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of life the intemperate have stored up for themselves. But even a vessel that has been previously filled with some foul-smelling liquid, if it is not washed out, will not receive the inflow of perfume. Therefore, what was there before must be poured out, so that what is brought in can be contained. But the sons of men are vain. He saw that not all were following His command, nor were they accepting to hope in God, but had their hope in the vain things of life. For this reason he says: But the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are false. Why vain? Because they are false. Where is their falsehood most of all proven? In the scales, he says, to do injustice. What scales does he mean? For do all men weigh with scales? Are all wool-sellers, or meat-sellers, or do they deal in gold or silver, or in general are they concerned with these materials, which merchants are accustomed to exchange with scales and weights? But the class of artisans is large, needing nothing of scales for their work; and many are sailors; and many are those engaged in the courts and in ruling, among whom falsehood exists, but the deceit by means of scales is not practiced. What then is it that he says? That in the secret part of each of us there is a certain scale 29.480 prepared by the one who created us, on which it is possible for the nature of things to be judged. I have set before your face life and death, the good and the evil; two natures opposed to each other; weigh them against each other on your own tribunal; weigh accurately, what is more profitable for you, to choose temporary pleasure, and through it to receive eternal death, or choosing hardship in the practice of virtue, to use this as an agent of eternal delight. Therefore men are false, having the criteria of their soul corrupted; whom the Prophet also bewails, saying: Woe to those who call darkness light, and light darkness; who call bitter sweet, and sweet bitter. "For me," he says, "are the present things; but who knows the future things?" You weigh badly, choosing evil things instead of good things, preferring vain things to true things, putting temporary things before eternal things, selecting passing pleasure instead of ceaseless and perpetual joy. Therefore the sons of men are false in the scales to do injustice. And they do injustice primarily to themselves, and then also to those who are near, who become evil counselors to themselves in their deeds, and are a wicked example to others. It is not for you to say on the day of judgment: "I did not know the good." Your own scales are brought before you, providing a sufficient distinction of good and evil. For we test the weights of the body by the inclinations on the balance, but we discern the chosen things of life by the free will of the soul; which he also called a scale, because it is able to receive an equal inclination on either side. Hope not in injustice and desire not plunder. Above he said: Hope in Him, all you assembly of peoples. He saw the sluggishness of obedience, and declared that "But the sons of men are vain." Again he forbids hoping in injustice. He who judges that wealth accumulated from injustice is a sufficient occasion for himself to be strong and to prevail is like a sick person who places their well-being in the abundance of their disease. Hope not in injustice. This hinders you in every action. And desire not plunder. He exhorts not to be desirers of others' things. If wealth flows, set not your heart on it. If you see one of the exceedingly wealthy, do not call his life blessed. If money flows around you from many places and from abundant sources, do not accept its abundance. If wealth flows. Marvel at the word. The nature of wealth is fluid; it runs past those who have it more swiftly than a winter torrent; it is its nature to pass 29.481 from one to another at different times. Just as a river borne from on high approaches those standing on the bank, and as soon as it touches them, it at once withdraws; so also the facility of wealth has a most swift and

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διαίτης ἑαυτοῖς οἱ ἀκόλαστοι ἐναπ έθεντο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγεῖον προκατειλημμένον ὑπό τινος δυσώδους ὑγροῦ, μὴ ἐκπλυνθὲν, οὐ μὴ δέξηται τοῦ μύρου τὴν ἐπιῤῥοήν. ∆εῖ τοίνυν ἐκχυθῆναι τὰ προϋπάρχοντα, ἵνα δυνηθῇ χωρηθῆναι τὰ ἐπαγό μενα. Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἶδε μὴ πάντας ἀκολουθοῦντας αὐτοῦ τῷ παραγγέλματι, μηδὲ καταδεχομένους ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ἔχοντας τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ τὰ μάταια τοῦ βίου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ∆ιὰ τί μάταιοι; Ἐπειδὴ ψευδεῖς. Ποῦ μάλιστα αὐτῶν τὸ ψεῦδος ἐλέγχεται; Ἐν ζυγοῖς, φησὶ, τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι. Ποίοις φησὶ ζυγοῖς; Μὴ γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι ζυγοστατοῦ σι; μὴ πάντες ἐριοπῶλαι, ἢ κρεωπῶλαι, ἢ χρυσὸν ἢ ἄργυρον διατίθενται, ἢ ὅλως περὶ ταύτας τὰς ὕλας τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχουσιν, ἃς ζυγοῖς καὶ σταθμοῖς πεφύ κασιν οἱ ἔμποροι διαμείβειν; Ἀλλὰ πολὺ μὲν τὸ τῶν βαναύσων γένος, ζυγῶν οὐδὲν εἰς τὴν ἐργασίαν αὐτῶν προσδεόμενον· πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ναυτιλλόμενοι· πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ περὶ τὰ δικαστήρια καὶ τὸ ἄρχειν στρε φόμενοι, παρ' οἷς μὲν τὸ ψεῦδός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ διὰ τῶν ζυγῶν δόλος οὐκ ἐπιτηδεύεται. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγει; Ὅτι ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ζυγός τις ἐστὶ 29.480 παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς ἐγκατασκευασθεὶς, ἐφ' οὗ τὴν φύσιν τῶν πραγμάτων δυνατόν ἐστι διακρίνε σθαι. Ἔθηκα πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν· δύο φύσεις ἀντι κειμένας ἀλλήλαις· ἀντιστάθμησον αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ οἰκείου σεαυτοῦ κριτηρίου· ζυγοστάτησον ἀκριβῶς, τί σοι λυσιτελέστερον, τὴν πρόσκαιρον ἑλέσθαι ἡδο νὴν, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τὸν αἰώνιον λαβεῖν θάνατον, ἢ τὴν ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει τῆς ἀρετῆς ἑλόμενον κακοπά θειαν, ταύτῃ προξένῳ χρήσασθαι τῆς αἰωνίου τρυ φῆς. Ψευδεῖς οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, διεφθαρμένα ἔχον τες τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ κριτήρια· οὓς καὶ ταλανίζει ὁ Προφήτης λέγων· Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ σκότος φῶς, καὶ τὸ φῶς σκότος· οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. Ἐμοὶ, φησὶ, τὰ παρόντα· τίς δὲ οἶδε τὰ μέλλοντα; Κακῶς ζυγοστατεῖς, πονηρὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνθαιρούμενος, τὰ μάταια τῶν ἀληθι νῶν προτιμῶν, τὰ πρόσκαιρα τῶν αἰωνίων προ τάσσων, τὴν παρερχομένην ἡδονὴν ἀντὶ τῆς ἀπαύ στου εὐφροσύνης καὶ διηνεκοῦς ἐκλεγόμενος. Ψευ δεῖς οὖν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι. Ἀδικοῦσι δὲ προηγουμένως μὲν ἑαυτοὺς, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλησιάζοντας, οἱ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς πονηροὶ σύμβουλοι ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων γινόμενοι, καὶ ἑτέροις μοχθηρὸν ὄντες ὑπόδειγμα. Οὐκ ἔστι σοι εἰ πεῖν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως· Οὐκ ᾔδειν τὸ ἀγαθόν. Προφέρεταί σοι τὰ ἴδιά σου ζυγὰ ἱκανὴν παρ εχόμενα διάκρισιν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος βάρη ταῖς ἐπὶ τῆς τρυτάνης ῥοπαῖς δοκιμάζομεν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ βίου ἐκλεκτὰ τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τῆς ψυχῆς διακρίνομεν· ὃ καὶ ζυγὸν ὠνόμασε, διὰ τὸ ἴσην δύνασθαι λαμβάνειν τὴν ῥοπὴν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα. Μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπ' ἀδικίαν καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε. Ἄνω εἶπεν· Ἐλπίσατε ἐπ' αὐτὸν, πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαῶν. Εἶδε τὸ ὀκνηρὸν τῆς ὑπ ακοῆς, καὶ ἀπεφήνατο, ὅτι Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Πάλιν ἀπαγορεύει μὴ ἐλπίζειν ἐπ' ἀδι κίαν. Ὁ τὸν ἐξ ἀδικίας ἠθροισμένον πλοῦτον ἱκανὴν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ ἰσχύειν καὶ κρατεῖν ἀφορμὴν εἶναι κρίνων ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀῤῥώστῳ ἐν τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς νόσου τὴν εὐεξίαν τιθεμένῳ. Μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπ' ἀδι κίαν. Αὕτη σοι ἐμποδίζει πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐνέργειαν. Καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε. Μὴ εἶναι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμητὰς παραινεῖ. Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίᾳ. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν ὑπερπλουτούντων, μὴ μακαρίσῃς αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωήν. Ἐάν σοι πολλαχόθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀφθόνων πηγῶν περιῤῥέῃ τὰ χρήματα, μὴ προσδέξῃ αὐτῶν τὴν πε ριουσίαν. Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ. Θαύμασον τὴν φωνήν. Ῥευστὴ ἡ φύσις τοῦ πλούτου· χειμάῤῥου ὀξύτερον τοὺς ἔχοντας παρατρέχει· ἄλλοτε ἄλλον πέφυκε πα 29.481 ραμείβεσθαι. Ὥσπερ ποταμὸς ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ φερόμε νος ἐγγίζει μὲν τοῖς παρεστῶσι τῇ ὄχθῃ, ὁμοῦ δὲ ἥψατο, καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνεχώρησεν· οὕτω καὶ ἡ τοῦ πλού του εὐκολία ὀξυτάτην ἔχει καὶ