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great? Then hold on even to the lesser things, and strive for the lower. Are you unable to empty out your riches? At least do not seize the things of others; are you unable to fast? At least do not lead yourself into luxury. For since Christ suffered so many things for us while we were enemies, what can we show of things we have suffered for his sake, we who have suffered nothing? From where, then, will our confidence be on that day? Do you not know that a soldier, when he shows his wounds and scars, will then be able to be glorious before the king; but if he has no great deed to show, even if he has committed no offense, he will be ranked among the last? But it is not a time of war, he says. For if it were, tell me, who would have fought? Who would have leaped forth? Who would have cut through the phalanx? Perhaps no one. For when I see that you do not even despise money for the sake of Christ, how shall I believe you that you will despise blows? He said, Bear with those who insult you nobly, and bless them; and you do not do this, but you disobey; that which has no danger, you do not do, and will you bear blows, tell me, where there is much pain and suffering? Let us not then deceive ourselves, saying, For the present let us enjoy the pleasures of life, and later, having labored for a short time, we will receive the reward for all time. For if one will scarcely see the earthly king with confidence after enduring many dangers and completing many wars, how will one be able to see the heavenly King, having lived and served another for all his time? You have received nobility from God; why do you betray the virtue of your nature? What are you doing, tell me? Others have skills to transform irrational animals, as far as possible, into the nobility of men, teaching parrots and jays to utter a human voice; and by their skill they constrain nature; they make lions tame, leading them through the marketplace. You make the lion tame, and you make yourself more savage than wolves? And what is yet more difficult, is that each of the irrational animals has one fault, but this is not so in the case of a wicked man; for a man often possesses not one fault, but he even gathers the evils of many irrational animals into his own soul. Do not show me then that you have the soul of a man, but whether in your mind you are a man. You are a ruler of the irrational animals, and have you become a slave of the irrational passions within you? How then shall I call you a man, you who do not have the token of royalty? Consider in whose image you were made, and do not be brought down to the worthlessness of irrational animals. For just as in the theaters those who practice walking up and down the rope stretched from below to above, if they glance aside but a little, being turned, they will be brought down and will perish; so also those who travel the spiritual road, if they are but a little negligent, are cast down. For this road is both narrower than that rope, and it is more upright and steep, and much higher; for it ends above at heaven itself; and then our steps will be more perilous, when we are up high and at the very summit. For to those standing at a height 63.756 there is great trembling, and only one safety remains, not to stoop down nor to look at the earth; for from this a great and grievous dizziness arises. And just as on a lyre it is not enough to produce the melody from only one string, but it is necessary to go over all of them with the proper rhythm, so also in the case of virtue according to the soul, one law is not enough for our salvation, but it is necessary to keep all of them with exactness. For what is the benefit, tell me, when someone prays earnestly, but does not give alms generously? Or when he gives alms generously, but is covetous and violent? Or when he is not covetous nor violent, but does so for the display of men and the ambition of those who are watching? Or when he gives alms with all exactness, and for what is pleasing to God, but relies on this very thing and is proud? Or when he is humble and given to fasting, but is a lover of money and a trader and nailed to the earth, and introduces the mother of evils to the soul, the love of money? For it is not possible, he says, to serve God and mammon. For this reason also the man-loving God

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μέγα; Οὐκοῦν κἂν τῶν ἐλαττόνων ἔχου, καὶ τῶν κατωτέρων ἐφίεσο. Οὐ δύνασαι κενῶσαι τὰ χρήματα; κἂν τὰ τῶν ἄλλων μὴ ἅρπαζε· οὐ δύνασαι νηστεῦσαι; κἂν μὴ εἰς τρυφὴν σαυτὸν ἐξαγάγῃς. Τοσαῦτα γὰρ παθόντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς ἐχθροὺς ὄντας, τί δυνάμεθα ἐπιδεῖξαι ἡμεῖς ὧν δι' αὐτὸν πεπόνθαμεν οὐδέν. Πόθεν οὖν ἡμῖν ἡ παῤῥησία ἔσται κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν; Οὐκ ἴστε ὅτι καὶ ὁ στρατιώτης, ὅταν τραύματα καὶ ὠτειλὰς ἐπιδείκνυται, τότε δυνήσεται λαμπρὸς εἶναι παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἂν δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ δεῖξαι κατόρθωμα, κἂν μηδὲν ᾖ προσκεκρουκὼς, ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ταχθήσεται; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι πολέμου καιρὸς, φησί. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν, εἰπέ μοι, τίς ἂν ἠγωνίσατο; τίς ἂν ἐπεπήδησε; τίς ἂν τὴν φάλαγγα διέξεσε; τάχα οὐδείς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδω, ὅτι οὐδὲ χρημάτων καταφρονεῖς ἕνεκεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πῶς σοι πιστεύσω ὅτι πληγῶν καταφρονήσεις; Εἶπε, Φέρετε τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας γενναίως, καὶ εὐλογεῖτε· καὶ τοῦτο οὐ ποιεῖς, ἀλλὰ παρακούεις· ὃ κίνδυνον οὐκ ἔχει, οὐ ποιεῖς, καὶ πληγὰς οἴσεις, εἰπέ μοι, ἔνθα πολὺ τὸ τῆς ὀδύνης καὶ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος; Μὴ τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπατῶμεν, λέγοντες, ὅτι Τέως μὲν ἀπολαύσωμεν τῶν ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου, ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγον χρόνον πονέσαντες, τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου ληψόμεθα τὸν μισθόν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλέα μετὰ τὸ πολλοὺς μὲν ὑπομεῖναι κινδύνους, πολλοὺς δὲ ἀνύσαι πολέμους, μόλις τις ὄψεται μετὰ παῤῥησίας, πῶς τὸν οὐράνιον ἰδεῖν δυνήσεταί τις τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἑτέρῳ ζήσας καὶ στρατευσάμενος; Ἔλαβες εὐγένειαν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τί προδίδως τὴν ἀρετὴν τῆς φύσεως; Τί ποιεῖς, εἰπέ μοι; Ἕτεροι τέχνας ἔχουσι τὰ ἄλογα κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν εἰς ἀνθρώπων εὐγένειαν μετατιθέναι, ψιττακοὺς καὶ κίσσας παιδεύοντες φωνὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φθέγγεσθαι· καὶ τῇ τέχνῃ τὴν φύσιν βιάζονται· λέοντας ἡμέρους ἐργάζονται διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἕλκοντες. Τὸν λέοντα ἥμερον ποιεῖς, καὶ σαυτὸν λύκων ἀγριώτερον καθιστᾷς; Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἀλόγων ἕκαστον ἓν ἐλάττωμα ἔχει, ἐπὶ δὲ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἓν ἐλάττωμα πολλάκις κέκτηται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀλόγων κακίας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ συνάγει ψυχήν. Μή μοι οὖν δείξῃς ὅτι ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου ἔχεις, ἀλλ' εἰ εἶ τὸ φρόνημα ἄνθρωπος. Ἄρχων εἶ τῶν ἀλόγων, καὶ γέγονας τῶν ἐν σοὶ ἀλόγων παθῶν δοῦλος; πῶς οὖν σε καλέσω ἄνθρωπον, ὃς οὐκ ἔχεις τῆς βασιλείας τὸ σύνθημα; Ἐννόησον κατὰ τίνος εἰκόνα ἐγένου, καὶ μὴ κατενεχθῇς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀλόγων εὐτέλειαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις οἱ τὴν σχοῖνον τὴν κάτωθεν ἄνω τεταμένην ἀναβαίνειν καὶ καταβαίνειν μελετῶντες, ἂν μικρὸν παραβλέψωσι παρατραπέντες, κατενεχθήσονται κάτω καὶ ἀπολοῦνται· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὴν πνευματικὴν ὁδεύοντες ὁδὸν, ἂν μικρὸν ῥᾳθυμήσωσι, κατακρημνίζονται. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνης τῆς σχοίνου ἡ ὁδὸς αὕτη καὶ στενοτέρα, καὶ ὄρθιος καὶ προσάντης μᾶλλόν ἐστι, καὶ ὑψηλοτέρα πολλῷ· πρὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἄνω τελευτᾷ τὸν οὐρανόν· καὶ τότε ἡμῖν σφαλερώτερα ἔσται τὰ βήματα, ὅταν ἄνω καὶ πρὸς αὐτῇ γενώμεθα τῇ κορυφῇ. Τοῖς γὰρ ἐφ' 63.756 ὕψους ἑστῶσι πολὺς ὁ τρόμος, καὶ μία μόνον ἀσφάλεια λείπεται, τὸ μὴ κατακύψαι κάτω μηδὲ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἰδεῖν· καὶ γὰρ πολὺς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ χαλεπὸς ὁ σκοτόδινος γίνεται. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς κιθάρας οὐκ ἀρκεῖ μόνον ἀπὸ μιᾶς νευρᾶς τὴν μελῳδίαν ἐργάσασθαι, ἀλλὰ πάσας ἐπιέναι δεῖ μετὰ ῥυθμοῦ τοῦ προσήκοντος, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν νόμος εἷς εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πάντας μετὰ ἀκριβείας φυλάττειν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, ὅταν τις εὔχηται μὲν ἐκτενῶς, μὴ ἐλεῇ δὲ δαψιλῶς; ἢ ὅταν ἐλεῇ μὲν δαψιλῶς, πλεονεκτῶν δὲ καὶ βιαζόμενος; ἢ ὅταν μὲν μὴ πλεονεκτῶν μηδὲ βιαζόμενος, πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν δὲ ἀνθρώπων καὶ φιλοτιμίαν τῶν ὁρώντων; ἢ ὅταν ἐλεῇ μὲν μετὰ πάσης ἀκριβείας, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν, ἐπερείδεται δὲ αὐτῷ τούτῳ καὶ μέγα φρονῇ; ἢ ὅταν ταπεινὸς μὲν ᾖ καὶ νηστείαις προσέχων, φιλάργυρος δὲ καὶ ἐμπορικὸς καὶ τῇ γῇ προσηλωμένος, καὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν κακῶν ἐπεισάγων τῇ ψυχῇ, τὴν φιλαργυρίαν; Οὐκ ἔνι γὰρ, φησὶ, Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς