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To have work, the consolidation of the ever-turning soul, 913 But to be rich in divinity alone, and all the world, To hold always equal to spider's threads. All things of men are alien to this life; But mortal virtue, this alone is life. Come, to all the Word of God of immortal counsel shouts, Hasten to the knowledge of the heavenly Trinity. Take thought, all you whom pure marriage has bound to life, To bring more fruit to the heavenly wine-presses. And all you who are embraced by the Word of the great God, Virgin brides, to offer all things to God. An all-shining splendor of a single way of life, but from the world To keep your spirit, standing far from the flesh. It is hubris to have faith in colors, not in hearts; It would be easily washed out. The depth is dear to me. 914 To have neither any unbending justice, nor prudence Crooked. Measure is best in all things. To wield courage, since rashness will not be strength; To have also a certain calm from moderation. To open the mind always in the oracles of God is best; Thus you would be skilled in the heavenly laws. Strive to be best; displease those for whom it is best; And to delight in evil is an inglorious glory. It is shameful, being the best, to be an advocate for sinners Equally, and to have your foot inside evil. Gold is subdued in the furnace, but a good man by suffering; Pain is often lighter than lack of pain. He would easily deny the great God, who denies his parent; But know your parent also as the father of piety. 915 Moths eat all things; do not leave your possessions even to tombs; The honor at departure is to have a good name. Take care of our native strangers, but especially in turn Those who have left all these things, of the powerless dead. Come now, having left all the world and its burdens here, Spread your sail toward heavenly life. Let all your works always be accomplished in a god-pleasing manner, And let the Trinity be your chief concern of all. 916

32. Gnomic Distichs. Of a good beginning, the end is also most beautiful, Correctly

seem the definitions of things. A beginning that brings forth a good end for mortals, Is the purification of life, divinely practiced. Having been winged by words, do not fly outside your wings, For not even a bird flies without wings. Knowledge is the greatest glory for mortals in life; But it is an evil for those who use it badly. Let empty glory in no way carry you away; 917 For this is a treacherous thing for the more simple. In doing good, guard yourself to remain in this; For swift is the course towards the worse. Let laughter be restrained, and let anger find a limit; And let idle speech be altogether restrained. Fear God first, and honor your parents, Praise priests, hold elders in reverence. For a son in no way to speak what is just to a father, Both custom decrees, and before customs, nature. Such things as you yourself do not wish to suffer from another, Such things do you also not wish to do to another. Anger is not terrible to those who have done terrible things; For justice judges with like for like. 918 Wise lips drip the sweetest words; But a bitter throat belches forth battles. A talkative tongue gushes streams of sweetness; But an undiscerning mouth begets vile sayings. Friends love also what is dear to their friends; But enemies shamefully disparage their friends. The doors of the rich are closed to poor friends; But shining courts are always friendly to the rich. Water, the best drink, keeps the mind in good temper; But a hangover, seizing it, muddies the mind. Wine does not know how to make nature sober, But rather stirs up pleasures, exciting them. The bulk of the stomach drives out a subtle mind; 919 For opposites fight with opposites. Better is moderate food, easily obtained, Than a luxurious dinner, which someone has fashioned in a dream. Fools are richer in dreams, Than those who possess an abyss of money. Better to be childless, than to bear foolish offspring; For the one is childless, but the others are many and bad. To every dying mortal, the whole earth is a tomb; For everything from the earth, is earth and to earth again. A shepherd milks, if he wishes, even the male goats; But instead of milk, he will rain springs of blood. The sow, observing the preparation of dinner, 920 Knows not to confuse the boundaries of the table. Compel you also the disorderly, not to break A seemly order and one harmonized with laws. Keeping the laws, you would cast out fears; For outside of fears is every one of the

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Ἔργον ἔχειν, ψυχῆς πῆξιν ἀειστρεφέος, 913 Πλουτεῖν δ' αὖ θεότητα μόνην, καὶ κόσμον ἅπαντα, Ἶσον ἀραχναίοις νήμασιν αἰὲν ἔχειν. Πάντα μὲν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλότρια τοῦδε βίοι· Ἡ δ' ἀρετὴ βροτέη, τοῦτο μόνον βιοτή. ∆εῦτε δὲ, πᾶσι Θεοῖο βοᾷ Λόγος ἀφθιτόμητις, Σπεύδετ' ἐπὶ Τριάδος γνῶσιν ἐπουρανίης. Θέσθε νόον, βιότῳ μὲν ὅσους γάμος ἁγνὸς ἔδησε, Ληνοῖς οὐρανίοις πλείονα καρπὸν ἄγειν. Ὅσσαι δ' ἂν μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ Λόγου ἀγκάζεσθε, Νύμφαι παρθενικαὶ, πάντα Θεῷ προσάγειν. Αἴγλη παμφανόωσα μονότροπος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ κόσμου Θυμὸν ἔχειν, σαρκῶν τηλόθεν ἱστάμεναι. Ὕβρις πίστιν ἔχειν ἐν χρώμασι, μὴ κραδίῃσι· Ῥεῖά κεν ἔκπλυτ' ἔοι. Βένθος ἐμοί γε φίλον. 914 Μήτε δικαιοσύνην τίν' ἀκαμπέα, μήτε φρόνησιν Ἀγκυλόεσσαν ἔχειν. Μέτρον ἄριστον ἅπαν. Νωμᾶσθαι καὶ θάρσος, ἐπεὶ θράσος, οὐ κράτος ἔσται· Ἔστι σαοφροσύνης καί τι γαληνὸν ἔχειν Οἴγειν ἐν λογίοισι Θεοῦ νόον αἰὲν, ἄριστον· Ἴδρις ἐπουρανίων ὧδ' ἂν ἔοις νομίμων. Σπεῦδε μὲν εἶναι ἄριστος· ἀφάνδανε, οἷσιν ἄριστον· Καὶ κακίην τέρπειν, δυσκλεές ἐστι κλέος. Αἰσχρὸν, ἄριστον ἐόντα, συνήγορον ἔμμεν' ἀλιτρῶν Ἶσον, καὶ κακίης σὸν πόδα ἐντὸς ἔχειν. Χρυσὸς μὲν χοάνοισι δαμάζεται, ἄλγεσι δ' ἐσθλός· Ἄλγος ἀπημοσύνης πολλάκι κουφότερον. Ῥεῖά κεν ἀρνήσαιτο Θεὸν μέγαν, ὃς γενετῆρα· Ἴσθι δὲ καὶ γενέτην ὡς πατέρ' εὐσεβίης. 915 Σῆτες ἔδουσιν ἅπαντα· λίπῃς τὰ σὰ μηδὲ τάφοισιν· Ἐξοδίη τιμὴ, δεξιὸν οὔνομ' ἔχειν. Ξείνων ἡμεδαπῶν περιφείδεο, ἔξοχα δ' αὖτε Οἳ τάδε πάντα λίπον, ἀδρανέων νεκύων. ∆εῦρ' ἄγε, κόσμον ἅπαντα καὶ ἄχθεα τῇδ' ἀπολείψας, Ἱστίον ἐς ζωὴν οὐρανίην πέτασον. Πάντα μὲν αἰὲν ἄριστα θεοπρεπὲς ἔργα τελείσθω, Ἡ δὲ Τριὰς πάντων ἔξοχά σοι μελέτω. 916

ΛΒʹ. Γνωμικὰ δίστιχα. Ἀρχῆς καλῆς κάλλιστον εἶναι καὶ τέλος, Ὀρθῶς

δοκοῦσιν οἱ ὅροι τῶν πραγμάτων. Ἀρχὴ καλὸν τίκτουσα τοῖς βροτοῖς πέρας, Βίου κάθαρσις ἐνθέως ἀσκουμένη. Λόγοις πτερωθεὶς, μὴ πτερῶν ἔξω πέτου Πτερῶν γὰρ οὐδὲ πτηνὸν ἵπταται δίχα. Γνῶσις βροτοῖς μέγιστον ἐν βίῳ κλέος· Κακὸν δὲ αὕτῃ τοῖς κακῶς κεχρημένοις. Κενή σε δόξα μηδόλως συναρπάσῃ· 917 Καὶ γὰρ πανοῦργον τοῦτο τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις. Εὖ δρῶν φύλαττε σαυτὸν ἐν τούτῳ μένειν· Ταχὺς γάρ ἐστι πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ὁ δρόμος. Γέλως κρατείσθω, καὶ θυμὸς λάβοι πέρας· Ἀργὸς δὲ παντάπασιν εἰργέσθω λόγος. Θεὸν φόβου πρώτιστα, καὶ γονεῖς τίμα, Ἱερεῖς ἐπαίνει, πρεσβύτας σεπτῶς ἔχε. Υἱὸν δίκαια πατρὶ μηδόλως λέγειν, Θεσμός θ' ὁρίζει, καὶ πρὸ θεσμῶν ἡ φύσις. Οἷα πρὸς ἄλλου μὴ παθεῖν αὐτὸς θέλεις, Τοιαῦτα καὶ σὺ μηδὲ δρᾷν ἄλλῳ θέλε. Οὐ δεινὸν ὀργὴ δεινὰ τοῖς εἰργασμένοις· Καὶ γὰρ δικάζει τοῖς ὁμοίοις ἡ δίκη. 918 Χείλη σοφὰ στάζουσιν ἡδίστους λόγους· Φάρυγξ δὲ πικρὸς ἐξερεύγεται μάχας. Ῥεῖθρα γλυκασμοῦ γλῶσσα βλύζει στωμύλη· Ῥήσεις δὲ φαύλας ἄκριτον γεννᾷ στόμα. Φίλοι φιλοῦσι καὶ ἃ τοῖς φίλοις φίλα· Ἐχθροὶ δὲ φαυλίζουσιν αἰσχρῶς τοὺς φίλους. Πτωχοὺς φίλους λάθουσι πλουσίων θύραι· Αὐλαὶ δὲ λαμπραὶ, πλουσίοις ἀεὶ φίλαι. Ὕδωρ, ποτὸν φέριστον, εὐκρατοῖ φρένας· Θολοῖ δὲ τὸν νοῦν συλλαβοῦσα κραιπάλη. Οὐκ οἶδεν οἶνος σωφρονίζειν τὴν φύσιν, Κινεῖ δὲ μᾶλλον ἡδονὰς παροξύνων. Νοῦν λεπτὸν ὄγκος ἐκδιώκει γαστέρος· 919 Τἀναντία γὰρ τοῖς ἐναντίοις μάχῃ. Κρείσσων τροφὴ σύμμετρος εὐπορουμένη, Ἢ δεῖπνος ἁβρὸς, ὃν ἔπλασέ τις τ' ὄναρ. Πλουτοῦσι μωροὶ τοῖς ὀνείρασι πλέον, Ἢ χρημάτων ἄβυσσον οἱ κεκτημένοι. Κρείσσων ἄπαις, ἢ μωρὰ κύειν ἔκγονα· Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἄπαις, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ κακοί. Παντὶ βροτῷ θνήσκοντι πᾶσα γῆ τάφος· Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἐκ γῆς, γῆ τε καὶ εἰς γῆν πάλιν. Ποιμὴν ἀμέλγει, εἰ θέλει, καὶ τοὺς τράγους· Ἀλλ' ἀντὶ γάλακτος, αἱμάτων πηγὰς ὕσει. Ἡ σῦς ἐποπτεύουσα δειπνοποιίαν, 920 Οἶδε τραπέζης τοὺς ὅρους μὴ συγχέειν. Βίαζε καὶ σὺ τοὺς ἀτάκτους, μὴ λύειν Τάξιν πρεπώδη καὶ νόμοις ἡρμοσμένην. Νόμους φυλάττων, τοὺς φόβους ἔξω βάλοις· Φόβων γὰρ ἔξω πᾶς ὁ τῶν