90

Of Cleitarchus. Just as iron is consumed by rust, so are the envious by their own disposition.

Socrates. Many honor with tombs those who have died, whom they previously pained with envy while they were alive.

The same said that envy is the saw of the soul. Leucippus. For jealousy, once it has fallen upon a soul, is difficult to remove. Cleobulus. Cleobulus of Lindos, having been asked by someone, Whom must one especially

guard against? said, Of friends, their envy, and of enemies, their plotting. (15E_392> Of Bion. Bion the sophist, seeing a certain envious man very downcast,

said, Either a great evil has happened to this man, or a great good to another. Of Agathon. There would be no envy among men in life, if we were all born equal. Theophrastus. Theophrastus said that wicked men are not so

pleased by their own good things as they are by the evils of others. Plato. He was good; and in a good man there is never any envy of anyone or anything. Aristonymus. Envy, like a base demagogue, opposes noble

actions. Of Thucydides. Envy is felt by the living towards a rival; but that which is not in our way,

is honored with a goodwill that has no rivalry. Anaximenes. For all those who, because of envy, do not praise

things well said or done, how could these men be helpful with their deeds? Of Cato. He said that those who use their fortune reasonably and

moderately are least envied. For they do not envy us, but the things around us. Anonymous. No one should be envied; for the good are worthy; but if the evil are fortunate,

they live badly. Themistocles, when he was a young man, said he was doing nothing brilliant; for not yet

was he envied. For just as beetles grow especially in the flourishing wheat and in the blooming roses, so envy especially attaches (964) to the good and those growing in virtue, and to those who have acquired a reputation for their characters and persons.

DISCOURSE 55. Concerning the voluntary and involuntary. (15E_394> Luke 12. That servant who knew his master's will

and did not do it, will be beaten with many stripes; but he who did not know it, will be beaten with few. 1 Corinthians 9. Woe is to me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this willingly,

I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. Solomon 10. It came out unwillingly from the face of one who has authority. Proverbs 30. Churn milk, and there will be butter. But if you wring the nose,

blood will come out. Sirach 18. Do not go after your lusts, and from your appetites

restrain yourself. For if you grant your soul the pleasure of desire, you will make yourself a cause of rejoicing for your enemies.

Of Basil. The evils in Hades do not have God as their cause, but ourselves. For the beginning and root of sin is that which is in our power and our free will.

We praise those who are good by choice, not those who come to this under some necessity. For where the choice is ready, there is no hindrance.

90

Κλειτάρχου. Ὥσπερ ὑπό τοῦ ἰοῦ τόν σίδηρον, οὕτω τούς φθονερούς ὑπό τοῦ ἰδίου ἤθους κατεσθίεσθαι.

Σωκράτης. Πολλοί θανόντας ἀμείβουσι τοῖς τάφοις, οὕς τῷ φθόνῳ πρότερον ἤλγυναν ζῶντας.

Ὁ αὐτός τόν φθόνον ἔφη τῆς ψυχῆς εἶναι πρίονα. Λευκίπ. Ζηλοτυπία γάρ ἅπαξ ἐμπεσοῦσα ψυχῇ, δυσέκλειπτον ἐστί Κλεόβουλ. Κλεόβουλος ὁ Λίνδιος, ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, Τίνα δεῖ μάλιστα

φυλάττεσθαι; εἶπεν, Τῶν μέν φίλων τόν φθόνον, τῶν δέ ἐχθρῶν τήν ἐπιβουλήν. (15Ε_392> Βίωνος. Βίων ὁ σοφιστής, ἰδών τινα φθονερόν σφόδρα κεκυφότα,

εἶπεν, Ἤ τούτῳ μέγα κακόν συμβέβηκεν, ἤ ἄλλῳ μέγα ἀγαθόν. Ἀγάθωνος. Οὐκ ἦν ἄν ἀνθρώποισιν ἐν βίῳ φθόνος, Εἰ πάντες ἦμεν ἐξ ἴσου πεφυκότες. Θεοφράστ.. Θεόφραστος εἶπε, τούς μοχθηρούς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐχ οὔτως

ἥδεσθαι ἐπί τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀγαθοῖς, ὡς ἐπί τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς. Πλάτων. Ἀγαθός ἦν· ἀγαθῷ δέ οὐδείς περί οὐδενός οὐδέποτε γίνεται φθόνος. Ἀριστονύμ. Ὁ φθόνος, ὥσπερ φαῦλος δημαγωγός, ταῖς καλαῖς

ἀντιπολιτεύεται πράξεσιν. Θουκιδίδου. Φθόνος τοῖς ζῶσι πρός τό ἀντίπαλον· τό δέ μή ἐμποδών,

ἀνανταγωνίστῳ εὐνοίᾳ τετίμηται. Ἀναξιμέν. Ὅσοι γάρ τά καλῶς ῥηθέντα ἤ πραχθέντα διά φθόνον οὐκ

ἐπαινοῦσι, πῶς οὗτοι ἄν τοῖς ἔργοις ὠφελήσειαν; Κάτωνος. Ἥκιστα φθονεῖσθαι ἔλεγε τούς τῇ τύχῃ χρωμένους ἐπιεικῶς καί

μετρίως. Οὐ γάρ ἡμῖν, ἀλλά τοῖς περί ἡμᾶς φθονοῦσιν. Ἀνωνύμου. Οὐδενί φθονητέον· ἀγαθοί μέν γάρ ἄξιοι· κακοί δ᾿ ἄν εὐτυχῶσιν,

κακῶς ζῶσιν. Θεμιστοκλῆς μειράκιον ὤν, οὐδέν ἔφη πράττειν λαμπρόν· οὔπω γάρ

φθονεῖσθαι. Καθάπερ γάρ αἱ κανθαρίδες ἐμφύονται μάλιστα τῷ ἀκμάζοντι σίτῳ, καί τοῖς εὐθαλέσι ῥόδοις· οὕτω ὁ φθόνος ἅπτεται (964) μάλιστα τῶν χρηστῶν καί αὐξανομένων πρός ἀρετήν, καί δόξαν ἠθῶν καί προσώπων κεκτημένων.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΝΕ´. Περί ἑκουσίου καί ἀκουσίου. (15Ε_394> Λουκ. ιβ´. Ἐκεῖνος ὁ δοῦλος, ὁ γνούς τό θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ

καί μή ποιήσας, δαρήσεται πολλάς· ὁ δέ μή γνούς, δαρήσεται ὀλίγας. Α´ Κορ. θ´. Οὐαί δέ μοί ἐστιν, ἐαν μή εὐαγγελίζωμαι. Εἰ γάρ ἑκών τοῦτο

πράττω, μισθόν ἔχω· εἰ δέ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι. Σολομ. ι΄ . Ἀκούσιον ἐξῆλθεν ἀπό προσώπου ἐξουσιάζοντος. Παροιμ. λ´. Ἄμελγε γάλα, καί ἔσται βούτυρον. Ἐάν δέ ἐκπιέζῃς μυκτῆρα,

ἐξελεύσεται αἷμα. Σιράχ ιη´. Ὀπίσω τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν σου μή πορεύου, καί ἀπό τῶν ὀρέξεών σου

κωλύου. Ἐάν γάρ χορηγήσῃς τῇ ψυχῇ σου εὐδοκίαν ἐπιθυμίας, ποιήσεις ἐπίχαρμα ἐχθρῶν.

Βασιλείου. Τά ἐν ᾅδου κακά οὐ Θεόν ἔχει τόν αἴτιον, ἀλλ᾿ ἡμᾶς αὐτούς. Ἀρχή γάρ καί ῥίζα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τό ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν καί τό αὐτεξούσιον.

Ἐπαινοῦμεν τούς κατά προαίρεσιν ἀγαθούς, οὐ τούς ὑπό τινος ἀνάγκης εἰς τοῦτο ἥκοντας. Ὅπου γάρ προαίρεσις ἑτοίμη, τό κωλύον οὐδέν.