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to see with the eyes that are present, but for those who prefer bodily enjoyment, nourishment according to wisdom was set in opposition. What is lacking is to know how one might live according to virtue, having received through the word, as it were, a certain art and method for the right ordering of life. These things, therefore, are what the present examination of the oracles promises to us in its introduction, in which it declares that, For all things a time, and a season for every matter under the heaven. For if one were to stoop down into the depth of the thought, one would find much philosophy contained in the words, both theoretical and giving counsel for what is expedient. And so that we might have a brief approach to the contemplation of the saying, we shall take up the argument in this way: of existing things, one kind is material 5.374 and perceptible, and the other intelligible and immaterial. Of these, the incorporeal lies beyond sensory comprehension, which we will know at that time, when we have put off the senses; but the sense, which has apprehension of material nature, does not have the nature to cross the heavenly body and to penetrate into the things beyond what appears. For this reason, the word discourses to us about earthly and sub-celestial things, so that we might live in this life without stumbling. This life is material, life is through the flesh, and the contemplation of the good is somehow obscured by the things that appear according to sense. Therefore we are in need of some knowledge for the judgment of the good, so that, just as in the case of crafted things, there might be some rule directing everything that is done according to a standard. This, therefore, is shown to us beforehand by the word, by which life is directed toward what is fitting. For he says there are two criteria of the good throughout life for each of the things pursued in this life: due measure and the right moment. And he now lays this down as a doctrine, saying: For all things a time, and a season for every matter; and instead of 'time' one must understand 'measure', because time is co-extensive with everything that comes to be. These, then, are the criteria of the good. Whether it is also generally suitable for every virtuous achievement 5.375, I do not yet strongly affirm, until the argument demonstrates as it proceeds. That, however, the greater part of an ordered life is set aright by such an observation, anyone might understand. For who does not know that virtue itself is a measure, being measured by the mean of the things considered alongside it? For virtue would not be virtue if it were either deficient of the proper measure or exceeded it, as in the case of courage, of which the deficiency is cowardice, and the excess becomes rashness. For this reason, some of the pagan wisdom, having become perhaps thieves of our own things, divided the meaning signified in this saying: one in an aphorism advised to lack nothing, while the other forbade to exceed; for one declared "Measure is best," while the other legislated "Nothing in excess." And through both it is shown that both failing to reach the measure sought according to virtue is among the condemned things, and exceeding due proportion is to be rejected. But also concerning the part that has to do with the opportune moment, the same argument could be given by us: that neither what anticipates the opportune moment nor what comes too late is judged to be in the portion of the good. What did it profit the farmer to have hastened the cutting of the ears of grain, before the crops had ripened in season 5.376, or to have postponed his haste about the harvest, until the seeds fell from the stalk? For in neither case does his effort become effective for good, since in each case the benefit of the season is destroyed by the inopportuneness of the cutting. And what has been said in a particular case, it is possible to understand in every case. For seamanship also knows the same, whether one anticipates the opportune moment or comes too late. And what might one say of the things of medicine, inasmuch as both the excess and the deficiency of the opportune moment and measure proper to the treatment are for one's harm? But one must leave these things, since the subsequent argument is made clearer by the examples in the very words of Ecclesiastes. But for what reason have these things been contemplated by us beforehand? Because neither what is without measure is good, nor what is inopportune, but that thing is good and choiceworthy which has its perfection through both. For if only one of them should be pursued, and the other overlooked

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ἐγκειμένων ὀμμάτων βλέπειν, τοῖς δὲ τὴν σωματικὴν προϊσχομένοις ἀπόλαυσιν ἀντετέθη ἡ κατὰ σοφίαν τροφή. λείπει τὸ γνῶναι πῶς ἄν τις κατ' ἀρετὴν βιῴη καθάπερ τινὰ τέχνην καὶ ἔφοδον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου κατόρθωσιν διὰ τοῦ λόγου λαβών. ταῦτα οὖν ἐστιν, ἃ ἐπαγγέλλεται ἡμῖν ἐν προοιμίοις ἡ προκειμένη τῶν λογίων ἐξέτασις, ἐν οἷς ἀποφαίνεται, ὅτι Τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ χρόνος καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. εἰ γάρ τις τῷ βάθει τῆς διανοίας ἐγκύψειε, πολλὴν ἂν εὕροι φιλο σοφίαν ἐμπεριειλημμένην τοῖς ῥήμασι θεωρητικήν τε καὶ συμβουλευτικὴν τῶν συμφερόντων. καὶ ὡς ἂν γένοιτό τις ἡμῖν δι' ὀλίγων ἔφοδος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ῥητοῦ θεωρίαν, οὑτωσὶ τὸν λόγον διαληψόμεθα· τῶν ὄντων τὸ μέν ἐστιν ὑλικόν 5.374 τε καὶ αἰσθητόν, τὸ δὲ νοητόν τε καὶ ἄϋλον. τούτων τὸ μὲν ἀσώματον ὑπέρκειται τῆς αἰσθητικῆς καταλήψεως, ὃ τότε γνωσόμεθα, ὅταν τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἀποδυσώμεθα· τῆς δὲ ὑλικῆς φύσεως ἡ αἴσθησις τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἔχουσα διαβῆναι τὸ οὐράνιον σῶμα καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπέκεινα τῶν φαινομένων διαδῦναι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει. οὗ χάριν περὶ τῶν γηΐνων τε καὶ ὑπουρανίων ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν διαλέγεται, ὅπως ἂν ἀπταίστως ἐν τούτῳ διαβιῴημεν. ὑλικὸς οὗτος ὁ βίος, διὰ σαρκὸς ἡ ζωή, ἐπισκοτεῖται δέ πως ὑπὸ τῶν κατ' αἴσθησιν προφαινομένων ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ θεωρία. ἐπιστήμης οὖν τινος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσιν ἐπιδεόμεθα, ἵνα καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν κατασκευασμάτων κανών τις ᾖ ἐπὶ στάθμῃ διευθύνων πᾶν τὸ γινόμενον. τοῦτο οὖν ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου προδείκνυται, δι' οὗ πρὸς τὸ δέον ἡ ζωὴ κατευθύνεται. ∆ύο γὰρ εἶναί φησι τοῦ καλοῦ κριτήρια παρὰ τὸν βίον ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ σπουδαζομένων, τὸ σύμμετρόν τε καὶ τὸ εὔκαιρον. καὶ τοῦτο δογματίζει νῦν λέγων· Τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ χρόνος καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι· νοητέον δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μέτρον, διότι παντὶ τῷ γινομένῳ συμπαρατείνεται χρόνος. ταῦτα τοίνυν τοῦ καλοῦ τὰ κριτήρια. εἰ μὲν καὶ καθόλου πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀρετῆς κατόρθω 5.375 σιν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχει, οὔπω διϊσχυρίζομαι, ἕως ἂν ὁ λόγος προϊὼν ἐπιδείξῃ. ὅτι μέντοι τὸ πλεῖον τῆς τεταγμένης ζωῆς τῇ τοιαύτῃ κατορθοῦται παρατηρήσει, παντὸς ἂν εἴη κατανοῆ σαι. τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἀρετὴ μέτρον ἐστὶ τῇ μεσότητι τῶν παραθεωρουμένων μετρούμενον; οὐ γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο ἀρετὴ ἢ ἐλλιπὴς τοῦ καθήκοντος μέτρου ἢ ὑπερ πίπτουσα, οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας, ἧς τὸ μὲν ἐλλεῖπον δειλία, τὸ δὲ ὑπερβάλλον θράσος γίνεται. οὗ χάριν καί τινες τῆς ἔξω σοφίας, κλέπται τάχα τῶν ἡμετέρων γενόμενοι, διελόμενοι τὴν σημαινομένην ἐν τῷ ῥητῷ τούτῳ διάνοιαν ὁ μὲν τὸ μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν ἐν ἀποφθέγματι συνεβούλευσεν, ὁ δὲ τὸ ὑπερβάλλειν ἐκώλυσεν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸ Μέτρον ἄριστον ἀπεφήνατο, ὁ δὲ τὸ Μηδὲν ἄγαν ἐνομοθέτησεν. δείκνυται δὲ δι' ἑκατέρων, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐφικέσθαι τοῦ ἐπιζητουμένου κατ' ἀρετὴν μέτρου τῶν κατεγνωσμένων ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ ὑπερβάλλειν τὴν συμμετρίαν ἀπόβλητον. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν μέρους ὁ αὐτὸς ἂν ἡμῖν ἀποδοθείη λόγος, ὅτι οὔτε τὸ προλαμβάνον τὴν εὐκαιρίαν οὔτε τὸ ἐφυστερίζον ἐν ἀγαθοῦ κρίνεται μοῖρᾳ. τί ὤνησε τὸν γεωπόνον ἐπισπεύσαντα τὴν τῶν ἀσταχύων τομήν, πρὶν ἁδρυνθῆναι καθ' ὥραν τὰ 5.376 λήϊα, ἢ ὑπερθέμενον τὴν περὶ τὸν ἄμητον σπουδήν, ἕως οὗ περιρρυείη τῇ καλάμῃ τὰ σπέρματα; ἐν οὐθετέρῳ γὰρ ἐνεργὸς ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ γίνεται ἡ σπουδή, καθ' ἑκάτερον τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐν τῇ ἀκαιρίᾳ τῆς τομῆς ἀπολλύοντος. ὃ δὲ ἐπὶ μέρους εἴρηται, καὶ ἐν παντὶ δυνατόν ἐστι κατανοῆσαι. οἶδε γὰρ τὸ ἴσον καὶ ἡ ναυτιλία, εἴτε τις προλάβοι τὴν εὐκαιρίαν εἴτε ἐφυστερίσειεν. τί δ' ἄν τις τὰ τῆς ἰατρικῆς λέγοι, παρ' ὅσον ἐστὶν εἰς βλάβην ὑπερβολή τε καὶ ἔλλειψις τοῦ τῇ θεραπείᾳ καθήκοντος καιροῦ καὶ μέτρου; ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐᾶσαι χρή, τοῦ ἐφεξῆς λόγου ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς τοῦ ἐκκλη σιαστοῦ φωναῖς σαφέστερον φανερουμένου τοῖς ὑποδείγμασιν. Ἀλλ' οὗ χάριν ταῦτα ἡμῖν προτεθεώρηται; ὅτι οὔτε τὸ ἄμετρον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν οὔτε τὸ ἄκαιρον, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο καλόν τε καὶ αἱρετόν, ὃ δι' ἀμφοτέρων ἔχει τὸ τέλειον. εἰ γὰρ μόνον τὸ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν σπουδασθείη, παροφθείη δὲ τὸ