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Is he difficult to drive and harsh? but from the beginning you should have, seeing all these things, when he was easy to drive and very young, bridled him, accustomed him with exactness, regulated him towards what is necessary, punished the movements of his soul, when the work was easier; then you should have cut out the thorns, when, his age being more tender, they were more easily pulled up; and the passions, being neglected and growing, would not have become difficult to manage. What defense, then, could we offer, when God, whenever we are insulted by them, does not even spare their life? For he who speaks evil of father or mother, He says, let him be put to death; but when He is insulted by them, shall we not even endure to be indignant with them? I, He says, do not shrink from killing the one who insults you; but you do not even endure to grieve with a word the one who tramples on my laws? and where are these things worthy of pardon? Let us not, therefore, neglect our children, knowing that when their affairs with God are well-ordered, they will also be esteemed and illustrious in the present life. For everyone reveres and honors the one who lives with virtue and gentleness, even if he is poorer than all; just as they turn away from and hate the wicked man, even if he possesses great wealth; for those who neglect their children, even if they are gentle and moderate in other things, will undergo the ultimate punishment for this sin. But if you wish to know clearly that even if all our own affairs are well-managed, but we neglect the salvation of our children, we will pay the ultimate penalty, pay close attention to what is said; There was a certain priest among the Jews, a moderate and gentle man; Eli was his name; this man became the father of two sons; and seeing them proceeding to wickedness, he did not restrain or hinder them, or rather he did restrain and hinder them, but did not do this with all diligence; he did not impose punishment, but by words and exhortations tried to lead them away from this wickedness; and he continually said such words to them; No, my children, do not do so, for it is not a good report that I hear of you. And yet these words were sufficient to reclaim them; but nevertheless, since he did not show all that he ought, he made God an enemy to himself and to them; and by sparing his children inopportunely, he lost his own salvation along with his children. And 63.767 yet besides his negligence toward his children, God had nothing else to accuse the old man of. But if God thus overthrew with his whole house the one who had sinned less, will He leave unpunished those who have committed more grievous sins? For if the priest, the elder, the glorious one, who for twenty years had presided blamelessly over the nation of the Hebrews, none of these things had the power to save him, but because he did not care for his children with exactness, he perished most piteously, and the sin of this neglect, like a wild and great wave, overcame all those things, and concealed all his good deeds; what punishment will seize us who are far from his virtue, and not only do not preside over our children, but are also more cruelly disposed toward them than any barbarian? For just as one cannot flee to a defense and pardon for one's own sins; so neither can the parents for the sins committed by their children; and very rightly so. For if wickedness were present in men by nature, one might reasonably have fled to a defense; but since we become both wicked and virtuous from choice, what plausible reason could he have to say, who allows the one most desired of all to be perverted and become wicked? Do not, then, leave wealth to your children, so that you may leave virtue. For it is the utmost irrationality, while living, not to make them masters of all your possessions, but when you have died, to provide great license to the impulsiveness of their youth. And yet while living we will be able to both demand an account, and to discipline and bridle those who use their possessions badly; but when we have died, if along with our absence and their youth we also provide the power that comes from wealth, we will push them into countless

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δυσήνιός ἐστι καὶ τραχύς; ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔδει σε ταῦτα πάντα ὁρῶντα, ὅτε εὐήνιος ἦν καὶ κομιδῇ νέος, χαλινοῦν, μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐθίζειν, πρὸς τὰ δέοντα ῥυθμίζειν, κολάζειν αὐτοῦ τὰ κινήματα τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅτε εὐκολωτέρα ἡ ἐργασία· τότε τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκτεμεῖν ἔδει, ὅτε ἁπαλωτέρας οὔσης τῆς ἡλικίας εὐκολώτερον ἀνεσπῶντο· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀμελούμενα τὰ πάθη καὶ αὐξανόμενα δυσκατέργαστα γέγονε. Τίνα οὖν ἀπολογίαν ἔχοιμεν ἂν εἰπεῖν, ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς μὲν, ἐπειδὰν παρ' αὐτῶν ἡμεῖς ὑβριζώμεθα, μηδὲ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν φείδηται· Ὁ μὲν γὰρ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, φησὶ, θανάτῳ τελευτάτω· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑβριζομένου αὐτοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν, μηδὲ ἀγανακτεῖν αὐτοῖς ὑπομένωμεν; Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἀποκτεῖναι παραιτοῦμαι τὸν ὑβρίζοντά σε· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ ῥήματι λυπεῖν ἀνέχῃ τὸν τοὺς ἐμοὺς καταπατοῦντα νόμους; καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα συγγνώμης ἄξια; Μὴ τοίνυν τῶν παίδων ἀμελῶμεν, εἰδότες ὅτι τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν αὐτοῖς εὖ διακειμένων, καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἔσονται εὐδόκιμοι καὶ λαμπροί. Τὸν γὰρ ἀρετῇ συζῶντα καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ, πάντες αἰδοῦνται καὶ τιμῶσι, κἂν ἁπάντων πενέστερος ᾖ· ὡσπεροῦν τὸν πονηρὸν ἀποστρέφονται καὶ μισοῦσι, κἂν εὐπορίαν ᾖ κεκτημένος πολλήν· οἱ γὰρ τῶν παίδων ἀμελοῦντες, κἂν τὰ ἄλλα ὦσιν ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ μέτριοι, διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑποστήσονται δίκην. Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε γνῶναι σαφῶς, ὅτι κἂν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἡμῖν ἅπαντα καλῶς ᾖ διῳκημένα, τῆς δὲ τῶν παίδων ἀμελῶμεν σωτηρίας, τὴν ἐσχάτην τίσομεν δίκην, προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοῖς λεγομένοις· Ἱερεύς τις ἦν παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, μέτριος ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐπιεικής· Ἠλεὶ τούτῳ ὄνομα ἦν· οὗτος γίνεται δύο παίδων πατήρ· καὶ ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ κακίαν βαδίζοντας, οὐ κατεῖχεν οὐδὲ ἐκώλυεν, μᾶλλον δὲ κατεῖχε μὲν καὶ ἐκώλυεν, οὐ μετὰ πάσης δὲ ἐποίει τοῦτο σπουδῆς· τιμωρίαν μὲν οὐκ ἐπετίθει, λόγοις δὲ καὶ παραινέσεσιν ἐπειρᾶτο τῆς πονηρίας ταύτης ἀπάγειν αὐτούς· καὶ τοιαῦτα πρὸς αὐτοὺς συνεχῶς ἔλεγε ῥήματα· Μὴ, τέκνα, μὴ ποιεῖτε οὕτως, ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἀκοὴ, ἣν ἐγὼ ἀκούω περὶ ὑμῶν. Καίτοι ἱκανὰ μὲν καὶ ταῦτα αὐτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι τὰ ῥήματα· ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ μὴ τὸ πᾶν ὡς ἐχρῆν ἐπεδείξατο, ἑαυτῷ τε κἀκείνοις ἐξεπολέμωσε τὸν Θεόν· καὶ φεισάμενος αὑτοῦ τῶν παίδων ἀκαίρως, μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προσαπώλεσε σωτηρίαν. Καί 63.767 τοι πλὴν τῆς εἰς τοὺς παῖδας ῥᾳθυμίας οὐδὲν ἕτερον εἶχεν ἐγκαλεῖν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ πρεσβύτῃ. Εἰ δὲ τὸν ἐλάττονα ἁμαρτόντα, οὕτω πανέστιον ἀνέτρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς, τοὺς χαλεπώτερα πεπλημμεληκότας, ἀτιμωρήτους ἀφήσει; Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἱερέα, τὸν πρεσβύτην, τὸν ἔνδοξον, τὸν εἴκοσιν ἔτη προστάντα ἀλήπτως τοῦ τῶν Ἑβραίων ἔθνους, οὐδὲν τούτων ἴσχυσε παραιτήσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν παίδων οὐκ ἐπεμελήθη μετὰ ἀκριβείας, σφόδρα ἐλεεινῶς ἀπώλετο, καὶ τῆς ὀλιγωρίας ταύτης ἡ ἁμαρτία, καθάπερ κῦμα ἄγριον καὶ μέγα, πάντα ὑπερέσχεν ἐκεῖνα, καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα ἀπέκρυψεν ἅπαντα· τίς ἡμᾶς λήψεται δίκη τοὺς καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀποδέοντας πολὺ τῆς ἐκείνου, καὶ τῶν παίδων οὐ μόνον οὐ προϊσταμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρβάρου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον περὶ τούτους διακειμένους; Ὥσπερ γάρ τις ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων οὐκ ἔχει καταφυγεῖν εἰς ἀπολογίαν καὶ συγγνώμην· οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῖς παισὶν ἁμαρτανομένων οἱ γεννήτορες· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ φύσεως ἡ κακία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσῆν, εἰκότως ἄν τις εἰς ἀπολογίαν κατέφυγεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκ προαιρέσεως καὶ φαῦλοι γινόμεθα καὶ σπουδαῖοι, τίνα ἂν ἔχοι λόγον εὐπρόσωπον εἰπεῖν ὁ τὸν μάλιστα πάντων ποθούμενον διαστραφῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι πονηρὸν ἀφιείς; Μὴ δὴ πλοῦτον τοῖς παισὶ καταλίπῃς, ἵνα καταλίπῃς ἀρετήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀλογίας, ζῶντας μὲν μὴ ποιεῖν αὐτοὺς κυρίους πάντων τῶν ὄντων, τελευτήσαντας δὲ πολλὴν τῇ τῆς νεότητος εὐκολίᾳ παρέχειν τὴν ἄδειαν. Καίτοι γε ζῶντες μὲν δυνησόμεθα καὶ εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν, καὶ κακῶς τοῖς οὖσι κεχρημένους σωφρονίζειν καὶ χαλινοῦν· τελευτήσαντες δὲ, ἂν μετὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐρημίας καὶ τῆς νεότητος καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου παράσχωμεν ἐξουσίαν, εἰς μυρίους ὠθήσομεν