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let us choose that true foundation, and we will stand again suffering no terrible thing. He who chooses that wealth will suffer no terrible thing; nor he who chooses reputation, or glory, or honor, or pleasure; all those things are steadfast, there is no change; all things here are altered and subject to turning, all things change. For what do you want? Glory? His glory, it says, will not descend after him; and often it does not even remain with him while he is alive. But the things of virtue are not like this; rather, all of them remain. He who is glorious here from his office, when another succeeds to the office, has become insignificant, and one of the governed; the rich man, when either robbers, or slanderers and conspirators attack, has suddenly become poor. But it is not so with our things; if the temperate man pays attention to himself, no one will be able to take away his tem- 62.599 perance; no one will make the man who rules and controls himself a private citizen or one who is ruled. For that this rule is greater than that one, learn from examination. For what is the benefit, tell me, of ruling entire nations, and being a slave to the passions? And what harm is there in ruling no man, and being superior to the tyranny of the passions? This is freedom, this is rule, this is kingship and power; that is slavery, even if one wears ten thousand diadems. For when the multitude of masters rules him from within—I mean avarice, love of pleasure, anger, the other passions—what is the benefit of the diadem? The tyranny of the passions is greater, when not even the crown has the strength to deliver him from this subjection. Just as if a certain king among barbarians became a slave, and then they, wanting to show their authority to be greater, took away neither his purple robe nor his diadem, but with those things ordered him to carry water, and to cook, and to perform all other services, so that for them the honor would be greater, and for him the shame; so also now, these passions behave toward us more barbarically than any barbarian. For he who despises these will also laugh at the barbarians; but he who submits to these will suffer things far more terrible than from barbarians. The barbarian, when he has great power, tortures the body; but these passions torment the soul, tearing it from every side; the barbarian, when he has great power, has delivered one to this death; but these passions deliver one to the death to come. So that he alone is free who has freedom from within, just as he is a slave who submits to the irrational passions. No master, however harsh he may be, gives such cruel and harsh commands: Shame your soul, it says, rashly and in vain; offend God; ignore nature itself; even if it is a father, or a mother, have no reverence, stand against them. For such are the commands of avarice. Sacrifice to me, it says, not calves, but men. And the prophet says, Sacrifice men, for the calves have failed; but this passion does not say this, but, while there are calves, Sacrifice men, slaughter those who have done no wrong; even if you have been well-treated by them, kill them. Again, Be hostile, go about as the common enemy of all, and of nature itself, 62.600 and of God; gather gold, not that you may enjoy it, but that you may guard it, that you may create a greater torment for yourself. For it is not possible for the avaricious man to also be one who enjoys things; for he fears lest his gold be diminished, lest his treasures become poor. Keep watch, it says, hold everyone in suspicion, both servants and friends; be a guardian of what belongs to others. If you see a poor man perishing from hunger, do not share, but, if possible, strip off his very skin. Forswear yourself, lie, swear falsely, accuse, slander; and if it be necessary to enter into fire, do not refuse, nor to undergo ten thousand deaths, nor to be destroyed by hunger, nor to wrestle with disease. Or does not avarice legislate these things? Be rash and shameless, impudent and bold, defiled and wicked, ungrateful, unfeeling, friendless, truce-less, without natural affection, a parricide, a beast rather than

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ἐκεῖνον ἑλώμεθα τὸν ὄντως θεμέλιον, ἑστήκαμεν πάλιν οὐδὲν πάσχοντες δεινόν. Ὁ τὸν πλοῦτον αἱρούμενος ἐκεῖνον, οὐδὲν πείσεται δεινὸν, ὁ τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν, ὁ τὴν δόξαν, ὁ τὴν τιμὴν, ὁ τὴν ἡδονήν· πάντα ἐκεῖνα βέβαια, μεταβολὴ οὐδεμία· πάντα τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἀλλοιοῦται καὶ ὑπὸ τροπὴν κεῖται, πάντα μεταβάλλεται. Τί γὰρ βούλει; δόξαν; Οὐ συγκαταβήσεται, φησὶν, ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· πολλάκις δὲ οὐδὲ ζῶντι παραμένει. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ πάντα μένει. Ὁ ἐνταῦθα ἔνδοξος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἑτέρου τὴν ἀρχὴν διαδεξαμένου, γέγονεν εὐτελὴς, καὶ τῶν ἀρχομένων εἷς· ὁ πλούσιος, ἢ λῃστῶν ἐπιθεμένων, ἢ συκοφαντῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλων, ἄφνω γέγονε πένης. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν οὕτως· ὁ σώφρων ἐὰν ἑαυτῷ προσέχῃ, οὐδεὶς αὐτοῦ τὴν σω 62.599 φροσύνην ἀφελέσθαι δυνήσεται· τὸν ἄρχοντα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κρατοῦντα οὐδεὶς ἰδιώτην, οὐδὲ ἀρχόμενον ἐργάσεται. Ὅτι γὰρ αὕτη μείζων ἐκείνης ἡ ἀρχὴ, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξετάσεως μάνθανε. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, ἐθνῶν ὁλοκλήρων ἄρχειν, καὶ δοῦλον εἶναι τῶν παθῶν; Ποία δὲ βλάβη μηδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ἄρχειν, καὶ τῆς τῶν παθῶν τυραννίδος ἀνώτερον εἶναι; Τοῦτο ἐλευθερία, τοῦτο ἀρχὴ, τοῦτο βασιλεία καὶ δυναστεία· ἐκεῖνα δουλεία, κἂν μυρία τις διαδήματα περικέηται. Ὅταν γὰρ ἔνδοθεν ἄρχῃ αὐτοῦ τῶν δεσποτῶν τὸ πλῆθος, τὴν φιλαργυρίαν λέγω, τὴν φιληδονίαν, τὴν ὀργὴν, τὰ ἄλλα πάθη, τί τοῦ διαδήματος ὄφελος; Μείζων ἡ τυραννὶς τῶν παθῶν, ὅταν μηδὲ ὁ στέφανος αὐτὸν ἰσχύῃ ταύτης ἐξελέσθαι τῆς ὑποταγῆς. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ παρὰ βαρβάροις βασιλεύς τις γενόμενος ἐδούλευεν, εἶτα ἐκεῖνοι βουλόμενοι μείζονα δεῖξαι τὴν ἀρχὴν, μήτε τὴν ἁλουργίδα, μήτε τὸ διάδημα ἀφέλοιντο, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐκείνων καὶ ὑδροφορεῖν, καὶ μαγειρεύειν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα διακονεῖσθαι προστάττοιεν, ὥστε αὐτοῖς μὲν μείζονα τὴν τιμὴν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ τὴν αἰσχύνην γενέσθαι· οὕτω καὶ νῦν, παντὸς βαρβάρου βαρβαρικώτερον ταῦτα τὰ πάθη ἡμῖν προσφέρεται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τούτων καταφρονῶν, καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων καταγελάσεται· ὁ δὲ τούτοις ὑποκύπτων, πολλῷ δεινότερα πείσεται, ἢ παρὰ τῶν βαρβάρων. Ὁ βάρβαρος, ὅταν μεγάλα ἰσχύσῃ, τὸ σῶμα αἰκίζεται, αὗται δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν βασανίζονται καταξαίνουσαι πάντοθεν· ὁ βάρβαρος ὅταν μεγάλα ἰσχύσῃ, θανάτῳ τούτῳ παρέδωκεν, αὗται δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι. Ὥστε μόνος ἐλεύθερος ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν οἴκοθεν ἔχων, ὥσπερ καὶ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ὁ τοῖς ἀλόγοις πάθεσιν ὑποκύπτων. Οὐδεὶς ἐπιτάττει δεσπότης, κἂν σφόδρα ἀπηνὴς ᾖ, τοιαῦτα ὠμὰ καὶ ἀπηνῆ προστάγματα· Καταίσχυνόν σου, φησὶ, τὴν ψυχὴν εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, πρόσκρουσον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν ἀγνόησον, κἂν πατὴρ ᾖ, κἂν μήτηρ, μηδεμίαν ἔχε αἰδὼ, στῆθι κατ' αὐτῶν. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τῆς φιλαργυρίας τὰ ἐπιτάγματα. Θῦσόν μοι, φησὶ, μὴ μόσχους, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώπους. Καὶ ὁ μὲν προφήτης, Θύσατε, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπους· οἱ μόσχοι γὰρ ἐκλελοίπασιν· αὕτη δὲ οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλὰ, μόσχων ὄντων, Θῦσον ἀνθρώπους, κατάθυσον τοὺς μηδὲν ἠδικηκότας· κἂν εὐηργετημένος ᾖς, ἀπόκτεινον. Πάλιν, Ἔσο πολέμιος, κοινὸς ἐχθρὸς ἁπάντων περιέρχου, καὶ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς, 62.600 καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· σύναγε χρυσίον, οὐχ ἵνα ἀπολαύσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα φυλάξῃς, ἵνα μείζονα ἐργάσῃ τὴν βάσανον. Οὐ γὰρ ἔνι τὸν φιλάργυρον καὶ ἀπολαυστικὸν εἶναι· δέδοικε γὰρ μὴ ἐλαττωθῇ τὸ χρυσίον, μὴ πενιχροὶ γένωνται οἱ θησαυροί. Ἀγρύπνει, φησὶ, πάντας ἔχε δι' ὑποψίας, καὶ οἰκέτας καὶ φίλους· ἔσο φύλαξ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Ἂν ἴδῃς πένητα λιμῷ φθειρόμενον, μὴ μεταδῷς, ἀλλ', εἰ δυνατὸν, καὶ τὸ δέρμα αὐτὸν ἀπόδυσον. Ἐπιόρκει, ψεύδου, ὄμνυε, κατηγόρει, συκοφάντει, κἂν εἰς πῦρ ἐμβῆναι δέῃ, μὴ παραιτήσῃ, κἂν μυρίους ὑποστῆναι θανάτους, κἂν λιμῷ διαφθαρῆναι, κἂν προσπαλαῖσαι νόσῳ. Ἢ οὐχὶ ταῦτα νομοθετεῖ ἡ φιλαργυρία; Ἰταμὸς ἔσο καὶ ἀναίσχυντος, ἀνειδὴς καὶ θρασὺς, μιαρὸς καὶ μοχθηρὸς, ἀγνώμων, ἀναίσθητος, ἄφιλος, ἄσπονδος, ἄστοργος, πατραλοίας, θηρίον μᾶλλον ἢ