34.  Of his care for and protection of the Church, there are many other tokens; his boldness towards the governors and other most powerful men in the city:  the decisions of disputes, accepted without hesitation, and made effective by his simple word, his inclination being held to be decisive:  his support of the needy, most of them in spiritual, not a few also in physical distress:  for this also often influences the soul and reduces it to subjection by its kindness; the support of the poor, the entertainment of strangers, the care of maidens; legislation60    Legislation.  Cf. § 30. written and unwritten for the monastic life:  arrangements of prayers,61    Prayers.  The liturgy of S. Basil together with that of S. Chrysostom are still the authorized liturgies of the Eastern Church. adornments of the sanctuary, and other ways in which the true man of God, working for God, would benefit the people:  one being especially important and noteworthy.  There was a famine, the most severe one ever recorded.  The city was in distress, and there was no source of assistance, or relief for the calamity.  For maritime cities are able to bear such times of need without difficulty, by an exchange of their own products for what is imported:  but an inland city like ours can neither turn its superfluity to profit, nor supply its need, by either disposing of what we have, or importing what we have not:  but the hardest part of all such distress is, the insensibility and insatiability of those who possess supplies.  For they watch their opportunities, and turn the distress to profit, and thrive upon misfortune:  heeding not that he who shows mercy to the poor, lendeth to the Lord,62    Prov. xix. 17. nor that he that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him:63    Ib. xi. 26.  nor any other of the promises to the philanthropic, and threats against the inhuman.  But they are too insatiate, in their ill-judged policy; for while they shut up their bowels against their fellows, they shut up those of God against themselves, forgetting that their need of Him is greater than others’ need of them.  Such are the buyers and sellers of corn, who neither respect their fellows, nor are thankful to God, from Whom comes what they have, while others are straitened.

Τῆς δὲ περὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κηδεμονίας καὶ προστασίας, πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα γνωρίσματα: παρρησία πρὸς ἄρχοντας τούς τε ἄλλους καὶ τοὺς δυνατωτάτους τῆς πόλεως: διαφορῶν λύσεις οὐκ ἀπιστούμεναι, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου φωνῆς τυπούμεναι, νόμῳ τῷ τρόπῳ χρώμεναι: προστασίαι τῶν δεομένων, αἱ μὲν πλείους πνευματικαί, οὐκ ὀλίγαι δὲ καὶ σωματικαί: καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις εἰς ψυχὴν φέρει δι' εὐνοίας δουλούμενον: πτωχοτροφίαι, ξενοδοχίαι, παρθενοκομίαι: νομοθεσίαι μοναστῶν, ἔγγραφοί τε καὶ ἄγραφοι: εὐχῶν διατάξεις, εὐκοσμίαι τοῦ βήματος, τὰ ἄλλα οἷς ἂν ὁ ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μετὰ Θεοῦ τεταγμένος λαὸν ὠφελήσειεν: ἓν δέ, ὃ μέγιστόν τε καὶ γνωριμώτατον. Λιμὸς ἦν, καὶ τῶν πώποτε μνημονευομένων ὁ χαλεπώτατος. Ἔκαμνε δὲ ἡ πόλις, ἐπικουρία δ' ἦν οὐδαμόθεν, οὐδέ τι φάρμακον τῆς κακώσεως. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ παραλίαι τὰς τοιαύτας ἐνδείας οὐ χαλεπῶς ἀναφέρουσι, διδοῦσαι τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῆς θαλάσσης δεχόμεναι: τοῖς δ' ἠπειρώταις ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ περιττεῦον ἀνόνητον, καὶ τὸ ἐνδέον ἀνεπινόητον, οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὅπως ἢ διαθώμεθά τι τῶν ὄντων ἢ τῶν οὐκ ὄντων εἰσκομισώμεθα. Καὶ ὃ χαλεπώτατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἡ τῶν ἐχόντων ἀναλγησία καὶ ἀπληστία. Τηροῦσι γὰρ τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ καταπραγματεύονται τῆς ἐνδείας καὶ γεωργοῦσι τὰς συμφοράς: οὔτε, τῷ Κυρίῳ δανείζειν τὸν ἐλεοῦντα πτωχούς, ἀκούοντες: οὐδ' ὅτι ὁ συνέχων σῖτον δημοκατάρατος: οὔτ' ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν ἢ τοῖς φιλανθρώποις ἐπηγγελμένων ἢ τοῖς ἀπανθρώποις ἠπειλημμένων. Ἀλλ' εἰσὶ τοῦ δέοντος ἀπληστότεροι καὶ φρονοῦσι κακῶς: ἐκείνοις μὲν τὰ ἑαυτῶν, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ σπλάγχνα κλείοντες, οὗ καὶ μᾶλλον χρῄζοντες ἀγνοοῦσιν ἢ αὐτῶν ἕτεροι. Ταῦτα μὲν οἱ σιτῶναι καὶ σιτοκάπηλοι, καὶ μήτε τὸ συγγενὲς αἰδούμενοι, μήτε περὶ τὸ θεῖον εὐχάριστοι, παρ' οὗ τὸ ἔχειν αὐτοῖς, ἄλλων πιεζομένων.