37. Let us conquer those that have oppressed us, with clemency; and above all let humanity be our director, and the force of that commandment which promises us like for like mercy whenever we need the same; for "with what measure ye mete, with the same shall it be measured to you again," as we well know. And if any of you feel exceedingly bitter, let us leave to God those who have vexed us, and to the tribunal of the next world; let us not diminish aught of the coming wrath by means of our own violence; let us not think of confiscation; let us not, bring them before the tribunals; let us not banish them from their country; let us not torture them with scourges, nor, to sum up all, let us not do to them anything of all that they have done to us. Let us make them better, if perchance that be possible, by our own example. If any one's father has been a sufferer, or his son, or wife, or kinsman, or friend, or any of those dear to him, let us render the suffering profitable to them by persuading them to bear patiently the things which they have suffered; in this way we shall do them a greater favour than in any other. Shall I mention the greatest of the blessings we now enjoy? Those that persecuted us are hooted by mobs and cities, and market-places, and assemblies. The old state of things is cried up, the new derided, even by those who joined in the persecution, which is a strange thing; the gods themselves are pulled down amidst all sorts of execration by the very men who set them up, as though they had deceived them for a long time and the delusion had come to an end at last; and he that was yesterday a worshipper is to-day a reviler. What greater thing than all this do we seek for? At the present time this (perhaps too light for their offences) is the fate of those wretched men----a time will come when I shall behold them and their Great Leader bewailing their own sin, at the time when all wickedness shall be judged and tormented!

ΛΖʹ. Νικήσωμεν ἐπιεικείᾳ τοὺς τυραννήσαντας, καὶ μάλιστα μὲν φιλανθρωπία ἔστω τὸ συγχωροῦν, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἐντολῆς δύναμις, τὴν ἴσην ἀντιδιδοῦσα φιλανθρωπίαν ἡμῖν, ἐν οἷς αὐτοὶ χρῄζομεν: ᾧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετροῦμεν, ἀντιμετρεῖσθαι γινώσκομεν: εἰ δὲ καὶ λίαν τις πικρῶς ἔχει, ἀφῶμεν Θεῷ τοὺς λελυπηκότας, καὶ τῷ ἐκεῖθεν δικαστηρίῳ: μηδὲν τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας χειρὸς ἐλαττώσωμεν. Μὴ δήμευσιν ἐννοήσωμεν, μὴ βήμασι παραστήσωμεν, μὴ πατρίδος ὑπερορίσωμεν, μὴ μάστιξιν αἰκισώμεθα, μηδέ τι τῶν ὅσα πεπόνθαμεν, ἵν' εἴπω συντόμως, δράσωμεν. Ποιήσωμεν κἀκείνους ἐπιεικεστέρους, ἂν ἄρα δυνατὸν, τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὑποδείγματι. Εἴ τῳ πέπονθεν υἱὸς, εἴ τῳ πατὴρ, εἴ τῳ γυνὴ, συγγενὴς, φίλος, ἢ ἄλλος τις τῶν τιμίων, πᾶσι τὸ παθεῖν ἔμμισθον καταστήσωμεν, διὰ τοῦ πεῖσαι φέρειν καρτερῶς ἃ πεπόνθασι: τοῦτο μεῖζον αὐτοῖς ἢ ἄλλο τι χαριούμεθα. Εἴπω καὶ τὸ μέγιστον ὧν εὖ πάσχομεν; δήμοις καταβοῶνται καὶ πόλεσιν οἱ διώξαντες, ἐν θεάτροις, ἐν ἀγοραῖς, ἐν συλλόγοις: τὰ παλαιὰ μακαρίζεται, τὰ νέα στηλιτεύεται, καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν συνδιωξάντων, ὃ καὶ παράδοξον, αὐτοὶ καθέλκονται παρ' αὐτῶν μετὰ πάσης καταβοήσεως οἱ θεοὶ, ὡς πολὺν αὐτοὺς ἀπατήσαντες χρόνον, καὶ ὀψέ ποτε τῆς ἀπάτης ἐληλεγμένης: καὶ ὁ χθὲς προσκυνητὴς σήμερον ὑβριστής. Τούτων τί μεῖζον ἐπιζητοῦμεν; Νῦν ταῦτα καὶ ἴσως μικρὰ τοῖς ἀθλίοις. Ἔσται καιρὸς, ἡνίκα ὄψομαι τοὺς ἐμοὺς ὑβριστὰς, καὶ τὸν μέγαν τούτων καθηγητὴν, τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀποκλαιομένους κακίαν, ἡνίκα ἂν πᾶσα κρίνηται καὶ βασανίζηται πονηρία.