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your covetousness. But your couches are covered all over with silver, while the bodies of the saints are deprived even of necessary covering; and Christ has become to you more dishonored than all, than servants and mules and couch and throne and footstool. For I pass over the vessels more worthless than these, leaving it for you to know. But if you shudder hearing these things, cease from doing them, and what has been said will not harm you; cease, and stop this madness; for the zeal for these things is clear madness. Therefore, leaving these things, let us look up at last to heaven, let us remember the coming day, let us consider the fearful judgment-seat and the strict accounts and the impartial verdict; let us consider that God, seeing all these things, does not send thunderbolts from above; and yet the things being done are worthy not only of thunderbolts. But He neither does this, nor does he let loose the sea upon us, nor does he rend the earth in the middle, nor does he extinguish the sun, nor does he cast down the heaven with the stars, nor does he simply remove everything, but he allows all creation to be in order and to minister to us. Considering these things, therefore, let us shudder at the greatness of his love for humanity, and let us return to our own nobility; for as it is now, we are disposed no better than the irrational animals, but much worse. For they love their own kind, and the community of nature is sufficient for their affection for one another. But you, though having besides nature countless reasons drawing you together and binding you to your own members—being honored with reason, partaking in piety, sharing in countless good things—you have become more savage than they, showing great zeal for foolish things, but overlooking the temples of God perishing from hunger and nakedness, and often even surrounding them with countless evils. For if you do these things out of a love of glory, it is much more necessary to care for your brother than for your horse. For the better the one who enjoys the benefit, the more splendid is the crown woven for you from such zeal; whereas now, falling into the opposite, and drawing upon yourself countless accusers, you are not aware. For who will not speak ill of you? Who will not indict you for the utmost cruelty and misanthropy, seeing you dishonoring the race of men, but placing irrational animals before men, and with the irrational animals the house and the 60.493 furniture? Have you not heard the apostles saying that the first who received the word sold both houses and lands, that they might feed the brethren? But you seize both houses and lands, that you may adorn a horse and wood and leathers, and walls and pavement. And what is indeed more grievous, is that not only men, but also women are mad with this madness, and they anoint the men for such vain toil, compelling them to spend on everything rather than on necessities; and if anyone should accuse them for these things, they have practiced a defense full of much accusation. For both these things and those are done, she says. What are you saying? Do you not fear uttering such things, and counting the hungry Christ with horses and mules, and couches and footstools? or rather not even with these, but allotting the greater part to them, and to him scarcely a small part. Do you not know that all things are His, both you, and what is yours? Do you not know that He himself formed the body, and bestowed the soul, and allotted the entire world? But you do not give even a small return to him; but if you rent out a small house, you demand the rent with great exactness, but enjoying all his creation, and inhabiting so great a world, you do not endure to pay even a small rent, but have given over both yourself and all that is yours to vainglory; for all these things depend on that. For neither would a horse become better in respect to its own excellence by putting on this adornment, nor the man sitting upon it, but sometimes even more dishonored. For many, leaving the rider, turn their eyes to the adornment of the horse, and to the servants following and those leading and those clearing the way; but the one being escorted by these and

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τὴν πλεονεξίαν τὴν σήν. Ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν κλῖναι ἀργύρῳ πάντοθέν εἰσι περιβεβλημέναι, τὰ δὲ σώματα τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἀπεστέρηται σκέπης· καὶ πάντων σοι γέγονεν ἀτιμότερος ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ οἰκετῶν καὶ ἡμιόνων καὶ κλίνης καὶ θρόνου καὶ ὑποποδίου. Τὰ γὰρ ἔτι τούτων ἀτιμότερα σκεύη παρίημι καταλιμπάνων ὑμῖν εἰδέναι. Εἰ δὲ φρίττεις ταῦτα ἀκούων, ἀπόστηθι πράσσων, καὶ οὐδέν σε βλάψει τὰ εἰρημένα· ἀπόστηθι, καὶ στῆθι τῆς μανίας ταύτης· καὶ γὰρ μανία σαφὴς ἡ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδή. ∆ιὸ ταῦτα ἀφέντες ἀναβλέψωμεν ὀψὲ γοῦν ποτε εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἀναμνησθῶμεν τῆς μελλούσης ἡμέρας, ἐννοήσωμεν τὸ φοβερὸν δικαστήριον καὶ τὰς ἠκριβωμένας εὐθύνας καὶ τὴν ἀδέκαστον ψῆφον· λογισώμεθα, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα ὁρῶν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐ κεραυνοὺς ἄνωθεν πέμπει· καίτοι γε οὐ σκηπτῶν ἄξια τὰ γινόμενα μόνον. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦτο ποιεῖ, οὔτε τὴν θάλασσαν ἡμῖν ἐπαφίησιν, οὐ τὴν γῆν ῥήγνυσι μέσην, οὐ τὸν ἥλιον σβέννυσιν, οὐ τὸν οὐρανὸν ῥίπτει μετὰ τῶν ἀστέρων, οὐ πάντα ἁπλῶς ἐκ μέσου ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀφίησιν ἐν τάξει εἶναι καὶ διακονεῖσθαι ἡμῖν τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν λογισάμενοι, τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸ μέγεθος φρίξωμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγένειαν ἐπανέλθωμεν· ὡς νῦν γε τῶν ἀλόγων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμεθα, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ χεῖρον. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ τὰ συγγενῆ, καὶ ἀρκεῖται τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς φύσεως εἰς τὴν πρὸς ἄλληλα φιλοστοργίαν. Σὺ δὲ μετὰ τῆς φύσεως μυρίας ἔχων ὑποθέσεις συναγούσας σε καὶ σφιγγούσας πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα μέλη, τὸ τετιμῆσθαι λόγῳ, τὸ μετέχειν εὐσεβείας, τὸ κοινωνῆσαι μυρίων ἀγαθῶν, ἐκείνων ἀγριώτερος γέγονας, εἰς μὲν τὰ ἀνότητα πολλὴν τὴν σπουδὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος, τοὺς δὲ ναοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ λιμῷ καὶ γυμνότητι παρορῶν ἀπολλυμένους, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μυρίοις περιβάλλων κακοῖς. Εἰ γὰρ δόξης ἐρῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ ἵππου θεραπεύειν δεῖ. Ὅσῳ γὰρ βελτίων ὁ τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀπολαύων, τοσούτῳ καὶ λαμπρότερός σοι πλέκεται τῆς τοιαύτης σπουδῆς ὁ στέφανος· ὡς νῦν γε τοῖς ἐναντίοις περιπίπτων, καὶ μυρίους ἐπισπώμενος κατὰ σεαυτοῦ κατηγόρους, οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ. Τίς γάρ σε οὐκ ἐρεῖ κακῶς; τίς γάρ σε οὐ γράψεται τῆς ἐσχάτης ὠμότητος καὶ μισανθρωπίας, ὁρῶν τὸ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀτιμάζοντα γένος, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀλόγων πρὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ποιούμενον, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀλόγων τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ τὰ 60.493 ἔπιπλα; Οὐκ ἤκουσας τῶν ἀποστόλων λεγόντων, ὅτι οἱ πρῶτοι τὸν λόγον δεξάμενοι καὶ οἰκίας καὶ χωρία ἐπώλουν, ἵνα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τρέφωσι; Σὺ δὲ καὶ οἰκίας καὶ χωρία ἁρπάζεις, ἵνα ἵππον κοσμήσῃς καὶ ξύλα καὶ δέρματα, καὶ τοίχους καὶ ἔδαφος. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὐκ ἄνδρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες ταύτην μαίνονται τὴν μανίαν, καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας εἰς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀλείφουσι ματαιοπονίαν, πανταχοῦ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις δαπανᾷν ἀναγκάζουσαι· κἂν ἐγκαλέσῃ τις ὑπὲρ τούτων, μεμελετήκασιν ἀπολογίαν πολλῆς κατηγορίας γέμουσαν. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα γίνεται, φησί. Τί φής; οὐ δέδοικας τοιαῦτα φθεγγόμενος, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἡμιόνων, καὶ τῶν κλινῶν καὶ τῶν ὑποποδίων τὸν Χριστὸν πεινῶντα ἀριθμῶν; μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ μετὰ τούτων, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πλέον μέρος τούτοις, ἐκείνῳ δὲ μόλις ὀλίγον ἀπονέμων μέρος. Οὐκ οἶσθα, ὅτι πάντα αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ, καὶ τὰ σά; οὐκ οἶσθα, ὅτι καὶ σῶμα αὐτὸς διέπλασε, καὶ ψυχὴν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἀπένειμεν ἅπαντα; Σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ μικρὰν τούτῳ ἀντιδίδως ἀμοιβήν· ἀλλ' ἂν μὲν οἰκίσκον μικρὸν ἐκμισθώσῃς, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας τὸν μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖς, τὴν δὲ κτίσιν αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν καρπούμενος, καὶ κόσμον τοσοῦτον οἰκῶν, οὐδὲ ὀλίγον ἀνέχῃ μισθὸν καταβαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κενοδοξίᾳ καὶ σαυτὸν καὶ τὰ σαυτοῦ πάντα ἐξέδωκας· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἤρτηνται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἵππος βελτίων ἂν γένοιτο πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ, τὸν κόσμον περιθέμενος τοῦτον, οὔτε ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ ἀτιμότερος. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀφέντες τὸν ὀχούμενον, πρὸς τὸν κόσμον τοῦ ἵππου τρέπουσι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἑπομένους οἰκέτας καὶ τοὺς προηγουμένους καὶ τοὺς σοβοῦντας· τὸν δὲ ὑπὸ τούτων δορυφορούμενον καὶ