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The words of folly: "if having helped others you are not able to help yourself nor to advise yourself what you advised others, it is manifest that you yourself are devoid of all virtue. For how could one who was not able to be useful to himself be useful to others?" From these things he attempts to slander the reputation of his former achievements, so that it seems to me that this is also the meaning: lest you have often spoken in weariness. "Have you not often," he says, "spoken in another's weariness? For who is able to bear the force of your words, which you always said boastfully? But behold, now your boastfulness has been exposed." For it was likely for the just man both to speak of some of his own achievements and, as now, having fallen into necessity; for this reason he says: in weariness. "For who is able," he says, "to recount this or to bear your boasts? But now it has been exposed. For if you helped others, ---." And see how he boasted; he did not speak of his achievements in matters of wealth, but if he benefited any by his words. These things, at least, he also brings against him. 61 Is not your fear in folly, and your hope, and the evil of your way? That is: "the purpose with which you did these things; or that you did not even do them, or that your life is full of wickedness, or that you did not fear God with a right mind, but these were mere words. And your hope was in folly, it was full of foolishness," he says. Why? What necessity? For is it not possible for one who has often helped others to be himself in calamities? "No," he says. Then he also weaves a vain syllogism; for since he said: the fear which I feared has come upon me, "this," he says, "fear was in folly, and your hope was from the evil of your heart. For if you had been in true things and of a pure life, you would not have expected these things, so that you have convicted yourself that you were of an impure and wicked life. For it is foolish," he says, "for one who is good and kind to fear such things and to hope for such things. For if you spent your life in correcting the calamities of others, how can you say that the fear which I feared has come upon me? But the evil of your way made you expect such things." See how he struggles and contends and moves everything to show that he suffered these things because of wickedness. 4,7a Remember then, he says,- he did not say, "look," but remember- 4,7a what pure man ever perished. That is: "recount all the time before, so clear and manifest is this." Then, since the argument was easy to overcome, he brings forward the second one, which seems to be indisputable; 62 4,7b or when did the truly righteous perish root and all. He strikes him through the calamity of his children; "for grant that you can say that others suffered something terrible, but the terrible things did not reach to their offspring, nor were they overthrown to the very root." For since the first argument was refuted, he brought forward the second, which seemed to be strong and reminding him of his own calamity. 4,8a In the same way I have seen, he says, those who plow what is amiss. That is: this calamity belongs to those who have worked injustice. "Who perished," he says, "in such a way as we see them perishing?" Or what pure man perished in the way I have seen those who plow what is amiss? 4,8b and those who sow them will reap pains for themselves. He well said sowing and plowing. For so that no one may say, "For what reason then did they not perish immediately?", "not even the seed yields immediately," he says. 4,9a By the command of the Lord they will perish, 9b and by the breath of his wrath they will be destroyed. See another terrible thing also; "Do not think," he says, "that what has happened is the work of wicked demons or of treacherous men; it is God who is punishing. Therefore it is indisputable that the punishment is just." 4,10a The strength of a lion, and the voice of a lioness, 10b and has the pride of serpents been extinguished? See what he says: "Just as things according to nature could not happen otherwise, but only as they have been ordered according to nature, so," he says, "also here, for example, that the wicked perish, but the good are in prosperity. "Have you not seen," he says, "the course of nature interrupt63ed?" As the prophet says concerning impossibilities: if two shall walk together at all, unless

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ἀφροσύνης τὰ ῥήματα· «εἰ ἑτέροις βοηθήσας σαυτῷ μὴ δύνασαι βοηθῆσαι μηδὲ παραινέσαι σαυτῷ, ὅπερ ἑτέροις συνεβούλευες, εὔδηλον, ὅτι πάσης ἀρετῆς ἄμοιρος αὐτὸς εἶ. ὁ γὰρ ἑαυτῷ χρήσιμος γενέσθαι μὴ δυνηθεὶς πῶς ἂν ἑτέροις γένοιτο;» ἐκ τούτων διαβάλλειν ἐπιχειρεῖ τὴν δόξαν τῶν προτέρων κατορθωμάτων, ὥστε μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἐκεῖνο εἶναι τὸ νόημα· μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ. «οὐ πολλάκις», φησίν, «εἶπες ἐν κόπῳ ἀλλοτρίῳ; τίς γὰρ δύναται ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν ῥημάτων σου, ὧν ἀεὶ καυχώμενος ἔλεγες; ἀλλ' ἰδού, νῦν ἐλήλεγκται ἡ μεγαληγορία σου.» εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ εἰπεῖν τινα τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων καὶ ἤδη ὥσπερ νῦν εἰς ἀνάγκην ἐμπεσόντα· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· ἐν κόπῳ. «τίς γὰρ καὶ δύναται τοῦτο», φησίν, «διηγήσασθαι ἢ ἐνεγκεῖν τὰ καυχήματά σου; ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐλήλεγκται. εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐβοήθησας ἑτέροις, ---.» καὶ ὅρα, πῶς ἐκαυχᾶτο· οὐκ ἔλεγε τὰ ἐν χρήμασιν αὐτῷ κατωρθωμένα, ἀλλ' εἴ τινας ἀπὸ λόγων ὠφέλησεν. ταῦτα γοῦν αὐτῷ καὶ προφέρει. 61 πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ φόβος σού ἐστιν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου καὶ ἡ κακία τῆς ὁδοῦ σου; τουτέστιν· «ὁ σκοπός, μεθ' οὗ ταῦτα ἐποίεις· ἢ ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐποίησας, ἢ ὅτι ὁ βίος σου πονηρίας γέμει, ἢ ὅτι οὐ μετὰ ὀρθῆς διανοίας ἐφόβου τὸν θεόν, ἀλλὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἦν. καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ ἦν, ἔγεμεν ἀνοίας», φησίν. διὰ τί; ποία ἀνάγκη; οὐ γὰρ ἔνι πολλάκις ἑτέροις βοηθήσαντα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν συμφοραῖς; «οὔ», φησίν. εἶτα καὶ μάταιον πλέκει συλλογισμόν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν· φόβος, ὃν ἐφοβούμην, ἦλθέ μοι, «οὗτος», φησίν, «ὁ φόβος ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας τῆς καρδίας σου ἦν. εἰ γὰρ ἐν ἀληθινοῖς πράγμασιν ἦς καὶ βίου καθαροῦ, οὐκ ἂν ταῦτα προσεδόκησας, ὥστε αὐτὸς σεαυτὸν ἤλεγξας, ὅτι βίου ἀκαθάρτου ἦς καὶ πονηροῦ. ἀνόητον γάρ», φησίν, «ἀγαθὸν ὄντα καὶ χρηστὸν τοιαῦτα φοβεῖσθαι καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐλπίζειν. εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τὰς ἑτέρων διορθοῦν συμφορὰς τὸν βίον ἀνάλωσας, πῶς λέγεις, ὅτι φόβος, ὃν ἐφοβούμην, ἦλθέ μοι; ἀλλ' ἡ κακία τῆς ὁδοῦ σου τοιαῦτά σε ἐποίει προσδοκᾶν.» ὅρα, πῶς ἀγωνίζεται καὶ φιλονεικεῖ καὶ πάντα κινεῖ δεικνὺς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πονηρίας ταῦτα παθόντα. 4,7a μνήσθητι οὖν, φησίν,- οὐκ εἶπεν· «βλέπε», ἀλλὰ μνήσθητι- 4,7a τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο. τουτέστιν· «ἀναλόγισαι πάντα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον, οὕτω σαφές ἐστι τοῦτο καὶ δῆλον.» εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ὁ λόγος εὐχείρωτος ἦν, ἐπάγει τὸ δεύτερον δοκοῦν ἀναμφισβήτητον εἶναι· 62 4,7b ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο. πλήττει αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς τῶν παίδων συμφορᾶς· «ἔστω γάρ, ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἔπαθόν τι δεινὸν ἕτεροι, ἀλλ' οὐ μέχρι τῶν ἐκγόνων ἦλθεν αὐτοῖς τὰ δεινὰ οὐδὲ μέχρι τῆς ῥίζης αὐτῆς ἀνετράπησαν.» ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος λόγος ἠλέγχετο, τὸν δεύτερον ἐπήγαγε δοκοῦντα ἰσχυρὸν εἶναι καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς αὐτὸν ἀναμιμνῄσκοντα τῆς οἰκείας. 4,8a καθ' ὃν τρόπον εἶδον, φησίν, τοὺς ἀροτριῶντας τὰ ἄτοπα. τουτέστιν· αὕτη ἡ συμφορὰ ἐκείνων ἐστὶ τῶν ἐργασαμένων τὴν ἀδικίαν. «τίς ἀπώλετο», φησίν, «οὕτως, ὡς ἐκείνους ὁρῶμεν ἀπολλυμένους;» ἢ τίς ἀπώλετο καθαρός, ὃν τρόπον εἶδον τοὺς ἀροτριῶντας τὰ ἄτοπα; 4,8b οἱ δὲ σπείροντες αὐτὰ ὀδύνας θεριοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς. καλῶς σπόρον καὶ ἄροσιν εἶπεν. ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ τις· «τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως ἀπώλοντο;», «οὐδὲ ὁ σπόρος εὐθέως ἀποδώσει», φησίν. 4,9a ἀπὸ προστάγματος κυρίου ἀπολοῦνται, 9b ἀπὸ δὲ πνεύματος ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀφανισθήσονται. ὅρα καὶ ἕτερον δεινόν· «μὴ νομίσῃς», φησίν, «δαιμόνων εἶναι πονηρῶν μηδὲ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβούλων τὰ συμβεβηκότα· ὁ θεός ἐστιν ὁ κολάζων. οὐκοῦν ἀναμφισβήτητον δικαίαν εἶναι τὴν κόλασιν.» 4,10a σθένος λέοντος, φωνὴ δὲ λεαίνης, 10b γαυρίαμα δὲ δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη; ὅρα, τί φησιν· «ὥσπερ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν πράγματα οὐκ ἂν ἑτέρως γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ἢ ὡς κατὰ φύσιν τέτακται, οὕτω», φησίν, «καὶ ἐνταῦθα, οἷον δὴ τὸ τοὺς μὲν πονηροὺς ἀπολέσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἀγαθοὺς ἐν εὐθηνίᾳ εἶναι. μὴ εἶδες», φησίν, «τὸν δρόμον τῆς φύσεως διακοπέν63 τα;» οἷόν φησιν ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων· εἰ πορεύσονται δύο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καθόλου, ἐὰν μὴ