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who have sworn at all. For that evil demon, the one who always lies in wait for our good things, standing by and hearing the constraint of the oaths, casts those who are bound into carelessness, or works some other difficulty, so that when the task is not fulfilled, blows and insults and perjuries and ten thousand other terrible things come to pass. For just as children pulling a long and rotten rope opposite one another with great force, all fall on their backs when the rope breaks in the middle, and some injure their heads, and others some other part of the body; so also those who swear oaths against one another, when the oath is broken by the necessity of circumstances, both fall down into the pit of perjury, the one party by the very act of perjury, the other by providing the cause of perjury for others.

βʹ. And that this may become clear not only from the things that happen every day in houses and in the marketplaces, but also from the Scriptures themselves, I will relate to you a certain ancient story that corresponds to what has been said. When the enemy once attacked the Jews, and Jonathan—he was the son of Saul—had cut some down and put the others to flight, Saul his father, wishing to stir up the army more greatly against those who were left, and to make them not withdraw until they had subdued them all, did the opposite of what he wished, by swearing that no one should eat bread until evening, until he was avenged of his enemies. What could be more foolish than this? For when he ought to give the weary and worn-out soldiers 49.146 rest and send them refreshed against the enemy, he worked a thing worse than the enemies themselves through the constraint of the oath, by delivering them over to a most grievous famine. It is perilous, then, for one to swear even concerning himself; for we are forced to do many things by the circumstances of events. But to bind the will of others by the constraint of one's own oaths is much more perilous, and especially when one swears not concerning one or two or three, but concerning an infinite multitude; which is what Saul then did inconsiderately, and he considered neither that it was likely in so vast a people for at least one person to transgress the oath, nor that soldiers, and warring soldiers at that, are far removed from philosophy, and do not know how to control their belly, and especially when their labor is great. But he, overlooking all these things, as if swearing concerning only one servant whom he could easily restrain, so he reckoned concerning the whole army. For this very reason he opened so great a door to the devil, that he wove not only two and three and four, but many more perjuries from this oath in a short time. For just as when we do not swear at all, we block every entrance to him; so if we utter only one oath, we give him great power to compose countless perjuries. And just as those who weave chains, if they have someone holding the beginning for them, they work the whole weaving with precision; but if there is no one doing this, they would not even be able to attempt the beginning. in the same way the devil, weaving the chains of our sins, if he does not take the beginning from our tongue, could not even attempt it; but if we only make a beginning, as if holding our oath with the tongue for a hand, he then with great license displays his evil art, from one oath composing and weaving countless perjuries; which is just what he did now in the case of Saul. See, then, what a snare this oath immediately becomes. The army was passing through a wood which had a honeycomb, and the honeycomb was on the face of the field, and the people came to the honeycomb, and went on their way talking. Do you see what a pit it is? a table set before them, so that both the ease of the attempt, and the sweetness of the food, and the hope of being unnoticed might invite them to the transgression of the oaths. For both the hunger, and the weariness, and the time for all the land, it says, was at its morning meal then were pushing them towards the

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ὀμόσαντας πάντως. Ὁ γὰρ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐφεδρεύων ἀεὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις, παρεστὼς καὶ ἀκούων τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν ὅρκων, εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ἐμβάλλει, ἢ ἑτέραν δυσκολίαν ἐργάζεται, ὥστε μὴ πληρωθέντος τοῦ ἔργου, καὶ πληγὰς καὶ ὕβρεις καὶ ἐπιορκίας καὶ μυρία ἕτερα γενέσθαι δεινά. Καθάπερ γὰρ παῖδες σχοινίον μακρὸν καὶ διεφθαρμένον ἕλκοντες ἀπεναντίας ἀλλήλων μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ῥύμης, ὕπτιοι πάντες πίπτουσι τοῦ σχοινίου μέσου διαῤῥαγέντος, καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰς κεφαλὰς, οἱ δὲ ἕτερόν τι τοῦ σώματος τιτρώσκονται μέρος· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ ἀντομνύοντες ἀλλήλοις ἀπεναντίας, τοῦ ὅρκου διαῤῥαγέντος ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκης, εἰς τὸ τῆς ἐπιορκίας ἀμφότεροι καταπίπτουσι βάραθρον, οἱ μὲν αὐτῷ τῷ ἐπιορκεῖν, οἱ δὲ τῷ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐπιορκίας παρασχεῖν ἑτέροις.

βʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γινομένων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Γραφῶν γένηται δῆλον, ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν παλαιάν τινα διηγήσομαι τοῖς εἰρημένοις συμβαίνουσαν. Ἐπελθόντων ποτὲ τῶν πολεμίων τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν υἱὸς δὲ οὗτος ἦν τοῦ Σαοὺλ τοὺς μὲν κατακόψαντος, τοὺς δὲ εἰς φυγὴν ἐμβαλόντος, βουλόμενος ὁ Σαοὺλ ὁ τούτου πατὴρ μειζόνως κατὰ τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων τὸ στρατόπεδον διεγεῖραι, καὶ ποιῆσαι μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῆναι, ἕως ἂν πάντας χειρώσηται, τοὐναντίον ἤπερ ἠθέλησεν ἔπραξεν, ὀμόσας ἕως ἑσπέρας μηδένα φαγεῖν ἄρτον, ἕως ἐκδικήσεως τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἆρα τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀνοητότερον; Πεπονηκότας γὰρ καὶ κατακοπέντας στρατιώτας ὀφείλων διανα 49.146 παῦσαι καὶ νεαρωτέρους ἐπαφεῖναι τοῖς πολεμίοις, τῶν πολεμίων αὐτῶν χαλεπώτερον κατειργάσατο διὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ ὅρκου, λιμῷ παραδοὺς αὐτοὺς χαλεπωτάτῳ. Σφαλερὸν μὲν οὖν τὸ καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ τινα ὀμνύναι· πολλὰ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων περιστάσεως βιαζόμεθα· τὸ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑτέρων γνώμην τῇ τῶν οἰκείων ὅρκων ἀνάγκῃ καταδῆσαι πολλῷ σφαλερώτερον, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν μὴ περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ δύο καὶ τριῶν, ἀλλὰ περὶ πλήθους ἀπείρου τις ὀμνύῃ· ὅπερ ὁ Σαοὺλ τότε ἐποίησεν ἀπερισκέπτως, καὶ οὔτε ὅτι εἰκὸς ἦν ἐν οὕτως ἀπείρῳ δήμῳ ἕνα γοῦν τινα παραβῆναι τὸν ὅρκον ἐνενόησεν, οὔτε ὅτι στρατιῶται καὶ στρατιῶται πολεμοῦντες πολὺ φιλοσοφίας ἀφεστήκασι, καὶ γαστρὸς κρατεῖν οὐκ ἐπίστανται, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν πολὺς ὁ κάματος ᾖ. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα παριδὼν ἐκεῖνος, ὡς περὶ ἑνὸς οἰκέτου μόνον ὀμνὺς, ὃν εὐκόλως ἠδύνατο κατασχεῖν, οὕτω περὶ παντὸς ἐλογίσατο τοῦ στρατοπέδου. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τοσαύτην ἤνοιξε τῷ διαβόλῳ θύραν, ὡς μὴ μόνον δύο καὶ τρεῖς καὶ τέτταρας, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλείους ἀπὸ τοῦ ὅρκου τούτου ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ πλέξαι ἐπιορκίας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν μηδ' ὅλως ὀμόσωμεν, ἅπασαν αὐτῷ τὴν εἴσοδον ἀποφράττομεν· οὕτως ἐὰν ἕνα ὅρκον προώμεθα μόνον, πολλὴν αὐτῷ παρέχομεν ἐξουσίαν συνθεῖναι μυρίας ἐπιορκίας. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τὰς σειρὰς πλέκοντες, ἂν μὲν ἔχωσι τὸν κατέχοντα αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀρχὴν, μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἅπασαν ἐργάζονται τὴν πλοκήν· ἂν δὲ μηδεὶς ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν ᾖ, οὐδ' ἐπιχειρῆσαι δύναιντ' ἂν τὴν ἀρχήν· τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ ὁ διάβολος τὰς σειρὰς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν πλέκων, ἂν μὴ λάβῃ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τῆς γλώττης τῆς ἡμετέρας οὐδὲ ἐπιχειρῆσαι δύναιτ' ἄν· ἂν δὲ ἀρχὴν ποιησώμεθα μόνον, ὥσπερ χειρὶ τῇ γλώττῃ τὸν ὅρκον ἡμῶν κατεχόντων, μετὰ πολλῆς λοιπὸν τῆς ἀδείας τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτοῦ τέχνην ἐπιδείκνυται, ἐξ ἑνὸς ὅρκου μυρίας συντιθεὶς καὶ πλέκων ἐπιορκίας· ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐποίησεν οὗτος. Ὅρα γοῦν εὐθέως οἵα γίνεται τῷ ὅρκῳ τούτῳ παγίς. ∆ρυμῶνα παρῄει τὸ στρατόπεδον μελισσῶνα ἔχοντα, καὶ ὁ μελισσὼν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀγροῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὸν μελλισσῶνα, καὶ διεπορεύετο λαλῶν. Εἶδες οἷον τὸ βάραθρον; τράπεζα ἐσχεδιασμένη, ἵνα καὶ τὸ εὔκολον τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως, καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ τῆς τροφῆς, καὶ ἡ τοῦ λήσεσθαι ἐλπὶς εἰς τὴν παράβασιν αὐτοὺς προκαλέσηται τῶν ὅρκων. Ὅ τε γὰρ λιμὸς, ὅ τε κάματος καὶ ὁ καιρὸς Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ γῆ, φησὶν, ἠρίστα τότε ὤθουν ἐπὶ τὴν