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Let him plot against me; the plots are for me pledges of crowns, and the wounds are the number of my prizes. I do not fear a plot; one thing only do I fear, sin. Let no one convict me of sinning, and let the whole world make war on me. Have you seen the worthlessness of human affairs? Have you seen the perishable nature of power? Have you seen wealth, which I have always called a runaway, not only a runaway but also a murderer? For it does not just abandon those who possess it, but even slaugh 63.640 ters those who possess it; when someone courts it, then most of all it betrays him. Why do you court wealth which can never be held fast? Do you wish to hold it fast? Do not bury it, but give it into the hands of the poor. Wealth is a wild beast; if it is held fast, it flees; if it is scattered, it remains. Scatter it, so that it may remain; do not bury it, so that it may not flee. Where is the wealth? I would gladly ask those who have departed, where is the wealth? But I say these things not to reproach, God forbid, nor to reopen wounds, but to make the shipwrecks of others a harbor for you. For he who is rich today is poor tomorrow. For this reason I have often laughed when reading wills that say: "So-and-so shall have the ownership of the fields or the house, but another the use"; for we all have the use, but no one has the ownership. For even if wealth remains for our whole life without undergoing any change, both willingly and unwillingly at our end we will yield it to others; having enjoyed only its use, but not its ownership, but departing naked and destitute for that life. From which it is clear that those have ownership who have despised its use and scorned its enjoyment. For he who has cast away his possessions and distributed them to the poor has used his possessions for a good purpose, and has departed possessing their ownership. Therefore, if anyone wishes to have their possession and their use and their ownership, let him be rid of all his possessions; since he who does not do this, at his end will be deprived of them all, and often even before his end will lose them amid countless terrible things and dangers. And this is not the only terrible thing, that a change happens and suddenly, but that the rich man comes to the endurance of poverty unpracticed. For what reason, then, do you consider wealth to be enviable, and call blessed and envy those who have possessed it? For in what does the rich man differ from the poor man? Does he not clothe one body? Does he not feed one stomach? And why do you have many servants? For just as in clothes and at table one must pursue only what is necessary, so also in servants. For it was fitting for one master to use only one servant; or rather, for even two or three masters to use one servant. But if this is burdensome, consider those who have none, and who enjoy an easier service. For this is why God gave us hands and feet, so that we would not need servants. For the class of servants was not introduced for the sake of need, since a slave would have been formed with Adam; but it is the penalty and punishment for sin and disobedience. But if it is necessary to have a slave, one should have only one, or at most, a second. For what does the multitude of servants mean to you, and this strutting in the marketplace? Do you walk among wild beasts, that you drive away those who meet you? Do not be afraid; no one bites who approaches and walks near you. But do you consider it an insult to walk along with everyone? And what great madness is this, not to consider it an insult for a horse to follow close by, but to think it a disgrace for a human being, unless he is driven away for countless stades? And what is worse than this irrationality, to drive and chase away 63.641 human beings, so that a beast may pass by with plenty of room? For such a necessity of our need for one another has been arranged by God's providence, that, even if someone is richer than all men, not even so is he freed from this connection and from the need of one who is inferior. For indeed the poor do not need the rich only, but the rich also need the poor, and these more than those, than those these. And that this

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ἐπιβουλευέτω· ὑποθῆκαί μοι στεφάνων αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ, καὶ ἀριθμὸς βραβείων τὰ τραύματα. Οὐ δέδοικα ἐπιβουλήν· ἓν δέδοικα μόνον, ἁμαρτίαν. Μή μέ τις ἐλέγξῃ ἁμαρτάνοντα, καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη πολεμείτω μοι. Εἴδετε τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων τὴν εὐτέλειαν; εἴδετε τῆς δυναστείας τὸ ἐπίκηρον; εἴδετε τὸν πλοῦτον, ὃν ἀεὶ δραπέτην ἐκάλουν, οὐ δραπέτην δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδροφόνον; οὐ γὰρ καταλιμπάνει τοὺς ἔχοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφά 63.640 ζει τοὺς ἔχοντας· ὅταν τις αὐτὸν θεραπεύσῃ, τότε μάλιστα αὐτὸν προδίδωσι. Τί θεραπεύεις πλοῦτον τὸν μηδέποτε κατασχεθῆναι δυνάμενον; Βούλει αὐτὸν κατασχεῖν; μὴ κατορύξῃς αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ δὸς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τῶν πενήτων. Θηρίον ἐστὶν ὁ πλοῦτος· ἐὰν κατέχηται, φεύγει· ἐὰν σκορπίζηται, μένει. Σκόρπισον, ἵνα μείνῃ· μὴ κατορύξῃς, ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ. Ποῦ ὁ πλοῦτος; ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην τοὺς ἀπελθόντας, ποῦ ὁ πλοῦτος; Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω οὐκ ὀνειδίζων, μὴ γένοιτο, οὐδὲ ἀναξαίνων τὰ ἕλκη, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑτέρων ναυάγια ὑμῖν λιμένα κατασκευάζων. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ σήμερον πλούσιος αὔριον πένης. ∆ιὸ καὶ πολλάκις ἐγέλασα διαθήκας ἀναγινώσκων λεγούσας· Ὁ δεῖνα μὲν ἐχέτω τὴν δεσποτείαν τῶν ἀγρῶν ἢ τῆς οἰκίας, τὴν δὲ χρῆσιν ἄλλος· πάντες γὰρ τὴν χρῆσιν ἔχομεν, δεσποτείαν δὲ οὐδείς. Κἂν γὰρ παρὰ πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν παραμένῃ μηδεμίαν μεταβολὴν ὁ πλοῦτος δεχόμενος, καὶ ἑκόντες καὶ ἄκοντες ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ παραχωρήσομεν αὐτὸν ἑτέροις· τὴν χρῆσιν μὲν καρπωσάμενοι καὶ μόνον, τὴν δεσποτείαν δὲ οὒ, ἀλλὰ γυμνοὶ καὶ ἔρημοι πρὸς ἐκείνην ἀποδημοῦντες τὴν ζωήν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι δεσποτείαν ἔχουσιν, οἱ καὶ τῆς χρήσεως αὐτοῦ καταφρονήσαντες, καὶ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως καταγελάσαντες. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ ὄντα ῥίψας καὶ τοῖς πένησιν αὐτὰ διαδοὺς, ἐχρήσατο εἰς δέον τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ τὴν δεσποτείαν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀπῆλθεν. Ὥστε εἴ τις θέλοι καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν καὶ τὴν δεσποτείαν ἔχειν, ἀπαλλαττέσθω τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων· ὡς ὅ γε μὴ τοῦτο ποιῶν, τῇ τελευτῇ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀποστήσεται πάντων, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς μετὰ μυρίων αὐτὰ δεινῶν ἀποβαλεῖται καὶ κινδύνων. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι μεταβολὴ γίνεται καὶ ἀθρόως, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἀμελετήτως ὁ πλούσιος πρὸς τὴν τῆς πενίας ὑπομονὴν ἔρχεται. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὸν πλοῦτον ζηλωτὸν εἶναι νομίζεις, καὶ τοὺς αὐτὸν κεκτημένους μακαρίζεις καὶ ζηλοῖς; Τίνι γὰρ διαφέρει ὁ πλούσιος τοῦ πένητος; οὐχ ἓν σῶμα περιβάλλει; οὐ μίαν τρέφει γαστέρα; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχεις οἰκέτας; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ἱματίοις τὴν χρείαν διώκειν δεῖ μόνον καὶ ἐν τραπέζῃ, οὕτω καὶ ἐν οἰκέταις. Καὶ γὰρ ἑνὶ τὸν ἕνα χρῆσθαι δεσπότην οἰκέτῃ μόνῳ ἐχρῆν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς δεσπότας ἑνὶ οἰκέτῃ. Εἰ δὲ βαρὺ τοῦτο, ἐννόησον τοὺς οὐδένα ἔχοντας, καὶ εὐκολωτέρας ἀπολαύοντας θεραπείας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ χεῖρας ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πόδας, ἵνα μὴ δεώμεθα οἰκετῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ χρείας ἕνεκεν τὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐπεισήχθη γένος, ἐπεὶ μετὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐπλάσθη ἂν καὶ δοῦλος· ἀλλὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῆς παρακοῆς ἐστι τὸ ἐπιτίμιον καὶ ἡ κόλασις· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀναγκαῖον τὸ δοῦλον ἔχειν, ἕνα που μόνον ἔχειν, ἢ τὸ πολὺ, δεύτερον. Τί γάρ σοι βούλεται τὰ πλήθη τῶν οἰκετῶν, καὶ τὸ σοβεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς; μὴ γὰρ μεταξὺ θηρίων περιπατεῖς, ὅτι ἀπελαύνεις τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας; Μὴ φοβηθῇς· οὐδεὶς δάκνει τῶν προσιόντων καὶ πλησίον σοι βαδιζόντων. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὕβριν ἡγῇ τὸ μετὰ πάντων συμβαδίζειν; Καὶ πόσης τοῦτο μανίας, τὸν μὲν ἵππον πλησίον ἑπόμενον μὴ νομίζειν φέρειν ὕβριν, ἄνθρωπον δὲ, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ μυρίων ἐλαύνοιτο σταδίων, καταισχύνειν ἡγεῖσθαι; Τί δὲ ταύτης χεῖρον τῆς ἀλογίας, ἀνθρώπους ἐλαύνειν καὶ διώ 63.641 κειν, ἵνα τὸ κτῆνος μετ' εὐρυχωρίας παρέλθῃ; Τοσαύτη γὰρ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῶν χρείας ἀνάγκη οἰκονομικῶς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατεσκεύασται, ὅτι, κἂν πάντων ἀνθρώπων πλουσιώτερος ᾖ τις, οὐδὲ οὕτω ταύτης ἀπήλλακται τῆς συναφείας καὶ τοῦ δεῖσθαι τοῦ καταδεεστέρου. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῶν πλουσίων οἱ πένητες δέονται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι τῶν πενήτων, καὶ οὗτοι μᾶλλον ἐκείνων, ἢ ἐκεῖνοι τούτων. Καὶ ἵνα τοῦτο