Oration XLIII. Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia.
74. Do you praise the courage of Elijah in the presence of tyrants, and his fiery translation?
60. I am afraid that, in avoiding the imputation of indifference at the hands of those who desire to know all that can be said about him, I shall incur a charge of prolixity from those whose ideal is the golden mean. For the latter Basil himself had the greatest respect, being specially devoted to the adage “In all things the mean108 The mean, etc. A saying of Cleobulus, one of the seven Sages. is the best,” and acting upon it throughout his life. Nevertheless, disregarding alike those who desire undue conciseness or excessive prolixity, I proceed thus with my speech. Different men attain success in different ways, some applying themselves to one alone of the many forms of excellence, but no one, of those hitherto known to me, arriving at the highest eminence in all respects; he being in my opinion the best, who has won his laurels on the widest field, or gained the highest possible renown in some single particular. Such however was the height of Basil’s fame, that he became the pride of human kind. Let us consider the matter thus. Is any one devoted to poverty and a life devoid of property, and free from superfluity? What did he possess besides his body, and the necessary coverings of the flesh? His wealth was the having nothing, and he thought the cross, with which he lived, more precious than great riches. For no one, however much he may wish, can obtain possession of all things, but any one can learn to despise, and so prove himself superior to, all things. Such being his mind, and such his life, he had no need of an altar and of vainglory, nor of such a public announcement as “Crates109 Crates. He made this proclamation when he had stripped himself of all his possessions. sets Crates the Theban free.” For his aim was ever to be, not to seem, most excellent. Nor did he dwell in a tub,110 In a tub, like Diogenes, the Cynic. and in the midst of the market-place, and so by luxuriating in publicity turn his poverty into riches: but was poor and unkempt, yet without ostentation: and taking cheerfully the casting overboard of all that he ever had, sailed lightly across the sea of life.
Δέδοικα μὲν οὖν μὴ ῥᾳθυμίας ἔγκλημα φεύγων, παρὰ τοῖς τὰ ἐκείνου πάντα ἐπιζητοῦσιν, ἀπληστίας περιπέσω γραφῇ, παρὰ τοῖς ἐπαινοῦσι τὸ μέτριον, ὃ μηδὲ ἐκεῖνος ἠτίμαζε, τὸ πᾶν μέτρον ἄριστον, ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἐπαινῶν, καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον φυλάξας. Ὁμῶς δὲ ἀμφοτέρους περιφρονῶν, τούς τε λίαν συντόμους καὶ τοὺς ἄγαν ἀπλήστους, ὡδί πως τῷ λόγῳ χρήσομαι. Ἄλλοι μὲν οὖν ἄλλο τι κατορθοῦσιν, οἱ δέ τινα τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰδῶν ὄντων πλειόνων. Ἅπαντα δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐπῆλθε πρὸς τὸ ἀκρότατον οὔκουν τῶν νῦν ἡμῖν γινωσκομένων: ἀλλ' οὗτος ἄριστος ἡμῖν, ὃς ἂν τὰ πλείω τυγχάνῃ κατωρθωκὼς ἢ ἓν ὅτι μάλιστα. Ὁ δὲ οὕτω διὰ πάντων ἀφίκετο, ὡς εἶναι φιλοτιμία τις φύσεως. Σκοπῶμεν δὲ οὕτως. Ἀκτησίαν τίς ἐπαινεῖ καὶ βίον ἄσκευον καὶ ἀπέριττον; Ἐκείνῳ δὲ τί ποτε ἦν, πλὴν τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῆς σαρκὸς καλυμμάτων; Πλοῦτος δὲ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν, καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς ᾧ συνέζη μόνῳ, ὃν πολλῶν χρημάτων ἐνόμιζεν ἑαυτῷ τιμιώτερον. Ἅπαντα μὲν γὰρ οὐδ' ἄν, εἰ βούλοιτό τις, δυνατὸν εἶναι κτήσασθαι: πάντων δὲ εἰδέναι καταφρονεῖν, καὶ οὕτω κρείττω τῶν πάντων φαίνεσθαι. Οὕτω δὲ διανοηθεὶς καὶ οὕτως ἔχων, βωμοῦ μὲν οὐκ ἐδεήθη καὶ τῆς κενῆς δόξης, οὐδὲ δημοσίου κηρύγματος τοῦ, »Κράτης Κράτητα Θηβαῖον ἐλευθεροῖ.« Εἶναι γάρ, οὐ δοκεῖν, ἐσπούδαζεν ἄριστος. Οὐδὲ πίθον ᾤκει καὶ μέσην τὴν ἀγοράν, ὥστε πᾶσι παρατρυφᾶν, καινὴν εὐπορίαν τὸ ἀπορεῖν ποιούμενος: ἀφιλότιμος δέ, πένης ἦν καὶ ἀνήροτος: καὶ πάντων ἐκβολὴν στέρξας, ὧν ποτε εἶχε, κούφως διέπλει τὴν τοῦ βίου θάλασσαν.