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to introduce philosophy; It is not the same thing to rescue from an unjust murder breathing wrath, to deliver from slaughter, and to deliver from madness that proceeds to such great evil. For by preventing the spearmen from killing him, he benefits him in the present life; but by casting out the wickedness of his soul through the gentleness of his words, he bestowed on him the life to come and the unchangeable good things, at least as far as it depended on him. Therefore, when you praise him for his own meekness, admire him more for the change in Saul. For it is a much greater thing than mastering one's own passions to also overcome the madness of others, and to calm an inflamed heart, and to work such a calm from such a storm, and to fill with hot tears eyes that were looking for murder. And this it is, which is full of much astonishment and wonder. For if Saul had been one of the gentle and moderate men, it would not have been a very great thing to bring him back to his own virtue; but to make one who was turned into a beast and had run aground on the furthest wickedness, and was rushing to slaughter, in a brief moment of time quench all54.705 that bitterness, whom would it not eclipse of those ever acclaimed for the teaching of philosophy? And you, therefore, when you get hold of your enemy, do not consider how you may defend yourself and send him away washed with countless insults, but how you may heal him, how you may bring him back to gentleness; and do not desist from doing and saying everything, until you overcome his cruelty with meekness. For nothing is more powerful than gentleness. And making this very thing clear, someone said, that a soft word will break bones. And yet what is harder than bone? But nevertheless, even if one is so hard and unbending, he who deals with him with gentleness will easily prevail. And again: A soft answer turns away wrath. From which it is clear that for the enemy to be moved, and to be reconciled, you have more power than he. For in us, not in those who are angry, lies the power both for their anger to be quenched, and for it to be carried out to a greater flame. And this again he who said the former things made clear by a simple example. For just as, he says, if you blow on a spark of fire, you kindle the flame, but if you spit, you have quenched it, and of both you are master. For both, he says, proceed from your mouth; so also in the case of your neighbor's enmity; if you offer puffed up and desperate words, you light his fire, you kindle the coals; but if they are gentle and restrained, before the pyre is raised, you have quenched all his anger. Therefore do not say, "I suffered such and such, I heard such and such"; for of all these things you are master. For thus, just as to both quench and to light a spark, it is also in you to kindle and to calm anger again. When you see an enemy, or even bring him to mind, forget all the grievous things you have heard and suffered; but if you should remember them, reckon them to the devil. But collect, if he ever said or did anything good for you. And if you dwell on the memory of these things, you will quickly dissolve the enmity. And if you are about to bring a charge and to argue, first having cast out the passion and quenched the anger, then demand an account, then rebuke, and you will be able to prevail easily. For when we are angry, we will never be able to say or hear anything sound; but being rid of the passion, we will neither utter a harsh word ourselves, nor will we hear others speaking so. For it is not the nature of the things said, so much as the preconception of enmity that is accustomed to exasperate us. At any rate, we have often heard the same insults from friends who were playing, or even jesting, or from little children, and not only did we suffer nothing unpleasant, nor were we exasperated, but we even laughed and were amused; for we did not hear them with a corrupt mind, nor with a soul preoccupied with anger. So also in the case of enemies, if you quench your anger, if you cast out your enmity, nothing of what is said to you

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φιλοσοφίαν ἐναγαγεῖν· οὐκ ἔστιν ἴσον ἀπαλλάξαι θυμοῦ πνέοντος φόνον ἄδικον, ἐξελέσθαι σφαγῆς, καὶ ἐξελέσθαι παραπληξίας ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὁδευούσης κακόν. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ δορυφόρους κωλύσας αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν, κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ὠφελεῖ· τὴν δὲ πονηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκβαλὼν διὰ τῆς τῶν ῥημάτων ἐπιεικείας, τὴν μέλλουσαν αὐτῷ ζωὴν ἐχαρίσατο καὶ τὰ ἀκίνητα ἀγαθὰ, τό γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον. Ὅταν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐπαινέσῃς διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πραότητα, μειζόνως αὐτὸν θαύμασον διὰ τὴν τοῦ Σαοὺλ μεταβολήν. Τοῦ γὰρ τῶν οἰκείων κρατῆσαι παθῶν, πολὺ πλέον ἐστὶ τὸ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων περιγενέσθαι μανίας, καὶ φλεγμαίνουσαν καταστεῖλαι καρδίαν, καὶ τοσαύτην γαλήνην ἀπὸ τοσαύτης ἐργάσασθαι ζάλης, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς φόνον βλέποντας δακρύων ἐμπλῆσαι θερμῶν. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ πολλῆς ἐκπλήξεως γέμει καὶ θαύματος. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὲν τῶν ἐπιεικῶν καὶ μετρίων ἀνθρώπων ἦν ὁ Σαοὺλ, οὐ μέγα ἦν σφόδρα ἐπαναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετήν· τὸ δ' ἐκτεθηριωμένον καὶ πρὸς ἐσχάτην κακίαν ἐξοκείλαντα, καὶ πρὸς σφαγὴν ἐπειγόμενον, ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ παρασκευάσαι πᾶ54.705 σαν τὴν πικρίαν σβέσαι ἐκείνην, τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἀποκρύψειε τῶν πώποτε ἐπὶ διδασκαλίᾳ φιλοσοφίας βεβοημένων; Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅταν λάβῃς τὸν ἐχθρὸν, μὴ τοῦτο σκόπει, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀμυνόμενος καὶ μυρίαις πλύνας ταῖς λοιδορίαις ἐκπέμψῃς, ἀλλ' ὅπως θεραπεύσῃς, ὅπως ἐπαναγάγῃς πρὸς ἐπιείκειαν· καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῇς πάντα καὶ ποιῶν καὶ λέγων, ἕως ἂν περιγένῃ τῇ πραότητι τῆς ὠμότητος τῆς ἐκείνου. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐπιεικείας δυνατώτερον. Καὶ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ δηλῶν τις ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Λόγος ἁπαλὸς συγκλάσει ὀστᾶ. Καίτοι τί ὀστέου σκληρότερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν οὕτω σκληρός τις ᾖ καὶ ἀκαμπὴς, περιέσται ῥᾳδίως ὁ μετ' ἐπιεικείας αὐτῷ χρώμενος. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀπόκρισις ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει ὀργάς. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι τοῦ κινηθῆναι τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ τοῦ καταλλαγῆναι, σὺ κυριώτερος ἐκείνου. Ἐν γὰρ ἡμῖν, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ὀργιζομένοις κεῖται καὶ τὸ σβεσθῆναι, καὶ τὸ πρὸς μείζονα ἐξενεχθῆναι φλόγα τὸν θυμὸν τὸν ἐκείνων. Καὶ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ πάλιν ὁ τὰ πρότερα εἰπὼν ἐδήλωσε διὰ ψιλοῦ παραδείγματος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς σπινθῆρα πυρὸς ἂν μὲν φυσήσῃς, ἐξῆψας τὴν φλόγα, ἂν δὲ πτύσῃς, κατέσβεσας, καὶ ἀμφοτέρων σὺ κύριος Ἀμφότερα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου πορεύεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἔχθρας τοῦ πλησίον· ἂν μὲν πεφυσημένους καὶ ἀπονενοημένους προσενέγκῃς λόγους, ἀνάπτεις ἐκείνου τὸ πῦρ, ἐκκαίεις τοὺς ἄνθρακας· ἂν δὲ προσηνεῖς καὶ περιεσταλμένους, πρὶν τὴν πυρὰν ἀρθῆναι, κατέσβεσας τὴν ὀργὴν ἅπασαν. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγε, ὅτι Τὰ καὶ τὰ ἔπαθον, τὰ καὶ τὰ ἤκουσα· πάντων γὰρ τούτων σὺ κύριος. Οὕτω γὰρ ὥσπερ σπινθῆρα καὶ σβέσαι καὶ ἀνάψαι, καὶ θυμὸν ἐκκαῦσαι καὶ καταστεῖλαι πάλιν ἐν σοί. Ὅταν ἴδῃς ἐχθρὸν, ἢ καὶ εἰς νοῦν λάβῃς, ὅσα μὲν ἤκουσας καὶ ἔπαθες λυπηρὰ, πάντ' ἐπιλανθάνου ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀναμνησθείης, τῷ διαβόλῳ ταῦτα λογίζου. Σύλλεγε δὲ, εἴ τί σοι χρηστὸν εἶπε πώποτε, καὶ ἐποίησε. Κἂν τῇ τούτων ἐνδιατρίβῃς μνήμῃ ταχέως καταλύσεις τὴν ἔχθραν. Κἂν μέλλῃς ἐγκαλεῖν καὶ διαλέγεσθαι, πρότερον τὸ πάθος ἐκβαλὼν καὶ τὸν θυμὸν σβέσας, οὕτως εὐθύνας ἀπαίτει, οὕτως ἔλεγχε, καὶ δυνήσῃ περιγενέσθαι ῥᾳδίως. Θυμούμενοι γὰρ οὔτ' εἰπεῖν, οὔτ' ἀκοῦσαί ποτε δυνησόμεθά τι ὑγιές· ἀπαλλαγέντες δὲ τοῦ πάθους, οὔτ' αὐτοὶ ῥῆμά ποτ' ἐξοίσομεν τραχὺ, οὔθ' ἑτέρων λεγόντων οὕτως ἀκουσόμεθα. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ τῶν λεγομένων φύσις, ὡς ἡ τῆς ἔχθρας πρόληψις ἡμᾶς ἀγριοῦν εἴωθε. Πολλάκις γοῦν παρὰ φίλων τὰς αὐτὰς ἀκούσαντες λοιδορίας παιζόντων, ἢ καὶ χαριεντιζομένων, ἢ καὶ παρὰ παιδίων μικρῶν, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἐπάθομεν ἀηδὲς, οὐδ' ἐξηγριώθημεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγελάσαμεν καὶ διεχύθημεν· οὐ γὰρ μετὰ διεφθαρμένης ἠκούσαμεν γνώμης, οὐδὲ μετὰ ψυχῆς θυμῷ προκατειλημμένης. Ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἂν σβέσῃς τὸν θυμὸν, ἂν τὴν ἔχθραν ἐκβάλῃς, οὐδέν σε τῶν λεγομένων