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given over to debauchery and pleasures and the deceit of this life; but the one who is dead to these things; and let us see who is more alive. For let one of these two be exceedingly rich and famous, feeding parasites and flatterers, and let him spend the whole day in this, revelling and getting drunk; but let the other one live with poverty and fasting and the rest of hard discipline and philosophy, partaking only of necessary food in the evening, or, if you wish, let him even remain without food for two or three days; who then of these two will be for us the one who is most alive? I know well that the many will consider that one, the one who is leaping about and squandering his possessions; but we, the one who enjoys moderation. Therefore, since for the present there is a battle and contention, let us enter the houses of each, and at that time when the rich man seems most to you to be living, at the very moment of his luxury, and entering let us see in what state each of them is; for from their actions both the living and the dead one appear. So we will find the one among books, or in prayer and fasting, or watchful in some other necessary thing, and sober, and conversing with God; but the other we will see submerged by drunkenness, and in no better state than a corpse; and if we should remain until evening 60.521, we will see this death coming upon him more fully, and from there sleep again succeeding it; but the other sober and watchful even at night. Whom then should we say is more alive, the one lying senseless, and set forth as a laughing-stock to all; or the one who is active, and conversing with God? For if you should approach that one and say something necessary, you will hear nothing uttered, just as from a corpse; but with this one, should you desire to associate with him either by night or by day, you will see an angel rather than a man, and you will hear him philosophizing about the things in heaven. Do you see that the one lives more than the living, while the other lies more pitiably than even the dead? And even if he seems to be active, he sees one thing instead of another, and resembles madmen, or rather he is more wretched than them. For if someone insults them, we all pity the one who is insulted, and we rebuke the one who insults; but with this one, even if we see someone leaping upon him, not only are we not moved to pity, but we even condemn him as he lies there. Is this, tell me, life? but is it not more grievous than ten thousand deaths? Do you see that the one who lives in luxury is not only dead, but even worse than a corpse, and more wretched than one possessed by a demon? For the one is pitied, the other is hated; and the one enjoys pardon, but the other pays the penalty for his sicknesses. But if from the outside he is so ridiculous, having putrid spittle, and breathing the stench of wine, consider the wretched soul, buried as in a tomb in such a body, how it is likely to be disposed. For it is the same thing to see, as if someone should arrange for some barbaric, ugly, and unclean handmaid to leap upon and insult a well-ordered, modest, free, well-born, and beautiful maiden with much license. For such is drunkenness. 10. Who then of those who have sense would not choose to die ten thousand times, rather than to live one day in such a way? For even if, when day has come, rising from that comedy he should seem to be sober, not even then does he enjoy pure soundness of mind, with that cloud from the storm of drunkenness still standing before his eyes. But even if we grant that he is purely sober, what is the benefit? For this sobriety is useful to him for nothing, except to see his accusers. For when he is behaving disgracefully, he gains this much, that he is not aware of those who are laughing; but when day has come, he loses even this consolation, and is aware of servants murmuring, and his wife being ashamed, and friends slandering, and enemies mocking. What could be more pitiful than this life, to be laughed at by all during the day, and in the evening to behave disgracefully in the same ways again? But what? Do you want us to bring the covetous into our midst? For this again is another, more grievous drunkenness; and if it is drunkenness, it is also a death in every way much worse than that one, since the drunkenness is also more grievous. For it is not so terrible to be drunk with wine, as with the desire for money; for in that case the harm extends to the

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ἐκδεδομένον ἀσωτίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς καὶ τῇ ἀπάτῃ τοῦ βίου· τὸν δὲ νενεκρωμένον τούτοις· καὶ ἴδωμεν τίς ἐστι μᾶλλον ὁ ζῶν. Ἔστω γὰρ τοῖν δυοῖν τούτοιν ὁ μὲν σφόδρα πλούσιος καὶ ἐπίσημος, παρασίτους τρέφων καὶ κόλακας, καὶ πᾶσαν εἰς τοῦτο ἀναλισκέτω τὴν ἡμέραν, κωμάζων καὶ κραιπαλῶν· ὁ δὲ ἕτερος, πενίᾳ συζῶν καὶ νηστείᾳ καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ σκληραγωγίᾳ τε καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ, ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ τῆς ἀναγκαίας μεταλαμβανέτω τροφῆς μόνον, ἢ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἄσιτος ἡμέρας μενέτω· τίς οὖν ἡμῖν ἔσται ἐκ τῶν δύο τούτων ὁ μάλιστα ζῶν; Οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνον ἡγήσονται, τὸν σκιρτῶντα, καὶ σκορπίζοντα τὰ αὑτοῦ· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐκεῖνον τὸν συμμετρίας ἀπολαύοντα. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ μάχη καὶ φιλονεικία τέως ἐστὶν, εἰς τὰς ἑκατέρων εἰσέλθωμεν οἰκίας, καὶ τότε, ὅτε σοι μάλιστα δοκεῖ ζῇν ὁ πλούσιος, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς τρυφῆς, καὶ εἰσελθόντες κατίδωμεν ἐν τίσιν ἐστὶν ἑκάτερος τούτων· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν πράξεων καὶ ὁ ζῶν καὶ ὁ τεθνηκὼς φαίνεται. Οὐκοῦν τὸν μὲν ἐν βίβλοις εὑρήσομεν ὄντα, ἢ ἐν εὐχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ, ἢ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐγρηγορότα, καὶ νήφοντα, καὶ Θεῷ διαλεγόμενον· τὸν δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης βαπτισθέντα, καὶ νεκροῦ οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενον ὀψόμεθα· κἂν μέχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας μείνω 60.521 μεν, πλείονα τὸν θάνατον τοῦτον ἐπιόντα αὐτῷ θεασόμεθα, κἀκεῖθεν πάλιν ὕπνον διαδεχόμενον· τὸν δὲ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ νήφοντα καὶ ἐγρηγορότα. Τίνα οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν μᾶλλον ζῇν, τὸν ἀναισθήτως κείμενον, καὶ προκείμενον ἅπασι γέλωτα· ἢ τὸν ἐνεργοῦντα, καὶ Θεῷ διαλεγόμενον; Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ ἂν προσέλθῃς καὶ εἴπῃς τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων, οὐδὲν ἀκούσῃ φθεγγομένου, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τοῦ νεκροῦ· τούτῳ δὲ κἂν ἐν νυκτὶ, κἂν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ συγγενέσθαι ἐπιθυμήσῃς, ἄγγελον μᾶλλον ὄψει ἢ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ φιλοσοφοῦντα ἀκούσῃ περὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ πραγμάτων. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας ζῇ, ὁ δὲ καὶ τεθνηκότων ἐλεεινότερον κεῖται; Κἂν ἐνεργεῖν δόξῃ, ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ὁρᾷ, καὶ τοῖς μαινομένοις ἔοικε, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκείνων ἐστὶν ἀθλιώτερος. Εἰς ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ ἄν τις ὑβρίσῃ, καὶ ἐλεοῦμεν πάντες τὸν ὑβριζόμενον, καὶ ἐπιτιμῶμεν τῷ ὑβρίζοντι· τούτῳ δὲ κἂν ἐναλλόμενόν τινα ἴδωμεν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπικαμπτόμεθα εἰς ἔλεον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταψηφιζόμεθα αὐτοῦ κειμένου. Τοῦτο οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ζωή; ἀλλ' οὐ μυρίων θανάτων χαλεπώτερον; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ μόνον νεκρὸς ὁ τρυφῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεκροῦ χείρων, καὶ δαιμονῶντος ἀθλιώτερος; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐλεεῖται, ὁ δὲ μισεῖται· καὶ ὁ μὲν συγγνώμης ἀπολαύει, ὁ δὲ κόλασιν δίδωσιν ὑπὲρ ὧν νοσεῖ. Εἰ δὲ ἔξωθεν οὕτως ἐστὶ καταγέλαστος, σεσηπότα σίελον ἔχων, καὶ οἴνου πνέων ὀδωδότος, ἐννόησον τὴν ἀθλίαν ψυχὴν τὴν ὥσπερ ἐν τάφῳ τῷ τοιούτῳ σώματι κατωρυγμένην, πῶς εἰκὸς διακεῖσθαι. Ταυτὸν γὰρ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, οἷον ἂν εἰ κόρῃ κοσμίᾳ καὶ σώφρονι καὶ ἐλευθέρᾳ καὶ εὐγενεῖ καὶ καλῇ θεραπαινίδα βάρβαρόν τινα καὶ αἰσχρὰν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ἐνάλλεσθαι καὶ ἐνυβρίζειν μετὰ πολλῆς τις παρασκευάσειε τῆς ἐξουσίας. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ μέθη. ιʹ. Τίς οὖν οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτο τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων μυριάκις ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ μίαν οὕτω ζῆσαι ἡμέραν; Κἂν γὰρ ἡμέρας γενομένης ἐκ τῆς κωμῳδίας ἐκείνης ἀναστὰς δόξῃ νήφειν, οὐδὲ τότε καθαρᾶς ἀπολαύει σωφροσύνης, ἔτι τῆς νεφέλης ἐκείνης τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος τῆς μέθης πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἱσταμένης. Εἰ δὲ καὶ δῴη αὐτὸν καθαρῶς νήφειν, τί τὸ ὄφελος; Εἰς οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ χρήσιμος ἡ νῆψις αὕτη, ἀλλ' ἢ εἰς τὸ τοὺς κατηγόρους ἰδεῖν. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ἀσχημονῇ, τοσοῦτον κερδαίνει, ὅσον οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τῶν γελώντων· ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης, καὶ ταύτην ἀπόλλυσι τὴν παραμυθίαν, καὶ οἰκετῶν γογγυζόντων, καὶ γυναικὸς αἰσχυνομένης, καὶ φίλων διαβαλλόντων, καὶ ἐχθρῶν καταγελώντων αἰσθανόμενος. Τί ταύτης ἐλεεινότερον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς ζωῆς, γελᾶσθαι μεθ' ἡμέραν ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ δείλης πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ ἀσχημονεῖν; Ἀλλὰ τί; βούλει τοὺς πλεονέκτας εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν; Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη πάλιν ἑτέρα μέθη χαλεπωτέρα· εἰ δὲ μέθη, καὶ θάνατος πάντως πολλῷ χείρων ἐκείνου, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἡ μέθη χαλεπωτέρα. Καὶ γὰρ οὐχ οὕτω δεινὸν τὸ οἴνῳ μεθύειν, ὡς ἐπιθυμίᾳ χρημάτων· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἡ ζημία μέχρι τοῦ