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when there is an examination of priests, but if someone, while being able to associate and converse with all, could preserve purity and tranquility, and holiness and endurance and watchfulness and the other good qualities belonging to monks, whole and unshaken, more than those who live in solitude. Whereas a man who has many faults, but is able to cover them by his solitude and render them inactive by not mingling with anyone, this man, when he comes into the midst, will gain nothing other than to become a laughing-stock and will be in greater danger, which is what we ourselves would have almost suffered, if the providence of God had not quickly held back the fire from our head; for it is not possible for one so disposed to be hidden, when he stands in the open, but all things are then exposed. And just as fire tests metallic ores, so also the trial of the clergy distinguishes the souls of men, whether one be wrathful, or mean-spirited, or ambitious, or boastful, or whatever else, it quickly reveals and lays bare all faults, and not only lays them bare, but also makes them more grievous and stronger. For just as wounds of the body, when chafed, become hard to heal, so also the passions of the soul, when irritated and provoked, are naturally apt to become more savage and compel those who have them to sin more; for it incites one who is not on his guard to a love of glory and to boastfulness and to a desire for money, and it drags him down to luxury and into ease and sloth, and little by little into the further evils that are born from these. For there are many things in the world that can relax the soul's strictness and interrupt its straight course. And first of all, conversations with women; for it is not possible for one who presides and cares for the whole flock to attend to the portion of the men, but to overlook that of the women, which especially needs more forethought on account of its being prone to sin; but it is necessary for the one who has been allotted to administer the episcopate to care for their health, if not more, then at least equally with that of the other part. For it is necessary to visit them when they are sick and to comfort them when they mourn and to rebuke them when they are slothful and to help them when they are in distress. And when these things are done, the evil one would find many entrances, unless one were to wall himself in with precise watchfulness; for the eye strikes and disturbs the soul, not only that of the licentious woman, but also that of the modest, and flatteries soften and honors enslave; and fervent love—this which is the cause of all good things—has become the cause of countless evils for those who have not used it rightly. And already continuous cares have blunted the sharpness of the mind and have rendered its wings heavier than lead; and anger, falling upon it like smoke, has taken possession of all that is within. 6.9 9. That one must not despise the opinion of the multitude, even if it happens to be false What could one say of the other injuries, the insults, the malicious treatments, the reproaches, those from the greater, those from the lesser, those from the wise, those from the unwise? For this class especially, being deprived of right judgment, is given to finding fault and would not easily ever tolerate a defense. But one who presides well must not despise even these, but must clear himself with all concerning what they accuse him of with much forbearance and gentleness, pardoning them for their unreasonable blame rather than being indignant and angry. For if the blessed Paul feared lest he should incur the suspicion of theft among his disciples and for this reason took others also for the ministry of the funds, so that “no one should blame us,” he says, “in this abundance which is administered by us,” how should not we do all things so as to remove evil suspicions, even if they happen to be false, or irrational, or exceedingly of the

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ὅταν ἱερέων ἐξέτασις ᾖ, ἀλλ' εἴ τις μετὰ τοῦ πᾶσιν ὁμιλεῖν καὶ συναναστρέφεσθαι δύναιτο τὴν καθαρότητα καὶ τὴν ἀταραξίαν, τήν τε ἁγιωσύνην καὶ καρτερίαν καὶ νῆψιν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ τοῖς μοναχοῖς προσόντα ἀγαθὰ φυλάττειν ἀκέραια καὶ ἀπαρασάλευτα μᾶλλον τῶν μεμονωμένων ἐκείνων. Ὡς ὅ γε πολλὰ μὲν ἔχων ἐλαττώματα, δυνάμενος δὲ αὐτὰ τῇ μονώσει καλύπτειν καὶ ποιεῖν ἄπρακτα τῷ μηδενὶ καταμιγνύναι ἑαυτόν, οὗτος εἰς μέσον ἐλθὼν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τὸ καταγέλαστος γενέσθαι κερδανεῖ καὶ κινδυνεύσει μειζόνως, ὃ μικροῦ δεῖν ἐπάθομεν ἂν ἡμεῖς, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονία τὸ πῦρ ταχέως ἀνέσχε τῆς ἡμετέρας κεφαλῆς· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι λαθεῖν τὸν οὕτω διακείμενον, ὅταν ἐν τῷ φανερῷ καταστῇ, ἀλλὰ πάντα τότε ἐλέγχεται. Καὶ καθάπερ τὰς μεταλλικὰς ὕλας δοκιμάζει τὸ πῦρ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ τοῦ κλήρου βάσανος τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διακρίνει ψυχάς, κἂν ὀργίλος τις ᾖ, κἂν μικρόψυχος, κἂν φιλόδοξος, κἂν ἀλαζών, κἂν ὅ τι δή ποτε ἕτερον, ἅπαντα ἐκκαλύπτει καὶ γυμνοῖ ταχέως τὰ ἐλαττώματα, οὐ γυμνοῖ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαλεπώτερα καὶ ἰσχυρότερα αὐτὰ καθίστησι. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ τοῦ σώματος τραύματα προστριβόμενα δυσίατα γίνεται, καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη κνιζόμενα καὶ παροξυνόμενα μᾶλλον ἀγριαίνεσθαι πέφυκε καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτὰ πλείονα ἁμαρτάνειν βιάζεται· καὶ γὰρ εἰς ἔρωτα δόξης ἐπαίρει τὸν μὴ προσέχοντα καὶ εἰς ἀλαζονείαν καὶ εἰς χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίαν, ὑποσύρει δὲ καὶ εἰς τρυφὴν καὶ εἰς ἄνεσιν καὶ ῥαθυμίαν καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς τὰ περαιτέρω τούτων ἐκ τούτων τικτόμενα κακά. Πολλὰ γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τὰ δυνάμενα ψυχῆς ἀκρίβειαν ἐκλῦσαι καὶ τὸν ἐπ' εὐθείας διακόψαι δρόμον. Καὶ πρῶτον ἁπάντων αἱ πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας ὁμιλίαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστι τὸν προεστῶτα καὶ παντὸς τοῦ ποιμνίου κηδόμενον τοῦ μὲν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι μέρους, τὸ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν παρορᾶν, ὃ μάλιστα δεῖται προνοίας πλείονος διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὰς ἁμαρτίας εὐόλισθον· ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ τῆς τούτων ὑγιείας, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκ πλείονος, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐξ ἴσης φροντίζειν τῆς μοίρας τὸν λαχόντα τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν διοικεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπισκοπεῖσθαι αὐτὰς ἡνίκα ἂν κάμνωσι καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἡνίκα ἂν πενθῶσι καὶ ἐπιπλήττειν ῥαθυμούσαις καὶ βοηθεῖν καταπονουμέναις ἀνάγκη. Τούτων δὲ γινομένων, πολλὰς ἂν εὕροι τὰς παρεισδύσεις ὁ πονηρός, εἰ μὴ ἠκριβωμένῃ τις ἑαυτὸν τειχίσειε φυλακῇ· καὶ γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸς βάλλει καὶ θορυβεῖ ψυχήν, οὐχ ὁ τῆς ἀκολάστου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τῆς σώφρονος καὶ κολακεῖαι μαλάσσουσι καὶ τιμαὶ καταδουλοῦνται· καὶ ἀγάπη ζέουσα-τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν-μυρίων γέγονε αἴτιον κακῶν τοῖς οὐκ ὀρθῶς χρησαμένοις αὐτῇ. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ φροντίδες συνεχεῖς ἤμβλυναν τὸ τῆς διανοίας ὀξὺ καὶ μολύβδου βαρύτερον τὸ πτηνὸν ἀπειργάσαντο· καὶ θυμὸς δὲ προσπεσὼν καπνοῦ δίκην τὰ ἔνδον κατέσχεν ἅπαντα. 6.9 θʹ. Ὅτι οὐ χρὴ καταφρονεῖν τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ὑπολήψεως, κἂν ψευδὴς οὖσα τύχῃ Τί ἄν τις λέγοι τὰς λοιπὰς βλάβας, τὰς ὕβρεις, τὰς ἐπηρείας, τὰς μέμψεις, τὰς παρὰ τῶν μειζόνων, τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἐλαττόνων, τὰς παρὰ τῶν συνετῶν, τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀσυνέτων; Τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ μάλιστα τὸ γένος τῆς ὀρθῆς ἀπεστερημένον κρίσεως, μεμψίμοιρον τέ ἐστι καὶ οὐκ ἂν εὐκόλως ἀπολογίας ἀνάσχοιντό ποτε. Τὸν δὲ προεστῶτα καλῶς, οὐδὲ τούτων δεῖ καταφρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἅπαντας περὶ ὧν ἂν ἐγκαλῶσι διαλύεσθαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιεικείας καὶ πραότητος, συγγινώσκοντα μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀλόγου μέμψεως ἢ ἀγανακτοῦντα καὶ ὀργιζόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος μὴ κλοπῆς ὑπόνοιαν λάβῃ παρὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔδεισε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προσέλαβε καὶ ἑτέρους εἰς τὴν τῶν χρημάτων διακονίαν, ἵνα «μή τις ἡμᾶς μωμήσηται, φησίν, ἐν τῇ ἁδρότητι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ' ἡμῶν», πῶς ἡμᾶς οὐ πάντα δεῖ ποιεῖν ὥστε τὰς πονηρὰς ἀναιρεῖν ὑποψίας, κἂν ψευδεῖς, κἂν ἀλόγιστοι τυγχάνωσιν οὖσαι, κἂν σφόδρα τῆς