155

But the opposite is true: endurance is for a time, but the enjoyment is perpetual. Therefore, the one who is so dissolute and indolent as not to disregard present pleasures for the sake of future ones is quickly captured. Tell me, from where was Esau captured? from where has he preferred present pleasure to future honor? From dissoluteness and weakness. But from where does this itself come, he says? From ourselves; and it is clear from this. For whenever we wish, we rouse ourselves and become enduring. If, at least, a necessity should ever arise, and often even by just being contentious, we have seen what is useful. Therefore, whenever you are about to live luxuriously, consider the temporary nature of the pleasure, the loss (for it is truly a loss to spend so much money along with its own ruin), the sicknesses, the infirmities, and despise luxury. How many do you want me to count for you who have suffered evils from luxury? Noah got drunk and was naked, and see how many evils came from this; Esau from gluttony gave away his birthright, and rushed to fratricide. The people of Israel sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. For this reason he says, Having eaten and drunk, remember the Lord your God. For those who have fallen into luxury have fallen into a precipice. The widow, he says, who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives; and again, The beloved grew fat, grew thick, and kicked; and again the Apostle, Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. I do not legislate fasting (for there is no one who listens), but I abolish wastefulness, I cut off luxury, for your benefit; for like a winter torrent, so luxury overturns all things; there is nothing to hinder it; it casts out kingdoms. What more? Do you want to live luxuriously? Give to the poor, call Christ, so that even after the table is cleared you may be able to live luxuriously. For now you cannot; naturally, for things here do not last; but then you will be able. Do you want to live luxuriously? Nourish the soul, give it the foods to which it is accustomed; do not starve it. It is a time of war, a time of contest; but you sit living luxuriously? Do you not see even those entrusted with the scepters living frugally on foreign campaigns? Our struggle is not against flesh and blood; but you fatten yourself when you are about to wrestle? The adversary stands grinding his teeth, but you are dissolute, and attend to your table. I know that I say these things in vain, but not to all. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Christ wastes away from hunger, but you tear yourself apart with gluttony; two excesses. For what evil does luxury not do? It is contrary to itself; whence I do not know how it even has this name; but just as glory, being dishonor, and wealth, being poverty, is called this; so too is luxury, being unpleasantness. For are we to be sacrificed, that we fatten ourselves? Why do you provide a splendid table for the worm? why do you make the humors more abundant? why do you store up fountains of sweat and bad odors? why do you render yourself useless for everything? Do you want your eye to become strong? Make the body well-toned. For even among strings, the one that is 60.209 thick and unrefined is useless for melodies; but the one that is finely worked on all sides is well-toned and perfectly harmonious. Why do you bury the soul? why do you make the wall thicker? why the great smoke and cloud, when vapors like a mist are given off from all sides? Even if no one else, let the athletes teach you, that the leaner body is stronger. Therefore also the philosophizing soul is better toned; for it is like a charioteer and a horse. And it is possible to see, just as with men who give themselves to luxury and are fleshy, so too the fleshy horses are difficult to move, and cause many problems for the charioteer. It is desirable for one having a well-reined and swift-footed horse to be able to receive the prize. But when 60.210 the charioteer is forced to drag it, and having fallen, not to raise it up though pricking it countless times, even if he himself is very skilled, he will be deprived of the victory. Let us not then overlook our soul being abused because of the body, but let us make it more discerning; let us make its wing light, its bonds looser; let us nourish it with words, with self-sufficiency, as much as is needed for only the

155

τὰ δὲ τοὐναντίον, τὴν μὲν καρτερίαν πρόσκαιρον, διηνεκῆ δὲ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ὁ τοίνυν οὕτω χαῦνος καὶ ῥᾴθυμος, ὥστε μὴ ὑπεριδεῖν τῶν παρόντων ἡδέων ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων, ταχέως ἁλίσκεται. Εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ἡσαῦ πόθεν ἑάλω; πόθεν τὴν παροῦσαν ἡδονὴν τῆς μελλούσης προτετίμηκε τιμῆς; Ἀπὸ χαυνότητος καὶ μαλακίας. Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ πόθεν, φησίν; Ἐξ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Ὅταν γὰρ θέλωμεν, διανιστῶμεν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ καρτερικοὶ γινόμεθα Ἐὰν γοῦν ἀνάγκη ποτὲ ἐπέλθοι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ φιλονεικήσαντες μόνον, τὸ χρήσιμον συνείδομεν. Ὅταν τοίνυν μέλλῃς τρυφᾷν, ἐννόησον τὸ πρόσκαιρον τῆς ἡδονῆς, τὴν ζημίαν (ζημία γὰρ ὄντως ἐστὶ μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας λύμης τοσαῦτα χρήματα δαπανᾷν), τὰς νόσους, τὰς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ καταφρόνησον τρυφῆς. Πόσους σοὶ βούλει ἀριθμήσω κακὰ παθόντας ἀπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς; Ὁ Νῶε ἐμεθύσθη καὶ ἐγυμνώθη, καὶ ὅρα πόσα γέγονε κακὰ ἀπὸ τούτου· ὁ Ἡσαῦ ἀπὸ λαιμαργίας προέδωκε τὰ πρωτοτόκια, καὶ εἰς ἀδελφοκτονίαν ὥρμησεν. Ὁ λαὸς ὁ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκάθισε φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, Φαγὼν καὶ πιὼν μνήσθητι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. Εἰς γὰρ κρημνὸν ἐνέπεσον οἱ εἰς τὴν τρυφὴν ἐμπεσόντες. Ἡ χήρα, φησὶν, ἡ σπαταλῶσα, ζῶσα τέθνηκεν· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐλιπάνθη, ἐπαχύνθη, καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, Τῆς σαρκὸς πρόνοιαν μὴ ποιεῖσθε εἰς ἐπιθυμίας. Οὐ νομοθετῶ νηστείαν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ ἀκούων ἐστίν), ἀλλ' ἀναιρῶ σπατάλην, ἐκκόπτω τρυφὴν, διὰ τὸ χρήσιμον τὸ ὑμέτερον· καθάπερ γὰρ χείμαῤῥος, οὕτω πάντα ἀνατρέπει ἡ τρυφή· οὐδὲν αὐτὴν τὸ κωλύον ἐστί· βασιλείας ἐκβάλλει. Τί τὸ πλέον; Βούλει τρυφᾷν; ∆ὸς πένησι, κάλεσον τὸν Χριστὸν ἵνα καὶ μετὰ τὸ τὴν τράπεζαν ἀρθῆναι ἔχῃς τρυφᾷν. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχεις. εἰκότως· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕστηκε τὰ ἐνταῦθα· τότε δὲ ἕξεις. Βούλει τρυφῆσαι; Θρέψον τὴν ψυχὴν, μετάδος αὐτῇ σιτίων ὧν ἔθος ἔχει· μὴ λιμοκτονήσῃς αὐτήν. Καιρὸς πολέμου, καιρὸς ἀγῶνος· σὺ δὲ κάθησαι τρυφῶν; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς καὶ τοὺς τὰ σκῆπτρα ἐγκεχειρισμένους ἐν ταῖς ἔξω στρατείαις εὐτελῶς ζῶντας; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα· σὺ δὲ λιπαίνεις σαυτὸν μέλλων παλαίειν; Ἕστηκε τρίζων τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀντίπαλος, σὺ δὲ διακεχυμένος τυγχάνεις, καὶ τραπέζῃ προσέχεις. Οἶδα εἰκῆ ταῦτα λέγων, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἅπασιν. Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. Ὁ Χριστὸς ὑπὸ λιμοῦ τήκεται, σὺ δὲ ὑπὸ γαστριμαργίας διασπᾷς σαυτόν· δύο ἀμετρίαι. Τί γὰρ οὐ ποιεῖ κακὸν ἡ τρυφή; Πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐναντία ἐστίν· ὅθεν οὐκ οἶδα, πῶς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο ἔχει· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ δόξα ἀτιμία οὖσα, καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος πενία ὢν, τοῦτο κέκληται· οὕτω καὶ ἡ τρυφὴ ἀηδία οὖσα. Μὴ γὰρ τυθῆναι ἔχομεν, ὅτι λιπαίνομεν ἑαυτούς; Τί παρέχεις τῷ σκώληκι λαμπρὰν τὴν τράπεζαν; τί πλείονας ποιεῖς τοὺς ἰχώρας; τί πηγὰς ἱδρώτων, καὶ δυσωδίας ἐναποτίθεσαι; τί πρὸς πάντα σεαυτὸν ἄχρηστον κατασκευάζεις; Βούλει γενέσθαι ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ὀφθαλμόν; Τὸ σῶμα ποίησον εὔτονον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς χορδαῖς ἡ μὲν 60.209 παχεῖα καὶ ἀδιακάθαρτος, ἄχρηστος πρὸς τὰς μελῳδίας· ἡ δὲ πάντοθεν ἐπεξεσμένη εὔτονός ἐστι καὶ παναρμόνιος. Τί καταχωννύεις τὴν ψυχήν; τί τοῖχον παχύτερον ποιεῖς; τί πολὺν τὸν καπνὸν καὶ τὴν νεφέλην, ὅταν ἀτμοὶ καθάπερ τις ἀχλὺς πάντοθεν ὦσιν ἀναδιδόμενοι; Εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ἕτερος, οἱ ἀθληταί σε παιδευέτωσαν, ὅτι τὸ ἰσχνότερον σῶμα ἰσχυρότερον. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ φιλοσοφοῦσα ψυχὴ εὐτονωτέρα· ἡνιόχῳ γὰρ καὶ ἵππῳ ἔοικε. Καὶ ἔξεστιν ὁρᾷν, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τρυφῇ προσεχόντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ εὐσαρκούντων, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς εὐσαρκοῦντας τῶν ἵππων δυσκινήτους ὄντας, καὶ πολλὰ τῷ ἡνιόχῳ πράγματα παρέχοντας. Ἀγαπητὸν εὐήνιον ἵππον ἔχοντα καὶ εὐσκελῆ δυνηθῆναι τὸ βραβεῖον λαβεῖν. Ὅταν 60.210 δὲ ἀναγκάζηται ὁ ἡνίοχος ἕλκειν αὐτὸν, καὶ καταπεσόντα μυριάκις νύττων μὴ διανιστᾷν, κἂν σφόδρα αὐτὸς ἔμπειρος ᾖ, τῆς νίκης ἀποστερηθήσεται. Μὴ δὴ περιΐδωμεν ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπηρεαζομένην διὰ τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνην διορατικωτέραν ἐργασώμεθα· τὸ πτερὸν αὐτῇ κοῦφον ποιήσωμεν, χαυνότερα τὰ δεσμά· λόγοις αὐτὴν τρέφωμεν, αὐταρκείᾳ, ὅσον ὑγιαίνειν μόνον τὸ