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Nothing escaped your notice, but at present you have become disorderly, being besieged by such a way of thinking. For you knew that yesterday we were not suffering from an insatiable desire for money, and now, look, on this present day you have demanded from us that a thousand pounds of gold be sent to you. Therefore, be willing to spare us, most excellent one, who possess only so much that, if we wish to eat, it will not be enough for us. For the art of cooks is idle among us, and their knife has no acquaintance with blood. The best of our foods are leaves of vegetables with a very small amount of bread and watered-down wine, so that our senses are not astonished by gluttony to live insatiably. 41.2 And Lausus, your distinguished tribune, who was assigned to you for the matters of importance, reported to us that a certain woman made an appeal to your serenity concerning the destruction of her child who had been poisoned, and how it has been decreed by you that poisoners should nowhere exist and that those who do should be put to death, and that only those should live whose battle is against the wild beasts. And this, though rightly judged by you, has appeared strange to me. For such a thing is full of laughter, how you attempt to heal the greatest of painful wounds with small medicines. For having dared to insult God, he provides for widows and orphans in vain. For the one is maniacal and dangerous, while the other is compassionate and rational. It is burdensome for us, being private citizens, to speak to an Emperor, but it will be more burdensome for you to speak to God. For who might be found as a mediator between God and men?

42.t TO CHILO HIS DISCIPLE

42.1 I will become the cause of a saving matter for you, O genuine brother, if you would gladly be advised by us on what must be done, especially concerning those things about which you yourself have besought us to advise you. For to begin the solitary life has perhaps been dared by many, but to complete it worthily has perchance been achieved by few. And in any case, the end does not exist in the intention alone, but in the end is the profit of the things accomplished. Therefore, there is no benefit for those who are not hastening toward the end of their goal, but establish the life of monks only up to the beginning; but indeed they also leave their own intention an object of ridicule, being accused of unmanliness and thoughtlessness by those outside. For the Lord also says concerning such people: 'Who, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Lest, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, those passing by begin to mock him, saying, "This man laid a foundation and was not able to finish."' Let the beginning, therefore, eagerly have progress toward the achievement. For indeed the most noble athlete Paul, wishing us not to be complacent about the good things previously lived, but to press forward day by day, says: 'Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call.' For such is the whole life of men, not being content with what has been attained, but being nourished not so much by what has been attained, but by what is to come. For what does yesterday's satiation of the stomach profit a man, if today his natural hunger does not find its proper solace from food? So therefore there is no profit for the soul from yesterday's right action, if it is left behind by today's practice of righteousness. 'For as I find you,' he says, 'so I will judge you.' 42.2 Therefore, the labor of the righteous man is in vain, and the way of the sinner is blameless, if a change should occur, for the one having changed from the better to the worse, and for the other from the worse to the better. These things it is possible to hear from Ezekiel also, dogmatizing as if from the person of the Lord. 'For if,' he says, 'the one who turns aside'

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ἐλάνθανέ σε οὐδέν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος ἀκόσμητος καθέστηκας ὑπὸ τοιούτου φρονήματος στρατοπεδευθείς. Ἤδεις γὰρ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν χθὲς ἐπ' ἀπληστίᾳ χρημάτων μὴ πεπονθότας, καὶ νῦν ἰδοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἐπεζήτησας παρ' ἡμῶν χιλιάδα λιτρῶν χρυσίου ἐξαποσταλῆναί σοι. Φείσασθαι ἡμῶν τοίνυν θέλησον, ἀγαθότατε, τοσαῦτα κεκτημένων ὅσα, ἂν θελήσωμεν φαγεῖν, οὐκ ἐξαρκέσει ἡμῖν. Ἀργεῖ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῖν τέχνη μαγείρων, μάχαιρα δὲ τούτων αἵματι οὐ προσομιλεῖ. Τὰ βέλτιστα τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν βρωμάτων λαχάνων φύλλα σὺν ἄρτῳ βραχυτάτῳ καὶ ἐξεστηκότι οἴνῳ, ὥστε μὴ ἐκθαμβούμενα ἡμῶν τὰ αἰσθητήρια ὑπὸ τῆς γασ τριμαργίας ἐπ' ἀπληστίᾳ πολιτεύεσθαι. 41.2 Ἀπήγγειλε δὲ ἡμῖν Λαῦσος ὁ περίβλεπτός σου τριβοῦνος, ὁ κληρωθείς σοι πρὸς τὰ σπουδαζόμενα, ὡς γυνή τις προσέλευσιν ἐποιήσατο πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν γαλη νότητα ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ παιδὸς αὐτῆς φαρμακευθέντος, καὶ ὡς κέκριται παρ' ὑμῶν φαρμακοὺς μὲν μηδαμοῦ εἶναι καὶ ὄντας ἀναιρεῖσθαι, ἐκείνους δὲ μόνον ζῆν οἷς ἡ μάχη πρὸς τὰ θηρία. Καὶ τοῦτο ὀρθῶς κριθὲν παρ' ὑμῶν ξένον μοι πέφηνε. Γέλωτος γὰρ ἀνάμεστον τυγχάνει τὸ τοιοῦτον πῶς τὰ μέγιστα τῶν τραυμάτων ἀλγεινὰ μικροῖς φαρμά κοις ἰατρεύειν ἐπιχειρεῖς. Θεὸν γὰρ τολμήσας παρυβρίσαι μάτην χηρῶν καὶ ὀρφανῶν πρόνοιαν ποιεῖ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ μανικὸν καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον, τὸ δὲ φιλοικτίρμονος καὶ λογιστι κοῦ. Ἐπαχθὲς δὲ ἡμῖν που λέγειν πρὸς Βασιλέα ἰδιώτας ὄντας, ἐπαχθέστερον δέ σοι τοῦτο γενήσεται τὸ λέγειν πρὸς Θεόν. Τίς γὰρ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων μεσίτης εὑρεθείη;

42.τ ΠΡΟΣ ΧΙΛΩΝΑ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΜΑΘΗΤΗΝ

42.1 Σωτηρίου πράγματος αἴτιος γενήσομαί σοι, ὦ γνήσιε ἀδελφέ, εἰ ἡδέως

συμβουλευθείης παρ' ἡμῶν τὰ πρακτέα, μάλιστα περὶ ὧν ἡμᾶς αὐτὸς παρεκάλεσας συμβουλεῦσαί σοι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατάρξασθαι τοῦ μονήρους βίου πολλοῖς ἴσως τετόλμηται, τὸ δὲ ἀξίως ἐπιτελέσαι ὀλίγοις τάχα που πεπόνηται. Καὶ πάντως οὐκ ἐν προθέσει μόνον τὸ τέλος ὑπάρχει, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τέλει τὸ κέρδος τῶν πεπονημένων. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν ὄφελος τοῖς μὴ πρὸς τὸ τοῦ σκοποῦ τέλος ἐπειγομένοις, ἄχρι δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς μόνης ἱστῶσι τὸν τῶν μοναχῶν βίον· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ καταγέλαστον καταλιμ πάνουσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν πρόθεσιν, ἀνανδρίας καὶ ἀβουλίας παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐγκαλούμενοι. Φησὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος περὶ τῶν τοιούτων. «Τίς, βουλόμενος πύργον οἰκοδομῆ σαι, οὐχὶ πρῶτον καθίσας ψηφίζει τὴν δαπάνην, εἰ ἔχει τὰ πρὸς ἀπαρτισμόν; μή ποτε, θέντος αὐτοῦ θεμέλιον καὶ μὴ ἰσχύοντος ἐκτελέσαι, ἄρξωνται ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ οἱ παρα πορευόμενοι λέγοντες ὅτι ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος θεμέλιον ἔθηκε καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐκτελέσαι.» Ἡ οὖν ἀρχὴ ἐχέτω τὴν προκοπὴν προθύμως ἐπὶ τῷ κατορθώματι. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ γενναιότατος ἀθλητὴς Παῦλος, βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐπαμεριμνεῖν τοῖς προβεβιωμένοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἀλλ' ὁσημέραι εἰς τὸ πρόσω προκόπτειν, λέγει· «Τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθα νόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος, κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως.» Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὑπάρχει ὅλος ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος, μὴ ἀρκούμενος τοῖς φθάσασιν, ἀλλὰ τρεφόμενος οὐ τοῖς φθάσασι μᾶλλον, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μέλλουσι. Τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἄνθρωπον ὁ χθιζὸς τῆς γαστρὸς κόρος, σήμερον τῆς ἐμφύτου πείνης τὴν οἰκείαν τῆς βρώσεως παραμυθίαν μὴ εὑρισκούσης; Οὕτως οὖν οὐδὲ ψυχῆς κέρδος τοῦ χθεσινοῦ κατορθώματος, τῆς σημερινῆς ἀπολιμπανομένου δικαιοπραγίας. «Οἷον γὰρ εὕρω σε, φησί, τοιοῦτόν σε κρινῶ». 42.2 Οὐκοῦν μάταιος μὲν τοῦ δικαίου ὁ κόπος, ἀνέγκλητος δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὁ τρόπος, ἐπιγενομένης ἐναλλαγῆς, τῷ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, τῷ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ χείρονος ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβληθέντι. Ταῦτα καὶ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου δογματίζοντός ἐστιν ἀκοῦσαι. «Ἐὰν γάρ, φησίν, ἐκκλίνας ὁ