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it is fitting for Christian men, knowing that such a deposition brings a crown no less than the office itself. For whenever someone suffers such a thing in order not to endure anything unseemly or unworthy of that dignity, it procures both punishment for those who unjustly deposed him, and a greater reward for himself. "For blessed," he says, "are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake; rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven." And this is when one is cast out by his peers, whether through envy, or for the sake of others, or through enmity, or for some other wrong motive; but when it happens that he suffers this even at the hands of adversaries, I think there is no need of argument to show how great a gain they gather for him through their own wickedness. Therefore, one must look around from all sides and investigate accurately, lest some spark of that desire should secretly smolder within. For it is a great thing for even those who are pure from this passion from the beginning to be able to escape it when they fall into office; but if someone, even before obtaining the honor, nurtures this terrible and savage beast within himself, it is not possible to say into how great a furnace he will cast himself after obtaining it. But we—and do not think that in our modesty we would ever wish to lie to you—possess this desire in great measure, and along with all the other things, this no less frightened us and turned us to this flight. For just as lovers of bodies, as long as it is possible to be near their beloved, have a more severe torment from their passion, but when they have removed themselves as far as possible from the objects of their desire, they have driven away the madness; so also for those who desire this office, whenever they get near it, the evil becomes unbearable, but when they lose hope of it, they extinguish the desire along with the expectation. This, then, is one reason, and not a small one; but even if it were the only one by itself, it would be sufficient to keep us from this dignity. But now another, no less than this, has been added. And what is this? The priest must be sober and discerning and possess ten thousand eyes from every side, as one who lives not for himself alone, but for so great a multitude. But that we are sluggish and weak, and scarcely sufficient for our own salvation, you yourself would confess, you who, because of your love, are most zealous of all to hide our faults. For do not speak to me of fasting, nor of vigils, nor of sleeping on the ground and the rest of the body's harsh discipline; for how far we are from these things, you know. And even if these things had been perfectly accomplished by us, not even so with our present sluggishness could they have had any strength to help us towards that superintendence. For to a man shut up in a small cell and caring only for his own affairs, these things might provide great benefit; but for one divided among so great a multitude and possessing individual cares for each of those under his rule, what reliable gain could they contribute to their advancement, unless he happens to have a vigorous and very strong soul? And do not be surprised if, along with so much endurance, I seek another test of courage in the soul. For to despise food and drink and a soft bed, we see is no great task for many, and especially for those who are more rustic and have been so brought up from their earliest years, and for many others also, since the constitution of their body and habit makes the harshness of such toils easy; but to bear insult and abuse and burdensome speech, and taunts from inferiors, both those spoken simply and in accusation, and reproaches made rashly and in vain by rulers and by subjects, is not for the many, but for one or two perhaps; and one may see those who are strong in the former things so dizzy at these as to be more savage than the fiercest beasts. But such men

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χριστιανοῖς ἐστι προσῆκον ἀνδράσιν, εἰδότας ὡς ἡ τοιαύτη καθαίρεσις οὐκ ἐλάττονα φέρει τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν στέφανον. Ὅταν γάρ τις ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδὲν ἀπρεπὲς μηδ' ἀνάξιόν τι τῆς ἀξίας ὑπομεῖναι ἐκείνης πάθῃ τι τοιοῦτο, καὶ τοῖς ἀδίκως καθελοῦσι τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ αὐτῷ μείζονα προξενεῖ τὸν μισθόν. «Μακάριοι γάρ, φησίν, ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσι καὶ διώξωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ· χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι πολύς ἐστιν ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν ὁμοταγῶν ἢ διὰ φθόνον ἢ πρὸς ἑτέρων χάριν ἢ πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ μὴ ὀρθῷ τις ἐκβάλληται λογισμῷ, ὅταν δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων τοῦτο πάσχειν συμβαίνῃ, οὐδὲ λόγου δεῖν οἶμαι πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι τὸ κέρδος ὅσον αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν συλλέγουσι πονηρίας ἐκεῖνοι. Τοῦτο οὖν δεῖ πανταχόθεν περισκοπεῖν καὶ ἀκριβῶς διερευνᾶν μή πού τις σπινθὴρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκείνης ἐντυφόμενος λάθῃ. Ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς καθαρεύοντας τοῦ πάθους ἡνίκα ἂν ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν δυνηθῆναι τοῦτο διαφυγεῖν· εἰ δέ τις καὶ πρὶν ἢ τυχεῖν τῆς τιμῆς τρέφει παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὸ δεινὸν καὶ ἀπηνὲς τοῦτο θηρίον, οὐδὲ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν εἰς ὅσην ἑαυτὸν ἐμβαλεῖ κάμινον μετὰ τὸ τυχεῖν. Ἡμεῖς δέ- καὶ μή τοι νομίσῃς μετριάζοντας ἡμᾶς ἐθελῆσαι ἄν ποτε ψεύσασθαι πρὸς σέ-, πολλὴν ταύτην κεκτήμεθα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οὐχ ἧττον ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦτο ἐφόβησε καὶ πρὸς ταύτην ἔτρεψε τὴν φυγήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ σωμάτων ἐρῶντες, ἕως μὲν ἂν πλησίον εἶναι τῶν ἐρωμένων ἐξῇ, χαλεπωτέραν τοῦ πάθους τὴν βάσανον ἔχουσιν, ὅταν δὲ ὡς πορρωτάτω τῶν ποθουμένων ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαγάγωσι, καὶ τὴν μανίαν ἀπήλασαν· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ταύτης ἐπιθυμοῦσι τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὅταν μὲν πλησίον αὐτῆς γένωνται, ἀφόρητον γίνεται τὸ κακόν, ὅταν δὲ ἀπελπίσωσι, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν μετὰ τῆς προσδοκίας ἔσβεσαν. Μία μὲν οὖν αὕτη πρόφασις οὐ μικρά· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μόνη καθ' ἑαυτὴν οὖσα ἐτύγχανεν, ἱκανὴ ταύτης ἡμᾶς ἀπεῖρξαι τῆς ἀξίας. Νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα ταύτης οὐχ ἧττον προστέθειται. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Νηφάλιον εἶναι δεῖ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ διορατικὸν καὶ μυρίους πανταχόθεν κεκτῆσθαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλήθει ζῶντα τοσούτῳ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὅτι νωθροὶ καὶ παρειμένοι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν μόλις ἀρκοῦντες σωτηρίαν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἂν ὡμολογήσειας, ὁ μάλιστα πάντων τὰ ἡμέτερα, διὰ τὸ φιλεῖν, κρύπτειν σπουδάζων κακά. Μὴ γάρ μοι νηστείαν εἴπῃς, μηδὲ ἀγρυπνίαν, μηδὲ χαμευνίαν καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν τοῦ σώματος σκληραγωγίαν· καὶ τούτων μὲν γὰρ ὅσον ἀπέχομεν, οἶδας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἀκρίβειαν ἡμῖν κατώρθωτο, οὐδὲ οὕτως μετὰ τῆς παρούσης νωθρότητος ἴσχυσεν ἄν τι πρὸς τὴν ἐπιστασίαν ἡμᾶς ταῦτα ὠφελῆσαι ἐκείνην. Ἀνθρώπῳ μὲν γὰρ εἰς οἰκίσκον τινὰ κατακλεισθέντι καὶ τὰ αὑτοῦ μεριμνῶντι μόνον, πολλὴν ἂν ταῦτα παράσχοι τὴν ὠφέλειαν· εἰς δὲ τοσοῦτον σχιζομένῳ πλῆθος καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἀρχομένων ἰδίας κεκτημένῳ φροντίδας, τί δύναιτ' ἂν πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπίδοσιν ἀξιόπιστον συμβάλλεσθαι κέρδος, ἐὰν μὴ ψυχὴν εὔτονον καὶ ἰσχυροτάτην ἔχων τύχῃ; Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ μετὰ τοσαύτης καρτερίας ἑτέραν βάσανον ζητῶ τῆς ἀνδρείας τῆς ἐν ψυχῇ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σίτων καὶ ποτῶν καὶ στρωμνῆς καταφρονεῖν ἁπαλῆς, πολλοῖς οὐδὲ ἔργον ὁρῶμεν ὄν, καὶ μάλιστά γε τοῖς ἀγροικότερον διακειμένοις καὶ οὕτως ἐκ πρώτης τραφεῖσι τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ πολλοῖς δὲ ἑτέροις, τῆς τε τοῦ σώματος κατασκευῆς καὶ τῆς συνηθείας ἐξευμαριζούσης τὴν ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς πόνοις τραχύτητα· ὕβριν δὲ καὶ ἐπήρειαν καὶ λόγον φορτικὸν καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐλαττόνων σκώμματα τά τε ἁπλῶς καὶ τὰ ἐν δίκῃ λεγόμενα, καὶ μέμψεις τὰς εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων γινομένας, οὐ τῶν πολλῶν ἐνεγκεῖν, ἀλλ' ἑνός που καὶ δευτέρου· καὶ ἴδοι τις ἂν τοὺς ἐν ἐκείνοις ἰσχυροὺς πρὸς ταῦτα οὕτως ἰλιγγιῶντας ὡς μᾶλλον τῶν χαλεπωτάτων ἀγριαίνειν θηρίων. Τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους