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of the rich have even come to a halter, unable to bear such misfortune. And being insulted and plotted against seems so unbearable to them that for this reason again many have been torn away from the present life. For wealth has made them soft toward all things, except its own service. For when it commands them to serve it, they dare to commit murders, and endure scourgings, and reproaches, and every kind of shame. Which is the mark of the utmost wretchedness, to be softer than all men in things in which they ought to be philosophic; but in things in which they ought to be more cautious, to become again more shameless and more reckless. For the same thing happens to these men, as one would suffer who has spent all his substance on things that are not needed. For such a man, when the time of necessary expense comes, having nothing to contribute, suffers incurable woes, all his means having been previously ill-spent. 5. And just as those on the stage who know those evil arts, in these they endure many strange and dangerous things, but in other useful and necessary matters they are more ridiculous than all; so too are these men. For those who walk on a tightrope, displaying such courage, whenever any of the necessary things requires daring and courage, they are not even able to think of or endure such a thing. So indeed also the rich, daring all for the sake of money, are not willing to endure any such thing, small or great, for the sake of philosophy. And just as those men handle a thing that is both perilous and profitless; so also these men endure many dangers and precipices, but arrive at no useful end, and they endure a double darkness, being blinded by the perversion of their mind, and enduring a great mist from the deceit of their cares. Therefore they are not even able to see clearly easily. For he who is in darkness is delivered from the darkness only when the sun has appeared; but he whose eyes are blinded, 57.293 not even when the sun has appeared; which indeed is what these men have suffered. For not even when the sun of righteousness shines and exhorts them do they listen, since wealth has closed their eyes. Wherefore they also endure a double darkness; the one from themselves, the other from not heeding the teacher. Let us, therefore, attend to him with exactness, that at some late time at least we may look up. And how is it possible to look up? If you learn how you were blinded. How then were you blinded? From evil desire. For just as a corrupt humor flowing upon a clear pupil, so the love of money has made the cloud dense. But it is easy for this cloud to be both scattered and broken, if we receive the ray of Christ's teaching; if we hear him exhorting and saying, 'Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.' And what more, he says, do I gain from hearing, when I am possessed by desire? Most certainly, then, continual hearing will be able to destroy even the desire. But if indeed you remain possessed, consider that the matter is not even a desire. For what kind of desire is it, to serve harshly, and to be subject to tyranny, and to be bound on all sides, and to live in darkness, and to be full of turmoil, and to endure profitless toils, and to keep one's money for others, and often even for enemies? Of what desire are these things worthy? and of what are they not worthy of flight and escape? What desire is it, to lay up treasure among thieves? For if you desire money at all, transfer it to where it can remain safe and unmolested. For what you now do is not of one who desires money, but of slavery, and vexation, and loss, and continual pain. But you, if some man on earth should show you a place unmolested, and should lead you out into the desert itself, promising security for the keeping of your money, you do not hesitate, nor shrink back, but you both entrust and cast out your money there; but when God instead of men promises you this, and proposes not the desert but heaven, you accept the opposite. And yet, even if it were ten thousand times in security below, you will never be able to be free from care. For even if not

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πλουτούντων καὶ ἐπὶ βρόχον ἦλθον, τὴν τοιαύτην οὐκ ἐνεγκόντες δυσημερίαν. Καὶ τὸ ὑβρίζεσθαι δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐπηρεάζεσθαι οὕτως ἀφόρητον αὐτοῖς εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν τῆς παρούσης πολλοὺς ἀποῤῥαγῆναι ζωῆς. Πρὸς γὰρ πάντα μαλακοὺς αὐτοὺς ὁ πλοῦτος ἐποίησε, πλὴν τῆς αὐτοῦ διακονίας. Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτῷ δουλεύειν κελεύῃ, καὶ φόνων κατατολμῶσι, καὶ μαστίγων. καὶ ὀνειδῶν, καὶ αἰσχύνης ἁπάσης. Ὅπερ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἐστὶν ἀθλιότητος, ἐν μὲν οἷς δεῖ φιλοσοφεῖν, πάντων εἶναι μαλακωτέρους· ἐν δὲ οἷς εὐλαβεστέρους εἶναι ἐχρῆν, ἀναισχυντοτέρους πάλιν καὶ ἰταμωτέρους γίνεσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ συμβαίνει τούτοις, οἷον ἂν εἴ τις πάθοι τὰ ὄντα πάντα ἀναλώσας εἰς τὰ μὴ δέοντα. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος, τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἀναγκαίας δαπάνης ἐπιστάντος, οὐδὲν ἔχων ἐπιδοῦναι, τὰ ἀνήκεστα πάσχει δεινὰ, πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ προαναλωθέντων κακῶς. εʹ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τὰς πονηρὰς τέχνας εἰδότες ἐκείνας, ἐν μὲν ταύταις πολλὰ τῶν παραδόξων καὶ ἐπικινδύνων ὑπομένουσιν, ἐν δὲ ἑτέροις χρησίμοις καὶ ἀναγκαίοις πράγμασι πάντων εἰσὶ καταγελαστότεροι· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἐπὶ σχοίνου τεταμένης βαδίζοντες, τοσαύτην ἀνδρείαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, ἡνίκα ἄν τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τόλμαν ἀπαιτῇ καὶ ἀνδρείαν, οὐδὲ ἐννοῆσαί τι δύνανται ἢ ἀνέχονται τοιοῦτον. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ πλουτοῦντες, πάντα ὑπὲρ χρημάτων τολμῶντες, ὑπὲρ τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν οὐ μικρὸν, οὐ μέγα τι τοιοῦτον ὑπομεῖναι ἀνέχονται. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι καὶ σφαλερὸν καὶ ἀκερδὲς πρᾶγμα μεταχειρίζουσιν· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι κινδύνους μὲν ὑπομένουσι πολλοὺς καὶ κρημνοὺς, εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ χρήσιμον ἀπαντῶσι τέλος, καὶ διπλοῦν ὑπομένουσι σκότος, ἀπό τε τῆς τοῦ νοῦ διαστροφῆς πεπηρωμένοι, ἀπό τε τῆς τῶν φροντίδων ἀπάτης πολλὴν τὴν ἀχλὺν ὑπομένοντες. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ διαβλέψαι ῥᾳδίως δύνανται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν σκότῳ ὢν, μόνον ἡλίου φανέντος ἀπαλλάττεται τοῦ σκότους· ὁ δὲ τὰς ὄψεις πεπη 57.293 ρωμένος, οὐδὲ ἡλίου φανέντος· ὃ δὴ καὶ οὗτοι πεπόνθασι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης λάμψαντος καὶ παραινοῦντος ἀκούουσιν, ἀποκλείσαντος αὐτοῖς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ πλούτου. ∆ιὸ καὶ διπλοῦν σκότος ὑπομένουσι· τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν, τὸ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ προσέχειν τῷ διδασκάλῳ. Προσέχωμεν τοίνυν αὐτῷ μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ἵνα ὀψὲ γοῦν ποτε ἀναβλέψωμεν. Καὶ πῶς ἀναβλέψαι δυνατόν; Ἐὰν μάθῃς πῶς ἐτυφλώθης. Πῶς οὖν ἐτυφλώθης; Ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας. Καθάπερ γὰρ κόρῃ καθαρᾷ χυμὸς ἐπιῤῥεύσας πονηρὸς ὁ τῶν χρημάτων ἔρως, πυκνὴν τὴν νεφέλην ἐποίησεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ διασκεδασθῆναι καὶ ῥαγῆναι τὴν νεφέλην ταύτην ῥᾴδιον, ἐὰν τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δεξώμεθα διδασκαλίας· ἂν ἀκούσωμεν αὐτοῦ παραινοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ τί μοι, φησὶ, πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκροάσεως, ὅταν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας κατέχωμαι; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἡ συνεχὴς ἀκρόασις καταλῦσαι δυνήσεται. Ἂν δ' ἄρα ἐπιμένῃς κατεχόμενος, ἐννόησον ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐπιθυμία τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι. Ποία γὰρ ἐπιθυμία, δουλεύειν χαλεπῶς, καὶ ὑποκεῖσθαι τυραννίδι, καὶ δεδέσθαι πανταχόθεν, καὶ ἐν σκότῳ διατρίβειν, καὶ θορύβου γέμειν, καὶ πόνους ὑπομένειν ἀκερδεῖς, καὶ ἑτέροις φυλάττειν τὰ χρήματα, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐχθροῖς; Ποίας ταῦτα ἐπιθυμίας ἄξια; ποίας δὲ οὐ φυγῆς καὶ δρόμων; Ποία ἐπιθυμία, θησαυρὸν ἀποτίθεσθαι μεταξὺ κλεπτῶν; Εἰ γὰρ ὅλως ἐπιθυμεῖς χρημάτων, μετάθες ἔνθα δύναται μένειν ἀσφαλῆ καὶ ἀνεπηρέαστα. Ὡς ἅ γε νῦν ποιεῖς, οὐ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμοῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ δουλείας, καὶ ἐπηρείας, καὶ ζημίας, καὶ ὀδύνης διηνεκοῦς. Σὺ δὲ, ἂν μέν τις ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τόπον ἀνεπηρέαστον δείξῃ, κἂν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐξαγάγῃ τὴν ἔρημον, ὑποσχόμενος ἀσφάλειαν τῇ φυλακῇ τῶν χρημάτων, οὐ κατοκνεῖς, οὐδὲ ἀναδύῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμπιστεύεις, καὶ ἐκβάλλεις ἐκεῖ τὰ χρήματα· τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲ ἀντὶ ἀνθρώπων ὑπισχνουμένου σοι τοῦτο, καὶ οὐχὶ τὴν ἔρημον, ἀλλὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν προτιθέντος, τὰ ἐναντία καταδέχῃ. Καίτοιγε κἂν μυριάκις ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ γένηται κάτω, τῆς φροντίδος οὐδέποτε ἐλεύθερος γενέσθαι δυνήσῃ. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ