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Thus He arranged for all to be in the same place, and for the wicked and the good to be intermingled, so that both the evil of the wicked might be cut off, and the virtue of the good might be shown to be more radiant, and that the indolent might gain the greatest things, if they wish, from the company of the diligent. For just as the noble and good are worthy of double honor, because they have become virtuous and were not harmed by the wicked; so also the base are worthy of double punishment, both because they became wicked when they could have become noble, and because they gained nothing from the good. And just as the good are admired not only by the good, but also by the wicked, so also the evil are hated not only by the virtuous, but also by the base. But the many admire the wicked, as being capable of doing injustice and harm, not knowing that they ought to pity them most of all, because in thinking they are harming others they thrust the sword against themselves; which is the height of folly, to strike oneself, and not even to know this very thing, but to think one is wronging another while slaughtering oneself. For it is not being wronged that is evil, but doing wrong and not knowing how to bear being wronged. For how many injustices did David suffer? And how many injustices did Saul commit? Who then became more wretched and more pitiful? And who more glorious and more blessed? Was not the one choked by despondency and the evil demon; while the other shone brighter than the sun with his trophies and his favor toward God? Was not the one strangled by envy, while the other, bearing all things in silence, captured all and bound them to himself, since the one tried many times to kill, while the other, being pursued, took his enemy into his hands, and having taken him, spared him? Who is shown to be weaker, and who more powerless? Was it not he who did not even retaliate justly? And very rightly so. For the one had armed soldiers, but the other had righteousness, stronger than ten thousand armies, as his ally and helper. But when this very one who was wronged and had been strong, later did wrong, see how he becomes weaker. He wronged Uriah, and the order was reversed again; and weakness passed to the one who did wrong, while power passed to the one who was wronged, and being dead he ravaged the house of that man; and he himself, though a king and living, had no power; but that one, though a soldier and slain, turned all his affairs upside down. Therefore, whenever you see someone living rightly and always looking toward pie 63.757 ty, even if he is covered in a thousand chains, and lives constantly in a prison, even if he serves unworthy masters, even if he is poor, even if his eyes are gouged out, even if he is being burned, even if his body is consumed bit by bit, even if he suffers any other dreadful thing, call such a person blessed and consider him to be enviable; but when you see another living in licentiousness and wickedness and the worst evils, and enjoying great honor, ascending to the royal throne itself, and wearing a diadem and having a purple robe, and ruling over the whole world, weep for such a person for this reason and pity him. For there is truly nothing more wretched than a soul in such a state, even if it has the entire world subject to it. For what is the benefit of being rich in possessions, when in virtue one is poorer than all? And what is the gain in ruling so many, when one cannot overcome oneself and one's own passions? For if our own virtue is not sufficient for our salvation, but we must also depart having brought others, when we save neither ourselves nor others, what will we suffer? from where then will we have hope of salvation? If to be pleasing to God, this is to be human; one who does not even wish to hear how he might accomplish this, what else could he be but a wild beast? Consider, then, how great an evil it would be, when Christ wishes to make us equal to angels from being human, for us to change from being human into wild beasts. For to be a slave to the belly, and to be possessed by the desire for money, and to be angry and to bite and to kick, is not characteristic of humans, but of wild beasts. Just as, therefore, when we incline towards sloth we are harmed even by trivial things; so, if we wish to be sober, even if there are ten thousand who draw us towards wickedness, nothing will be able to ruin our diligence. But if you wish to learn, that

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οὕτως ᾠκονόμησε κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἅπαντας εἶναι, καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἀναμεμῖχθαι, ἵνα καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν ἡ κακία ἐκκόπτηται, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ ἀρετὴ λαμπροτέρα δείκνυται, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κερδάνωσιν οἱ ῥᾴθυμοι, εἰ βούλονται, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν σπουδαίων συνουσίας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ καλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ διπλῆς ἄξιοι τιμῆς, ὅτι καὶ χρηστοὶ γεγόνασι καὶ οὐδὲν παρὰ τῶν πονηρῶν ἐβλάβησαν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ φαῦλοι διπλῆς ἄξιοι κολάσεως, ὅτι τε πονηροὶ γεγόνασι δυνάμενοι γενέσθαι καλοὶ, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκέρδανον. Καὶ ὥσπερ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς οὐχ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ θαυμάζουσιν, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς κακοὺς οὐχ οἱ χρηστοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ φαῦλοι μισοῦσιν. Ἀλλ' οἱ πολλοὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς θαυμάζουσιν, ὡς ἱκανοὺς ὄντας ἀδικεῖν καὶ βλάπτειν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι μάλιστα πάντων αὐτοὺς ταλανίζειν ἐχρῆν, ὅτι νομίζοντες ἑτέρους βλάπτειν καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὸ ξίφος ὠθοῦσιν· ὅπερ ἀνοίας ἐστὶν ἐσχάτης, ἑαυτὸν πλήττοντα, μηδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰδέναι, ἀλλὰ ἕτερον δοκεῖν ἀδικεῖν ἐν τῷ κατασφάττειν ἑαυτόν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι κακὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀδικεῖν καὶ μὴ εἰδέναι φέρειν ἀδικούμενον. Πόσα γὰρ ἠδικεῖτο ὁ ∆αυΐδ; πόσα δὲ ἠδίκει ὁ Σαούλ; τίς οὖν γέγονεν ἀθλιώτερος καὶ ἐλεεινότερος; τίς δὲ λαμπρότερος καὶ μακαριώτερος; οὐχ ὁ μὲν ἀπεπνίγετο ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος· ὁ δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον ἔλαμπε τοῖς τροπαίοις καὶ τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν εὐνοίᾳ; οὐχ ὁ μὲν ἀπηγχονίζετο τῷ φθόνῳ, ὁ δὲ σιγῇ πάντα φέρων, ἅπαντας εἷλε καὶ ἑαυτῷ προσέδησεν, ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρει πολλάκις, ὁ δὲ διωκόμενος τὸν πολέμιον εἰς χεῖρας ἐλάμβανε, καὶ λαμβάνων ἐφείδετο; Τίς ἀσθενέστερος, τίς δὲ ἀδυνατώτερος δείκνυται; οὐχ οὗτος ὁ μηδὲ δικαίως ἐπεξελθών; Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ στρατιώτας ὡπλισμένους, ὁ δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, τὴν μυρίων στρατοπέδων ἰσχυροτέραν, εἶχε σύμμαχον καὶ βοηθόν. Ὅτε δὲ αὐτὸς αὗτος ὁ ἀδικηθεὶς καὶ ἰσχύσας ἠδίκησεν ὕστερον, ὅρα πῶς ἀσθενέστερος γίνεται. Ἠδίκησε τὸν Οὐρίαν, καὶ μετέστη πάλιν ἡ τάξις· καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀσθένεια πρὸς τὸν ἀδικήσαντα, ἡ δὲ δύναμις πρὸς τὸν ἀδικηθέντα διέβη, καὶ νεκρὸς ὢν ἐπόρθει τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐκείνου· καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν βασιλεὺς ὢν καὶ ζῶν οὐδὲν ἴσχυσεν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ στρατιώτης ὢν καὶ σφαγεὶς, πάντα τὰ ἐκείνου ἄνω καὶ κάτω πεποίηκεν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ ὀρθῶς ζῶντα καὶ ἀεὶ πρὸς εὐσέ 63.757 βειαν βλέποντα, κἂν μυρίας ἁλύσεις περικέηται, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῇ διαπαντὸς, κἂν ἀναξίοις δουλεύῃ, κἂν πένηται, κἂν ἐξορύττηται, κἂν καίηται, κἂν κατὰ μικρὸν δαπανᾶται τὸ σῶμα, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἄλλο πάσχῃ δεινὸν, μακάριζε τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ ζηλωτὸν εἶναι νόμιζε· ὅταν δὲ ἴδῃς ἕτερον ἐν ἀσελγείᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ζῶντα κακοῖς, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαύοντα τιμῆς, ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτὸν ἀναβαίνοντα τὸν βασιλικὸν, καὶ διάδημα περικείμενον καὶ ἁλουργίδα ἔχοντα, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης κρατοῦντα, δάκρυσον διὰ τοῦτο τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ ταλάνιζε. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὄντως ἀθλιώτερον τῆς οὕτω διακειμένης ψυχῆς, κἂν ἅπασαν ὑποτεταγμένην ἔχῃ τὴν οἰκουμένην. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἐν χρήμασι πλουτεῖν, ὅταν κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν πάντων πενέστερος ᾖ; τί δὲ κέρδος τοσούτων κρατεῖν, ὅταν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παθῶν περιγενέσθαι μὴ δύνηται; Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῖν ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀρετὴ, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ ἑτέρους ἔχοντας ἀπελθεῖν, ὅταν μήτε ἑαυτοὺς μήτε ἑτέρους διασώσωμεν, τί πεισόμεθα; πόθεν λοιπὸν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἕξομεν; Εἰ τὸ εὐαρεστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, τοῦτό ἐστιν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι· ὁ μηδὲ ὅπως τοῦτο κατορθώσειεν ἀκοῦσαι θέλων, τί ἂν ἕτερον ἢ θηρίον εἴη; Ἐννόησον οὖν ὅσον ἂν εἴη κακὸν, τοῦ Χριστοῦ θέλοντος ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἰσαγγέλους ποιεῖν, αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς θηρία μεταπεσεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ τῇ γαστρὶ δουλεύειν, καὶ τῇ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίᾳ κατέχεσθαι, καὶ ὀργίζεσθαι καὶ δάκνειν καὶ λακτίζειν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ θηρίων ἐστίν. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀποκλίνοντες καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τυχόντων βλαπτόμεθα· οὕτως, ἐὰν βουλώμεθα νήφειν, κἂν μυρίοι ὦσιν οἱ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἕλκοντες, οὐδὲν ἡμῶν τὴν σπουδὴν λυμήνασθαι δυνήσεται. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις μαθεῖν, ὅτι