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Did you slander? Did you lie against? Did you plot against the marriages of others? Did you commit perjury? Did you move the boundaries of the fathers? Did you encroach upon the property of orphans? Did you afflict widows? Did you prefer the present pleasure to the good things in the Gospels? Expect the requital for these things. For whatever each one sows, that he will also reap. And if you have done any of the good things, expect the rewards for those things many times over. The just judgment of God is likened to our own dispositions, and whatever things are from us, such things are given back to us in return from like things. For one must by all means reap what one has sown, and it cannot be otherwise. The sowing is human choice; the harvest, the retribution for the choice. The harvest is worthy of your sowing. You have sown bitterness, reap the sheaves.

TITLE 11. -Concerning prosperity and adversity; and that one must not be lifted up in prosperity, nor be downcast in adversity.

Give me neither riches nor poverty; but appoint for me what is needful and sufficient, lest being full, I become a liar, and say, Who sees me? or being poor, I steal, and swear by the name of God. In a day of good things, be not unmindful of evil things, and in a day of evil things, be not unmindful of good things. Remember a time of famine in a time of plenty; poverty and want in a day of wealth. From early morning until evening the time will change; and all things are swift 95.1525 before the Lord. For a wise man will be cautious in everything. In a man's good fortunes his enemies are in grief, and in his misfortunes even a friend will be separated. Whatever is brought upon you, accept, and in the change of your humiliation be patient, because gold is tested in fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. There is need of a pilot, so that even in the calm of life, when all things proceed smoothly for him, he may expect changes, and not rest on present things as if they were immortal, and in the more gloomy circumstances not despair of himself, nor, being swallowed up by excessive grief, be carried under. For neither health of body, nor the flower of youth, nor abundance of the house, nor the rest of life's prosperity remains for long. But in this fair weather of life, expect also at some time a winter of affairs. For sickness will come, and poverty will come, the wind not always being at the stern, but also unexpected disgraces often seize the one who is supereminent in all things, the object of envy, and have disturbed all the prosperity of life, like certain reefs, with unwanted circumstances. And a succession of evils is like waves, some hurrying after others, making your life rough, and making the surge of your life fearsome, but you will see this too someday pass by towards cheerfulness, and your life changed into a truly bright calm. This, then, is the wise pilot, who considers the underlying nature, who manages what befalls him, and who remains like himself, neither being lifted up in good cheer, nor falling down in misfortunes. Sickness, and poverty, and disgrace, and death, and whatever things are grievous to men, it is not yet right to reckon in the category of evils, because we do not count their opposites among the greatest of good things, as some are from nature, and others appear to have happened profitably to many. Let us look upwards, brothers; in every time and in every circumstance let us put forward good hope, neither casting off fear in our desires, nor hopefulness in our griefs. Let us remember the storm in the fair weather, and the pilot in the winter. But let us not lose heart in afflictions, nor become evil servants. Confessing the Master when he does good, but not opposing him when he chastises; and yet sometimes sickness is better than health, and a reminder of ease, and a visitation of negligence, and a return of forgiveness. Let us neither fall because of misfortunes, nor become insolent because of satiety. Let us neither admire all health, nor despise sickness, 95.1528 nor

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ἐσυκοφάντησας; κατεψεύσω; ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπεβούλευσας γάμοις; ἐπιώρκησας; ὅρια πατέρων μετέθηκας; κτήμασιν ὀρφανῶν ἐπῆλθες; χήρας ἐξέθλιψας; τὴν παροῦσαν ἡδονὴν τῶν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἀγαθῶν προετίμησας; ἐκδέχου τούτων τὴν ἀντιμέτρησιν. Οἷα γὰρ σπείρει ἕκαστος, τοιαῦτα καὶ θερίσει. Καὶ εἰ μέν τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν πέπρακταί σοι, κἀκείνων ἐκδέχου πολυπλασίως τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. Ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισία ταῖς ἡμετέραις διαθέσεσιν ἐξομοιοῦται, καὶ οἷάπερ ἂν τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ᾖ, τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀντιπαρέχεται. Χρὴ γὰρ πάντως θερίσαι τινὰ ἅπερ ἔσπειρεν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλως. Σπορὰ δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη προαίρεσις· θέρος δὲ, ἡ ἐπὶ προαιρέσει ἀνταπόδοσις. Ἄξιόν σοι τῆς σπορᾶς τὸ θέρος. Πικρίαν ἔσπειρας, δρέπου τὰ δράγματα.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΑʹ. -Περὶ εὐπραγίας, καὶ δυσπραγίας· καὶ ὅτι οὐ χρὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι ἐν ταῖς εὐπραγίαις, καὶ συστέλλεσθαι ἐν τῇ δυσπραγίᾳ.

Πλοῦτον καὶ πενίαν μή μοι δῷς· σύνταξον δέ μοι τὰ δέοντα καὶ τὰ αὐταρκῆ, ἵνα μὴ πλησθεὶς, ψευδὴς γένωμαι, καὶ εἴπω, Τίς με ὁρᾷ; ἢ πενηθεὶς κλέψω, καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀγαθῶν μὴ ἀμνημονήσῃς κακῶν, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν, μὴ ἀμνημονήσῃς ἀγαθῶν. Μνήσθητι καιρὸν λιμοῦ ἐν καιρῷ πλησμονῆς· πτωχείαν καὶ ἔνδειαν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πλούτου. Ἀποπρωΐθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας μεταβαλεῖ καιρός· καὶ πάντα ἐστὶ ταχινὰ 95.1525 ἔναντι Κυρίου. Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ σοφὸς ἐν παντὶ εὐλαβηθήσεται. Ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδρὸς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν λύπῃ, καὶ ἐν κακοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ φίλος διαχωρισθήσεται. Πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν ἐπαχθῇ σοι, δέξαι, καὶ ἐν ἀλαλάγματι ταπεινώσεώς σου μακροθύμησον, ὅτι δοκιμάζεται ἐν πυρὶ χρυσὸς, καὶ ἄνθρωποι δεκτοὶ ἐν καμίνῳ ταπεινώσεως. Κυβερνήτου χρεία, ἵνα καὶ ἐν γαλήνῃ τοῦ βίου πάντων αὐτῷ κατὰ ῥοῦν προϊόντων, τὰς μεταβολὰς ἐκδέχηται, καὶ μὴ ὡς ἀθανάτοις ἐπαναπαύηται τοῖς παροῦσι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς σκυθρωποτέραις καταστάσεσι μὴ ἀπελπίζῃ ἑαυτὸν, μηδὲ τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθεὶς ὑποβρύχιος φέρηται. Οὔτε γὰρ ὑγεία σώματος, οὔτε νεότητος ἄνθος, οὔτε εὐθήνεια οἴκου, οὐχ ἡ λοιπὴ τοῦ βίου εὐημερία ἐπιπολὺ διαμένει. Ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ εὐδίᾳ ταύτῃ τοῦ βίου ἐκδέχου ποτὲ καὶ χειμῶνα πραγμάτων. Ἥξει γὰρ νόσος, καὶ ἥξει πενία, οὐκ ἀεὶ κατὰ πρύμναν ἱσταμένου τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ὑπέρβλεπτον ἐν πᾶσι, ζηλωτὸν ἀδόκητοι πολλάκις ἀδοξίαι καταλαμβάνουσι, καὶ πᾶσαν εὐημερίαν βίου, οἷον σπιλάδες τινὲς περιστάσεσιν ἀβουλήτοις συνετάραξαν. Καὶ συνέχεια τῶν κακῶν ὥσπερ κύματά ἐστιν, ἄλλα ἐπ' ἄλλοις ἐπειγόμενα, τραχύνοντά σου τὸν βίον, καὶ περιϊστῶντα φοβερόν σοι τῆς ζωῆς τὸν κλυδῶνα, ἀλλ' ὄψει ποτὲ καὶ τοῦτον παραδραμόντα πρὸς ἱλαρότητα, καὶ λευκὴν ὄντως εἰς γαλήνην τὸν βίον μεταβληθέντα. Οὗτος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ νοήμων κυβερνήτης, ὁ στοχαζόμενος τῆς ὑποκειμένης φύσεως, μεταχειριζόμενος τὰ συμπίπτοντα, καὶ ὅμοιος ἑαυτῷ διαμένων, μήτε ἐπαιρόμενος ἐν ταῖς εὐθυμίαις, μήτε καταπίπτων ἐν ταῖς συμφοραῖς. Νόσον, καὶ πενίαν, καὶ ἀδοξίαν, καὶ θάνατον, καὶ ὅσα λυπηρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οὔπω ἐν τῇ μοίρᾳ τῶν κακῶν καταλογίζεσθαι ἄξιον, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ τὰ ἀντικείμενα τούτοις ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀριθμεῖν, ὡς τὰ μὲν ἐκ φύσεώς ἐστι, τὰ δὲ καὶ συμφερόντως πολλοῖς ἀπαντήσαντα φαίνεται. Ἄνω νεύωμεν, ἀδελφοί· ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ καὶ περιστάσει πάσῃ προβαλλώμεθα τὴν καλὴν ἐλπίδα, μήτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ἀποβάλλωμεν τὸν φόβον, μήτε ἐν τοῖς λυπηροῖς τὸ εὔελπι. Μνησθῶμεν καὶ ἐν εὐδίᾳ τῆς ζάλης, καὶ ἐν χειμῶνι τοῦ κυβερνήτου. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ταῖς θλίψεσιν ἐκκακήσωμεν, μηδὲ γενώμεθα δοῦλοι κακοί. Ἀγαθύνοντι μὲν ἐξομολογούμενοι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, παιδεύοντι δὲ μὴ προστιθέμενοι· καίτοι ποτὲ κρείσσων ὑγείας νόσος, καὶ ὑπόμνησις ἀνέσεως, καὶ ἐπίσκεψις ἀμελείας, καὶ ἐπιστροφὴ συγχωρήσεως. Μήτε διὰ τὰς συμφορὰς πίπτωμεν, μήτε διὰ τὸν κόρον ὑβρίζωμεν. Μήτε ὑγείαν πᾶσαν θαυμάζωμεν, μήτε νόσον δια 95.1528 πτύωμεν, μηδὲ