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he prevailed, crown him for his resolve; but worship the power of Christ even more, because it utterly destroyed and tore up by the roots such a manifold and hard-to-conquer evil. But when you hear of sin, do not think of it as some existing power, but as the wicked deed, which is always coming into being and ceasing to be, and which neither existed before it came to be, and after it comes to be, disappears again. For this is why the law was given; and law is never given for the destruction of natural things, but for the correction of the wicked deed which is according to choice. 7. And this the pagan lawgivers also know, and all human nature. For they only check the evils that come from indolence, they do not promise to cut out what is allotted to nature; for it is not possible. For the things of nature remain unchangeable, which I have often said to you in other discourses. Therefore, leaving aside these contests, let us exercise again the moral discourse; or rather, this too is part of those contests. For if we cast out vice, and bring in virtue; through these things we shall also clearly teach that vice is not evil by nature, and those who ask whence come evils, we will be able easily to silence not only by words, but also by deeds, sharing the same nature with them, but being free from their wickedness. For let us not look at this, that virtue is laborious, but that it is possible to achieve; and if we are diligent, it will be light and easy for us. But if you speak to me of the pleasure of vice, speak also of its end; for it ends in death, just as virtue leads us to life. Or rather, if you please, let us examine each of them even before the end; for we shall see that vice has much pain, and virtue pleasure. For what is more painful, tell me, than a wicked conscience? and what is more pleasant than a good hope? For nothing is wont to strike and oppress us so much as a wicked expectation; nothing so uplifts and makes us almost fly, as a good conscience. And this can be learned from what happens among us. For those who inhabit the prison and await condemnation, even if they enjoy countless foods, live more painfully than the beggars who go through the alley and are conscious of no evil in themselves; for the expectation of terrible things does not allow them to perceive the pleasures at hand. And why do I speak of prisoners? 60.504 For the toiling artisans who live with labors all day long are much better off than those who live outside and are rich and are conscious of wickedness in themselves. And for this reason we count gladiators wretched; and although we see them in taverns getting drunk, living luxuriously, indulging their belly, we say they are more miserable than all, because the calamity of their expected end is much greater than that pleasure. But if this life seems sweet to them, remember the saying that I constantly say to you, that it is no wonder that one living in wickedness does not escape the bitterness and grief of wickedness. For behold, a thing so accursed seems desirable to those who pursue it. But we do not bless them for this reason, but rather for this very reason we count them wretched, because they do not even know the evils they are in. And what would you say about adulterers, who for a small pleasure and unseemly slavery and expense of money and continual fear, simply endure the life of Cain, or rather one much more difficult than his, fearing present things and trembling at future things, suspecting friends and enemies, both those who know and those who know nothing? And not even when they sleep are they freed from this agony, as their wicked conscience fashions for them dreams full of many fears, and thus terrifies them. But the temperate man is not such, but passes his present life in great repose and freedom. Set, therefore, against the small pleasure the many waves of these fears, and against the brief toil of self-control the calm of a continuous life, and you will see the latter to be sweeter than the former. But he who wishes to seize, tell me, and

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ἴσχυσε, στεφάνου μὲν ἐκεῖνον ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης· προσκύνει δὲ μειζόνως τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι ποικίλον οὕτω κακὸν καὶ δυσκαταγώνιστον ἠφάνισέ τε καὶ πρόῤῥιζον ἐκτεμοῦσα ἀνέσπασεν. Ἁμαρτίαν δὲ ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, μὴ δύναμίν τινα ἐνυπόστατον νομίσῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν τὴν πονηρὰν, ἐπιγινομένην τε καὶ ἀπογινομένην ἀεὶ, καὶ οὔτε πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι οὖσαν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι πάλιν ἀφανιζομένην. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ νόμος ἐδόθη· νόμος δὲ οὐδέποτε ἐπ' ἀναιρέσει τῶν φυσικῶν δίδοται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ διορθώσει τῆς κατὰ προαίρεσιν πονηρᾶς πράξεως. ζʹ. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν ἴσασι νομοθέται, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις. Τὰ γὰρ ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας γινόμενα κακὰ ἀναστέλλουσι μόνον, οὐ τὰ τῇ φύσει συγκεκληρωμένα ἐπαγγέλλονται ἐκκόπτειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατόν. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἀκίνητα μένει, ὃ πολλάκις πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις εἴρηκα διαλέξεσι. ∆ιόπερ τοὺς ἀγῶνας τούτους ἀφέντες, τὸν ἠθικὸν πάλιν γυμνάσωμεν λόγον· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος τῶν ἀγώνων ἐκείνων ἐστίν. Ἂν γὰρ κακίαν ἐκβάλ[λ]ωμεν, καὶ ἀρετὴν εἰσαγάγωμεν· καὶ διὰ τούτων σαφῶς διδάξομεν, ὅτι οὐ φύσει πονηρὸν ἡ κακία, καὶ τοὺς ζητοῦντας πόθεν τὰ κακὰ, οὐκ ἀπὸ λόγων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων δυνησόμεθα ῥᾳδίως ἐπιστομίσαι, τῆς μὲν αὐτῆς κοινωνοῦντες αὐτοῖς φύσεως, ἀπηλλαγμένοι δὲ τῆς πονηρίας αὐτῶν. Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο δὴ ἴδωμεν, ὅτι ἐπίπονον ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἀλλ' ὅτι κατορθωθῆναι δυνατόν· ἐὰν δὲ σπουδάζωμεν, καὶ κοῦφον ἡμῖν ἔσται καὶ εὔκολον. Εἰ δὲ τὴν ἡδονήν μοι λέγεις τῆς κακίας, λέγε καὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῆς· εἰς γὰρ θάνατον αὕτη καταστρέφει, καθάπερ ἡ ἀρετὴ εἰς ζωὴν ἡμᾶς χειραγωγεῖ. Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν ἐξετάσωμεν· ὀψόμεθα γὰρ τὴν μὲν κακίαν πολλὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν ὀδύνην, τὴν δὲ ἀρετὴν τὴν ἡδονήν. Τί γὰρ ἀλγεινότερον, εἰπέ μοι, συνειδότος πονηροῦ; τί δὲ ἥδιον ἐλπίδος χρηστῆς; Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως, οὐδὲν κόπτειν ἡμᾶς εἴωθεν καὶ πιέζειν, ὡς προσδοκία πονηρά· οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀνέχει, καὶ μικροῦ πέτεσθαι ποιεῖ, ὡς συνειδὸς ἀγαθόν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν γινομένων ἔστι καταμαθεῖν. Τῶν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ στενωποῦ χωρούντων ἐπαιτῶν, καὶ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότων πονηρὸν, οἱ τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντες καὶ καταδίκην ἀναμένοντες, κἂν μυρίας τροφῆς ἀπολαύσωσιν, ἀλγεινότερον ζῶσιν· ἡ γὰρ προσδοκία τῶν δεινῶν οὐκ ἀφίησι τῶν ἐν χερσὶν ἡδέων αἰσθάνεσθαι. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς δεσμώ 60.504 τας; Τῶν γὰρ ἔξω διατριβόντων καὶ πλουτούντων πονηρά τε συνειδότων ἑαυτοῖς, ἄμεινόν εἰσι πολλῷ διακείμενοι οἱ κάμνοντες χειροτέχναι, καὶ δι' ὅλης ἡμέρας πόνοις συζῶντες. Καὶ τοὺς μονομάχους δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ταλανίζομεν· καίτοι γε ἐν καπηλείοις ὁρῶντες μεθύοντας, τρυφῶντας, γαστριζομένους, καὶ πάντων ἀθλιωτέρους εἶναί φαμεν, ὅτι πολλῷ μείζων τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐκείνης ἡ τῆς προσδοκωμένης τελευτῆς συμφορά. Εἰ δὲ ἐκείνοις ἡδὺς οὗτος ὁ βίος εἶναι δοκεῖ, ἀναμνήσθητε τοῦ λόγου, οὗ συνεχῶς λέγω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὅτι οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν μὴ φυγεῖν κακίας πικρίαν καὶ λύπην ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶντα. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ πρᾶγμα οὕτως ἐπάρατον ἐπέραστον τοῖς μετιοῦσιν εἶναι δοκεῖ. Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς μακαρίζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ταλανίζομεν, ὅτι οὐδὲ οἷ τῶν κακῶν εἰσιν, ἴσασι. Τί δὲ ἂν εἴποις περὶ τῶν μοιχῶν, οἳ διὰ μικρὰν ἡδονὴν καὶ δουλείαν ἀπρεπῆ καὶ χρημάτων δαπάνην καὶ φόβον διηνεκῆ, καὶ βίον ἁπλῶς τὸν τοῦ Κάϊν ὑπομένουσι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνου πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον, καὶ τὰ παρόντα δεδοικότος καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα τρέμοντες, καὶ φίλους καὶ ἐχθροὺς ὑποπτεύοντες, καὶ τοὺς εἰδότας καὶ τοὺς μηδὲν εἰδότας; Καὶ οὐδὲ ἡνίκα ἂν καθεύδωσι, ταύτης ἀπαλλάττονται τῆς ἀγωνίας, τοῦ πονηροῦ συνειδότος ὀνείρατα πολλῶν γέμοντα φόβων ἀναπλάττοντος αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐκδειματοῦντος οὕτως. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ὁ σώφρων τοιοῦτος, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ ἐλευθερίᾳ πολλῇ τὸν παρόντα διάγει βίον. Ἀντίστησον τοίνυν τῇ μικρᾷ ἡδονῇ τὰ πολλὰ κύματα τῶν φόβων τούτων, καὶ τῷ βραχεῖ πόνῳ τῆς ἐγκρατείας τὴν γαλήνην τῆς διηνεκοῦς ζωῆς, καὶ ὄψει ταύτην ἐκείνης οὖσαν ἡδίω. Ὁ δὲ ἁρπάζειν βουλόμενος, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ