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he may repay; and not only 195 double, but even sevenfold. And knowing this the prophet said, Render to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, O Lord, from the request of the sevenfold, beseeching God concerning the punishment of the enemies according to their worth, because, he says, having been glorified and having lived wantonly in the present life, she has made no provision for the divine will. Render to her. For she says, I shall never be deprived of reigning; for this is the widow, who is, as it were, destitute of the one who reigns. nor shall I see any evil. Therefore, because of her boasting, all evil will come upon her at once; for God, he says, is strong and will be hindered by no one from bringing judgment and punishment upon her; from which may it be that we all become free, by the grace of Him who called us to the knowledge and hope of Christ himself; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. #556 Tenth Discourse, still concerning Rome, a discourse on the apocalypse; for since it narrates a very great and strange change, it dwells on the subject. What then does it say? And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city, for in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth 196 weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore; cargo no more of gold and silver and precious stone and pearl, and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every kind of vessel of ivory and every kind of vessel of most precious wood and of bronze and of iron and of marble, and cinnamon, and incense and ointment and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and of horses and of chariots and of bodies, and souls of men. And the fruit of your soul's desire has gone from you, and all that was rich and splendid has perished from you, and they shall find them no more. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning and saying: Woe, woe, the great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearl, for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste. And every shipmaster and everyone who sails on the river, and sailors and all who work the sea, stood at a distance and cried out, seeing the torment of her burning, saying: Who is like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads, and cried out 197 weeping and mourning, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste. How variously and elegantly he wove the lament against her and the height of the mourning. But since almost all things are clear, if anything alone seems to be difficult, having noted it, let us proceed to the rest. And of horses, he says, and of chariots and of bodies. The word *rhedon* is a Roman word; for since the Romans were in power, it is not at all unlikely that the divine evangelist used a Roman word; but Scripture has Hellenized it. For *rhedium* is the vehicle among the Romans, but he has put it in the genitive plural case; and although it should be *rhediorum* according to the Romans, having Hellenized it he wrote a Greek ending, saying *rhedon*, so that what is said is of this sort. And of horses, he says, of chariots and of bodies, as in, horses for chariots, those suitable for vehicles, and of bodies, that is, riding-horses and those made for riders. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has judged your judgment from her. And one mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: Thus with violence shall Babylon the great be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters 198 shall not be heard anymore in

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ἀποδῷ· καὶ οὐ μόνον 195 διπλᾶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑπταπλασίονα. καὶ τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν ἀπόδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν ἑπταπλασίονα εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτῶν τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν ὃν ὠνείδισάν σε, Κύριε, ἐκ τῆς αἰτήσεως τοῦ ἑπταπλασίονος τὸν Θεὸν ἐξαιτῶν περὶ τῆς κατ' ἀξίαν τῶν ἐχθρῶν τιμωρίας, ἀνθ' ὧν φησι δοξασθεῖσα καὶ κατασπαταλήσασα τοῦ παρόντος βίου πρόνοιαν οὐ πεποίηται τοῦ θείου θελήματος. ἀπόδοτε αὐτῇ. λέγει γάρ, οὐκ ἔσομαί ποτε τοῦ βασιλεύειν ἐστερημένη· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ χήρα, ἡ οἷον τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἔρημος. οὐδέ τι κακὸν ὄψομαι. διὰ οὖν τὴν μεγαλορρημοσύνην αὐτῆς ἥξει αὐτῇ ἅπαν ὁμοῦ κακόν· ἰσχυρὸς γάρ φησιν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς κωλυθήσεται κρίσιν αὐτῇ καὶ κόλασιν ἐπαγαγεῖν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐλευθέρους γενέσθαι χάριτι τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν καὶ ἐλπίδα Χριστοῦ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν #556 Λόγος δέκατοσ ἔτι περὶ τῆς Ῥώμης λόγος τῇ ἀποκαλύψει· ἅτε γὰρ περὶ μεγίστης μεταβολῆς διηγουμένη καὶ ξενοπρεποῦς ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ τῷ λόγῳ. τί οὖν φησι; καὶ κλαύσονται καὶ κόψονται ἐπ' αὐτῇ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς οἱ μετ' αὐτῆς πορνεύσαντες καὶ στρηνιάσαντες, ὅταν βλέ πωσι τὸν καπνὸν τῆς πυρώσεως αὐτῆς, ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἑστη κότες διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ βασανισμοῦ αὐτῆς, λέγοντες· οὐαὶ οὐαί, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, Βαβυλών, ἡ πόλις ἡ ἰσχυρά, ὅτι μίαν ὥραν ἦλθεν ἡ κρίσις σου. καὶ οἱ ἔμποροι τῆς γῆς 196 κλαίουσι καὶ πενθοῦσιν ἐπ' αὐτῇ, ὅτι τὸν γόμον αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς ἀγοράζει· οὐκέτι γόμον χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ λίθου τιμίου καὶ μαργαρίτου καὶ βυσσίνου καὶ πορφύρας καὶ σηρικοῦ καὶ κοκκίνου, καὶ πᾶν ξύλον θύινον καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος ἐλεφάντινον καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος ξύλου τιμιωτάτου καὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου καὶ μαρμάρου καὶ κιναμώμου, καὶ θυμιάματα καὶ μύρον καὶ λίβανον καὶ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον καὶ κτήνη καὶ πρόβατα, καὶ ἵπποι καὶ ῥέδων καὶ σωμάτων, καὶ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων. καὶ ἡ ὀπώρα τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς σου ἀπῆλθεν ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ λιπαρὰ καὶ λαμπρὰ ἀπώλετο ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ οὐκέτι αὐτὴν οὐ μὴ εὑρήσουσιν οἱ ἔμποροι τούτων, οἱ πλουτή σαντες ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀπὸ μακρόθεν στήσονται διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ βασανισμοῦ αὐτῆς, κλαίοντες καὶ πενθοῦντες καὶ λέγοντες· οὐαὶ οὐαί, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ περιβεβλημένη βύσσινον καὶ πορφυροῦν καὶ κόκκινον, καὶ κεχρυσωμένη χρυσῷ καὶ λίθῳ τιμίῳ καὶ μαργαρίτῃ, ὅτι μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦ τος. καὶ πᾶς κυβερνήτης καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν πλέων, καὶ ναῦται καὶ ὅσοι τὴν θάλασσαν ἐργάζονται, ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἔστησαν καὶ ἔκραζον, βλέποντες τὸν πόνον τῆς πυρώσεως αὐτῆς λέγοντες· τίς ὁμοία τῇ πόλει τῇ μεγάλῃ; καὶ ἔβαλον χοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔκραζον 197 κλαίοντες καὶ πενθοῦντες, λέγοντες· οὐαὶ οὐαί, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, ἐν ᾗ ἐπλούτησαν πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες πλοῖα ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐκ τῆς τιμιότητος αὐτῆς, ὅτι μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη. ὡς ποικίλως καὶ γλαφυρῶς τὸν κατ' αὐτῆς ὕφηνε θρῆνον καὶ τοῦ πένθους τὴν ἀκμήν. σαφῶν δὲ ὄντων σχεδὸν ἁπάντων, εἴ τι δυσχερὲς μόνον εἶναι δοκεῖ, παρασημειωσάμενοι ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ χωρήσωμεν. καὶ ἵπποι φησὶ καὶ ῥέδων καὶ σωμάτων. τὸ ῥέδων Ῥωμαϊκὴ μὲν λέξις ἐστίν· Ῥωμαίων γὰρ κρατούντων, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς τὸν θεσπέσιον εὐαγγελιστὴν Ῥωμαίᾳ λέξει συγχρήσασθαι· ἐξελλήνισε δὲ αὐτὴν ἡ γραφή. ῥεδιοὺμ γάρ ἐστι παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις τὸ ὄχημα, γενικὴν δὲ πληθυντικὴν τέθεικε πτῶσιν· καὶ δέον κατὰ Ῥωμαίους ῥεδιοροὺμ εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐξελληνίσας αὐτὴν Ἑλληνικὴν γέγραφε κατάληξιν, ῥέδων εἰπών, ἵνα ᾖ τὸ εἰρημένον τοιοῦτον. καὶ ἵπποι φησὶ ῥέδων καὶ σωμάτων, οἷον καὶ ὀχημάτων ἵπποι οἱ εἰς ὀχήματα ἐπιτήδειοι, καὶ σωμάτων, τουτέστι, κέλητες καὶ εἰς ἀναβάτας πεποιημένοι. εὐφραίνου ἐπ' αὐτῇ, οὐρανέ, καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ προφῆται, ὅτι ἔκρινεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς. καὶ ἦρεν εἷς ἄγγελος ἰσχυρὸν λίθον ὡς μύλινον μέγαν καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, λέγων· οὕτως ὁρμήματι βληθή σεται Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ ἔτι. καὶ φωνὴ κιθαρωδῶν καὶ μουσικῶν καὶ αὐλητῶν καὶ σαλπιγκτῶν 198 οὐ μὴ εἰσακουσθῇ ἔτι ἐν