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Speech stuttering and becoming thick, A rabid panting, and an unbecoming snorting, A nostril broad and breathing every insult. Clapping of hands, and leaping of feet, Bendings, turnings, laughter, sweats, toils; 821 Who toils? No one, except a demon. Noddings up and down, without reason, Jaws puffing up and making noises, Like some threshing floor; and struck by fingers The hand threatens, a prelude to blows. And what speech will represent what follows? Insolence, crashing, shame, false oaths, Abundant sprinklings from a seething tongue, Like the sea, throwing foam upon a rock. He says one evil thing, he has the urge for another, He is confined by this, and straightway knows it not. And he is vexed by those present who are calm; He seeks all things to be shaken with his agitation. He asks for thunderbolts, becomes a bringer of lightning, 822 He is displeased with the very pole that stands still. He does one evil, but on another he feasts his mind. For he thinks he has done what he wishes. He slays, he pursues, he sets on fire. And what of these things? So blind and vain a thing is passion! He is speechless, weak, a herdsman, An orator, a Milo, a tyrant to us all at once. The low-born and poor man, the well-born, the wealthy man, he calls most base, and poor; slave-formed, this disgrace of mortals calls him who is in the flower of his age; inglorious, the glorious, He who cannot say who he is, or from where. I know not if what is done is a cause for tears or laughter. Every weapon belongs to anger, even one not present. 823 He is an ape, and he becomes a Typhon. He turns his hand back, he curves his fingers, He seeks some hill, or the rock of Etna, So that he might sling it, and by the strength of his hand, from afar, both a missile and a tomb for his enemy. What fire will check his insolence, what hail? When he has emptied the slings of his words, his hands are ready, close-combat assaults, Battle and violence, and he overcomes his enemy. He who is more wretched and conquered. For I know that to conquer in evil is defeat. Is this not a demon? And more, except for the fall. And I have seen the falls of some who were shaken, When they are carried by the impulse of the spirit. 824 Is this not clearly an alienation from God? How could it not be? For gentleness and meekness belong to God, whose image it is not good to insult, by introducing an unknown form. Madness is not so great a thing for us, nor yet so great the diseases of the body. These are not the sufferings of the willing, but of the unfortunate, Even if they are evil, and I am stung by their presence (For what is present is somehow more for those who suffer) and worthy of pity more than a curse. And of evils, the manifest is safer; But what befalls them when they think not, destroys. Drunkenness is indeed an evil; for how not? Who will deny it? And this comes from the willing; for those who are its cause 825 not being ignorant, but nevertheless overcome, are themselves manifestly the begetters of the evil. But there at least the trouble of the evil, is laughter, which a single sleep immediately put an end to. But when anger has overflowed, tell me if it is worse, Do you know anything worse of all things, or any remedy? For others, God has fallen into their minds; But anger first shuts the doors to God, once it has taken over; and the remembrance of God, is worse; it joins God to its insults. I once saw stones thrown at Him, O terrible passion! hurled, and dust and bitter words. To where, by whom, and how can He be captured? Laws are thrust aside, friend is not distinguished, enemy, father, wife, and kin, are all the same. 826 All things of one impulse, and one torrent. And if anyone stands in the way, he has drawn the anger upon himself, like a beast by noises, and the ally himself needs allies. Be swayed, then, most of all by these words; For you will not need more, if you are wise. But if you have need of a charm and a greater one, Consider for me the lives of those of old and of recent times, As many as ever had boldness from their character, who were most beloved by God, having practiced what first, or greatest virtue, that Moses, Aaron, the most beloved, David, Samuel, then Peter later? The former indeed had Egypt, scourged by so many plagues, still unchastened; but nevertheless 827 they approached with forbearance the audacity of Pharaoh, until they were overwhelmed by their insolence, for whom long-suffering did not bring reverence, so that all might learn to respect this. For it is better to despise the bold than the gentle. I praise Samuel, who once bearing ill an insult,

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λόγον κόπτουσα καὶ πυκνουμένη, Λυσσῶδες ἄσθμα, καὶ φρύαγμ' ἀσχημονοῦν, Μυκτὴρ πλατύς τε καὶ πνέων ὅλην ὕβριν. Κρότοι τε χειρῶν, καὶ ποδῶν ἐξάλματα, Κύψεις, στροφαὶ, γέλωτες, ἱδρῶτες, κόποι· 821 Τίνος κοποῦντος; οὐδενὸς, πλὴν δαίμονος. Νεύσεις ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω, λόγου δίχα, Γνάθοι φυσώμεναί τε καὶ ψοφούμεναι, Ὡς δή τις ἅλως· παιομένη τε δακτύλοις Ἡ χεὶρ ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ ψόφων προοίμιον. Καὶ τἀπὶ τούτοις τίς παραστήσει λόγος; Ὕβρις, ἀραγμὸς, αἰσχρότης, ψευδορκίαι, Γλώσσης ζεούσης δαψιλῆ ῥαντίσματα, Οἷον θάλασσα, ἐξαχνιζούσης πέτρας. Λέγει κακὸν τὸ μέν τι, τοῦδ' ὁρμὴν ἔχει, Τῷδε στενοῦται, καὶ παραυτίκ' ἀγνοεῖ. Καὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἠρεμοῦσι δυσφορεῖ· Ζητεῖ τὰ πάντα συνδονεῖσθαι τῷ κλόνῳ. Αἰτεῖ κεραυνοὺς, γίνετ' ἀστραπηφόρος, 822 Αὐτῷ μένοντι δυσχεραίνει τῷ πόλῳ. Τὸ μέν τι ποιεῖ τῶν κακῶν, τῷ δ' ἑστιᾷ Τὸν νοῦν. Φρονεῖ γὰρ, ὡς δράσας ἃ βούλεται. Κτείνει, διώκει, πυρπολεῖ. Τούτων δὲ τί; Οὕτω τυφλόν τι καὶ μάταιον ἡ ζέσις! Ἄφωνός ἐστιν, ἀσθενὴς, βοηλάτης, Ῥήτωρ, Μίλων, τύραννος ἡμῖν ἀθρόως. Ὁ δυσγενής τε καὶ πένης, τὸν εὐγενῆ, Τὸν εὐποροῦντα, δυσγενέστατον καλεῖ, Πένητα· δουλόμορφον, ἡ λώβη βροτῶν, Τὸν ἄνθος ὥρας· δυσκλεῆ τὸν εὐκλέα, Ὁ μηδ' ὅς ἐστι, μήθ' ὅθεν, λέγειν ἔχων. Οὐκ οἶδα κλαυθμὸς, ἢ γέλως τὸ δρώμενον. Πᾶν ὅπλον ἐστὶ τῷ χόλῳ, καὶ μὴ παρόν. 823 Πίθηκός ἐστι, καὶ Τυφωεὺς γίγνεται. Ἀποστρέφει τὴν χεῖρα, κυρτοῖ δακτύλους, Ζητεῖ λόφον τιν', ἢ τὸν Αἰτναῖον πάγον, Ὡς σφενδονήσων καὶ μακρὰν βίᾳ χερὸς Ὁμοῦ βέλος τε καὶ τάφον τῷ δυσμενεῖ. Τί πῦρ ἐφέξει τὴν ὕβριν, χάλαζα τίς; Ὅταν κενώσῃ τῶν λόγων τὰς σφενδόνας, Αἱ χεῖρες εὐθὺς, ἀγχέμαχοι προσβολαὶ, Μάχη βία τε, καὶ κρατεῖ τοῦ δυσμενοῦς. Ὁ δυστυχέστερός τε καὶ κρατούμενος. Ἧτταν γὰρ οἶδα τὸ κρατεῖν ἐν χείροσι. Ταῦτ' οὐχὶ δαίμων; καὶ πέρα, πλὴν πτώματος. Καὶ πτώματ' εἶδον ἔστιν ὧν δονουμένων, Ὅταν φέρωνται τῇ φορᾷ τοῦ πνεύματος. 824 Ταῦτ' οὐκ ἀλλοτρίωσις ἐνδήλως Θεοῦ; Πῶς δ' οὔ; Θεοῦ γὰρ τὸ πρᾶον καὶ ἥμερον, Οὗ καθυβρίζειν οὐ καλὸν τὴν εἰκόνα, Μορφὴν ἐπεισάγοντας ἀγνοουμένην. Οὐδὲν τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν ἡ ἐμπληξία, Οὔπω τοσοῦτον αἱ νόσοι τῶν σωμάτων. Ταῦτ' οὐχ ἑκόντων, ἀλλὰ δυστυχῶν πάθη, Εἰ καὶ πονηρὰ, καὶ παροῦσι δάκνομαι (Τὸ γὰρ παρόν πως τοῖς κακουμένοις πλέον) Οἴκτου τε μᾶλλον ἢ κατάρας ἄξιον. Καὶ τῶν κακῶν τὸ δῆλον ἀσφαλέστερον· Τὸ δ' οὐ δοκοῦσι προσπεσὸν, λυμαίνεται. Μέθη κακὸν μέν· πῶς γὰρ οὔ; τίς δ' ἀντερεῖ; Καὶ τοῦθ' ἑκόντων· οἱ γὰρ ὧν ἐστ' αἴτιον 825 Οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡττώμενοι, Αὐτοὶ προδήλως τοῦ κακοῦ γεννήτορες. Ἀλλ' οὖν ἐκεῖ μὲν τοῦ κακοῦ τὸ δυσχερὲς, Γέλως, ὃν εἷς ἔπαυσεν ὕπνος αὐτίκα. Θυμοῦ δ' ὑπερκλύσαντος, εἰ χεῖρον, λέγε, Τὶ τῶν ἁπάντων οἶδας, ἤ τι φάρμακον; Ἄλλοις μέν ἐστιν εἰς φρένας πεσὼν Θεός· Θυμὸς δὲ πρῶτον τῷ Θεῷ φράσσει θύρας, Ἅπαξ ὑπερσχών· ἡ δ' ὑπόμνησις Θεοῦ, Χεῖρον· συνάπτει καὶ Θεὸν ταῖς ὕβρεσιν. Αὐτῷ λίθους ποτ' εἶδον, ὢ δεινοῦ πάθους! Ῥιπτουμένους, κόνιν τε καὶ πικροὺς λόγους. Τῷ ποῦ, τίσι τε καὶ ὅπως ἁλωσίμῳ; Νόμοι παρωθοῦνται, οὐ διεγνώσθη φίλος, Ἐχθρὸς, πατὴρ, γυνή τε, συγγενεῖς, ἴσα. 826 Μιᾶς φορᾶς ἅπαντα, χειμάῤῥου θ' ἑνός. Ἢν καί τις ἐνστῇ, τὸν χόλον μεθείλκυσεν Εἰς αὑτὸν, ὥσπερ θηρίον ψοφήμασιν, Αὐτός τε χρῄζει συμμάχων ὁ σύμμαχος. Τούτοις μὲν οὖν μάλιστα κάμπτεσθαι λόγοις· Οὐ γὰρ δεήσῃ πλειόνων, ἂν εὖ φρονῇς. Εἰ δ' ἔστ' ἐπῳδῆς χρεία σοι καὶ μείζονος, Βίους σκόπει μοι τῶν πάλαι καὶ τῶν νέων, Ὅσοι ποτ' ἔσχον ἐκ τρόπου παῤῥησίαν, Τίνες μάλιστα προσφιλέστατοι Θεῷ Τί πρῶτον, ἢ μέγιστον ἐξησκηκότες, Μωσῆς ἐκεῖνος, Ἀαρὼν, οἱ φίλτατοι, ∆αυὶδ, Σαμουὴλ, εἶτα Πέτρος ὕστερον; Οἱ μέν γε μαστιχθεῖσαν Αἴγυπτον τόσαις Πληγαῖς ἀσωφρόνιστον εἶχον· ἀλλ' ὅμως 827 Φειδοῖ προσήγονθ' ὡς τὸ Φαραὼ θράσος, Ἕως ἐπεκλύσθησαν ἐκ τῆς ὕβρεως, Οἷς μὴ τὸ μακρόθυμον ἤνεγκεν σέβας, Ὡς ἂν μάθωσι πάντες αἰδεῖσθαι τόδε. Κρεῖσσον θρασὺν γὰρ ἢ πρᾶον περιφρονεῖν. Αἰνῶ Σαμουὴλ, ὅς ποθ' ὕβριν δυσφορῶν,