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of those desiring to see. For whatever man is—a cheap, perishable, short-lived creature—such is wealth also; or rather, not such, but even weaker. For it often dies not with a man, but even before a man; and you all know how you have learned here countless examples of untimely wealth. And the one who possessed it lives, but the possession has perished; and would that it had perished alone, and had not destroyed the one possessing it as well. Therefore, one would not be wrong to call wealth an ungrateful servant, a bloodthirsty and man-slaying servant, a servant who repays his master with slaughter; and what is more difficult, it surrounds him with dangers not when it abandons him, but even before it abandons him, it disturbs and troubles him. Who then has become higher than Eutropius? Did he not surpass the whole inhabited world in wealth? Did he not ascend to the very heights of honors? Did not all tremble and fear him? But behold, he has become more wretched than prisoners, more pitiful than slaves, and more destitute than beggars wasting away with hunger, every day seeing sharpened swords, and the pit and executioners and being led away to death; and he does not know if he ever was in that pleasure, nor does he perceive the sunbeam itself; but at high noon, as if surrounded by the thickest night, so are his eyes blinded; or rather, however much we might contend 63.639, we will not be able to describe in words the suffering which he likely endures, expecting to be beheaded every hour. For I see his face is boxwood-pale, and no better disposed than one just now dead; and a chattering and gnashing of teeth and a trembling of his whole body are upon him, and a broken voice, and a faltering tongue, and such a bearing as a soul of stone would likely have. Did I not tell you continually that wealth is a runaway? But you did not endure us; did I not say that it is an ungrateful servant? But you were not willing to be persuaded. Behold, experience has shown by the facts that it is not only a runaway nor ungrateful, but also a man-slayer; for this has now caused you to tremble and be afraid. Did I not tell you, when you were continually rebuking me for speaking the truth, that I love you more than those who flatter? That I, the one who reproves, care more than those who gratify? Did I not add to these words, that 'The wounds of a friend are more trustworthy than the voluntary kisses of an enemy?' If you had endured my wounds, their kisses would not have borne this death for you; for my wounds work health, but their kisses have produced an incurable disease. From where did this come? From you not considering the changes of human affairs; for if you had feared change, you would not have suffered change; but since you became better neither from yourself nor from others, for this reason you have undergone the experience of deeds instead of the experience of words. I always say that wealth betrays those who use it badly, and the time has come showing the truth of the matter. Why do you hold on to it when it does not help you in temptation? If it has strength, when you fall into necessity, let it stand by you; but if it flees then, what need do you have of it? These things I say, and saying them I will not cease; and yet many accuse us: 'He is always talking, he is stuck on the rich.' For they too are always stuck on the poor. But I am stuck on the rich, or rather not on the rich, but on those who use wealth badly. I always speak, not slandering the rich man, but the robber. A rich man is one thing, a robber another; distinguish the matters, do not confuse things that cannot be mixed. Are you rich? I do not forbid it; do you plunder? I accuse you. Do you have what is yours? Enjoy it; do you take what belongs to others? I am not silent. Do you want to stone me? I am ready even to shed my blood, if only I can prevent your sin; I do not care about hatred, I do not care about war; I care about one thing, the progress of my listeners. Both the poor are my children, and the rich are my children; the same womb was in labor with both, the same birth-pangs bore both. Let him who wishes stone me, let him who wishes hate me, let him who wishes

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ἐπιθυμούντων ἰδεῖν. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ζῶον εὐτελὲς, ἐπίκηρον, ὀλιγοχρόνιον, τοιοῦτον καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσθενέστερον. Οὐ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τελευτᾷ πολλάκις· καὶ ἴστε πάντες ὡς μυρία ἐνταῦθα ὑποδείγματα τοῦ ἀώρου πλούτου μεμαθήκατε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν κεκτημένος ζῇ, τὸ δὲ κτῆμα ἀπώλετο· καὶ εἴθε ἀπώλετο μόνον, καὶ μὴ καὶ τὸν κεκτημένον συναπώλλυεν. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι τις, τὸν πλοῦτον ἀγνώμονα οἰκέτην καλέσας, οἰκέτην αἱμοβόρον καὶ ἀνδροφόνον, οἰκέτην ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόντα τῷ δεσπότῃ τὴν σφαγήν· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, οὐχ ὅταν αὐτὸν καταλίπῃ, περιβάλλει κινδύνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὶν ἢ καταλίπῃ, θορυβεῖ αὐτὸν καὶ ταράττει. Τίς ἄρα Εὐτροπίου γέγονεν ὑψηλότερος; οὐ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην παρῆλθε τῷ πλούτῳ; οὐ πρὸς αὐτὰς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἀνέβη τὰς κορυφάς; οὐχὶ πάντες αὐτὸν ἔτρεμον καὶ ἐδεδοίκεισαν; Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ γέγονε καὶ δεσμωτῶν ἀθλιώτερος, καὶ οἰκετῶν ἐλεεινότερος, καὶ τῶν λιμῷ τηκομένων πτωχῶν ἐνδεέστερος, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ξίφη βλέπων ἠκονημένα, καὶ βάραθρον καὶ δημίους καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἀπαγωγήν· καὶ οὐδὲ εἴποτε γέγονεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐκείνης οἶδεν, οὐδὲ αὐτῆς αἰσθάνεται τῆς ἀκτῖνος· ἀλλ' ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ μέσῃ, καθάπερ ἐν πυκνοτάτῃ νυκτὶ περιεστοιχισμένος, οὕτω τὰς ὄψεις πεπήρωται· μᾶλλον δὲ, ὅσα ἂν φιλονεική 63.639 σωμεν, οὐ δυνησόμεθα λόγῳ παραστῆσαι τὸ πάθος, ὅπερ ὑπομένειν αὐτὸν εἰκὸς, καθ' ἑκάστην ὥραν ἀποτέμνεσθαι προσδοκῶντα. Πύξινον γὰρ αὐτοῦ βλέπω τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τοῦ νῦν νεκρωθέντος ἅπαξ οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενον· κτύπος δὲ τῶν ὀδόντων καὶ πάταγος καὶ τρόμος αὐτῷ τοῦ παντὸς σώματος πρόσεστι, καὶ φωνὴ διακοπτομένη, καὶ γλῶττα διαλυομένη, καὶ σχῆμα τοιοῦτον, οἷον εἰκὸς τὴν λιθίνην ἔχειν ψυχήν. Οὐκ ἔλεγόν σοι συνεχῶς ὅτι δραπέτης ἐστὶν ὁ πλοῦτος; σὺ δὲ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἠνείχου· οὐκ ἔλεγον ὅτι ἀγνώμων ἐστὶν οἰκέτης; σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἐβούλου πείθεσθαι. Ἰδοὺ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξεν ἡ πεῖρα, ὅτι οὐ δραπέτης μόνον οὐδὲ ἀγνώμων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδροφόνος· οὗτος γάρ σε νῦν τρέμειν καὶ δεδοικέναι παρεσκεύασεν. Οὐκ ἔλεγόν σοι, ἡνίκα συνεχῶς ἐπετίμας μοι λέγοντι τἀληθῆ, ὅτι ἐγώ σε φιλῶ μᾶλλον τῶν κολακευόντων; ἐγὼ ὁ ἐλέγχων, πλέον κήδομαι τῶν χαριζομένων; οὐ προσετίθην τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις, ὅτι Ἀξιοπιστότερα τραύματα φίλων ὑπὲρ ἀκούσια φιλήματα ἐχθρῶν; Εἰ τῶν ἐμῶν ἠνείχου τραυμάτων, οὐκ ἄν σοι τὰ φιλήματα ἐκείνων τὸν θάνατον τοῦτον ἔτεκον· τὰ γὰρ ἐμὰ τραύματα ὑγίειαν ἐργάζεται, τὰ δὲ ἐκείνων φιλήματα νόσον ἀνίατον κατεσκεύασε. Πόθεν δὴ τοῦτο; Ἐκ τοῦ μὴ τὰς μεταβολὰς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐννοεῖν σε πραγμάτων· εἰ γὰρ ἐδεδοίκεις μεταβολὴν, οὐκ ἂν ὑπέμεινας μεταβολήν· ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ οὔτε οἴκοθεν, οὔτε παρ' ἑτέρων ἐγένου βελτίων, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν πεῖραν τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπέμεινας. Ἀεὶ λέγω, ὅτι ὁ πλοῦτος τοὺς κακῶς αὐτῷ χρωμένους προδίδωσι, καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ καιρὸς δεικνὺς τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τί κατέχεις αὐτὸν ἐν πειρασμῷ σε μὴ ὠφελοῦντα; Εἰ ἔχει ἰσχὺν, ὅταν ἐμπέσῃς εἰς ἀνάγκην, παρέστω σοι· εἰ δὲ τότε φεύγει, τί χρείαν αὐτοῦ ἔχεις; Ταῦτα λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι· καίτοι πολλοὶ ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἡμῖν· Ἀεὶ λέγει, κεκόλληται τοῖς πλουσίοις. Καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι ἀεὶ κεκόλληνται τοῖς πένησιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ κεκόλλημαι τοῖς πλουσίοις, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῖς πλουσίοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς κακῶς τῷ πλούτῳ κεχρημένοις. Ἀεὶ λέγω, οὐ τὸν πλούσιον διαβάλλων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἅρπαγα. Ἄλλο πλούσιος, ἄλλο ἅρπαξ· διαίρει τὰ πράγματα, μὴ σύγχεε τὰ ἄμικτα. Πλούσιος εἶ; οὐ κωλύω· ἁρπάζεις; κατηγορῶ. Ἔχεις τὰ σά; ἀπόλαυε· λαμβάνεις τὰ ἀλλότρια; οὐ σιωπῶ. Θέλεις με λιθάσαι; ἕτοιμός εἰμι καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἐκχέειν, μόνον ἂν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν σου κωλύσω· ἐμοὶ οὐ μέλει μῖσος, οὐ μέλει πόλεμος· ἑνός μοι μέλει, τῆς προκοπῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων. Καὶ οἱ πένητες ἐμὰ τέκνα, καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι ἐμὰ τέκνα· ἡ αὐτὴ γαστὴρ ἀμφοτέρους ὤδινεν, αἱ αὐταὶ ὠδῖνες ἀμφοτέρους ἔτεκον. Ὁ βουλόμενος λιθαζέτω, ὁ βουλόμενος μισείτω, ὁ βουλόμενος