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(15Ε_212> Luke 12. Take heed and beware of covetousness: for not in

the abundance for anyone is his life from his possessions. 1 Cor. 6. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

But you yourselves do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Solomon 1. The eye will not be satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Sirach 4. Let not your hand be stretched out to receive, and closed when it is time to give back.

Sirach 40. The riches of the unjust will be dried up like a river, and will sound forth like great thunder in a rainstorm.

Sirach 5. Do not rejoice in unjust riches; for they will profit nothing in the day of visitation.

Sirach 14. The eye of the covetous is not satisfied with a portion. Sirach 21. He who builds his house with other men's money, is like one who

gathers his stones for the winter torrent. 856 Basil. He who loves what belongs to others, will soon mourn for his own

being deprived. As much as the eye sees, so much the covetous man desires. Hades has not said,

Enough; nor did the covetous man ever say, Enough. An evil fellow-dweller in the city, an evil one in the fields. The sea knows its boundaries; the night does not transgress ancient landmarks. (15Ε_214> The covetous man does not respect time, knows no limit, does not yield to the sequence of succession; but imitates the violence of fire; it seizes everything, it consumes everything. What is there after these things? Do not all await you with three cubits? Will not the weight of a few stones suffice for the protection of your wretched flesh? For what then do you toil? For what do you transgress the law?

It is better to relieve need by small devices, than, being suddenly puffed up by what belongs to others, to be later stripped of all possessions at once.

He who takes from his companion and gives to others has not shown mercy, but has committed the ultimate injustice. For if you show mercy from that by which you do wrong, show mercy to those whom you wrong. For that man is pious, not who shows mercy to many, but who wrongs no one.

The Theologian. The hire of a harlot is not shared in purity. For it is the height of misfortune, not to have security in one's own strong things, but in the rotten things of others.

Chrysostom. For he who does not need what belongs to others, but considers himself to be self-sufficient, is wealthier than all.

He who is not able to stop his own desire, even if he is clothed with the possessions of all, how can this man ever be in abundance?

Plutarch. Those who spend from shameful gains on noble public services do something similar to those who are pious from the proceeds of sacrilege.

Democritus. Wealth accruing from evil work is possessed to more manifest reproach.

To acquire money is not useless; but from injustice it is the worst of all things. Socrates. He compared the covetous to birds; of which one swallows whatever

it comes across, and sometimes it chokes; and the others (15Ε_216> follow, hurrying to take it away, so that they may choke in turn.

Diogenes. Being asked what beasts were more dangerous, he said, In the mountains, bears and lions; but in the cities, tax-collectors and sycophants.

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(15Ε_212> Λουκ. ιβ´. Ὁρᾶτε καί φυλάσσεσθε ἀπό τῆς πλεονεξίας· ὅτι οὐκ ἐν

τῷ περισσεύειν τινί ἡ ζωή αὐτῷ ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ. Α´ Κορ. στ´. ∆ιατί οὐχί μᾶλλον ἀδικεῖσθε; ∆ιατί οὐχί μᾶλλον ἀποστερεῖσθε;

Ἀλλ᾿ ὑμεῖς ἀδικεῖτε καί ἀποστερεῖτε, καί ταῦτα ἀδελφούς· ἤ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν;

Σολμ. α´. Οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ὀφθαλμός τοῦ ὁρᾷν, καί οὐ πληρωθήσεται οὖς ἀπό ἀκροάσεως.

Σιράχ δ´. Μή ἔστω ἡ χείρ σου ἐκτεταμένη εἰς τό λαβεῖν, καί ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδόναι συνεσταλμένη.

Σιράχ μ´. Χρήματα ἀδίκων, ὡς ποταμός ξηρανθήσονται, καί ὡς βροντή μεγάλη ἐν ὑετῷ ἐξηχήσει.

Σιράχ ε. Μή ἐπίχαιρε ἐπί χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις· οὐδέν γάρ ὠφελήσουσιν ἐν ἡμέρα ἐπαγωγῆς.

Σιράχ ιδ΄ . Πλεονέκτου ὀφθαλμός οὐκ ἐμπιπλᾶται ἐν μερίδι. Σιράχ κα´. Ὁ οἰκοδομῶν τήν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐν χρήμασιν ἀλλοτρίοις, ὡς ὁ

συνάγων τούς λίθους αὐτοῦ εἰς τόν χειμάῤῥουν. 856 Βασιλείου. Ὁ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐρῶν, μετ᾿ οὐ πολύ θρηνήσει τῶν ἰδίων

ἀποστερούμενος. Ὅσα βλέπει ὀφθαλμός, τοσαῦτα ἐπιθυμεῖ ὁ πλεονέκτης. Ὁ ᾅδης οὐκ εἶπεν,

Ἀρκεῖ· οὐδέ ὁ πλεονέκτης εἶπέ ποτε, Ἀρκεῖ. Πονηρός ἐν πόλει σύνοικος, πονηρός ἐν ἀγροῖς. Ἡ θάλασσα οἶδεν τά ὅρια αὐτῆς· ἡ νῦξ οὐχ ὑπερβαίνει ὁροθεσίας ἀρχαίας. (15Ε_214> Ὁ πλεονέκτης οὐκ αἰδεῖται χρόνον, οὐ γνωρίζει ὅρον, οὐ συγχωρεῖ ἀκολουθίᾳ διαδοχῆς· ἀλλά μιμεῖται τοῦ πυρός τήν βίαν· πάντα ἐπιλαμβάνεται, πάντα ἐπινέμεται. Τί εἶναι μετά ταῦτα; Οὐχί τρεῖς σε πήχεις ἀναμένουσιν οἱ πάντες; οὐχί λίθων ὀλίγων βάρος ἀρκέσει πρός φυλακήν δυστήνῳ σαρκί; ὑπέρ τίνος οὖν μοχθεῖς; ὑπέρ τίνος παρανομεῖς;

Βέλτιον ταῖς κατά μικρόν ἐπινοίαις τήν χρείαν παραμυθήσασθαι, ἤ ἀθρόως ἐπαρθέντα τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ὕστερον πάντων ὁμοῦ προσόντων ἀπογυμνοῦσθαι.

Ὁ τά ἑταίρου λαμβάνων, καί ἑτέροις διδούς, οὐκ ἠλέησεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἠδίκησεν ἀδικίαν τήν ἐσχάτην. Εἰ μέν γάρ ἐλεεῖς ἐξ ὧν ἀδικεῖς, ἐλέησον οὕς ἀδικεῖς. Εὐσεβής γάρ ἐκεῖνος, οὐχ ὁ πολλούς ἐλεῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ μηδένα ἀδικῶν.

Θεολόγου. Μίσθωμα πόρνης ἀγνῶς οὐ μερίζεται. Ἔστι γάρ τῆς ἄκρας κακοδαιμονίας, μή ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἰσχυροῖς τό ἀσφαλές ἔχειν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίων σαθροῖς.

Χρυσοστ. Ὁ γάρ μή δεόμενος τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐταρκείᾳ νομίζων εἶναι, πάντων ἐστίν εὐπορώτερος.

Ὁ τήν ἑαυτοῦ μή δυνάμενος στῆσαι ἐπιθυμίαν, κἄν τά πάντων περιβέβληται, πῶς οὗτος ἔστι ἐν εὐπορίᾳ ποτέ;

Πλουτάρχου. Οἱ ἀπό τῶν αἰσχρῶν κερδῶν εἰς τάς καλάς ἀναλίσκοντες λειτουργίας, ὅμοιόν τι ποιοῦσι, τοῖς ἀπό τῆς ἱεροσυλίας θεοσεβοῦσιν.

∆ημοκρίτ. Πλοῦτος ἀπό κακῆς ἐργασίας ἐπιγινόμενος, ἐπί φανερώτερον ὄνειδος, κέκτηται.

Χρήματα πορίζειν μέν, οὐκ ἀχρεῖον· ἐξ ἀδικίας δέ πάντων κάκιον. Σωκράτης. Τούς πλεονέκτας εἴκαζε ταῖς ὄρνισιν· ὧν ἡ μέν καταπίνει, ὅ τι ἄν

προστύχῃ, καί ἔστιν ὅταν πνίγεται· αἱ δ᾿ ἄλλαι (15Ε_216> παρακολουθοῦσιν ἀφελεῖν αὐτό σπεύδουσαι, ἵνα παρά μέρος πνιγῶσιν.

∆ιογένης. Ἐρωτηθείς, ποῖα εἴη θηρία χαλεπώτερα, εἶπεν, Ἐν μέν τοῖς ὄρεσιν, ἄρκοι καί λέοντες· ἐν δέ ταῖς πόλεσι, τελῶναι καί συκοφάνται.