείς. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τούτων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· Ἐκκαυθήσεται ὁ θυμός μου ὡσεὶ καπνός. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι, παρακαλῶ, θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς ὄντως ἐμπλησθῆναι ἐσχάτης, καὶ διαῤῥαγῆναι, ὅταν ἕτερος μὲν μηδὲ ἀναγκαίας ἀπολαύῃ τροφῆς, σὺ δὲ τοσοῦτον εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην χαλκεύῃς