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If you spit a long way, you are overcome by excessive phlegm. If you are well-clothed, a little sheep had these things before you; If you wear gold, this is a boast of fortune. If you are rich, this is the uncertain strength of time. If you are boastful, this is the arrogance of folly. But if you are temperate, this is a gift of God. Temperance is present, if you measure yourself. Thales. It is difficult to know oneself, but blessed; for it is to live according to nature. From Plato. We who know, so to speak, nothing, think that we know everything;

and not permitting each other to do things we do not understand, we are forced to err by doing them ourselves.

Menander. Against many who are not good it is said, "Know thyself," for it would be more useful, "Know others." Xenophon. For those who know themselves, know what is suitable for them, and

they discern both what they are able to do, and what they are not. And by doing what they understand, they procure what they need, and do well; but by refraining from what they do not understand, they become free from error and escape doing badly.

This man seems to me, he who does not know his own ability, to be ignorant of himself. But is it not clear, he said, that through knowing themselves people achieve very many good things; but through being mistaken about themselves, very many bad things?

(15E_406> Do not be lifted up by any excellence belonging to another. If a horse, being lifted up, were to say, "I am beautiful," it would be tolerable; but you, when you say, "I have a beautiful horse," know that you are proud of a horse's good quality. What then is yours? The use of impressions, which when you have it according to nature, then (972) be lifted up; for then you will be lifted up by your own advantage.

Chilon. Chilon, being asked what is most difficult, said, "To know oneself." For it is useful for the admonition of the boastful, who talk nonsense beyond their own ability.

DISCOURSE 57. Concerning Goodness. (15E_408> Luke 6. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and

your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Eph. 4. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Col. 3. Put on bowels of compassion, kindness, humility, longsuffering, gentleness.

Prov. 2. The good will be inhabitants of the earth; but the blameless will be left in it.

Christ, being good, and seeing his creation, neither let them go, nor abandoned them, sparing them.

Basil. I have "according to the image," in being rational; but I become "according to the likeness," in becoming good.

For to take in hand those who resist is characteristic of a brave man and a true ruler; but to be good and gentle to those who have submitted, is characteristic of one who surpasses all in magnanimity and civility.

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Ἄν μακρά πτύῃς, φλεγματίῳ κρατῇ περισσῷ. Ἄν εὐϊματῇς, ταῦτα πρό σοῦ προβάτιον εἶχεν· Ἄν χρυσοφορῇς, τοῦτο τύχης ἐστίν ἔπαρμα. Ἄν πλούσιος ᾖς, τοῦτο χρόνων ἄδηλον ἰσχύς. Ἄν ἀλαζονεύῃ, τοῦτο ἀνοίας ἐστί φρύαγμα. Ἄν δέ σωφρονῇς, τοῦτο Θεοῦ δῶρον ὑπάρχει. Ἡ δέ σωφροσύνη πάρεστιν, ἐάν μετρῇς σεαυτόν. Θαλῆς. Χαλεπό δέ ἑαυτόν γνῶναι, ἀλλά μακάριον· ζῇν γάρ κατά φύσιν. Πλάτωνος. Οἱ οὐκ εἰδότες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν οὐδέν, οἰόμεθα τά πάντα εἰδέναι·

οὐκ ἐπιτρέποντες δέ ἀλλήλοις, ἅ μή ἐπιστάμεθα πράττειν, ἀναγκαζόμεθα ἁμαρτάνειν αὐτοί πράττοντες.

Μενάνδρ. Κατά πολλῶν ἐστιν οὐ καλῶν εἰρημένον, Τό Γνῶθι σεαυτόν, χρησιμώτερον γάρ ἦν, Τό, Γνῶθι τούς ἄλλους. Ξενοφῶντ. Οἱ μέν γάρ εἰδότες ἑαυτούς, τά ἐπιτήδεια ἑαυτοῖς ἴσασι, καί

διαγινώσκουσιν ἅ τε δύνανται, καί ἅ μή. Καί ἅ μέν ἐπίστανται πράττοντες, πορίζονταί τε ὧν δέονται, καί εὖ πράττουσιν· ὧν δέ μή ἐπίστανται ἀπεχόμενοι, ἀναμάρτητοι γίνονται καί διαφεύγουσι τό κακῶς πράττειν.

Οὗτος ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, ὅ μή εἰδώς τήν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν, ἀγνοεῖν ἑαυτόν. Ἐκεῖνο δέ οὐ φανερόν, ἔφη, ὅτι μέν διά τό εἰδέναι ἑαυτούς πλεῖστα ἀγαθά ἰσχύουσιν ἄνθρωποι· διά δέ τό ἐψεῦσθαι ἑαυτῶν, πλεῖστα κακά;

(15Ε_406> Ἐπί μηδενί ἐπαρθῇς ἀλλοτρίῳ προτερήματι. Εἰ ὁ ἵππος ἔλεγεν ἐπαιρόμενος, ὅτι Καλός εἰμι, ἀνεκτόν ἦν· σύ δέ ὅταν λέγεις, ὅτι Ἵππον καλόν ἔχω, ἴσθι ὅτι ἐφ᾿ ἵππῳ ἀγαθῷ μέγα φρονεῖς. Τί οὖν ἔστι σόν; Χρῆσις φαντασιῶν, ἥν ὅταν κατά φύσιν ἔχῃς, τότε (972) ἐπάρθητι· τότε γάρ ἐπί τῷ σῷ πλεονεκτήματι ἐπαρθήσῃ.

Χείλων. Χείλων ἐρωτηθείς, τί τό χαλεπώτατον, Τό γινώσκειν ἑαυτόν, ἔφη. Χρήσιμον γάρ εἰς νουθεσίαν τῶν ἀλαζόνων, οἵ ὑπέρ τήν ἑαυτῶν δύναμιν φλυαροῦσιν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΝΖ´. Περί χρηστότητος. (15Ε_408> Λουκ. στ´. Ἀγαθοποιεῖτε καί δανείζετε, μηδέν ἀπελπίζοντες, καί

ἔσται ὁ μισθός ὑμῶν πολύς, καί ἔσεσθε υἱοί Ὑψίστου, ὅτι αὐτός χρηστός ἐστι ἐπί τούς ἀχαρίστους καί πονηρούς.

Ἐφ. δ´. Γίνεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί καί εὔσπλαχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, καθώς καί ὁ Θεός ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν.

Κολοσσ. γ´. Ἐνδύσασθε σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, χρηστότητα, ταπεινοφροσύνην, μακροθυμίαν, πραότητα.

Παροιμ. β΄. Χρηστοί ἔσονται οἰκήτορες γῆς· ἄκακοι δέ ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ.

Χριστός χρηστός ὤν, καί ἰδών τό πλάσμα αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ἀνῆκεν αὐτούς, οὔτε κατέλιπε φειδόμενος αὐτῶν.

Βασιλ. Τό κατ᾿ εἰκόνα ἔχω, ἐν τῷ λογικός εἶναι· τό δέ καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν γίνομαι, ἐν τῷ χρηστός γενέσθαι.

Τό μέν γάρ τούς ἀντιτείνοντας ὑπό χεῖρα λαμβάνειν, ἀνδρείου τε καί ἄρχοντος ὡς ἀληθῶς· τοῖς δέ ὑποπεπτωκόσι χρηστόν εἶναι καί πρᾶον, μεγαλοφροσύνῃ πάντων καί ἡμερότητος διαφέροντος.