98

while making his own temper more savage than a lion's? For he tames the lion and makes it human, but he overlooks himself becoming a lion from a man; and he grants it things beyond nature, but for himself he does not even procure things according to nature. If nothing makes one so like God as for the one who is wronged to be forgiving to those who do wrong; of how much punishment would those not be worthy who after all these things not only do not forgive them, but even call upon God for vengeance on their enemies, and intercede against them? What hope of salvation then will they have, when, at the very time they ought to be propitiating him, they then provoke him, 63.693 being clothed in the guise of a suppliant, but uttering the cries of a wild beast, and hurling the darts of the evil one against themselves? For if when you have need of mercy, not even then do you let go of your anger, but you remember it very strongly, and this knowing that you are thrusting the sword against yourself; when will you be able to become humane? You have suffered evil, and you wish to defend yourself against the one who did evil to you? do good to him, and you have defended yourself. For if you retaliate, everyone will blame both you and him alike; but if you endure, they will applaud and admire you, but they will speak ill of him. And what greater and more bitter evil could happen to an enemy than to see his enemy admired and applauded by all, while he himself is insulted by all in the sight of his enemy? Anger is a beast that leaps forth easily; and for this reason we need countless cornices and partitions in order to overcome and restrain it. For this reason God has built this part in us especially as if from certain stones of the bones, placing a support for it, so that it might not at some time, by bursting or cutting through, easily destroy the whole living being. For it is a fire, he says, and a great storm; and no other part of the whole body could withstand this violence. A lion cannot so tear our entrails apart, as anger with its iron claws, sitting upon them perpetually, destroys everything. For indeed it does not only injure the body, but it also corrupts the very health of the soul. Therefore, when someone comes and tells you that so-and-so has insulted you, and continually speaks ill of you to everyone, praise the one who insulted you to those present; and, even if they are very foolish, they will praise and admire you, but they will hate him as more grievous than any wild beast, because he, though not wronged at all, caused pain, while you, though having suffered evil, repaid with the opposite. And in addition to these things, you will be able to show that all that was said is stale. For the one who is stung provides proof by his pain that he is conscious of the things said; but the one who has laughed has by this very act freed himself from all suspicion among those present. But if you also desire to defend yourself against him, this too will follow in abundance, both with God punishing him for what he has said, and before that punishment, your philosophy becoming a decisive blow to him. For nothing is so accustomed to punishing those who insult us as for us who are insulted to laugh at the insults. But when you, having been insulted, insult in return, you have been defeated, not by a man, but, what is more shameful, moved by the slavish passion of anger; but if you are silent, you have both conquered, and you have set up the trophy without toil, and you will have countless people crowning you, and condemning the falsehood of the slander. For the one who contradicts seems to reply because he is stung; but the one who is stung provides suspicion of being conscious of what is said; but if you laugh, by your laughter you have both annulled the vote against yourself, and from this you have made the one who insulted you feel more pain. For he is not so pleased at not being insulted, as he is stung by not being able to get at you. When therefore you deprive him of that which he most desires, you have deprived him of everything, having made him contemptible and shown him to be despicable. For conquering enemies does not make kings so glorious as 63.694 conquering temper and anger; for in the former case the success has been that of weapons and soldiers, but in this case the trophy is yours alone; and in the former case you have others who share the victory, but in this case

98

τὸν δὲ θυμὸν τὸν ἴδιον λέοντος κατασκευάζων ἀγριώτερον; Καὶ γὰρ τὸν μὲν λέοντα ἡμεροῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ἄνθρωπον, ἑαυτὸν δὲ περιορᾷ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γινόμενον λέοντα· καὶ ἐκείνῳ μὲν τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν χαρίζεται, ἑαυτῷ δὲ οὐδὲ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν πορίζεται. Εἰ οὐδὲν οὕτως ὁμοιοῖ τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς τὸ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν εἶναι συγγνωμονικὸν τὸν ἀδικούμενον· πόσης οὐκ ἂν εἶεν κολάσεως ἄξιοι οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα μὴ μόνον αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἀφιέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμυναν τῶν ἐχθρῶν παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐντυγχάνοντες; Τίνα δὲ λοιπὸν ἕξουσι σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα, ὅταν καὶ ἡνίκα ἐξιλεοῦσθαι αὐτὸν δέῃ, καὶ τότε αὐτὸν παροξύνωσιν, 63.693 ἱκέτου μὲν σχῆμα περικείμενοι, θηρίου δὲ φωνὰς ἀφιέντες, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ βέλη ἐξακοντίζοντες; Εἰ γὰρ ὅτε ἐλέου χρείαν ἔχεις, οὐδὲ τότε ἀφίης τὴν ὀργὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα αὐτῆς μέμνησαι, καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς ὅτι κατὰ σαυτοῦ τὸ ξίφος ὠθεῖς· πότε δυνήσῃ γενέσθαι φιλάνθρωπος; Ἔπαθες κακῶς, καὶ ἀμύνασθαι βούλει τὸν κακῶς σοι ποιήσαντα; ποίησον αὐτῷ καλῶς, καὶ ἠμύνω. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐπεξέλθῃς, ὁμοίως καὶ σὲ κἀκεῖνον ἅπαντες μέμψονται· ἂν δὲ ἐνέγκῃς, σὲ μὲν κροτήσουσι καὶ θαυμάσονται, ἐκεῖνον δὲ κακηγορήσουσι. Τί δὲ ἐχθρῷ γένοιτ' ἂν μεῖζον κακὸν καὶ πικρότερον τοῦ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἰδεῖν παρὰ πάντων θαυμαζόμενον καὶ κροτούμενον, ἑαυτὸν δὲ παρὰ πάντων ὑβριζόμενον ἐπ' ὄψεσι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ; Θηρίον ἐστὶν εὐκόλως ἐκπηδῶν ὁ θυμός· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μυρίων θριγκίων καὶ διαφραγμάτων ἡμῖν δεῖ πρὸς τὸ περιγενέσθαι αὐτοῦ καὶ κατασχεῖν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἡμῖν μάλιστα τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ὥσπερ ἔκ τινων λίθων τῶν ὀστῶν ᾠκοδόμησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἔρεισμα αὐτῷ θεὶς, ὥστε μὴ διαῤῥήξαντά ποτε μηδὲ διατεμόντα, εὐκόλως τὸ πᾶν λυμήνασθαι ζῶον. Πῦρ γάρ ἐστι, φησὶ, καὶ ζάλη μεγάλη· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἕτερον μέρος τοῦ ὅλου σώματος ταύτην ἂν τὴν βίαν ἀνάσχοιτο. Οὐχ οὕτω λέων τὰ σπλάγχνα διασπαράξαι δύναται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὡς θυμὸς τοῖς σιδηροῖς ὄνυξι διαπαντὸς ἐγκαθήμενος ἀπόλλυσιν ἅπαντα. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῷ σώματι λυμαίνεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τῆς ψυχῆς διαφθείρει τὴν ὑγίειαν. Ὅταν οὖν ἐλθών τις εἴπῃ σοι, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνά σε ὕβρισε, καὶ κακῶς σε πρὸς ἅπαντας λέγων διατελεῖ, ἐπαίνεσον πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας τὸν ὑβρικότα· καὶ, κἂν σφόδρα ὦσιν ἀνόητοι, σὲ μὲν ἐπαινέσονται καὶ θαυμάσονται, ἐκεῖνον δὲ μισήσουσιν ὡς θηρίου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι ὁ μὲν οὐδὲν ἠδικημένος ἐλύπησε, σὺ δὲ καὶ κακῶς παθὼν, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἠμείψω. Πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα πάντα δυνήσῃ δεῖξαι ἕωλα ὄντα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δακνόμενος, τοῦ συνειδέναι τοῖς λεγομένοις ἀπόδειξιν παρέχεται τὸ ἀλγεῖν· ὁ δὲ καταγελάσας, αὐτῷ τούτῳ παρὰ τοῖς παροῦσι πάσης ἀπήλλαξεν ἑαυτὸν ὑποψίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἀμύνασθαι ἐπιθυμεῖς, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ περιουσίας ἕψεται, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάζοντος αὐτὸν ἀνθ' ὧν εἴρηκε, καὶ πρὸ τῆς κολάσεως ἐκείνης τῆς σῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀντὶ καιρίας αὐτῷ γινομένης πληγῆς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας ἡμᾶς κολάζειν εἴωθεν, ὡς τὸ τοὺς ὑβριζομένους ἡμᾶς καταγελᾷν τῶν ὕβρεων. Ὅταν δὲ ὑβρισθεὶς ἀνθυβρίσῃς, ἡττήθης, οὐχ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἐστὶν αἰσχρότερον, ὑπὸ πάθους ἀνελευθέρου τοῦ θυμοῦ κινηθείς· ἂν δὲ σιγήσῃς, καὶ ἐνίκησας, καὶ ἀπονητὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησας, καὶ μυρίους ἕξεις τοὺς στεφανοῦντας, καὶ τοῦ τῆς λοιδορίας ψεύδους καταγινώσκοντας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀντιλέγων, ὡς δακνόμενος ἀντερεῖν δοκεῖ· ὁ δὲ δακνόμενος, ὑπόνοιαν παρέχει τοῦ συνειδέναι τοῖς λεγομένοις· ἂν δὲ καταγελάσῃς, τῷ τε γέλωτι τὴν κατὰ σαυτοῦ ψῆφον ἐξέλυσας, καὶ τὸν ὑβρίσαντα μᾶλλον ἀλγεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ἐποίησας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἥδεται τῷ μὴ ὑβρίζεσθαι, ὡς δάκνεται τῷ μὴ δύνασθαί σου καθάψασθαι. Ὅταν οὖν οὗ μάλιστα ἐπιθυμεῖ, τούτου μάλιστα ἀποστερήσῃς αὐτὸν, τοῦ παντὸς ἀπεστέρησας, ἐξευτελίσας καὶ δείξας εὐκαταφρόνητον. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ κρατῆσαι πολεμίων λαμπροὺς ποιεῖ τοὺς βασιλεύοντας, ὡς τὸ 63.694 κρατῆσαι θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὸ κατόρθωμα γέγονεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ γυμνὸν σόν ἐστι τὸ τρόπαιον· καὶ ἐκεῖ μὲν καὶ ἑτέρους ἔχεις τοὺς συμμερίζοντας τὴν νίκην, ἐνταῦθα δὲ