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the boastful one, who stood justifying himself, and despising the tax collector; but do not cease examining yourself, whether you have sinned in your thoughts, whether your tongue has slipped, running ahead of your mind, whether anything unwanted has been done in the works of your hands. Therefore, pay attention to yourself, lest you ever allow your mind, having been enslaved, to become a slave to the passions. In reality, it seems to be the most difficult thing of all, to know oneself. For not only does the eye that sees external things not use its sight upon itself, but also our own mind, while keenly looking down upon another's sin, is slow to the recognition of its own failings. Do not judge the judges, you who are in need of healing; nor be fond of judging for me the merits of those who purify you. One may be better or humbler than another; but every one is higher than you. Where now are those who are for us gentle judges of their own affairs, but exact examiners of others', so that here too they may falsify the truth? where now are those for us, who have wounds, and reproach the bruises? those who mock stumbling blocks, who roll in the mire, and rejoice over our stains? those who are blinded by beams, and bring forth the specks, which neither hurt too much when present, nor are difficult to be removed and blown away from the sight? Let us not attempt to heal others, while we ourselves are teeming with sores. Examine yourself more than the affairs of your neighbors; For the one you yourself will gain, the other your neighbors will. An accounting of actions is better than of money. For the one belongs to corruption, but the other stands. Pursue glory, neither all of it, nor too much. For it is better to be, than to seem. But if you are immoderate, do not hunt for the empty, nor the new. For what gain is it to an ape if it seems to be a lion? We watch for one another's sins, not that we may mourn, but that we may reproach; nor that we may heal 95.1305, but that we may strike in addition, and have the wounds of our neighbors as a defense for our own evils. And it is not character, but disagreement and friendship that defines people as bad and good; and what we praise today, we revile tomorrow. Let us bear anger like a wild beast, and tongue like a sharp sword, and let us extinguish pleasure like a fire; let us set for our ears doors that are well opened and closed, and let us discipline the eye, and rending taste, lest death come up through our windows, and let us laugh at immoderate laughter. He therefore who knows himself, is a place and a throne of the Lord. Do you wish to know God? First, know yourself. To be meddlesome in another's life is the worst form of illiberality. For from nowhere else are our own affairs neglected, than from meddling and being curious about the affairs of others. For it is not possible for a man who is meddlesome in the lives of others, ever to take care of his own life. For since all his zeal is spent on meddling in others' affairs, it is necessary that his own lie simply neglected. And man is also naturally so constituted, as to overlook the achievements of his neighbor, though they be many and great; but if a failing should appear somewhere, even if it be a trivial one, even if it has happened for many reasons, he both perceives it quickly, and seizes upon it readily, and remembers it forever. And this small and trivial thing has often diminished the reputation of many and great things.

TITLE III. -Concerning murmurings.

The people were murmuring; and the Lord was angered, and a fire was kindled, and it devoured part of the camp. Beware of unprofitable murmuring, and from slander spare your tongue, because a secret utterance will not go forth empty. A man of understanding does not murmur. Do not murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Do all things without murmurings, that you may be blameless. The work of murmurers is unacceptable, like a blemished sacrifice. -Therefore it is necessary to alienate the work of the slothful and contradictory from the brotherhood.

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ἀλαζόνα, ὃς εἱστήκει ἑαυτὸν δικαιῶν, καὶ τὸν τελώνην ἐξευτελίζων· ἀλλὰ σεαυτὸν ἀνακρίνων μὴ διαλίπῃς, μή τι κατὰ τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις ἥμαρτες, μή τι ἡ γλῶσσα παρώλισθε, τῆς διανοίας προεκδραμοῦσα, μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν πέπρακταί τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων. Πρόσεχε οὖν σεαυτῷ, μήποτε ἐάσῃς ἐξανδραποδισθέντα τὸν νοῦν δοῦλον γενέσθαι τῶν παθημάτων. Τῷ ὄντι ἔοικε πάντων εἶναι χαλεπώτατον, ἑαυτὸν ἐπιγνῶναι. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὀφθαλμὸς τὰ ἔξω βλέπων, ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ χρήσεται τῷ ὁρᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῶν ὁ νοῦς ὀξέως τὸ ἀλλότριον ἁμάρτημα καταβλέπων, βραδύς ἐστι πρὸς τὴν τῶν οἰκείων ἐλαττωμάτων ἐπίγνωσιν. Μὴ κρίνε τοὺς κριτὰς, ὁ χρῄζων τῆς ἰατρείας· μηδὲ φιλοκρίνει μοι τὰς ἀξίας τῶν σε καθαιρόντων. Ἄλλος μὲν ἄλλου κρείττων, ἢ ταπεινότερος· σοῦ δὲ πᾶς ὑψηλότερος. Ποῦ ποτε ἡμῖν οἱ τῶν μὲν ἰδίων πρᾶοι κριταὶ, τῶν δὲ ἀλλοτρίων ἀκριβεῖς ἐξετασταὶ, ἵνα κἀνταῦθα ψεύδωνται τὴν ἀλήθειαν; ποῦ ποτε ἡμῖν, οἱ τὰ τραύματα ἔχοντες, καὶ τοὺς μώλωπας ὀνειδίζοντες; οἱ τὰ προσκόμματα διασύροντες, οἱ τῷ βορβόρῳ κυλινδούμενοι, καὶ τοῖς σπίλοις ἡμῶν ἐπευφραινόμενοι; οἱ ταῖς δοκοῖς τυφλώττοντες, καὶ τὰ κάρφη προφέροντες, ἃ μήτε λυπεῖ λίαν ἐγκείμενα, μήτε χαλεπὸν ἀποσκευασθῆναι καὶ ἀποφυσηθῆναι τῆς ὄψεως; Μὴ ἄλλους ἰατρεύειν ἐπιχειρήσωμεν, αὐτοὶ βρύοντες ἕλκεσιν. Ἐρεύνα σαυτὸν πλέον, ἢ τὰ τῶν πέλας· Τὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸς κερδανεῖς, τὸ δ' οἱ πέλας. Κρείσσων λογισμὸς πράξεων, ἢ χρημάτων. Τὰ μὲν γάρ ἐστι τῆς φθορᾶς, τὸ δ' ἵσταται. ∆όξαν δίωκε, μήτε πᾶσαν, μήτ' ἄγαν. Κρεῖσσον γὰρ εἶναι, τοῦ δοκεῖν. Εἰ δ' ἄμετρος εἶ, Μὴ τὴν κενὴν θήρευε, μηδὲ τὴν νέαν. Τί γὰρ πίθηκι κέρδος ἂν δοκῇ λέων; Τηροῦμεν τὰς ἀλλήλων ἁμαρτίας, οὐχ ἵνα θρηνήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὀνειδίσωμεν· οὐδὲ ἵνα θεραπεύ 95.1305 σωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα προσπλήξωμεν, καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἔχωμεν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν τὰ τῶν πλησίων τραύματα. Κακοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, οὐχ ὁ τρόπος, ἀλλ' ἡ διάστασις καὶ ἡ φιλία χαρακτηρίζει· καὶ ἃ σήμερον ἐπαινοῦμεν, αὔριον ἐκακίσαμεν. Ἐνέγκωμεν θυμὸν ὡς θηρίον, καὶ γλῶσσαν ὡς τομὸν ξίφος, καὶ ἡδονὴν ὡς πῦρ κατασβέσωμεν· θώμεθα ταῖς ἀκοαῖς θύρας καλῶς ἀνοιγομένας, καὶ κλειομένας, καὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν σωφρονίσωμεν, καὶ γεῦσιν σπαράττουσαν, μὴ θάνατος ἀναβῇ διὰ τῶν θυρίδων ἡμῶν, καὶ γέλωτος ἀμετρίας καταγελάσωμεν. Ὁ ἄρα γινώσκων ἑαυτὸν, τόπος ἐστὶ καὶ θρόνος τοῦ Κυρίου. Βούλει γνῶναι Θεόν; προλαβὼν γνῶθι σεαυτόν. Βίον ἀλλότριον περιεργάζεσθαι, ἀνελευθερίας ἐσχάτης. Οὐδαμόθεν γὰρ ἠμέληται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἢ ἐκ τοῦ τὰ ἀλλότρια πολυπραγμονεῖν καὶ περιεργάζεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους πολυπραγμονοῦντα βίους, τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμεληθῆναί ποτε ζωῆς. Τῆς γὰρ σπουδῆς αὐτῷ πάσης εἰς τὴν τῶν ἑτέρων πολυπραγμοσύνην ἀναλισκομένης, ἀνάγκη τὰ αὐτοῦ ἁπλῶς κεῖσθαι καὶ ἠμελημένως. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ πέφυκεν ἄνθρωπος, τὰ μὲν κατορθώματα τοῦ πλησίον, καὶ πολλὰ ὄντα, καὶ μεγάλα παρορᾷν· εἰ δὲ ἐλάττωμά που φανῇ, κἂν τὸ τυχὸν ᾖ, κἂν διὰ πολλοὺς συμβεβηκὸς, καὶ ἐπαισθάνεται ταχέως, καὶ ἐπιλαμβάνεται προχείρως, καὶ μέμνηται διὰ παντός. Καὶ τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο καὶ εὐτελὲς, τῶν πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων πολλάκις ἠλάττωσε δόξαν.

ΤΙΤΛ. Γʹ. -Περὶ γογγυσμῶν.

Ἦν ὁ λαὸς γογγύζων· καὶ ἐθυμώθη Κύριος, καὶ ἐξεκαύθη πῦρ, καὶ κατέφαγε μέρος τῆς παρεμβολῆς. Φυλάξασθε γογγυσμὸν ἀνωφελῆ, καὶ ἀπὸ καταλαλιᾶς φείσασθε γλώσσης, ὅτι πνεῦμα λαθραῖον κενὸν οὐ πορεύσεται. Ἀνὴρ ἐπιστήμων οὐ γογγύζει. Μὴ γογγύζετε, καθώς τινες ἐγόγγυσαν, καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ. Πάντα ποιεῖτε ἄνευ γογγυσμῶν, ἵνα γένησθε ἄμεμπτοι. Ἀπρόσδεκτος ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν γογγυστῶν ἐργασία, ὡς θυσία ἐπίμωμος. -Χρὴ οὖν τὸ τοῦ ὀκνηροῦ καὶ ἀντιλογικοῦ ἔργον ἀλλοτριῶσαι τῆς ἀδελφότητος.