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It is well to say this in addition to what I have said; When Moses entered into the darkness alone and conversed with God alone, and received the double law on tablets, by which he led a great people; Then, therefore, dividing what they possessed from God, he measured out a foreign land for some, another for others; but to the sons of Levi alone he assigns no lot. For their best lot was God. 717 And Jonadab once, introducing to his sons both the lack of possessions and the high life (For he knew, he knew how to philosophize, although at that time poverty was not yet held in wonder); He said these things, a speech as of a very good father: «O sons, what a lot I provide for you, how very great, such as no father has yet given to his sons, not even the richest; Flee every lot, have a life easily unbound, held by no chain. Dwell in tents, moving houses; Let some other cut the earth; and let the vine be planted by him whom wine gladdens; But for you, let your life be without wine, temperate. 718 Living thus, you would live safely for me.» Such then was he. But where shall we place Elias, whom great Carmel nourished with ravens and a torrent, from a thirsty land? Who being poor and the last of the poor, held back rains from tyrants, the depths of streams; He drew fire from heaven for enemies and for sacrifices. For widows he made spring forth drops of scant food, the needy one richly feeding those who fed him; And he raised the dead, the reward of a pious shelter, and was taken up to heaven on a chariot of fire. And the lot of Elisha, which from Elias, was both grace and the glorious fleece from on high. This one was holy before the womb. O the wonder! 719 Surely you hear of the great Samuel, whom his mother's prayer brought to God; Unless this is too bold to say: she did not even have him; from infancy given to God. Who was the borderland of the old and new covenants of God, as of shadow and body, shutting down the one, and opening the entrances to the other? Who was the great lamp running before the highest light? Who was first among those born of women, to whom God is witness? He dwelt in the desert, and had strange food; And a camel's garment he fastened with a twist of skin; the Word described John, Who did not allow one to possess even a second cloak. 720 And what might one say of Paul, who provided food by his craft? Or of Peter, who feasted on lupines alone, the great apostles who put the whole world inside God's nets; whose hands poured forth much wealth, richly bestowing it on the poor? Others left their fishing boats to their kinsmen, being called by God to a better fishing. For they were led by the best words of Christ, who became poor even as to the thickness of flesh, though He was the greatest Mind, and the first nature of mind; And having appointed poor men as messengers of the word, He gives faith alone as their fellow-traveler, 721 To the naked, without brass, not carrying a bag, without sandals and without means, having entrusted the mystery of the whole new world, and not allowing them to have even a staff in their hands, so that faith might be the strength of the word. See what is greater; not even to the young man wanting to learn how one might obtain the perfect, does He describe the summit in any other way than only in this: that he must scatter everything to the poor, always carry the great cross on his shoulders, and follow Him, being dead to the things below, if he should long to be exalted together with God. Thus He perfects even tax collectors by this entrance, 722 Who eagerly gift all things to God; and let Zacchaeus persuade, who, being badly rich, through pity for the poor and the wronged, becomes rich in being poor, and is cleansed of filth. So be it; such are the matters concerning money. But the examples of self-control from the ancient wise men among both Greeks and barbarians are small. For even among barbarians there was some account of virtue. But what and how many things must I write from our own? For they are very manifest and well-known to all. I have heard this from the wise tragedy: «But try to hold every rein of the belly.» For it alone of the things one suffers has no grace. 723 In fullness is Cypris, but not among the hungry. A thick belly does not bear a slender mind. To fill a wineskin with honeycombs or barley-groats, these will differ in no way in the recesses of the belly. And what grace is there in pouring into a leaking jar? An insatiable belly also invented the courses of ships; and it has armed some raging men against others. And that all precious things creep into the abyss, the food of gluttons, and no longer the food of the most humble, from a single cauldron, he rightly says

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τοῦτο δ' εἰπεῖν εὖ ἔχει πρὸς οἷς ἔφην· Μωσῆς ὅτ' εἴσω τοῦ γνόφου μόνος μόνῳ Θεῷ προσωμίλησε, καὶ πλαξὶν νόμον ∆ιπλοῦν ἐδέξαθ', ᾧ λεὼν ἦγε μέγαν· Τότ' οὖν μερίζων ἣν κατέσχον ἐκ Θεοῦ, Ἄλλοις μὲν ἄλλην γῆν ἐμέτρησε ξένην· Υἱοῖς δὲ Λευῒ κλῆρον οὐ νέμει μόνοις. Κλῆρος γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ κράτιστος, ἦν Θεός. 717 Ἰωναδὰβ δὲ παισὶν εἰσάγων ποτὲ Ἀκτησίαν τε καὶ τὸν ὑψηλὸν βίον (Ἤδει γὰρ, ᾔδει φιλοσοφεῖν, καίπερ τότε Οὐδὲ πενίας πω κειμένης ἐν θαύματι)· Τάδ' εἶπε, πατρὸς λίαν ὡς χρηστοῦ λόγον· «Ὦ παῖδες, οἶον ὑμῖν, ὡς ἄγαν πολὺν Κλῆρον πορίζω, οἷον οὔπω τις πατὴρ Παισὶν δέδωκεν, οὐδ' ὃς εὐπορώτατος· Φεύγοιτε πάντα κλῆρον, εὔλυτον βίον Ἔχοιτε, δεσμῷ μηδένι κρατούμενοι. Σκηνὰς μὲν οἰκεῖτ', οἰκίας κινουμένας· Τέμνοι δὲ γῆν ἄλλος τις· ἄμπελος δέ γε Τούτῳ φυτεύοιθ', ὅντιν' οἶνος εὐφρανεῖ· Ὑμῖν δ' ἄοινος, ἐγκρατὴς ἔστω βίος. 718 Ὧδ' ἂν βιοῦντες, ἀσφαλῶς ζώοιτέ μοι.» Οὗτος μὲν οὖν τοιοῦτος. Ἠλίαν δέ που Θήσοιμεν, ὃν Κάρμηλος ἔτρεφεν μέγας Κόραξι χειμάῤῥῳ τε, γῆς ἐκ διψάδος; Ὃς ὢν πένης τε καὶ πενήτων ἔσχατος, Ἵστη τυράννοις ὑετοὺς, ῥείθρων βάθη· Πῦρ εἷλκεν ἐχθροῖς καὶ θυσίαις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Χήραις ἐπήγαζε ῥανίδας στενῆς τροφῆς, Τρέφων τρεφούσας πλουσίως ὁ ἐνδέης· Νεκροὺς δ' ἀνέστη, μισθὸν εὐσεβοῦς σκέπης, Πυρός τ' ἀνήγεθ' ἅρματι πρὸς οὐρανόν. Ἑλισσαίου τε κλῆρος, ὃς παρ' Ἠλίου, Χάρις τε καὶ τὸ κλεινὸν ἐξ ὕψους δέρος. Ὅδε πρὸ γαστρὸς ἱερός. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! 719 Πάντως ἀκούεις τὸν Σαμουὴλ τὸν μέγαν, Ὃν μητρὸς εὐχὴ τῷ Θεῷ προσήγαγεν· Εἰ μὴ λίαν τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν τοῦτό γε· Οὐδ' αὐτὸν εἶχεν· ἐκ βρέφους Θεῷ δοθείς. Τίς ἦν παλαιᾶς καὶ νέας μεταίχμιον Θεοῦ διαθηκῶν, ὡς σκιᾶς καὶ σώματος, Τὴν μὲν κατείργων, τῆς δ' ἀνοίγων εἰσόδους; Τίς φωτὸς ἄκρου προτρέχων λύχνος μέγας; Τίς ἐν γεννητοῖς πρῶτος, ᾧ μάρτυς Θεός; Ἔρημον ᾤκει, καὶ ξένην εἶχε τροφήν· Καμήλιον δ' ἔσθημα δέρματος στροφῇ Ἐσφίγγετ'· ἔγραψε τὸν Ἰωάννην Λόγος, Ὃς οὐδὲ διπλοῦν εἴασε κεκτῆσθαι ῥάκος. 720 Τί δ' ἄν τις εἴποι πρὸς τὸν ἐκ τέχνης τροφὴν Παῦλον πορίζοντ'; ἢ τὸν ἐκ θέρμων μόνων Τρυφῶντα Πέτρον, τοὺς μεγάλους ἀποστόλους Οἳ πάντα κόσμον δικτύων εἴσω Θεοῦ Ἔθηκαν· ὧν αἱ χεῖρες ἔῤῥεον πολὺν Πλοῦτον πένησι πλουσίως δωρουμένων; Ἄλλοι παρῆκαν συγγενέσιν ἁλειάδας, Καλούμενοι Θεῷ πρὸς ἁλείαν κρείττονα. Λόγοις γὰρ ἦσαν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἠγμένοι Χριστοῦ, ὃς ἐπτώχευσε καὶ σαρκὸς πάχος, Νοῦς ὢν μέγιστος, καὶ νοὸς πρώτη φύσις· Πτωχοὺς δὲ τάξας τοῦ λόγου διαγγέλους, Συνέμπορον δίδωσι τὴν πίστιν μόνην, 721 Γυμνοῖς, ἀχάλκοις, πῆραν οὐκ ἐξημμένοις, Ἀσανδάλοις τε καὶ ἀπόροις, μυστήριον Ὅλης ἐπιτρέψας τῆς νέας οἰκουμένης, Καὶ μηδὲ ῥάβδον ἐν χειροῖν ἐῶν ἔχειν, Ὡς πίστις εἴη τοῦ λόγου τὸ εὐσθενές. Ὅρα τὸ μεῖζον· οὐδὲ τῷ νέῳ μαθεῖν Χρῄζοντι, πῶς ἂν τοῦ τελείου τις τύχοι, Ἄλλῳ τὸ ἄκρον, ἢ μόνῳ περιγράφει, Τῷ δεῖν ἅπαντα τοῖς πένησι σκορπίσαι, Σταυρὸν ἐπ' ὤμων τὸν μέγαν φέρειν ἀεὶ, Αὐτῷ θ' ἕπεσθαι τοῖς κάτω νεκρούμενον, Εἴπερ ποθοίη καὶ συνυψοῦσθαι Θεῷ. Οὕτω τελειοῖ καὶ τελώνας εἰσόδῳ 722 Πάντα προθύμως τῷ Θεῷ δωρουμένους· Καὶ πειθέτω Ζακχαῖος, ὃς πλουτῶν κακῶς Οἴκτῳ πενήτων τῶν τε ἠδικημένων Πλουτεῖ τὸ πένεσθαι, καὶ ῥύπου καθαίρεται. Εἶεν· τὰ μὲν δὴ χρημάτων οὕτως ἔχει. Τῆς δ' ἐγκρατείας μικρὰ μὲν τὰ τῶν πάλαι Σοφῶν παρ' Ἕλλησί τε καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων. Καὶ βαρβάροις γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἦν τις λόγος. Τί χρὴ δ' ἀφ' ἡμῶν οἷα καὶ ὅσα γράφειν; Πᾶσιν γάρ ἐστι περιφανῆ καὶ γνώριμα. Ἤκουσα τοῦτο τῆς σοφῆς τραγῳδίας· «Γαστρὸς δὲ πειρῶ πᾶσαν ἡνίαν κρατεῖν.» Μόνη γὰρ ὧν πέπονθεν οὐκ ἔχει χάριν. 723 Ἐν πλησμονῇ τοι Κύπρις, ἐν πεινῶσι δ' οὔ. Παχεῖα γαστὴρ λεπτὸν οὐ τίκτει νόον. Πληρῶσαι δέῤῥιν κηρίων ἤ τ' ἀλφίτων, Οὐδὲν διοίσει ταῦτα γαστρὸς ἐν μυχοῖς. Πίθῳ δ' ἐπαντλεῖν ἐκρέοντι, τίς χάρις; Γαστὴρ δ' ἄναλτος εὗρε καὶ νεῶν δρόμους· Ἄλλους δ' ἐπ' ἄλλοις ἐμμανεῖς ἐξώπλισεν. Ἅπαντα δ' ἕρπειν εἰς βυθὸν τὰ τίμια Τῶν γαστριμάργων σῖτα, μὴ δὲ σῖτ' ἔτι Τῶν εὐτελεστάτων, λέβητος ἐξ ἑνὸς, Ὀρθῶς λέγει