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they appear more hostile. For someone rightly says there is nothing more savage than a lover of money. For such a one sells even himself, and goes about as a common enemy of the world, grieving that the earth does not bear gold instead of ears of corn, and the fountains instead of streams, and the mountains instead of stones; being vexed at the prosperity of others, dejected amidst common goods, turning away from every pretext from which it is not possible to get money; enduring everything from which it is possible to collect even two obols; hating everyone, the poor, the rich; the former, lest they should ever approach and ask, the latter, because he does not have their possessions; he thinks everyone possesses what is his, and as if wronged by all, so he is disposed towards all. And what a sword is to a madman, this wealth is to a lover of money, or rather, much worse. For the madman, having taken the sword and thrust it through himself, is both delivered from his madness, and no longer receives a second blow; but the lover of money receives ten thousand worse wounds than that every day, not freeing himself from the madness, but increasing it more; and the more wounds he receives, the more he provides the occasion for another, worse blow. What then could be worse than the greedy man? because after destroying his own soul and wearing out his body with ten thousand cares, he is deprived of all luxury and pleasure and honor and glory, for which people especially sin much. And what is worse, that though wronged in nothing he becomes savage and arms himself against those who have wronged him in nothing, and having cast all good things from his soul, he has declared war on all. For those who are wronged hate him, as having also suffered evil; and those who have not yet suffered, fearing that they might suffer, and sympathizing with those who have suffered, show the same hostility; and those who are greater and more powerful, being vexed and indignant on behalf of the more humble, and furthermore being envious, are likewise enemies and hate him. And why do I speak of men? For when he has even God at war with him, what hope or comfort will be left for him? Is this wealth, to do injustice, tell me? Is this not worse than a condemned man? The condemned man is bound in his body, this one is bound in his soul. Do you see him a prisoner, and not pity him? For this reason, he says, I hate him, because he is bound not by necessity, but by choice having drawn the chain upon himself. Again you are against the rich; again you are against those who are robbed. You are not satisfied with eating and devouring the poor; and I am not satisfied with correcting you. You are always clinging to the rich; you too are always clinging to the poor man. Stand away from my sheep, stand away from my flock; but if you ravage my flock, do you complain that I pursue you? I do not pursue you; I pursue a wolf. If you are not a wolf, I do not pursue you; but if I do pursue you, blame yourself that you became a wolf. If a king should command to abstain from another's property, or rather even to give one's own, we all readily contribute; but when God commands not to seize, we do not tolerate it, but we prefer men to God; and how is this not terrible? For if even by honoring a man equally with God, we insult God; how much more, when we prefer men? The saying is heavy and burdensome; I know it too; but show that it is oppressive by fleeing the deed; but if you do not fear the deed, how can I believe you when you say, "We fear the words, and we are burdensome"? You burden yourselves by the deed, and no word does; but if I speak the words for the things which you do, are you indignant? And how is this not absurd? May what is said by me be false. I wish myself to receive the reputation of reproach on that day, as having reproached you rashly and in vain, rather than to see you accused for such things. For he who digs a pit for his neighbor, will fall into it himself. And just as women in labor are rent by their pains; so also he who works deceit, before he wrongs his neighbor, is himself rent and pained, and not in some random way, but also

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πολεμιώτεροι καταφαίνονται. ∆ικαίως γάρ τίς φησι εἶναι φιλαργύρου μηδὲν ὠμότερον. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀποδίδοται, καὶ κοινὸς περιέρχεται τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐχθρὸς, ἀλγῶν ὅτι μὴ χρυσίον φέρει ἀντὶ τῶν ἀσταχύων ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ναμάτων αἱ κρῆναι, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν λίθων τὰ ὄρη· δυσχεραίνων πρὸς τὴν ἄλλων εὐετηρίαν, ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς ἀγαθοῖς συνεσταλμένος, πᾶσαν ἀποστρεφόμενος πρόφασιν, ὅθεν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀργύριον λαβεῖν· πάντα ὑπομένων ὅθεν καὶ δύο συλλέξαι μόνον ὀβολοὺς ἔνι· ἅπαντας μισῶν, τοὺς πένητας, τοὺς πλουτοῦντας· τοὺς μὲν, μήποτε προσελθόντες αἰτήσωσι, τοὺς δὲ, ὅτι μὴ τὰ ἐκείνων ἔχῃ· ἅπαντας τὰ αὐτοῦ νομίζει κεκτῆσθαι, καὶ ὡς παρὰ πάντων ἠδικημένος, οὕτω πρὸς ἅπαντας διάκειται. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶ μαινομένῳ ξίφος. τοῦτο καὶ φιλαργύρῳ πλοῦτος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μαινόμενος τὸ ξίφος λαβὼν καὶ ὠθήσας δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τῆς τε μανίας ἀπηλλάγη, καὶ οὐκέτι δευτέραν λαμβάνει πληγήν· ὁ δὲ φιλάργυρος μυρία χαλεπώτερα ἐκείνου τραύματα καθ' ἑκάστην δέχεται τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἀπαλλάττων τῆς μανίας ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτείνων μειζόνως· καὶ ὅσῳπερ ἂν λάβῃ πλείονα τραύματα, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὑπόθεσιν ἑτέρας παρέχει πληγῆς χαλεπωτέρας. Τί τοίνυν τοῦ πλεονέκτου γένοιτ' ἂν χαλεπώτερον; ὅτι μετὰ τὸ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπολέσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸ σῶμα μυρίαις κα 63.669 τατεῖναι φροντίσι, καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ ἡδονῆς καὶ τιμῆς καὶ δόξης ἁπάσης ἐστέρηται, δι' ἣν μάλιστα πολλὰ ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἄνθρωποι. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι μηδὲν ἠδικημένος κατὰ τῶν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότων ἐκθηριοῦται καὶ ὁπλίζεται, καὶ πάντα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ῥίψας τὰ καλὰ, πρὸς πάντας ἐκπεπολέμωται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀδικούμενοι μισοῦσιν αὐτὸν, ἅτε καὶ κακῶς παθόντες· οἱ δὲ μηδέπω παθόντες, δεδοικότες μὴ πάθωσι, καὶ συναλγοῦντες τοῖς πεπονθόσι, τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπιδείκνυνται πόλεμον· οἱ δὲ μείζους καὶ δυνατώτεροι δακνόμενοι καὶ ἀγανακτοῦντες ὑπὲρ τῶν ταπεινοτέρων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ βασκαίνοντες, ὁμοίως εἰσὶν ἐχθροὶ καὶ μισοῦσι. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους; ὅταν γὰρ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκπεπολεμωμένον ἔχῃ, τίς αὐτῷ λοιπὸν ἐλπὶς ἔσται ἢ παραψυχή; Τοῦτο πλοῦτος, τὸ ἀδικεῖν, εἰπέ μοι; τοῦτο οὐ χαλεπώτερον καταδίκου; ὁ κατάδικος δέδεται τὸ σῶμα, οὗτος δέδεται τὴν ψυχήν. Ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν δεσμώτην, καὶ οὐκ ἐλεεῖς αὐτόν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν, φησὶ, μισῶ, ὅτι δέδεται οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσει τὴν ἅλυσιν ἐπισπασάμενος. Πάλιν σὺ πρὸς τοὺς πλουτοῦντας· πάλιν ὑμεῖς κατὰ τῶν ἁρπαζομένων. Ὑμεῖς οὐ κορέννυσθε ἐσθίοντες καὶ καταδάκνοντες τοὺς πένητας· καὶ ἐγὼ οὐ κορέννυμαι διορθούμενος ὑμᾶς. Ἀεὶ σὺ τοῖς πλουσίοις κεκόλλησαι· ἀεὶ καὶ σὺ τῷ πένητι κεκόλλησαι. Ἀπόστηθι τοῦ προβάτου μου, ἀπόστηθι τῆς ποίμνης μου· εἰ δὲ λυμαίνῃ μου τὴν ποίμνην, ἐγκαλεῖς, ὅτι διώκω σε; Οὐ διώκω σέ· λύκον διώκω. Εἰ μὴ εἶ λύκος, οὐ διώκω σε· εἰ δὲ διώκω σε, σαυτὸν αἰτιῶ ὅτι λύκος ἐγένου. Ἐὰν μὲν βασιλεὺς κελεύσῃ ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἑτέρου χρημάτων, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τὰ αὐτῶν δοῦναι, πάντες ἑτοίμως εἰσφέρομεν· τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ κελεύοντος μὴ ἁρπάζειν, οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα, ἀλλὰ προτιμῶμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ πῶς οὐ δεινόν; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐξ ἴσου τιμῶντες ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὑβρίζομεν τὸν Θεόν· πόσῳ μᾶλλον, ὅταν προτιμῶμεν ἀνθρώπους; Βαρὺ τὸ ῥῆμα καὶ ἐπαχθές· οἶδα κἀγώ· ἀλλὰ δείξατε ὅτι φορτικὸν, φυγόντες τὸ ἔργον· εἰ δὲ τὸ ἔργον οὐ δεδοίκατε, πῶς ὑμῖν πιστεῦσαι δύναμαι λέγουσιν, ὅτι Τὰ ῥήματα δεδοίκαμεν, καὶ βαρεῖς ἡμᾶς; Ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς τῷ ἔργῳ βαρεῖτε, καὶ οὐδεὶς λόγος· ἐγὼ δὲ ἂν τὰ ῥήματα εἴπω, ὧν ὑμεῖς τὰ πράγματα πράττετε, ἀγανακτεῖτε; καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον; Γένοιτο ψεῦδος εἶναι τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ λεγόμενα. Βούλομαι αὐτὸς λοιδορίας δόξαν λαβεῖν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην λοιδορησάμενος ὑμῖν, ἢ ὑμᾶς ἰδεῖν ὑπὲρ τοιούτων ἐγκαλουμένους. Ὁ γὰρ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται. Καὶ καθάπερ αἱ ὠδίνουσαι γυναῖκες ὑπὸ τῶν ὀδυνῶν διακόπτονται· οὕτω καὶ ὁ δόλον ἐργαζόμενος, πρὶν ἢ τὸν πλησίον ἀδικῆσαι, αὐτὸς διακόπτεται καὶ ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ