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74

Gray hair is also taught something, and old age is not entirely, as it seems, trustworthy for understanding.

(15Ε_318> Chrysostom. Gray hair is not white hairs, but virtues of the soul. Do not slander the young man; nor praise the old man; for neither in the difference

of age are virtue and vice, but in the difference of judgment. Greg. Nyss. In every matter, for the most part, a precarious counselor is

youth; and one could not easily accomplish anything worthy of serious attention, for whom gray hair was not also included in the fellowship of deliberation.

Philo. The one who is truly an elder, is not considered so in length of time, but in a praiseworthy and perfect life.

Of Evagrius. To be honorable in old age, is proof of having been diligent before old age; but to be diligent in youth, is a pledge of being honorable in old age.

The soul blossoms toward knowledge, whenever the prime years of the body are finished by length of time.

Of Nilus. Whitened hair, cries out and testifies to the departure of the soul from here.

Plutarch. Winter needs shelter; and old age, freedom from pain. Plutarch. It is pleasant as with a good friend, so also with good reason

to grow old together. He exhorted the young to have these three things, in judgment, self-control;

in tongue, silence; in countenance, modesty. From Favorinus. Eratosthenes of Cyrene, said of age, that the

prime is spring; and summer and autumn, that which is after the prime; and winter, old age.

Of Solon. Old age, he said, is a bad harbor; for everything takes refuge in it. Diogenes. When someone asked him, What do you think of old age? he answered, The of living

winter. (15Ε_320> Diogenes. And seeing an old woman adorning herself, he said, 920 If

for the living, you are mistaken; but if for the dead, do not delay. Alexander. Alexander, seeing one of the old men dyeing his hair,

said, Do not dye your hair, but your knees. Gorgias having been asked, following what regimen did you come to a long old age? Nothing

ever, he said, for pleasure, either eating or doing. Procopius. The length of a life, when anticipated, is long; but when it has passed, it is wont

to be fainter than a dream and a shadow. Philemon. Syra, Syra, what is it? How are you for us? Never ask this when you see an old man, Or some old woman; but know at once that he/she is doing badly. Of Herodas. When you have turned the sixtieth sun, O Gryllus, Gryllus, die, become ashes. How blind is the turning-point of life beyond that. Philemon. There is somewhere understanding of the young, and lack of understanding of the old; for time does not

teach wisdom, but right nature and regimen. Democritus. Old age and poverty, two wounds hard to heal. An old saying, deeds for the younger, But counsels of the older have power. The old age of lions is better than the prime of fawns.

74

Παιδεύεταί τι καί πολιά, καί οὐ πάντη τό γῆρας, ὡς ἔοικεν, εἰς σύνεσιν ἀξιόπιστον.

(15Ε_318> Χρυσοστόμ. Πολιά οὐ τρίχες λευκαί, ἀλλά ψυχῆς ἀρεταί. Μή τόν νέον διάβαλλε· μηδέ τόν γεγηρακότα ἐπαίνει· οὔτε γάρ ἐν τῇ διαφορᾷ

τῆς ἡλικίας ἀρετή καί κακία, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῇ διαφορᾷ τῆς γνώμης. Γρηγ. Νύσσ. Ἐπί παντός ὡς ἐπί πολύ πράγματος, ἐπισφαλής σύμβουλος ἡ

νεότης· καί οὐκ ἄν τις ῥᾳδίως κατώρθωσέ τι τῶν σπουδῆς ἀξίων, ᾧ μή καί πολιά συμπαρελήφθη πρός κοινωνίαν τοῦ σκέμματος.

Φίλων. Ὁ ἀληθείᾳ πρεσβύτερος, οὐκ ἐν μήκει χρόνου, ἀλλ' ἐπαινετῷ καί τελείῳ βίῳ θεωρεῖται.

Εὐαγρίου. Τό ἔντιμον ἐν γήρᾳ εἶναι, ἀπόδειξις τοῦ φιλόπονον πρό γήρως γεγονέναι· τό δέ σπουδαῖον ἐν νέῳ, ἐχέγγυον τοῦ ἔντιμον ἐν γήρᾳ ἔσεσθαι.

Ἀνθεῖ πρός ἐπιστήμην ψυχή, ὁπότε ὁ τοῦ σώματος ἀκμαί χρόνου μήκει περαίνονται.

Νείλου. Θρίξ λελευκαμένη, τήν ἐντεῦθεν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποδημίαν βοᾷ καί διαμαρτύρεται.

Πλουτάρχ. Ὁ μέν χειμών, σκέπης· τό δέ γῆρας, ἀλυπίας δεῖται. Πλουτάρχ. Ἡδύ ἐστιν ὥσπερ φίλῳ σπουδαίῳ, οὕτω καί λόγῳ καλῷ

συγγηράσκειν. Παρεκελεύετο τοῖς νέοις τρία ταῦτα ἔχειν, ἐπί μέν τῆς γνώμης, σωφροσύνην·

ἐπί δέ τῆς γλώττης, σιγήν· ἐπί δέ τοῦ προσώπου, αἰδώ. Ἐκ τῶν Φαυωρίνου. Ἐρατοσθένης ὁ Κυρηναῖος, τῆς ἡλικίας ἔφη, τό μέν

ἀκμάζον, ἔαρ εἶναι· θέρος δέ καί μετόπωρον, τό μετά τήν ἀκμήν· χειμῶνα δέ, τό γῆρας.

Σόλωνος. Γῆρας, ἔλεγεν ὅρμον εἶναι κακόν· εἰς αὐτό γάρ πάντα καταφεύγει. ∆ιογένης. Ἐρομένου τινός αὐτόν, Τί νομίζεις τό γῆρας; ἀπεκρίνατο, Τοῦ ζῇν

χειμῶνα. (15Ε_320> ∆ιογένης. Ἰδών δέ γραῦν καλλωπιζομένην, εἶπεν, 920 Εἰ μέν

πρός τούς ζῶντας, πεπλάνησαι· εἰ δέ πρός τούς νεκρούς μή βράδυνε. Ἀλεξάνδρ. Ἀλέξανδρος ἰδών τινα τῶν γερόντων βαπτόμενον τάς τρίχας,

εἶπε. Μή τάς τρίχας βάπτου, ἀλλά τά γόνατα. Ὀργίας ἐρωτηθείς, ποίᾳ διαίτῃ χρώμενος, εἰς μακρόν γῆρας ἦλθες; Οὐδέν

οὐδέποτε, ἔφη, πρός ἡδονήν οὔτε φαγών οὔτε δράσας. Προκόπιος. Βίου μῆκος, προσδοκηθέν μέν, πολύ· παραδραμόν δέ, πέφυκεν

ὀνείρου καί σκιᾶς ἀμυδρότερον εἶναι. Φιλήμον. Σύρα, Σύρα, τί ἐστι; πῶς ἡμῖν ἔχεις; Μηδέποτ᾿ ἐρώτα τοῦτ᾿ ἐπάν γέροντ᾿ ἴδῃς, Ἤ γραῦν τινα· ἴσθι δ᾿ εὐθύς ὅτι κακῶς ἔχει. Ἡρώδου. Ἐπήν τόν ἑξηκοστόν ἥλιον κάμψῃς, Ὦ Γρύλλε, Γρύλλε, θνῆσκε, τέφρα γίνου. Ὡς τυφλός ὁ ὑπέρ κεῖνο τοῦ βίου καμπτήρ. Φιλήμον. Ἔστι που σύνεσις νέων, καί γερόντων ἀσυνεσία· χρόνος γάρ οὐ

διδάσκει φρόνησιν, ἀλλά φύσις ὀρθή καί δίαιτα. ∆ημοκρίτ. Γῆρας καί πενία, δύο τραύματα δυσθεράπευτα. Παλαιός αἶνος, ἔργα μέν νεωτέρων, Βουλαί δ' ἔχουσιν τῶν γεραιτέρων κράτος. Γῆρας λεόντων κρεῖσσον ἀκμάτων νεβρῶν.