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to do this; for I consider your good deeds to be my own achievements. For if there were neither hell nor punishment, and I, having come to you, had asked this of you as a favor, would you not have consented? Would you not have granted the request to one asking for so light a favor? But when it is God who asks this for your sakes, you who are the givers, not for His own sake who receives, who is so ungrateful, who is so wretched and miserable, as not to grant it to God when He asks a favor? I beseech you, therefore, each of you, to go home taking with you the severed head of John, still dripping with warm blood, and to imagine you see it before your eyes, uttering a voice and saying, 'Hate my murderer, the oath.' For often a craftsman has sworn to his apprentice that he will not let him eat or drink before he completes all the work given to him. A tutor has often done this to a youth, and a mistress to a maidservant; and when evening came on and the work was not finished, it was necessary either for those who did not finish to perish from hunger, or for those who had sworn to commit perjury. Often too, while we are dining at home, and one of the servants makes a mistake, the wife has sworn she will scourge him; the husband has sworn the opposite, and has stood up, contending and not allowing it. Here, whatever they do, perjury must certainly occur; for whatever happens, one of them will be caught in perjury, or rather, both of them certainly; and how, I will tell you; for this is the paradox. He who swore to scourge the manservant or the maidservant, and then was prevented, both perjured himself by not doing what 63.773 he swore, and brought the charge of perjury upon the one who prevented him and cut short the keeping of the oath. For not only those who commit perjury, but also those who impose this necessity on others, are liable to the same charges. For how is it not absurd, that a servant does not dare to call his own master by name, nor simply and casually, but to carry the Lord of angels everywhere simply and with much contempt? Do you wish to learn how it is possible to be rid of the wicked habit of the oath? I will teach you a certain way, which if you do, you will certainly overcome it. For when you see yourself or some others caught by this evil passion, and though continually reminded, not correcting yourselves, command them to go to sleep without having had dinner; and impose this sentence on yourself and on them; a sentence not causing loss, but bringing gain. For the tongue, being thus continually tormented, even if no one reminds it, receives sufficient exhortation; and even if we are more insensible than all, being reminded every day by the magnitude of this torment, we will not need other counsel and exhortation. For just as, it says, a servant who is continually examined will not be cleansed from bruising; so he who swears and names the name of God continually will not be cleansed from sin. Let us therefore persuade ourselves to flee the habit of oaths, and to make the change for the better. For even if yesterday and the day before I spoke to you about this subject, yet I will not desist today, nor the next day, nor the day after that, from giving this advice. And why do I say tomorrow and the day after that? Until I see that you have succeeded, I will not refrain. For to remind continually about the same things is not the fault of the speaker, but of the hearers who are in need of continual teaching. For what is easier than not to swear? The achievement is a matter of habit only, it is not a labor of the body. Let him who has gone ahead and succeeded reproach him who is left behind, that he may stir him up the more with his taunts; let him who has lagged behind and has not yet succeeded look to the one who has gone ahead, and strive eagerly to reach him quickly. And let no one say to me: 'But what if someone imposes on us the necessity of oaths? What if he does not believe?' Most certainly, therefore, where a law is transgressed, one must not make mention of necessity; for there is one unavoidable necessity, not to offend

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τοῦτο ποιεῖν· τὰ γὰρ ὑμέτερα ἀγαθὰ ἐμαυτοῦ νομίζω εἶναι κατορθώματα. Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ γέεννα ἦν μηδὲ κόλασις, ἐγὼ δὲ προσελθὼν ὑμῖν τοῦτο ἐν χάριτος ᾐτησάμην μέρει, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἐπενεύσατε; οὐκ ἂν ἐδώκατε τὴν αἴτησιν οὕτω κούφην οὕτως αἰτοῦντι χάριν; ὅταν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὴν αἰτῶν ᾖ δι' ὑμᾶς τοὺς διδόντας, οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν λαμβάνοντα, τίς οὕτως ἀγνώμων, τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς Θεῷ χάριν αἰτοῦντι μὴ δοῦναι; Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου λαβόντας ἀποτετμημένην, καὶ θερμοῦ τοῦ αἵματος ἔτι ἀποστάζουσαν, οὕτως ἀπελθεῖν οἴκαδε ἕκαστον, καὶ νομίζειν πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὁρᾷν αὐτὴν, φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσαν καὶ λέγουσαν, Μισήσατε τὸν ἐμοῦ σφαγέα, τὸν ὅρκον. Πολλάκις γὰρ τεχνίτης διωμόσατο τῷ μαθητῇ, μὴ πρότερον αὐτὸν ἀφήσειν φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, ἕως τὸ δοθὲν ἔργον ἅπαν ἀνύσει. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ παιδαγωγὸς πολλάκις πρὸς νέον, καὶ πρὸς θεράπαιναν ἐποίησε δέσποινα· καὶ ἀνάγκη τῆς ἑσπέρας καταλαβούσης, καὶ τοῦ ἔργου μὴ πληρωθέντος ἢ λιμῷ διαφθαρῆναι τοὺς οὐκ ἀνύσαντας, ἢ ἐπιορκῆσαι πάντως τοὺς ὀμόσαντας. Πολλάκις καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἀριστοποιουμένων ἡμῶν, καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν τινος διαμαρτάνοντος, ὤμοσε μαστιγώσειν ἡ γυνή· ἀντώμοσεν ὁ ἀνὴρ τὰ ἐναντία, καὶ ἀνέστη φιλονεικῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπων. Ἐνταῦθα κἂν ὁτιοῦν ποιήσωσιν, ἀνάγκη πάντως ἐπιορκίαν συστῆναι· ὅπερ γὰρ ἂν γένηται, θάτερος αὐτῶν ἐπιορκίᾳ ἁλώσεται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀμφότεροι πάντως· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ παράδοξον. Ὁ ὀμόσας μαστιγώσειν τὸν οἰκέτην ἢ τὴν θεραπαινίδα, εἶτα κωλυθεὶς, αὐτός τε ἐπιώρκησε μὴ ποιήσας ὅπερ 63.773 ὤμοσε, καὶ τῷ κωλύσαντι πάλαι καὶ διακόψαντι τὴν εὐορκίαν, τὸ ἔγκλημα τῆς ἐπιορκίας περιέστησεν. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐπιορκοῦντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἑτέροις τὴν ἀνάγκην ταύτην ἐφιστῶντες, ὑπεύθυνοι τῶν αὐτῶν ἐγκλημάτων εἰσί. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, οἰκέτην μὲν μὴ τολμᾷν ἐξ ὀνόματος τὸν δεσπότην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καλεῖν, μηδὲ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε, τὸν δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότην ἁπλῶς καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς καταφρονήσεως πανταχοῦ περιφέρειν; Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς δυνατὸν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς πονηρᾶς συνηθείας τοῦ ὅρκου; ἐγώ σε διδάξω τρόπον τινὰ, ὃν ἂν ποιήσῃς, περιέσῃ πάντως. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς σαυτὸν ἢ καὶ ἑτέρους τινὰς ἁλόντας τῷ κακῷ τούτῳ πάθει, καὶ συνεχῶς ὑπομνησθέντας, καὶ οὐ διορθώσαντας, κέλευσον μὴ δειπνήσαντας καθευδῆσαι· καὶ ταύτην καὶ σαυτῷ κἀκείνοις τὴν καταδίκην ἐπίθες· καταδίκην οὐ ζημίαν, ἀλλὰ κέρδος φέρουσαν. Ἡ γὰρ γλῶσσα οὕτω βασανιζομένη διηνεκῶς, καὶ μηδενὸς ὑπομιμνήσκοντος, ἱκανὴν λαμβάνει παράκλησιν· καὶ κἂν ἁπάντων ὦμεν ἀναισθητότεροι, διὰ πάσης ἡμέρας τῷ μεγέθει τῆς βασάνου ταύτης ὑπομιμνησκόμενοι, οὐ δεηθησόμεθα συμβουλῆς ἑτέρας καὶ παραινέσεως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰκέτης ἐνδελεχῶς ἐξεταζόμενος, ἀπὸ μώλωπος οὐ καθαρισθήσεται· οὕτως ὁ ὀμνύων καὶ ὀνομάζων διαπαντὸς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας οὐ καθαρισθήσεται. Πείσωμεν τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς τὴν τῶν ὅρκων φυγεῖν συνήθειαν, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ποιήσασθαι μεταβολήν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ χθὲς καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνης περὶ ταύτης ὑμῖν διελέχθην τῆς ὑποθέσεως, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σήμερον ἀποστήσομαι, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν, οὐδὲ τὴν μετ' ἐκείνην, ταῦτα συμβουλεύων. Καὶ τί λέγω τὴν αὔριον καὶ τὴν μετ' ἐκείνην; ἕως ἂν ὑμᾶς ἴδω κατορθώσαντας, οὐκ ἀφέξομαι. Τὸ γὰρ συνεχῶς περὶ τὼν αὐτῶν ὑπομιμνήσκειν, οὐ τοῦ λέγοντος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐστὶν ἔγκλημα διηνεκοῦς δεομένων διδασκαλίας. Τί γὰρ εὐκολώτερον τοῦ μὴ ὀμνύναι; Συνήθειά ἐστι τὸ κατόρθωμα μόνον, οὐκ ἔστι πόνος σώματος. Ὁ προλαβὼν καὶ κατορθώσας ὀνειδιζέτω τῷ λειπομένῳ, ἵνα αὐτὸν τοῖς σκώμμασι διεγείρῃ πλέον· ὁ ὑστερήσας καὶ μηδέπω κατωρθωκὼς βλεπέτω τὸν προλαβόντα, καὶ φιλονεικείτω φθάσαι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ταχέως. Καὶ μή μοι λεγέτω τις· Τί δὲ, ἐὰν ἀνάγκην ὅρκων τις ἡμῖν ἐπιθῇ; τί δὲ, ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύῃ; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν, ὅπου παραβαίνεται νόμος, ἀνάγκης μεμνῆσθαι οὐ χρή· μία γάρ ἐστιν ἀνάγκη ἀπαραίτητος, τὸ μὴ προσκροῦσαι