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blaspheming great things. By these things all has been overturned, all has been destroyed by the madness for money. For whom, whom shall I blame, I do not know; so this plague possesses all, some in greater part, some in lesser part, but all nonetheless. And just as a fire falling into a forest destroys and lays waste to all, so too this has overturned the world; kings, rulers, private citizens, the poor, women, men, children are all equally possessed by the evil. As if some darkness were blowing over the world, no one is sober; but while countless accusations against avarice are made both privately and publicly, there is correction nowhere. What then is to be done? How shall we extinguish the flame? For it is possible, even if it has risen up to heaven itself; we only need to be willing, and we will certainly overcome the fire. For just as it grew from being willing, so also from being willing it will be put down. Did not our own choice make it? Therefore, choice will also be able to extinguish it; let us only be willing. But how will the will be engendered? If we see its vanity and superfluity; that it will not be able to depart with us to that place, that even here it leaves us behind; that it remains here, but the wounds from it depart with us; if we see that there is great wealth there; if we compare this to that, it will appear more worthless than mud; if we see that it has countless dangers, that its pleasure is fleeting, that its pleasure is mingled with despondencies; if we properly consider that wealth of eternal life, thus we will be able to despise this one; if we see that it helps us in no way, not for glory, not 62.596 for health, nor for anything else, but on the contrary even sinks us into ruin and destruction; if you learn that here you are rich and have many under you, but departing there, you will depart desolate and naked. If we constantly chant these things, and hear them from others, perhaps there will be some health, there will be some release from this grievous punishment. Is the pearl beautiful? But consider that it is sea water, that it was formerly cast in its depths. Is gold and silver beautiful? But consider that it both was and is earth and dust. Are silk garments beautiful? But it is the weaving of worms; it is human assumption and prejudice, it does not have beauty in its nature. For things that have beauty in their nature do not need those who teach. But if you see a bronze coin merely coated with gold, you at first admire it, calling it gold; but when those skilled in these things teach you the deceit, the admiration departs with the deceit. Do you see that it does not have beauty in its nature? But neither does silver; for if you see tin, you admire it as silver, just as bronze as gold; and there is need of teachers as to what one ought to admire. Thus our eyes are not sufficient for the distinction. But flowers are not such, but much better than those. If you see a rose, you have no need of teachers, but you know by yourself to distinguish the anemone and the violet; so too lilies, and each flower. Therefore, what happens is nothing other than prejudice. And that this ruinous passion is a matter of prejudice, come, tell me, if it seemed good to the king to legislate silver as more honorable than gold, would you not have transferred your admiration and affection? So everywhere we are slaves to avarice and supposition. And that it is so, it is valued for its rarity, but not by its nature; there are fruits among us that are cheap, but in the country of the Cappadocians they are prized, and again, others are more valuable than our prized things in the country of the Seres, from where these garments come. But in spice-bearing Arabia and India, where the stones are, it is possible to find many such things. Thus such things are prejudice, thus they are human supposition; and we do nothing with judgment, but simply and as it happens. Let us then at last become sober from this drunkenness; let us see what is truly beautiful, what is beautiful by nature, piety, righteousness, so that

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μεγάλα βλασφημοῦσαν. Ὑπὸ τούτων πάντα ἀνατέτραπται, πάντα διόλωλεν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων μανίας. Τίνας γὰρ, τίνας αἰτιάσομαι, οὐκ οἶδα· οὕτως οὗτος ὁ λοιμὸς πάντας κατέχει, τοὺς μὲν ἐκ πλείονος, τοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἐλάττονος μοίρας, πάντας δὲ ὅμως. Καὶ καθάπερ πυρά τις εἰς ὕλην ἐμπεσοῦσα καταστρέφει πάντα καὶ ἐρημοῖ, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνέστρεψε· βασιλεῖς, ἄρχοντες, ἰδιῶται, πένητες, γυναῖκες, ἄνδρες, παῖδες ἐξ ἴσης πάντες κατέχονται τῷ κακῷ. Καθάπερ ζόφου τινὸς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπιπνέοντος, οὐδεὶς ἀνανήφει· ἀλλὰ κατηγορίαι μὲν μυρίαι κατὰ πλεονεξίας καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ γίνονται, διόρθωσις δὲ οὐδαμοῦ. Τί οὖν ἂν γένοιτο; πῶς σβέσομεν τὴν φλόγα; Ἔνεστι γὰρ, κἂν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀρθῇ τὸν οὐρανόν· θελῆσαι δεῖ μόνον, καὶ πάντως περιεσόμεθα τῆς πυρᾶς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ θέλειν ηὐξήθη, οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θέλειν καθαιρηθήσεται. Οὐχὶ ἡ προαίρεσις ἡ ἡμετέρα αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν; Οὐκοῦν δυνήσεται καὶ ἡ προαίρεσις σβέσαι· μόνον βουληθῶμεν. Πῶς δὲ τὸ θέλειν ἐγγενήσεται; Ἂν ἴδωμεν αὐτῆς τὸ μάταιον καὶ περιττόν· ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἡμῖν συναπελθεῖν οὐ δυνήσεται, ὅτι καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡμᾶς ἀφίησιν· ὅτι αὐτὴ μὲν ὧδε μένει, τὰ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἡμῖν τραύματα συναπέρχεται· ἂν ἴδωμεν, ὅτι πολὺς ἐκεῖ πλοῦτός ἐστιν· ἂν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τοῦτον παραβάλωμεν, καὶ βορβόρου εὐτελέστερος φανεῖται· ἂν ἴδωμεν, ὅτι μυρίους ἔχει κινδύνους, ὅτι ἡδονὴν πρόσκαιρον, ὅτι ἡδονὴν ἀναμεμιγμένην ἀθυμίαις· ἂν ἐκεῖνον τὸν πλοῦτον καλῶς περισκεψώμεθα τὸν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, οὕτω δυνησόμεθα τούτου καταφρονεῖν· ἂν ἴδωμεν, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ὀνίνησιν, οὐ πρὸς δόξαν, οὐ 62.596 πρὸς ὑγείαν, οὐ πρὸς ἄλλο οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον καὶ βυθίζει εἰς ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν· ἂν μάθῃς ὅτι ἐνταῦθα πλουτεῖς καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχεις ὑπὸ σαυτὸν, ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀπελθὼν, ἔρημος ἀπελεύσῃ καὶ γυμνός. Ἂν ταῦτα ἐπᾴδωμεν συνεχῶς, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκούωμεν, ἴσως ἔσται τις ὑγεία, ἔσται τις ἀπαλλαγὴ τῆς κολάσεως ταύτης τῆς χαλεπῆς. Καλὸν ὁ μαργαρίτης; ἀλλ' ἐννόησον ὅτι ὕδωρ ἐστὶ θαλάττιον, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς κόλποις αὐτῆς τὸ πρότερον ἦν ἐῤῥιμμένος. Καλὸν τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον; ἀλλ' ἐννόησον, ὅτι γῆ καὶ σποδὸς καὶ ἦν καὶ ἔστι. Καλὰ τὰ σηρικὰ ἱμάτια; ἀλλὰ σκωλήκων ἐστὶν ὕφασμα· ὑπόληψίς ἐστι καὶ πρόληψις ἀνθρωπίνη, οὐκ ἐν τῇ φύσει τὸ κάλλος ἔχει. Τὰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τὸ κάλλος ἔχοντα οὐ δεῖται τῶν διδασκόντων. Σὺ δὲ ἂν ἴδῃς νόμισμα χαλκοῦν ἁπλῶς ἀνακεχρωσμένον χρυσῷ, πρῶτον μὲν θαυμάζεις, χρυσὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζων· ὅταν δὲ οἱ περὶ ταῦτα δεινοὶ τὴν ἀπάτην σε διδάξωσι, συνεξῆλθε τὸ θαῦμα μετὰ τῆς ἀπάτης. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῇ φύσει ἔχει τὸ καλόν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ ἄργυρος· καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἴδῃς κασσίτερον, θαυμάζεις ὡς ἄργυρον, ὥσπερ τὸν χαλκὸν ὡς χρυσόν· καὶ χρεία τῶν διδασκόντων ποῖα χρὴ θαυμάζειν. Οὕτως οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς τὴν διάγνωσιν. Τὰ δὲ ἄνθη οὐ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλ' ἐκείνων βελτίω πολλῷ. Ῥόδον ἂν ἴδῃς, οὐ χρεία τῶν διδασκόντων, ἀλλ' οἶδας ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀνεμώνην διαιρεῖν καὶ ἴα· οὕτω καὶ κρίνα, καὶ ἕκαστον ἄνθος. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἕτερον ἢ πρόληψις τὸ γινόμενον. Καὶ ὅτι προλήψεώς ἐστι τὸ ὀλέθριον τοῦτο πάθος, φέρε, εἰπέ μοι, εἰ ἔδοξε τῷ βασιλεῖ τιμιώτερον νομοθετῆσαι τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸ ἀργύριον, οὐ μετεθήκατε ἂν τὸ θαῦμα καὶ τὸ φίλτρον; οὕτω πανταχοῦ τῆς πλεονεξίας ἐσμὲν καὶ τῆς ὑπονοίας. Καὶ ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶ, καὶ τῷ σπανίῳ τιμᾶται, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ φύσει· εἰσὶν καρποὶ παρ' ἡμῖν εὐτελεῖς, ἐν δὲ τῇ Καππαδοκῶν χώρᾳ τίμιοι, καὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν τιμίων πολυτελέστεροι πάλιν ἐν τῇ Σηρῶν χώρᾳ ἕτεροι, ὅθεν τὰ ἱμάτια ταῦτα. Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀρωματοφόρῳ Ἀραβίᾳ καὶ Ἰνδίᾳ, ἔνθα εἰσὶν οἱ λίθοι, πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Οὕτω πρόληψίς ἐστιν, οὕτως ὑπόνοιά ἐστιν ἀνθρωπίνη τὰ τοιαῦτα· καὶ οὐδὲν κρίσει πράττομεν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν. Ἀνανήψωμεν τοίνυν ποτὲ ἐκ τῆς μέθης ταύτης· ἴδωμεν τὸ ὄντως καλὸν, τὸ φύσει καλὸν, τὴν εὐσέβειαν, τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἵνα