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the activities of the other members are gone, their light having been extinguished, so also when the mind is corrupted, your life will be filled with ten thousand evils); just as, therefore, in the body we aim for this, to have a healthy eye, so also in the soul, the mind. But if we should maim this, which ought to provide light to the others, from where shall we see hereafter? For just as one who destroys the spring also dries up the river, so one who destroys the mind has troubled every action of his in this life. Wherefore he says, If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness? For when the pilot is submerged, and the lamp is extinguished, and the leader is taken captive, what hope will there be then for his subjects? 4. For this reason, leaving aside for now to speak of the plots on account of wealth, the battles, the lawsuits; (for he hinted at them above, saying: Your adversary will deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer;) having set forth what is by all means harder than all these things, he thus turns us away from the evil desire. For much harder than dwelling in prison is for the mind to be enslaved to this disease; and the one does not happen in every case, but the other is allotted in sequence to the desire for money. Wherefore he places it after that, as being harder, and as happening in every case. For God, he says, has given us a mind, that we might scatter ignorance, and have a right judgment of things, and using this as a kind of weapon and light against all things grievous and harmful, we might remain in safety. But we betray the gift for the sake of things superfluous and useless. For what is the benefit of soldiers bearing gold, when the general is dragged away captive? what is the gain of a beautified ship, when the pilot is submerged? what more of a well-composed body, when the eyes have been cut out of their sight? Therefore, just as with a physician who ought to be healthy, in order to cure diseases, if someone, having cast him into sickness, should command him to lie on a silver bed and in a golden chamber, there will be no benefit to the sick; so if, having corrupted the mind which is able to cure the passions, you set it down by a treasure, not only have you profited nothing, but you have also inflicted the greatest losses, and harmed the entire soul. Do you see how through the very things for which men everywhere most desire wickedness, through these very things he turns them away from it, and leads them back to virtue? For on account of what do you desire money? he says; is it not that you may enjoy pleasure and luxury? This, then, will most certainly not be yours from this, but the very opposite. For if, when our eyes are put out, we perceive none of the pleasant things because of that misfortune, much more shall we suffer this in the perversion and maiming of the mind. And on account of what do you bury it in the earth? that it may be kept with safety? But here again is the contrary, he says. Therefore, just as he drew the one who fasts and gives alms and prays for vainglory away from being vainglorious by means of those things which he most desires; (For on account of what do you pray thus and give alms? he says; loving the glory from men? Therefore, do not pray thus, he says, and then you will obtain it in the day to come;) so also the lover of money, he captured him by means of those things for which he is most zealous. For what do you want? he says; for your money to be kept safe, and to enjoy pleasure? I will provide both of these for you with great abundance, if you deposit the gold there, where I command. More clearly, then, in what follows, he showed the harm to the mind that comes from this, when he made mention of the thorns; but for the present, here also he has hinted at this not in a random way, showing that the one who is mad about these things is darkened. And just as those who are in darkness see nothing clearly, but if they see a rope, they think it is a snake, and if mountains and ravines, they are dead with fear; so also they hold in suspicion things not fearful to those who can see; for they tremble at poverty; or rather, not only at poverty, but also at any chance loss. For if they should lose some small thing, they grieve and are cut to the heart more than those who are destitute of necessary food. Many, at least, of the

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λοιπῶν μελῶν ἐνεργείας οἴχεται, τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῖς σβεσθέντος, οὕτω καὶ τῆς διανοίας διαφθαρείσης, μυρίων ἡ ζωή σου κακῶν ἐμπλησθήσεται)· καθάπερ οὖν ἐν σώματι τοῦτο σκοποῦμεν, ὥστε τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἔχειν ὑγιῆ, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν νοῦν. Ἂν δὲ τοῦτον πηρώσωμεν, τὸν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀφείλοντα παρέχειν τὸ φῶς, πόθεν διαβλέψωμεν λοιπόν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τὴν πηγὴν ἀνελὼν, καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐξήρανεν, οὕτως ὁ τὸν νοῦν ἀφανίσας, πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ πρᾶξιν ἐθόλωσε. ∆ιό φησιν, Εἰ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος, τὸ σκότος πόσον; Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ κυβερνήτης ὑποβρύχιος γένηται, καὶ ὁ λύχνος σβεσθῇ, καὶ ὁ ἡγεμὼν αἰχμάλωτος γένηται, ποία λοιπὸν ἔσται τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐλπίς; δʹ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἀφεὶς εἰπεῖν νῦν τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς τὰς διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον, τὰς μάχας, τὰς δίκας· (ᾐνίξατο μὲν γὰρ αὐτὰς ἀνωτέρω εἰπών· Παραδώσει σε ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ·) τὰ πάντων χαλεπώτερα τούτων συμβαίνοντα πάντως θεὶς, οὕτως ἀπάγει τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας. Τοῦ γὰρ τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῆσαι πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον τὸ δεδουλῶσθαι τὸν νοῦν τῷ νοσήματι τούτῳ· καὶ τὸ μὲν οὐ πάντως συμβαίνει, τὸ δὲ ἐφεξῆς συγκεκλήρωται τῇ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίᾳ. ∆ιόπερ αὐτὸ μετ' ἐκεῖνο τίθησιν, ἅτε χαλεπώτερον ὂν, καὶ πάντως συμβαῖνον. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς, φησὶν, ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν νοῦν, ἵνα τὴν ἄγνοιαν διασκεδάσωμεν, καὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων κρίσιν ὀρθὴν ἔχωμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ λυποῦντα πάντα καὶ ἐπιβλαβῆ τούτῳ ὥσπερ ὅπλῳ τινὶ καὶ φωτὶ χρώμενοι, μένωμεν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ προδίδομεν τὴν δωρεὰν διὰ τὰ περιττὰ καὶ ἀνόνητα. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος στρατιωτῶν χρυσοφορούντων, ὅταν ὁ στρατηγὸς αἰχμάλωτος ἕλκηται; τί κέρδος νηὸς καλλωπιζομένης, ὅταν ὁ κυβερνήτης ὑποβρύχιος γένηται; τί δὲ σώματος εὖ συγκειμένου πλέον, ὅταν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς ὄψεως ὦσιν ἐκκεκομμένοι; Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν ἰατρὸν τὸν ὀφείλοντα ὑγιαίνειν, ἵνα λύῃ τὰς νόσους, ἄν τις ἐμβαλὼν εἰς νόσον, εἰς ἀργυρᾶν κελεύσῃ κεῖσθαι κλίνην καὶ χρυσοῦν θάλαμον, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἔσται τοῖς κάμνουσιν· οὕτως ἂν τὸν νοῦν διαφθείρας τὸν δυνάμενον λύειν τὰ πάθη θησαυρῷ παρακαθίσῃς, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ὤνησας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐζημίωσας, καὶ πᾶσαν ἔβλαψας τὴν ψυχήν. Εἶδες πῶς δι' ὧν μάλιστα ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι τῆς πονηρίας πανταχοῦ, διὰ τούτων αὐτοὺς μάλιστα ἐκείνης ἀπάγει, καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐπανάγει; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἐπιθυμεῖς χρημάτων; φησίν· οὐχ ἵνα ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύῃς καὶ τρυφῆς; Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν μάλιστα οὐκ ἔσται σοι ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Εἰ γὰρ ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκκοπέντων οὐδενὸς αἰσθανόμεθα τῶν ἡδέων διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ τοῦ νοῦ διαστροφῇ καὶ πηρώσει τοῦτο πεισόμεθα. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν κατορύττεις ἐν τῇ γῇ; ἵνα φυλάττηται μετὰ ἀσφαλείας; Ἀλλὰ κἀνταῦθα πάλιν τοὐναντίον, φησίν. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν νηστεύοντα καὶ ἐλεοῦντα καὶ προσευχόμενον πρὸς κενοδοξίαν, ἀφ' ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖ μάλιστα, ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτὸν ἐπε 57.292 σπάσατο εἰς τὸ μὴ κενοδοξεῖν· (Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν οὕτως εὔχῃ καὶ ἐλεεῖς; φησίν· τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξης ἐρῶν; οὐκοῦν μὴ οὕτως εὔχου, φησὶ καὶ τότε αὐτῆς τεύξῃ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν μέλλουσαν·) οὕτω καὶ τὸν φιλάργυρον, ἀφ' ὧν μάλιστα ἐσπούδακεν, ἀπὸ τούτων εἷλε. Τί γὰρ βούλει; φησί· τὰ χρήματά σου φυλάττεσθαι, καὶ ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύειν; Ταῦτά σοι ἀμφότερα παρέξομαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας, ἐὰν ἐκεῖ καταθῇ τὸ χρυσίον, ὄπου κελεύω. Σαφέστερον μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν τοῦ νοῦ βλάβην τὴν ἐντεῦθεν γινομένην ἐπέδειξεν, ὅτε τῶν ἀκανθῶν ἐμνημόνευσε· τέως δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο, δείξας ἐσκοτωμένον τὸν περὶ ταῦτα μαινόμενον. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἐν σκότῳ ὄντες οὐδὲν ὁρῶσι σαφὲς, ἀλλὰ ἄν τε σχοῖνον ἴδωσιν, ὄφιν εἶναι νομίζουσιν, ἄν τε ὄρη καὶ φάραγγας, ἀποτεθνήκασι τῷ δέει· οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰ μὴ φοβερὰ τοῖς ὁρῶσι, ταῦτα δι' ὑποψίας ἔχουσι· καὶ γὰρ πενίαν τρέμουσι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ πενίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ζημίαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἂν μικρόν τι παραπολέσωσι, τῶν τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἀπορούντων τροφῆς μᾶλλον ἀλγοῦσι καὶ διακόπτονται. Πολλοὶ γοῦν τῶν