112

the utter destruction of the whole people, which did not happen, but nevertheless came about from the necessity of the oaths, I beseech you to speak to one another, and at home, and in the marketplace, and to wives, and to friends, and to neighbors, and simply to be zealous about this matter with all people, and not to think it a sufficient defense for us, if we should put forward custom. For that this is a pretext and an excuse, and that the transgression is not of custom, but of carelessness, I will try to persuade you from the things that have already happened to you. The emperor closed the baths of the city, and commanded that no one should bathe, and no one dared to transgress the law, nor to blame what had happened, nor 49.152 to put forward custom; but even though they were often in sickness, both men and women, and children and old men, and many women who had just ceased from the pains of childbirth, and all who of necessity sought this remedy, they bear the command both willingly and unwillingly, and they put forward neither weakness of body, nor the tyranny of custom, nor that they themselves were being punished for the sins of others, nor anything else of that kind, but they accept this punishment because they expect greater evils, and each day they pray that the imperial wrath might stop at this point. Do you see that where there is fear, custom is easily broken, even if it be very long-standing and necessary? And yet not to bathe is difficult. For though we philosophize ten thousand times, the nature of the body is proven to be in no way benefited for its own health by the philosophy of the soul; but not to swear is very easy, and will bring no harm, not to bodies, not to souls, but rather great gain, great security, much abundance. How then is it not absurd, when an emperor commands, to bear even the most difficult things, but when God legislates nothing difficult nor hard, but something very easy and simple, to despise and mock it, and to put forward custom? Do not, I beseech you, let us not so despise our own salvation, but let us fear God, as we fear man. I know that you shuddered hearing this, but it is worthy of shuddering not even to render such honor to God, but while guarding the imperial laws with exactness, to trample on the divine ones that have come down from heaven, and to consider zeal for these things a secondary matter. For what defense will be left for us? what pardon, when after so much exhortation we persist in the same things? For when this calamity which holds the city began, I began this exhortation; and it is about to be resolved, but we have not yet fulfilled one commandment. How then shall we ask for deliverance from the terrible things that hold us, when we have not been able to accomplish one commandment? How shall we expect a favorable change? How shall we pray? With what tongue shall we call upon God? For if we accomplish the law, we shall reap much pleasure, when the emperor is reconciled to the city; but if we remain in transgression, there will be shame and reproach for us from every side, because, when God has removed the danger, we remained in the same carelessness. Would that it were possible for me to strip bare the souls of those who swear often, and to lay before your eyes their wounds and bruises, which they receive from their oaths each day; and we would not need exhortation or counsel, the sight of the wounds being sufficient, more powerfully than any speech, to lead away even those who are strongly attached to this evil custom from their wickedness. But if it is not possible for the eyes, it is possible for the reason to set before you the shame of their soul, and to show it putrefied and corrupted. For just as, it says, a servant who is continually examined will not be cleansed from bruises, so he who swears and names God continually, will not be cleansed from sin. For it is impossible, impossible, for a mouth that has practiced swearing, not to perjure itself continuously. Therefore I beseech all the destructive 49.153

112

τὴν πανωλεθρίαν τοῦ δήμου παντὸς, τὴν οὐ γενομένην μὲν, συμβᾶσαν δὲ ὅμως ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν ὅρκων, πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγειν παρακαλῶ, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ, καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, καὶ πρὸς γυναῖκας, καὶ πρὸς φίλους, καὶ πρὸς γείτονας, καὶ πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἁπλῶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου ποιεῖσθαι σπουδὴν, καὶ μὴ νομίζειν ἀρκοῦσαν ἡμῖν ἀπολογίαν εἶναι, εἰ συνήθειαν προβαλοίμεθα. Ὅτι γὰρ σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις, καὶ οὐ συνηθείας, ἀλλὰ ῥᾳθυμίας ἐστὶν ἡ παρανομία, ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη συμβάντων ὑμῖν πεῖσαι πειράσομαι. Ἀπέκλεισε τὰ βαλανεῖα τῆς πόλεως ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ μηδένα λούσασθαι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμησε παραβῆναι τὸν νόμον, οὐδὲ αἰτιάσασθαι τὸ γεγενημένον, οὐδὲ 49.152 συνήθειαν προβαλέσθαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ ὄντες πολλάκις, καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ παῖδες καὶ γέροντες, καὶ ὠδίνων ἄρτι παυσάμεναι πολλαὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ ἀναγκαίως ἅπαντες τὸ φάρμακον τοῦτο ἐπιζητοῦντες, φέρουσι καὶ ἑκόντες καὶ ἄκοντες τὸ ἐπίταγμα, καὶ οὔτε ἀσθένειαν σώματος προβάλλονται, οὔτε συνηθείας τυραννίδα, οὔτε τὸ ἑτέρων ἁμαρτανόντων αὐτοὶ κολάζεσθαι, οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ στέργουσι τὴν τιμωρίαν ταύτην διὰ τὸ μείζονα προσδοκῆσαι κακὰ, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην εὔχονται τὴν ἡμέραν μέχρι τούτου στῆναι τὴν βασιλικὴν ὀργήν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἔνθα φόβος, εὐκόλως λύεται συνήθεια, κἂν σφόδρα χρονία τις ᾖ καὶ ἀναγκαία; Καίτοι τὸ μὴ λούσασθαι χαλεπόν. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις φιλοσοφῶμεν, ἡ τοῦ σώματος φύσις ἐλέγχεται οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν φιλοσοφίας εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ὑγίειαν ὠφελουμένη· τὸ δὲ μὴ ὀμνύειν σφόδρα ῥᾴδιον, καὶ οὐδεμίαν οἴσει βλάβην, οὐ τοῖς σώμασιν, οὐ ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺ τὸ κέρδος, μεγάλην τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, πολλὴν τὴν εὐπορίαν. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, βασιλέως μὲν ἐπιτάττοντος καὶ τὰ χαλεπώτατα φέρειν, Θεοῦ δὲ νομοθετοῦντος οὐδὲν χαλεπὸν οὐδὲ δύσκολον, ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον σφόδρα καὶ εὔκολον, καταφρονεῖν καὶ καταγελᾷν, καὶ συνήθειαν προβάλλεσθαι; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ, μὴ μέχρι τοσούτου τῆς ἑαυτῶν καταφρονῶμεν σωτηρίας, ἀλλὰ φοβηθῶμεν τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς φοβούμεθα ἄνθρωπον. Οἶδα ὅτι ἐφρίξατε τοῦτο ἀκούοντες, ἀλλὰ φρίκης ἄξιον τὸ μηδὲ τοσαύτην ἀπονέμειν τῷ Θεῷ τιμὴν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς νόμους μετὰ ἀκριβείας φυλάττοντας, τοὺς θείους καὶ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταβάντας καταπατεῖν, καὶ πάρεργον εἶναι νομίζειν τὴν περὶ ταῦτα σπουδήν. Ποία γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀπολογία λοιπὸν ἔσται; τίς δὲ συγγνώμη, ὅταν μετὰ τοσαύτην παραίνεσιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένωμεν; Καὶ γὰρ ἀρξαμένης τῆς συμφορᾶς ταύτης τῆς τὴν πόλιν κατεχούσης ἠρξάμην τῆς παραινέσεως ταύτης· καὶ ἡ μὲν μέλλει λύεσθαι λοιπὸν, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδέπω μίαν ἐντολὴν κατωρθώσαμεν. Πῶς οὖν αἰτήσομεν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν κατεχόντων ἡμᾶς δεινῶν, μίαν ἐντολὴν ἀνύσαι μὴ δυνηθέντες; πῶς δὲ προσδοκήσομεν τὴν χρηστὴν μεταβολήν; πῶς δὲ εὐξόμεθα; ποίᾳ δὲ γλώττῃ τὸν Θεὸν καλέσομεν; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἀνύσωμεν τὸν νόμον, πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν ἡδονὴν, τοῦ βασιλέως τῇ πόλει καταλλαγέντος· ἂν δὲ μείνωμεν ἐπὶ τῆς παρανομίας, αἰσχύνη καὶ ὄνειδος ἡμῖν ἔσται πάντοθεν, ὅτι, τοῦ Θεοῦ λύσαντος τὸν κίνδυνον, ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐμείναμεν ῥᾳθυμίας. Εἴθε μοι δυνατὸν ἦν τὰς ψυχὰς ἀποδῦσαι τῶν πολυόρκων, καὶ ὄψεσιν ὑποβαλεῖν αὐτῶν τὰ τραύματα καὶ τοὺς μώλωπας, οὓς ἀπὸ τῶν ὅρκων καθ' ἑκάστην λαμβάνουσι τὴν ἡμέραν· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθημεν παραινέσεως ἢ συμβουλῆς, τῆς τῶν τραυμάτων ὄψεως ἀρκούσης λόγου παντὸς δυνατώτερον καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἐπικειμένους τῇ πονηρᾷ ταύτῃ συνηθείᾳ τῆς πονηρίας ἀπαγαγεῖν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μὴ ταῖς ὄψεσι δυνατὸν, τῷ λογισμῷ δυνατὸν αὐτῶν ὑποβαλεῖν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ αἶσχος, καὶ δεῖξαι σεσηπυῖαν αὐτὴν καὶ διεφθαρμένην. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰκέτης ἐταζόμενος ἐνδελεχῶς ἀπὸ μώλωπος οὐ καθαρισθήσεται, οὕτως ὁ ὀμνύων καὶ ὀνομάζων τὸν Θεὸν διαπαντὸς, ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας οὐ καθαρισθήσεται. Ἀμήχανον γὰρ, ἀμήχανον, στόμα μεμελετηκὸς ὀμνύναι, μὴ συνεχῶς ἐπιορκεῖν. ∆ιὸ δὴ παρακαλῶ πάντας τὴν ὀλέθριον 49.153