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speaking of his blinding; but the other says: He shall be led away to Babylon; hinting at his captivity.

4. Knowing these things, therefore, brothers, and gathering together what has been said and what was said before this, let us cease at last from this wicked habit, yes, I beseech and entreat you all. For if in the Old Testament, when the Jews were not required to practice strict philosophy, but there was much condescension, such great wrath came about because of one oath, such great capture and captivity; what is it likely that those who swear now will suffer, after a law forbidding this and such an addition of commandments? For is this not what is sought, that we should come to the assembly and hear what is said? This, then, is both a greater judgment and an inescapable punishment, when, continually hearing, we do not do what is said. For what defense shall we have, what pardon, when from our first youth to our last old age we gather here and enjoy so much teaching, yet we remain like those others, and do not hasten to correct even one fault? Let no one then put forward habit to me; for because of this I am indignant and angry, that we are not able to overcome habit, and if we do not overcome habit, how shall we overcome desire? The root of that has its origin from nature; for to desire is natural; but to desire evilly is a matter of choice; yet swearing did not even take its origin from choice, but from carelessness alone. And that you may learn that it is not from the difficulty of the thing, but from our own negligence that this sin has progressed so far, let us consider how many things far more difficult than these men accomplish, and that while expecting no reward from there; let us consider what the devil has commanded, how laborious, how toilsome, and the difficulty was no hindrance to his commands. For what could be more difficult, tell me, than when a young man, having given himself over to those who wish to make him effeminate and to contort his limbs, should strive with precision to bend and turn his whole body on the ground like a wheel, and through his eyes and through the whirling of his hands and the rest of his gyrations, forces himself to pass into the female sex, and considers neither the difficulty of what is being done nor the shame from it? And as for those again dragged onto the stage, and using their limbs like wings for their body, who seeing them would not be amazed? And those who hurl swords alternately into the air, and catch them all again by the hilt, whom would they not put to shame of those who are unwilling to undertake any labor for the sake of virtue? Or what might one say about those 49.196 men, who, balancing a pole on their forehead, keep it as motionless as a tree rooted in the earth? And this is not the only amazing thing, but that they also make little children wrestle with each other on the tip of the wood, and neither hands nor any other part of the body, but the forehead alone, more secure than any bond, holds that pole unshaken. Another, again, walks upon the narrowest rope with as much confidence as those who run across level plains. And yet these things, which seem to be unbearable even in thought, have been made possible by skill. What of these things can we say in the case of oaths, tell me? what difficulty? what sweat? what skill? what danger? We need only a little diligence, and the whole thing will be quickly accomplished by us. And do not say to me that I have accomplished the greater part, but if you have not accomplished the whole, consider that you have yet done nothing; for this little bit, being neglected, pulls down all the rest as well. Often, at any rate, men having built houses and put on the roof, when one tile was shaken off, by not making an effort, lost the entire house. And one might see this same thing happen also in the case of garments; for there too a small tear having occurred and not being stitched, has made the rip large. This also in the case of

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πήρωσιν αὐτοῦ λέγων· ὁ δέ φησιν· Εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπαχθήσεται· τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν αὐτοῦ αἰνιττόμενος.

δʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ τὰ πρὸ τούτων λεχθέντα συλλέγοντες, παυσώμεθά ποτε τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης συνηθείας, ναὶ δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ πάντων ὑμῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, ὅτε οὐ τὴν ἀκριβῆ φιλοσοφίαν ἀπῃτοῦντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλὰ πολλὴ συγκατάβασις ἦν, τοσαύτη ὀργὴ γέγονε δι' ὅρκον ἕνα, τοσαύτη ἅλωσις καὶ αἰχμαλωσία· τί εἰκὸς ὑποστήσεσθαι νῦν τοὺς ὀμνύοντας μετὰ νόμον κωλύοντα τοῦτο ποιεῖν καὶ τοσαύτην ἐντολῶν προσθήκην; Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον, ὅπως εἰς σύναξιν ἔλθωμεν καὶ ἀκούσωμεν τῶν λεγομένων; Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν καὶ κρῖμα μεῖζόν ἐστι καὶ κόλασις ἀπαραίτητος, ὅταν συνεχῶς ἀκούοντες μὴ ποιῶμεν τὰ λεγόμενα. Τίνα γὰρ ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, τίνα δὲ συγγνώμην, ὅταν ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἡμεῖς ἄχρις ἐσχάτης πολιᾶς ἐνταῦθα συναγόμενοι καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντες διδασκαλίας, ὅμοιοι μένωμεν ἐκείνοις, καὶ μηδὲ ἓν ἐλάττωμα διορθώσασθαι σπουδάζωμεν; Μή μοί τις λοιπὸν συνήθειαν προβαλλέσθω· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀγανακτῶ καὶ ὀργίζομαι, ὅτι συνηθείας περιγενέσθαι οὐ δυνάμεθα, καὶ εἰ συνηθείας μὴ περιγενώμεθα, πῶς περιεσόμεθα ἐπιθυμίας; Ἐκείνης ἡ ῥίζα ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἔχει τὴν ἀρχήν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιθυμεῖν, φυσικόν· τὸ δὲ κακῶς ἐπιθυμεῖν, τῆς προαιρέσεως λοιπόν· τὸ μέντοι ὀμνύναι οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἔλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας μόνης. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ τῆς δυσκολίας τοῦ πράγματος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν μέχρι τοσούτου τὸ ἁμάρτημα προὔβη τοῦτο, ἐννοήσωμεν πόσα πολλῷ τούτων δυσκολώτερα κατορθοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ταῦτα μηδεμίαν ἀμοιβὴν προσδοκῶντες ἐκεῖθεν· ἐννοήσωμεν τίνα ὁ διάβολος ἐπέταξε, πῶς ἐπίπονα, πῶς ἐπίμοχθα, καὶ οὐκ ἐγένετο κώλυμα ἡ δυσκολία τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασι. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο δυσκολώτερον, εἰπέ μοι, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅταν τις νέος τοῖς βουλομένοις καταμαλάττειν αὐτὸν καὶ λυγίζειν αὐτοῦ τὰ μέλη παραδοὺς ἑαυτὸν, φιλονεικοίη πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν τροχοῦ δίκην τὸ σῶμα ἅπαν κάμπτειν καὶ στρέφεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους, καὶ διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν χειρῶν περιαγωγῆς καὶ τῆς ἄλλης δινήσεως εἰς τὸ θῆλυ γένος ἐκβῆναι βιάζηται, καὶ μήτε τὴν δυσκολίαν τῶν γινομένων, μήτε τὴν αἰσχύνην τὴν ἀπὸ τούτων λογίζηται; τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ὀρχήστρας πάλιν ἐπισυρομένους, καὶ καθάπερ πτεροῖς τᾶς κώλοις κεχρημένους τοῦ σώματος, τίς οὐκ ἂν ὁρῶν ἐκπλαγείη; οἱ δὲ μαχαίρας ἐναλλὰξ εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἀκοντίζοντες, καὶ πάσας ἀπὸ τῆς λαβῆς δεχόμενοι πάλιν, τίνα οὐκ ἂν καταισχύνοιεν τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐδένα βουλομένων ἀναδέξασθαι πόνον; ἢ τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ ἐκεί 49.196 νων τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ κοντὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου βαστάζοντες, καθάπερ δένδρον ἐῤῥιζωμένον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὕτως ἀκίνητον διατηροῦσι; Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ παιδία μικρὰ ἐπ' ἄκρου τοῦ ξύλου παλαίειν ἀλλήλοις παρασκευάζουσι, καὶ οὔτε χεῖρες οὔτε ἄλλο τι τοῦ σώματος μέρος, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέτωπον μόνον δεσμοῦ παντὸς ἀσφαλέστερον φέρει τὸν κοντὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄσειστον. Ἕτερος πάλιν ἐπὶ σχοίνου στενωτάτης μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀδείας βαδίζει, μεθ' ὅσης οἱ τὰ ὕπτια πεδία κατατρέχοντες. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ταῦτα τὰ καὶ ταῖς ἐννοίαις ἀφόρητα εἶναι δοκοῦντα, τῇ τέχνῃ γέγονε δυνατά. Τί τούτων ἔχομεν εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρκων, εἰπέ μοι; ποίαν δυσκολίαν; ποῖον ἱδρῶτα; ποίαν τέχνην; ποῖον κίνδυνον; Ὀλίγης χρεία σπουδῆς μόνον ἡμῖν, καὶ ταχέως τὸ πᾶν ἡμῖν ἀνυσθήσεται. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε, ὅτι τὸ πλέον κατώρθωσα, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ τὸ πᾶν κατώρθωσας, μηδὲν μηδέπω πεποιηκέναι νόμιζε· τὸ γὰρ ὀλίγον τοῦτο ἀμεληθὲν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἅπαν καθαιρεῖ. Πολλάκις γοῦν οἰκίας οἰκοδομήσαντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τὸν ὄροφον ἐπιθέντες, μιᾶς κεραμίδος ἀποτιναχθείσης, μὴ ποιησάμενοι σπουδὴν, ὁλόκληρον τὸν οἶκον ἀπώλεσαν. Καὶ ἐπὶ ἱματίων δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο συμβαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖ μικρὸν ῥῆγμα γενόμενον καὶ μὴ ῥαφὲν, πολὺ τὸ σχίσμα ἐποίησε. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ