34

having done. What then, but to pray to God and implore your philanthropy? of the one, to bring to your mind better things; of the other, not to harshly dismiss our embassy, 105.2 but to receive gently the wretched Paul, whom justice has brought under your hands perhaps so that it might make you more illustrious by the greatness of your gentleness, and to procure for your philanthropy our prayers—if there are any. 106.T TO THE SAME 106.1 Behold, for you another subject for letters, which you create, if the truth must be told, by provoking us with honor. Behold for you another suppliant, this one a prisoner of fear, our kinsman Eustratius, who with us and through us falls before your goodness, 106.2 neither enduring to be forever rebellious to your rule, even if a just fear terrified him, nor choosing to approach you through another than through us, so that he might make the philanthropy for himself more venerable, by using such ambassadors whom, if nothing else, you yourself make great, by so receiving their entreaties. 106.3 One and a brief thing I will utter. The other first favors you gave to us, but this one you will give to your own judgment; since you once set out to comfort our old age and weakness with such honors. And I will add that you always make the Divine more favorable to yourself. 107.T TO CLEDONIUS 107.1 You ask what our silence means? It means measures of speech and of silence. For he who has mastered the whole will more easily master the part; and it also tames anger that is not spoken, but is spent within itself. 108.T TO THE SAME 108.1 We are silent in speech, being taught to speak what is necessary, and we are trained to control the passions. If anyone accepts this, well; but if not, this too is a gain of silence, not even to answer the many. 109.T TO THE SAME 109.1 I do not forbid the meeting; for even if the tongue is silent, we will gladly offer our ears to your words, since to hear what one must is not less honorable than to speak. 110.T TO PALLADIUS 110.2 New is the manner of admonition; for since by speaking I did not restrain tongues, by silence I have taught to be silent, training like by like. This is also Christ's law; since by giving us law he did not purify us, he tames man with the human, according to his great philanthropy of the economy concerning us.

111.T TO EUGENIUS 111.1 You philosophize on solitude and so immoderate

fasting, but I on silence. Let us share the gift with each other; and when we become one, we shall sing to God together, bearing as fruit, just as a reasonable silence, so also inspired speech. 112.T TO CELEUSIUS 112.1 I received you even while silent, so that you might learn the reason of silence spoken by the pen. But I will speak what is fitting for friendship and for such an occasion. You break the law, o judge, by not fasting; and how will you keep human laws, while despising divine ones? 112.2 Keep your tribunal pure, so that it not be one of two things, either you become evil, or you are thought to be. To put on shameful shows is to make a spectacle of oneself. The sum of the matter is, know that you are being judged, o judge, and you will sin less. I had nothing better than these things to offer you. 113.T TO THE SAME 113.1 Do not judge me for being silent, for neither do I judge you for speaking, which Paul legislated concerning foods. But if you do judge, fear your tongue, lest it be moved against you first, if it should find you worthy of being silenced. 114.T TO THE SAME 114.1 Since you accuse me of silence and boorishness, O talkative and witty one, come let me recount to you a not unmusical fable, if somehow, at least in this way, I might be able to restrain you from your chatter. 114.2 The swallows were mocking the swans for not wanting to associate with men nor to make their music public, but to spend their time around the meadows and the rivers, and to embrace solitude, and to sing little, and what they did sing, to sing among themselves, as if ashamed of their music. 114.3 "But for us," they said, "are the cities and men and the chambers, and we chatter to men and relate our affairs,

34

ποιήσασα. Τί λοιπόν, ἢ Θεοῦ δεηθῆναι καὶ τὴν σὴν ἱκετεῦσαι φιλανθρωπίαν; τοῦ μέν, ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγαγεῖν σοι τὰ χρηστότερα· τὴν δέ, μὴ τραχέως ἀποπέμψασθαι τὴν ἡμετέραν πρεσβείαν, 105.2 ἀλλ' ἡμέρως δέξασθαι τὸν ἄθλιον Παῦλον, ὃν ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἤγαγεν ἡ δίκη τὰς σὰς ἴσως ἵνα σε λαμπρότερον ἐργάσηται τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἡμερότητος, καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας εὐχάς-εἴ τινές εἰσι-τῇ σῇ προξενήσῃ φιλανθρωπίᾳ. 106.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 106.1 Ἰδού σοι καὶ ἄλλη γραμμάτων ὑπόθεσις, ἃς σὺ ποιεῖς, εἰ χρὴ τἀληθῆ λέγειν, τῷ τιμᾶν προκαλούμενος. Ἰδού σοι καὶ ἄλλος ἱκέτης φόβου δέσμιος οὗτος, ὁ συγγε νὴς ἡμῶν Εὐστράτιος, ὃς μεθ' ἡμῶν καὶ δι' ἡμῶν προσ πίπτει τῇ σῇ ἀγαθότητι, 106.2 οὔτε διαπαντὸς ἀφηνιάζειν τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς ἀνεχόμενος, εἰ καὶ φόβος δίκαιος αὐτὸν διεπτόησεν, οὔτε δι' ἄλλου σοι προσπεσεῖν ἢ δι' ἡμῶν αἱρούμενος, ἵνα καὶ σεμνοτέραν ἑαυτῷ ποιήσῃ τὴν φιλαν θρωπίαν, τοιούτοις πρεσβευταῖς χρώμενος οὕς, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, αὐτὸς μεγάλους ποιεῖς, οὕτω τὰς παρακλήσεις δεχόμενος. 106.3 Ἓν καὶ σύντομον φθέγξομαι. Τὰς μὲν ἄλλας πρώτας χάριτας ἐδίδους ἡμῖν, ταύτην δὲ τῇ σεαυτοῦ κρίσει δώσεις· ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ ὥρμησας παραμυθεῖσθαι τὸ γῆρας ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ταῖς τοιαύταις τιμαῖς. Προσθήσω δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὸ Θεῖον ἀεὶ σεαυτῷ ποιεῖς εὐμενέσ τερον. 107.Τ ΚΛΗ∆ΟΝΙΩΙ 107.1 Ἐρωτᾷς τί βούλεται ἡμῖν ἡ σιγή; Βούλεται λόγου μέτρα καὶ σιωπῆς. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς κρατήσας ῥᾷον κρατήσει τοῦ μέρους· πρὸς δὲ καὶ θυμὸν ἡμεροῖ μὴ λαλούμενον, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτῷ δαπανώμενον. 108.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 108.1 Σιωπῶμεν τῷ λόγῳ, τὸ λαλεῖν ἃ χρὴ διδασκόμενοι, καὶ τῶν παθῶν ἐπικρατεῖν γυμναζόμεθα. Εἰ μέν τις δέχεται τοῦτο, καλῶς· εἰ δὲ μή, καὶ τοῦτο κέρδος τῆς σιωπῆς, τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς μηδὲ ἀποκρίνεσθαι. 109.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 109.1 Οὐ κωλύω τὴν συντυχίαν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ γλῶττα σιγᾷ, τά γε ὦτα τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις ἡδέως παρέξομεν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ λαλεῖν ἃ χρὴ τὸ ἀκούειν οὐκ ἀτιμότερον. 110.Τ ΠΑΛΛΑ∆ΙΩΙ 110.2 Καινὸς τῆς νουθεσίας ὁ τρόπος· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ λαλῶν οὐκ ἐπεῖχον τὰς γλώσσας τῇ σιωπῇ τὸ σιγᾶν ἐδίδαξα, τῷ ὁμοίῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ἐκπαιδεύων. Οὗτος καὶ Χριστοῦ νόμος· ἐπειδὴ νομοθετῶν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἐκάθηρεν, ἡμεροῖ τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην αὐτοῦ τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίας φιλανθρωπίαν.

111.Τ ΕΥΓΕΝΙΩΙ 111.1 Σὺ φιλοσοφεῖς τὴν ἐρημίαν καὶ τὴν ἄμετρον οὕτω

νηστείαν, ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν σιωπήν. Μεταδῶμεν ἀλλήλοις τοῦ χαρίσματος· ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς ἓν γενώμεθα, κοινῇ τὸν Θεὸν ᾀσόμεθα, καρποφοροῦντες ὥσπερ εὔλογον σιωπήν, οὕτω καὶ λόγον ἔνθεον. 112.Τ ΚΕΛΕΥΣΙΩΙ 112.1 Εἰσεδεξάμην σε καὶ σιωπῶν, ἵνα μάθῃς καὶ σιωπῆς λόγον τῇ γραφίδι λαλούμενον. Λαλήσω δὲ ἃ πρέπει φιλίᾳ καὶ τοιούτῳ καιρῷ. Παρανομεῖς, ὁ δικαστής, οὐ νηστεύων· καὶ πῶς φυλάξεις τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους νόμους, τοὺς θείους περιφρονῶν; 112.2 Κάθαρόν σου τὸ δικαστή ριον, ἵνα μὴ δυοῖν ἕν, ἢ γίνῃ κακός, ἢ νομίζῃ. Τὸ προτι θέναι θέας αἰσχρὰς ἑαυτόν ἐστι θεατρίζειν. Κεφάλαιον τοῦ λόγου, ἴσθι κρινόμενος, ὁ κριτής, καὶ ἧττον ἁμαρτή σεις. Τούτων οὐδὲν εἶχόν σοι παρασχεῖν ἄμεινον. 113.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 113.1 Μὴ κρῖνέ με σιγῶντα, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ σὲ φθεγγόμενον, ὃ περὶ τῶν βρωμάτων ὁ Παῦλος ἐνομοθέτησεν. Εἰ δὲ κρίνεις, φοβοῦ τὴν γλῶσσαν, μὴ κατὰ σοῦ κινηθῇ πρῶτον, εἴ σε λάβοι τοῦ σιωπᾶν ἄξιον. 114.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 114.1 Ἐπειδή μοι τὴν σιωπὴν ἐγκαλεῖς καὶ τὴν ἀγροικίαν, ὦ λάλε καὶ ἀστικέ, φέρε σοι διαμυθολογήσω μῦθον οὐκ ἄμουσον, εἴ πως, ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ γε, δυναίμην ἐπισχεῖν σε τῆς φλυαρίας. 114.2 Ἐπέσκωπτον αἱ χελιδόνες τῶν κύκνων τὸ μὴ ἐθέλειν ὁμιλεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μήτε δημοσιεύειν τὴν μουσικήν, ἀλλ' ἀμφὶ τοὺς λειμῶνας διάγειν καὶ τοὺς ποταμούς, καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν ἀσπάζεσθαι, καὶ βραχέα μὲν ᾄδειν, ἃ δὲ καὶ ᾄδοιεν ᾄδειν ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, ὥσπερ αἰσχυνουμένους τὴν μουσικήν. 114.3 «Ἡμῶν δέ, ἔφασαν, αἱ πόλεις καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ οἱ θάλαμοι, καὶ περιλα λοῦμεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα διηγούμεθα,