157

those miserable and wretched precipices. Let us not, therefore, consider this, how we may leave them rich, but how virtuous. For if they trust in wealth, they will care for nothing else, as having the means to conceal the wickedness of their ways with an abundance of money; but if they see themselves destitute of comfort from that source, they will do everything to find great comfort for their poverty through virtue. Let us not then engage in private or public affairs, until we have corrected our own soul. If you educate your own sons, they too will educate their own, and again they will teach their own; and so until the coming of Christ the matter will advance, bringing the entire reward for this to those who provided the root. For if you raise your child well, so will he raise his own son, and this one his son; and like a certain chain and sequence of the best conduct it will proceed forever, taking its beginning and its root from you, and bringing you the fruits of the care of your descendants. For fathers who neglect the modesty and temperance of their children are child-murderers, and in a more grievous way than those others, inasmuch as the destruction and death is of the soul. Just as, then, if you see a horse being carried over a cliff, you put a bridle in its mouth, and pull it back forcefully, and whip it often, and although this is a punishment, yet this punishment is the mother of salvation; so also do with your children when they sin; bind the one who has transgressed, until he propitiates God; do not leave him loosed, lest he be bound more 63.768 by the wrath of God. For if you bind him, God will no longer bind him; but if you do not bind him, unbreakable bonds await him. But he has given enough time for punishment, he says. How much, tell me? A year and two and three years? But I do not seek a length of time, but the correction of the soul; show me this, then, if he was contrite, if he has changed, and the whole thing is done; for if this is not so, there is no further benefit from the time. For we do not ask if the wound was bound many times, but if the binding did any good. If, then, it helped even in a short time, let it no longer be applied; but if it did no good, let it still be applied even after ten years; and let this be the limit for loosing the one who is bound: the benefit. For nothing so shows the one who has authority, as the tender love for those under his authority. For it is not only begetting that makes a father, but also loving after begetting. But if where there is nature, love is needed, much more where there is grace. And you, O child, serve as a servant those who begot you. For what will you give back to them, such as they have given you? For it is not possible to beget them in return. But also when your father rebukes your brother, be angry with him too, whether out of concern for your brother, or out of indignation with your father. For if the one who has sinned sees that he was rebuked by his father but flattered by you, he becomes more indifferent. And the harm does not stop there, but you also bring punishment upon yourself. For he who prevents the wound from being healed has no less a punishment than the one who inflicted it, but even a greater one; for it is not the same to strike, and to prevent what has been struck from being healed; for the latter certainly brings forth death, but the former not in every case. Let us not then despise those who have begotten us; for even if we despise them, fearing our rulers we shall certainly be more decent; and even if we disdain them in our sinning, we shall never be able to escape the rebuke of conscience; and even if we dishonor and evade this, fearing the opinion of the many we shall be better; and even if we are shameless towards this, the impending fear of the laws will be able to make us temperate even against our will. For just as when the wicked are punished, others become better, so also when some act rightly, many are led to the same zeal. For the child, as long as he is led by some fearsome tutor, even if he is temperate, even if he lives with decency, it is nothing wonderful, but his temperance to the fear of the tutor

157

κρημνοὺς τοὺς ἀθλίους καὶ ταλαιπώρους ἐκείνους. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο σκοπῶμεν, ὅπως πλουσίους αὐτοὺς καταλίπωμεν, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐναρέτους. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ τῷ πλούτῳ θαῤῥῶσιν, οὐδενὸς ἐπιμελήσονται ἄλλου, ὡς ἔχοντες συσκιάσαι τὴν τῶν τρόπων κακίαν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων περιουσίας· ἂν δὲ ἴδωσιν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν παραμυθίας ὄντας ἐρήμους, πάντα ἐργάσονται ὥστε διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς πολλὴν τῇ πενίᾳ τὴν παραμυθίαν εὑρέσθαι. Μὴ οὖν πρότερον ἰδιωτικῶν ἢ δημοσίων ἁψώμεθα πραγμάτων, ἕως ἂν τὴν ψυχὴν διορθωσώμεθα τὴν ἑαυτῶν. Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν υἱοὺς παιδεύσητε, κἀκεῖνοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν παιδεύσουσι, καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν διδάξουσι· καὶ οὕτω μέχρι τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα προβαῖνον τοῖς τὴν ῥίζαν παρασχοῦσιν ἅπαντα οἴσει τούτου τὸν μισθόν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀναθρέψῃς σὺ καλῶς τὸ παιδίον, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ οὗτος τὸν υἱόν· καὶ καθάπερ σειρά τις καὶ ἀκολουθία πολιτείας ἀρίστης μέχρι παντὸς βαδιεῖται, παρὰ σοῦ λαβοῦσα τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐγγόνων ἐπιμελείας σοι φέρουσα τοὺς καρπούς. Οἱ γὰρ τῆς τῶν παίδων κοσμιότητός τε καὶ σωφροσύνης ἀμελοῦντες πατέρες παιδοκτόνοι τυγχάνουσι, καὶ χαλεπώτερον ἢ ἐκεῖνοι, ὅσῳ καὶ πρὸς ψυχὴν ἡ ἀπώλεια καὶ ὁ θάνατος. Ὥσπερ οὖν, ἂν ἵππον ἴδῃς κατὰ κρημνοῦ φερόμενον, χαλινὸν ἐμβάλλεις τῷ στόματι, καὶ ἀναχαιτίζεις μετὰ σφοδρότητος, καὶ μαστίζεις πολλάκις, καίτοι γε τοῦτο κόλασίς ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἡ κόλασις αὕτη σωτηρίας μήτηρ ἐστίν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παίδων ποίει τῶν σῶν, ἁμαρτανόντων αὐτῶν· δῆσον τὸν πλημμελήσαντα, ἕως ἂν ἐξιλεώσῃ τὸν Θεόν· μὴ ἀφῇς λελυμένον, ἵνα μὴ πλέον 63.768 δεθῇ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῇ. Ἂν γὰρ σὺ δήσῃς, ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔτι δεσμεῖ· ἂν δὲ μὴ δήσῃς, τὰ ἄῤῥηκτα αὐτὸν περιμένει δεσμά. Ἀλλ' ἱκανὸν ἔδωκε χρόνον τιμωρίαν, φησί. Πόσον, εἰπέ μοι; ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἔτη δύο καὶ τρία; Ἀλλ' οὐ χρόνου πλῆθος ζητῶ, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς διόρθωσιν· τοῦτο τοίνυν δεῖξον, εἰ κατενύγη, εἰ μετεβάλετο, καὶ τὸ πᾶν γέγονεν· ὡς ἂν μὴ τοῦτο ᾖ, οὐδὲν ὄφελος τοῦ χρόνου λοιπόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ πολλάκις ἐπεδέθη τὸ τραῦμα ζητοῦμεν, ἀλλ' εἰ ὤνησέ τι ὁ δεσμός. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὠφέλησε καὶ ἐν χρόνῳ βραχεῖ, μηκέτι προσκείσθω· εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ὤνησε, καὶ μετὰ δέκα ἐνιαυτοὺς ἔτι προσκείσθω· καὶ ὅρος οὗτος ἔστω λύσεως τοῦ δεδεμένου, τὸ κέρδος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω δείκνυσι τὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντα, ὡς ἡ φιλοστοργία ἡ περὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους. Καὶ γὰρ πατέρα οὐ τὸ γεννῆσαι μόνον ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φιλεῖν μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα φύσις, ἀγάπης χρεία, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔνθα ἡ χάρις. Καὶ σὺ δὲ, ὦ παῖ, ὡς οἰκέτης δούλευσον τοῖς γεννήσασί σε. Τί γὰρ ἀνταποδώσεις αὐτοῖς, οἷα αὐτοὶ σοί; ἀντιγεννῆσαι γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἔνι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν ὁ πατὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπιτιμήσῃ τὸν σὸν, συνοργίσθητι καὶ σὺ, εἴτε ὡς ἀδελφοῦ κηδόμενος, εἴτε ὡς πατρὶ συναγανακτῶν. Ἂν γὰρ ἴδῃ ὁ ἡμαρτηκὼς, ὅτι ἐπετιμήθη μὲν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς, ἐκολακεύθη δὲ παρὰ σοῦ, ῥᾳθυμότερος γίνεται. Καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου τὰ τῆς ζημίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κόλασιν ἄγεις ἐπὶ σαυτόν. Ὁ γὰρ κωλύων τὸ τραῦμα θεραπευθῆναι, τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸ οὐκ ἐλάττονα ἔχει κόλασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονα· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον πλῆξαι, καὶ τὸ πληγὲν κωλῦσαι θεραπευθῆναι· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ θάνατον τίκτει πάντως, ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐ πάντως. Μὴ δὴ τῶν γεγεννηκότων καταφρονῶμεν· κἂν γὰρ αὐτῶν καταφρονήσωμεν, τοὺς ἄρχοντας δεδοικότες ἐπιεικέστεροι πάντως ἐσόμεθα· κἂν ἐκείνων διαπτύσωμεν ἁμαρτάνοντες, τὴν τοῦ συνειδότος οὐδέποτε δυνησόμεθα διαφυγεῖν ἐπιτίμησιν· κἂν ταύτην ἀτιμάσωμεν καὶ διακρουσώμεθα, τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόληψιν δεδοικότες ἀμείνους ἐσόμεθα· κἂν πρὸς ταύτην ἀναισχυντήσωμεν, ὁ τῶν νόμων ἐπικείμενος φόβος καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς σωφρονίσαι δυνήσεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ κολαζομένων τῶν πονηρῶν, ἕτεροι βελτίους γίνονται, οὕτω καί τινων κατορθούντων πολλοὶ πρὸς τὸν ἴσον ἐνάγονται ζῆλον. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ παιδίον, ἕως μὲν ἂν ὑπὸ παιδαγωγοῦ τινος ἄγηται φοβεροῦ, κἂν σωφρονῇ, κἂν μετ' ἐπιεικείας ζῇ, θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ φόβῳ τὴν σωφροσύνην