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but for true glory and benefit and what is pleasing to God, he spends them with much prudence, no longer? Will you not then do the same thing, as if seeing someone casting his own things into sewers of sins, you say he is master, but when he does this for necessary needs, you lament as if he does not have authority over what is spent. Rather, it is necessary to compare such men not to those who simply spend, but to those who do so to the ruin of their own heads. For those expenditures make one more brilliant and more prosperous and more secure,47.378 but these are not only shameful nor reproachful, but also liable to destruction in every way.

17. What then, he says, after marriage and children, is it not possible for one who has reached old age itself to take up this philosophy? And who will guarantee to us, first, that we will reach extreme old age, and second, that having arrived, we will in any case maintain this opinion? For we are not masters of the appointed time in life; and Paul taught this, saying: The day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night; nor do the matters of our reasonings always remain with the same eagerness. And for this reason a certain wise man exhorts, saying: Do not wait to turn to the Lord, nor put it off from day to day, lest while you delay you be crushed, and in the time of vengeance you perish. And even if none of these things were uncertain, not even so ought one to put off one's sons, nor to overlook so great a loss occurring. For it would be of the utmost irrationality, when the young man needs help, and a fierce antagonist stands over him, to command him to be entangled in the affairs of life, so as to become an easy captive; but when he has received countless wounds, and has not even a chance part sound, then to arm him and to rouse him when he is already lying down and weakened. Yes, he says; for then the struggle is easy, then the fight is lighter, when the desires have been quenched. What fight, when there is no one for us to box with? For because of this the crowns will no longer be brilliant. For blessed is he who has borne a yoke from his youth; he shall sit alone, and shall be silent. This man is worthy of countless praises and blessings and acclamations, who bridles his raging nature, and in the very height of the storm preserves the vessel. But however let us not contend over these things, but let there be a fight then also, if you wish. But if the time of the contest lay with us, we would do well to await that time; but if one must struggle all the present life, beginning immediately from the first age, even having become ten years old for from that age it is necessary that an account of sins be required, and the children devoured by the bears for their jeers at Elisha show this, and now one must wrestle from this age, in which the war also stands over us breathing hard against us, from where then do you set that time for the contests? For if you were also master of the devil to command him not to press on nor to box, this exhortation would have some reason for you; but if leaving him to contend and to strike, you legislate for me to be quiet, or rather even to lie down willingly, what could be worse than this insolence, to disarm the one being warred against while the enemy is raging, and thus to hand him over to his hands? Is he young and weak? Therefore for this reason he needs more security; and needing security, he will also need more care. And such a one ought to be in calm and quiet always, not to be thrown into affairs, nor to be turned about in the midst, where there is much clamor and confusion. But you, those for whom the war is harder both because of their age, and because of their weakness, and because of their inexperience, 47.379 and because of the distraction in the midst, these you drag into the midst as if they had already succeeded and become strong, and you do not allow them, having departed, to train in the desert, just as if someone should command one who is able to set up countless trophies to practice the arts of war in quiet, but should legislate that the inexperienced man, who is not even able to peep into a battle, for this very reason should be turned about in the battle, as

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δὲ εἰς δόξαν τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ὠφέλειαν καὶ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὰ δαπανᾷ τῆς συνέσεως, οὐκέτι; Οὐκοῦν ὅμοιον ποιήσεις, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ εἰς μὲν ὀχετοὺς ἀμαρῶν ὁρῶν τινα ἐμβάλλοντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, κύριος φῂς εἶναι, εἰς δὲ χρείας ἀναγκαίας τοῦτο ποιοῦντα, ὡς οὐκ ἔχοντα τῶν ἀναλισκομένων ἐξουσίαν θρηνεῖς. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῖς ἁπλῶς δαπανωμένοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῶν τοὺς τοιούτους παραβάλλειν χρή. Ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ αἱ δαπάναι λαμπρότερον καὶ εὐπορώτερον καὶ ἀσφαλέστε47.378 ρον ποιοῦσιν, αὗται δὲ οὐκ αἰσχρὸν μόνον οὐδὲ ἐπονείδιστον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπωλείας ὑπεύθυνον τρόπῳ παντί.

ιζʹ. Τί δαὶ, μετὰ γάμον, φησὶ, καὶ παῖδας, οὐκ ἔνι ταύτης ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ γήρᾳ γενόμενον; Καὶ τίς ἡμῖν ἐγγυήσεται, πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι εἰς ἔσχατον ἥξομεν γῆρας, δεύτερον δὲ, ὅτι ἐλθόντες πάντως ταύτην διατηροῦμεν τὴν γνώμην; Οὔτε γὰρ τῆς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ κύριοι προθεσμίας ἐσμέν· καὶ τοῦτο ἐπαίδευσεν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· Ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ, οὕτως ἔρχεται· οὔτε ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀεὶ προθυμίας μένει τὰ τῶν λογισμῶν ἡμῖν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σοφός τις παραινεῖ λέγων· Μὴ ἀνάμενε ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον, μηδὲ ἀναβάλλου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας, μή ποτε ὡς μέλλεις ἐκτριβήσῃ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐκδικήσεως ἐξολῇ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μηδὲν τούτων ἄδηλον ἦν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀναβάλλεσθαι ἔδει τοὺς υἱεῖς, οὐδὲ τοσαύτην γινομένην ζημίαν περιορᾷν. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀλογίας ἂν εἴη, ὅταν μὲν δέηται βοηθείας ὁ νέος, καὶ σφοδρὸς ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς ἐφεστήκῃ, κελεύειν τοῖς τοῦ βίου ἐμφύρεσθαι πράγμασιν, ὥστε γενέσθαι εὐχείρωτον· ὅταν δὲ λάβῃ μυρία τραύματα, καὶ μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ἔχῃ μέρος ὑγιὲς, τότε καθοπλίζειν καὶ διεγείρειν κείμενον ἤδη καὶ ἐξησθενηκότα. Ναὶ, φησί· τότε γὰρ εὔκολος ἡ πάλη, τότε ῥᾴων ἡ μάχη, τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν σβεσθεισῶν. Ποία μάχη, οὐδενὸς ὄντος ἡμῖν τοῦ πυκτεύοντος; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐδὲ οἱ στέφανοι λαμπροὶ λοιπὸν ἔσονται. Μακάριος γὰρ ὃς ἦρε ζυγὸν ἐκ νεότητος αὐτοῦ· καθίσεται κατὰ μόνας, καὶ σιωπήσεται. Οὗτος μυρίων ἐπαίνων ἄξιος καὶ μακαρισμῶν καὶ εὐφημιῶν, ὁ μαινομένην χαλινῶν τὴν φύσιν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ χειμῶνος τῇ ἀκμῇ διασώζων τὸ σκάφος. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ μηδὲν ὑπὲρ τούτων φιλονεικῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἔστω μάχη καὶ τότε, εἰ βούλει. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἔκειθ' ὁ τοῦ ἀγῶνος καιρὸς, καλῶς ἐκεῖνον ἀνεμένομεν τὸν χρόνον· εἰ δὲ πάντα τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀγωνίζεσθαι χρὴ, ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἀρξάμενον εὐθέως, καὶ δεκαετῆ γεγονότα καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἐκείνης ἀνάγκη τῆς ἡλικίας ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εὐθύνας, καὶ δηλοῦσι τὰ καταβρωθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων παιδία ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰς τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον σκώμμασι, καὶ νῦν ἐκ ταύτης παλαίειν χρὴ τῆς ἡλικίας, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἐφέστηκεν ὁ πόλεμος χαλεπὸν πνέων καθ' ἡμῶν, πόθεν οὖν σὺ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ὁρίζεις; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τῷ διαβόλῳ κύριος ἦς ἐπιτάττειν μὴ ἐπικεῖσθαι μηδὲ πυκτεύειν, εἶχεν ἄν τινά σοι λόγον αὕτη ἡ παραίνεσις· εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνον ἀφεὶς ἀγωνίζεσθαι καὶ τύπτειν, ἐμοὶ νομοθετεῖς ἡσυχάζειν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑποκατακλίνεσθαι ἑκόντα, τί ταύτης τῆς ἐπηρείας χεῖρον γένοιτ' ἂν, τοῦ πολεμίου μαινομένου, τὸν πολεμούμενον ἀφοπλίζειν, καὶ οὕτω ταῖς ἐκείνου χερσὶ παραδιδόναι; Νέος ἐστὶ καὶ ἀσθενής; οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο πλείονος ἀσφαλείας δεῖται· ἀσφαλείας δὲ δεόμενος, καὶ ἐπιμελείας δεήσεται πλείονος. Τὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον ἐν γαλήνῃ διαπαντὸς καὶ ἡσυχίᾳ εἶναι δεῖ, οὐκ εἰς πράγματα ἐμβάλλεσθαι, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ στρέφεσθαι, ἔνθα πολὺς ὁ θόρυβος καὶ ἡ ταραχή. Σὺ δὲ οἷς ὁ πόλεμος χαλεπώτερος καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν, 47.379 καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐν μέσῳ διαστροφὴν, τούτους ὡς ἤδη κατωρθωκότας καὶ γενομένους ἰσχυροὺς εἰς μέσον ἕλκεις, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷς ἀπελθόντας γυμνάζεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρημίας, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὸν μὲν μυρία δυνάμενον στῆσαι τρόπαια κελεύῃ τὰ πολεμικὰ μελετᾷν ἐφ' ἡσυχίας, τὸν δὲ ἄπειρον καὶ οὐδὲ εἰς μάχην παρακύψαι δυνάμενον, τοῦτον δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ μάχῃ στρέφεσθαι νομοθετῇ, ὡς