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Are you sleeping? And time runs past you. Are you awake, and your mind is occupied? But nevertheless life is spent, even if it escapes your notice. Therefore, we all run a race, all men, each one hurrying towards his own end. For this reason, all we men are on a road; and so you might grasp the concept of the road, you stand as a traveler in this life, you pass by everything; everything is left behind you. Did you see on the road a plant, or a grass, or whatever might be worth seeing? For a little while you were delighted, then you ran past. Again you encountered stones, and ravines, and cliffs, and reefs, or perhaps also wild beasts, and reptiles, and thorns, or some other troublesome things; for a little while you were annoyed, then you left them behind. Such is life, possessing neither lasting pleasures nor enduring sorrows. The road is not yours, nor are the present things yours; among those who travel, as soon as the first one moved his footstep, immediately the one after him set his foot, and after that one the one who followed. Consider if the things of life are not also very similar. Today you cultivated the land, and tomorrow another, and after that one another. Do you see these fields, and the luxurious houses? how many kinds of names has each of these changed? It was called so-and-so's. Then it was renamed for another; it passed to so-and-so; then now it is called another's. Is not life, therefore, a road, at different times partaking of different owners, and having all men following one another? Blessed, therefore, is he who has not stood in the way of sinners. When you see an herb of grass and a flower of grass, come to the thought of human nature, remembering the image of the wise Isaiah, who said, "All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower 95.1120 of grass." For the brevity of life, and the brief joy and cheerfulness of human prosperity, has obtained a most fitting image from the prophet. He who today is flourishing in body, fattened by luxury, having a blooming complexion, vigorous in the prime of his age, and taut, and irresistible in his impulse, tomorrow this same one is pitiful, either withered by time, or broken down by disease. So-and-so is conspicuous for his abundance of wealth, and a multitude of flatterers around him, a bodyguard of feigned friends courting favor from him, a multitude of relatives, and these too being contrived, a countless swarm of followers, both of those for provisions, and of those attending to him for other needs; and whom, both going forth and again returning, he drags in his train, he is an object of envy to those who meet him. Add to the wealth also some political power, and honors from kings, or the care of nations, or the command of armies; the herald crying out loudly before him, the lictors on this side and that striking the deepest terror into the subjects, the beatings, the confiscations, the abductions, the prisons, from which an unspeakable fear is gathered from those under his power. And what after this? one night and a fever, or pleurisy, or pneumonia snatches the man away from men and is gone, suddenly stripping bare the whole stage about him, and that glory was proven to be like a dream. So that the comparison of human nature to the weaker flower has been commanded to the prophet. Nothing human is permanent; but some things proceed from non-being to perfection; while others, having reached their own prime, and having been increased to their highest measure, again by gradual subtractions they wither and dissolve, and being diminished are brought down; so that from the sight of the moon we may be taught our own affairs, and grasping the idea of the swift vicissitude of human things, not to be high-minded in the prosperities of life, not to glory in powers, not to be puffed up by the uncertainty of wealth; to despise the flesh, around which is change, but to care for the soul, whose good is unmovable. But if the moon grieves you, making its light disappear by gradual subtractions, let a soul that has not acquired virtue grieve you more, and through the cause of inattention makes the good disappear, and never in the same disposition

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καθεύδεις; καὶ ὁ χρόνος σε παρατρέχει. Ἐγρήγορας, καὶ ἄσχολος εἶ τὴν διάνοιαν; ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ ζωὴ δαπανᾶται, κἂν τὴν αἴσθησιν διαφεύγῃ. ∆ρόμῳ οὖν τρέχομεν πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τέλος ἕκαστος κατεπειγόμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποί ἐσμεν ἐν ὁδῷ· καὶ οὕτω δ' ἂν λάβοις τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν ἔννοιαν, ὁδοιπόρος ἐφέστηκας τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ πάντα παρέρχῃ· πάντα κατόπιν σοι γίνεται. Εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ φυτὸν, ἢ πόαν, ἢ ὅ τι ἂν τύχῃ τῶν ἀξίων θεάματος; μικρὸν ἐτέρφθης, εἶτα παρέδραμες. Πάλιν ἐνέτυχες λίθοις, καὶ φάραγξιν, καὶ κρημνοῖς, καὶ σκοπέλοις, ἤ που καὶ θηρίοις, καὶ ἑρπετοῖς, καὶ ἀκάνθαις, ἤ τισιν ἄλλοις τῶν ὀχληρῶν, μικρὸν ἠνιάθης, εἶτα κατέλιπες. Τοιοῦτος ὁ βίος, οὔτε τὰ τερπνὰ μόνιμα, οὔτε τὰ λυπηρὰ διαρκῆ κεκτημένος. Ἡ ὁδὸς οὐκ ἔστι σὴ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ παρόντα σά· ἐπὶ τῶν ὁδευόντων, ὁμοῦ τε ὁ πρῶτος τὸ ἴχνος ἐκίνησεν, καὶ εὐθὺς ὁ μετ' αὐτὸν τὴν βάσιν ἤνεγκεν, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ὁ ἐφεπόμενος. Σκόπει δὲ εἰ μὴ καὶ τὰ τοῦ βίου παραπλήσια. Τὴν γῆν σήμερον σὺ ἐγεώργησας, καὶ αὔριον ἄλλος, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἕτερος. Ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἀγροὺς τούτους, καὶ τὰς πολυτελεῖς οἰκίας; πόσα εἴδη ὀνομάτων, τούτων ἕκαστον ἤμειψεν; τοῦ δεῖνος ἐλέγετο. Εἶτα μετωνομάσθη πρὸς ἕτερον· πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα μετῆλθεν· εἶτα νῦν ἄλλου λέγεται. Ἆρα οὖν οὐχ ὁδὸς ὁ βίος, ἄλλοτε ἄλλου μεταλαμβάνων, καὶ πάντας ἔχων ἀλλήλοις ἐφεπομένους; Μακάριος οὖν, ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη. Ὅταν ἴδῃς βοτάνην χόρτου καὶ ἄνθος χόρτου, εἰς ἔννοιαν ἔρχου τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, μεμνημένος τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ σοφοῦ Ἡσαΐου, εἰπόντος, ὅτι Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος 95.1120 χόρτου. Τὸ γὰρ ὀλιγοχρόνιον τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ τὸ ἐν ὀλίγῳ περιχαρὲς καὶ ἱλαρὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης εὐημερίας, καιριωτάτης παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ τετύχηκεν εἰκόνος. Ὁ σήμερον εὐθαλὴς τῷ σώματι, κατασεσαρκωμένος ὑπὸ τρυφῆς, ἐπανθοῦσαν ἔχων τὴν εὔχροιαν, ὑπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἀκμῆς σφριγῶν, καὶ σύντονος, καὶ ἀνυπόστατος τὴν ὁρμὴν, αὔριον ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἐλεεινὸς, ἢ τῷ χρόνῳ μαρανθεὶς, ἢ νόσῳ διαλυθείς. Ὁ δεῖνα περίβλεπτος ἐπὶ χρημάτων περιουσίᾳ, καὶ πλῆθος περὶ αὐτὸν κολάκων, δορυφορία φίλων προσποιητῶν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χάριν θεραπευόντων, πλῆθος συγγενείας καὶ ταύτης κατεσχηματισμένης, ἐσμὸς τῶν ἐφεπομένων μυρίος, τῶν τε ἐπισιτίων, καὶ τῶν κατ' ἄλλας χρείας αὐτῷ προσεδρευόντων· καὶ οὓς καὶ προιὼν, καὶ πάλιν ἐπανιὼν ἐπισυρόμενος, ἐπίφθονός ἐστι τοῖς συντυγχάνουσιν. Πρόσθες τῷ πλούτῳ καὶ πολιτικήν τινα δυναστείαν, καὶ τὰς ἐκ βασιλέων τιμὰς, ἢ ἐθνῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, ἢ στρατοπέδων ἡγεμονίαν· τὸν κήρυκα μέγα βοῶντα πρὸ αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ῥαβδοφόρους ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν βαρυτάτην κατάπληξιν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἐμβάλλοντας, τὰς πληγὰς, τὰς δημεύσεις, τὰς ἀπαγωγὰς, τὰ δεσμωτήρια, ἐξ ὧν ἀπόῤῥητος ὁ παρὰ τῶν ὑποχειρίων συναθροίζεται φόβος. Καὶ τί μετὰ τοῦτο; μία νὺξ καὶ πυρετὸς, ἢ πλευρίτης, ἢ περιπνευμονία ἀνάρπαστον ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἀπάγουσα τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἴχεται, πᾶσαν τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν σκηνὴν ἐξαπίνης ἀπογυμνώσασα, καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐκείνη ὥσπερ ἐνύπνιον ἀπελέγχθη. Ὥστε ἐπιτέτακται τῷ προφήτῃ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἀδρανέστερον ἄνθος ὁμοίωσις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. Οὐδὲν μόνιμον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος πρόεισιν εἰς τὸ τέλειον· τὰ δὲ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀκμὴν φθάσαντα, καὶ τὸ ἀκρότατον μέτρον αὐτῶν αὐξηθέντα, πάλιν ταῖς κατὰ μικρὸν ὑφαιρέσεσι φθίνει τε καὶ διαλύεται, καὶ μειούμενα καθαιρεῖται· ὥστε ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν σελήνην θεάματος παιδεύεσθαι ἡμᾶς τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ τῆς ταχείας τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων περιτροπῆς λαμβάνοντας ἔννοιαν, μὴ μεγαλοφρονεῖν ταῖς εὐημερίαις τοῦ βίου, μὴ ἐπαγάλλεσθαι δυναστείαις, μὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι πλούτου ἀδηλότητι· περιφρονεῖν τῆς σαρκὸς περὶ ἣν ἡ ἀλλοίωσις, ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἧς τὸ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἀκίνητον. Εἰ δὲ λυπεῖ σε ἡ σελήνη ταῖς κατὰ μικρὸν ἀφαιρέσεσι τὸ φέγγος ἐξαφανίζουσα, λυπείτω σε πλέον ψυχὴ ἀρετὴν μὴ κτησαμένη, καὶ διὰ ἀπροσεξίας αἰτίαν τὸ καλὸν ἀφανίζουσα, καὶ μηδέποτε ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς διαθέσεως