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not to swear, nor to make others swear; that now possesses me. This is sufficient both for the honor of the lawgiver, and for your own safety, and for the fear of the one about to swear. Grant me, 63.775 then, that those who arrive from here may say that what is in Antioch is nowhere to be seen among the cities. For the people who inhabit that city would rather have their tongues cut out than utter an oath from their mouths. For if one who gains one or two will receive such a reward from God, how many rewards will they not receive who are instructing the whole world? But from habit the tongue often rushes to utter that wicked word. But whenever it rushes, before you bring forth the word, bite it fiercely all over with your teeth; for it is better for it to bleed now than, desiring a drop of water then, not to be able to obtain that comfort. What are you doing, O man, blaspheming your benefactor and savior and protector and guardian? Or do you not perceive that you are being carried down a precipice, and casting yourself into a pit of utter destruction? For do you make the matter lighter if you blaspheme? Indeed you intensify it, and you make the pain more severe. For on this account the devil brings on countless terrible things, that he might bring you down into that pit; and if the devil sees you blaspheming, he easily increases the pain and makes it greater, so that, being goaded, you may despair again; but if he sees you bearing it nobly, and the more the suffering intensifies, the more you thank God, he immediately withdraws, as lying in wait from then on rashly and in vain. And just as a dog standing by a table, if it sees the man eating constantly tossing him something of what is set on the table, it stays continually; but if after standing by once and a second time it goes away having received nothing, it withdraws from then on, since it waits rashly and in vain; so also the devil gapes at us continually; if you toss him a blasphemous word as to a dog, he will receive it and attack again; but if you remain giving thanks, you have choked him with hunger, and you have quickly driven him away and made him leap off. And that these things are in this manner, I will tell you an ancient story. When enemies once attacked the Jews, and Jonathan (he was the son of Saul) had cut some down and put others to flight, Saul his father, wishing to rouse the army more greatly against those who were left, and to make them not withdraw until they had subdued them all, did the opposite of what he wished, swearing that no one should eat bread until he had taken vengeance on his enemies. So what could be more foolish than this? For when he ought to have let the weary and worn-out soldiers rest, and sent them refreshed against the enemy, he made them worse off than the enemies themselves, by delivering them over to a most severe famine through the necessity of the oath. It is dangerous, then, for one to swear even concerning himself; for we are often hindered by the circumstance of events; but to bind the will of others by the necessity of one's own oaths is much more dangerous; which is what Saul then did inconsiderately. The army was passing through a wood, which had a honeycomb, and the honeycomb was in front of the people; and the people entered the honeycomb, and went on their way talking. Did you see what a pit it was? a table was improvised, so that both the ease of the attempt, and the sweetness of the food, and the hope of being unnoticed might invite them to the transgression of the oaths. For Jonathan, not having heard his father making the oath, stretched out the end of the scep 63.776 ter that was in his hand, and dipped it into the honeycomb of honey, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes saw clearly. See whom the evil one pushed towards perjury; not one of the soldiers, but the son of the king who had sworn. For he not only wished to bring about perjury, but he also contrived child-murder, and was eager to tear nature itself against itself; and

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μὴ ὀμνύειν, μήτε ὁρκίζειν· ἐκεῖνός με κατέχει νῦν. Ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ νομοθετήσαντος, καὶ εἰς ἀσφάλειαν τὴν σὴν, καὶ εἰς φόβον τοῦ μέλλοντος ὀμνύναι. ∆ότε μοι 63.775 τοίνυν τοὺς ἐντεῦθεν ἀφικνουμένους λέγειν, ὅτι ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, τοῦτο οὐδαμοῦ τῶν πόλεων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ἕλοιντο γὰρ ἂν ἄνθρωποι οἱ τὴν πόλιν οἰκοῦντες ἐκείνην τὴν γλῶτταν ἀποκοπῆναι πρότερον, ἢ ὅρκον ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος προέσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἕνα τις ἢ δύο κερδάνας, τοσοῦτον λήψεται παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μισθὸν, οἱ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν παιδεύοντες, πόσας οὐ λήψονται τὰς ἀμοιβάς; Ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς συνηθείας ὁρμᾷ πολλάκις ἡ γλῶττα τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο φθέγξασθαι ῥῆμα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν ὁρμήσῃ, πρὶν ἢ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐξενεγκεῖν, κατάδακε τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτὴν πάντοθεν σφοδρῶς· βέλτιον γὰρ αὐτὴν αἷμα ῥέειν νῦν, ἢ τότε σταγόνος ὕδατος ἐπιθυμοῦσαν μὴ δυνηθῆναι τῆς παραμυθίας τυχεῖν. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, τὸν εὐεργέτην καὶ σωτῆρα καὶ προστάτην καὶ κηδεμόνα βλασφημῶν; Ἢ οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ κατὰ κρημνοῦ φερόμενος, καὶ εἰς βάραθρον σαυτὸν ἐμβάλλων ἀπωλείας ἐσχάτης; Μὴ γὰρ, ἐὰν βλασφημήσῃς, κουφότερον τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιεῖς; ἐπιτείνεις μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ, καὶ χαλεπωτέραν ἐργάζῃ τὴν ὀδύνην. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ὁ διάβολος μυρία ἐπάγει δεινὰ, ἵνα εἰς ἐκεῖνό σε καταγάγῃ τὸ βάραθρον· κἂν μὲν ἴδῃ βλασφημοῦντα ὁ διάβολος, ῥᾳδίως αὔξει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα καὶ μείζω ποιεῖ, ἵνα κεντούμενος ἀποδυσπετήσῃς πάλιν· εἰ δὲ ἴδῃ γενναίως φέροντα, καὶ ὅσῳ τὸ πάθος ἐπιτείνεται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστοῦντα τῷ Θεῷ, εὐθέως ἀφίσταται, ὡς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἐφεδρεύων λοιπόν. Καὶ καθάπερ κύων τραπέζῃ παρεστηκὼς, ἂν μὲν ἴδῃ τὸν ἐσθίοντα ἄνθρωπον συνεχῶς αὐτῷ ῥίπτοντα τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης τι παρακειμένων, μένει διηνεκῶς· ἂν δὲ ἅπαξ καὶ δεύτερον παραστὰς μηδὲν ἀπέλθῃ λαβὼν, ἀφίσταται λοιπὸν, ἅτε εἰκῆ προσεδρεύων καὶ μάτην· οὕτω καὶ ὁ διάβολος συνεχῶς κέχηνε πρὸς ἡμᾶς· ἂν ῥίψῃς αὐτῷ καθάπερ κυνὶ ῥῆμα βλάσφημον, δεξάμενος πάλιν ἐπιθήσεται· ἐὰν δὲ μείνῃς εὐχαριστῶν, ἀπέπνιξας αὐτὸν τῷ λιμῷ, καὶ ταχέως αὐτὸν ἀπήγαγες καὶ ἀποπηδῆσαι ἐποίησας. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν ἐρῶ παλαιάν. Ἐπελθόντων ποτὲ πολεμίων τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν (υἱὸς δὲ ἦν τοῦ Σαοὺλ οὗτος) τοὺς μὲν κατακόψαντος, τοὺς δὲ εἰς φυγὴν ἐμβαλόντος, βουλόμενος ὁ Σαοὺλ ὁ τούτου πατὴρ μειζόνως κατὰ τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων τὸ στρατόπεδον διεγεῖραι, καὶ ποιῆσαι μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῆναι, ἕως ἂν πάντας χειρώσωνται, τοὐναντίον ἤπερ ἠθέλησεν ἔπραξεν, ὀμόσας μηδένα φαγεῖν ἄρτον, ἕως ἐκδικήσεως τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἄρα τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀνοητότερον; πεπονηκότας γὰρ καὶ κατακοπέντας στρατιώτας ὀφείλων διαναπαῦσαι, καὶ νεαρωτέρους ἐπαφεῖναι τοῖς πολεμίοις, τῶν πολεμίων αὐτῶν χαλεπώτερον ἀπειργάσατο, διὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ ὅρκου λιμῷ παραδοὺς αὐτοὺς χαλεπωτάτῳ. Σφαλερὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ τινα ὀμνύναι· πολλὰ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων περιστάσεως ἐμποδιζόμεθα· τὸ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑτέρων γνώμην τῇ τῶν οἰκείων ὅρκων ἀνάγκῃ καταδῆσαι, πολλῷ σφαλερώτερον· ὅπερ ὁ Σαοὺλ τότε ἀπερισκέπτως ἐποίησε. ∆ρυμῶνα παρῄει τὸ στρατόπεδον, μελισσῶνα ἔχοντα, καὶ ὁ μελισσὼν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὸν μελισσῶνα, καὶ διεπορεύετο λαλῶν. Εἶδες οἷον τὸ βάραθρον; τράπεζα ἐσχεδιασμένη, ἵνα καὶ τὸ εὔκολον τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως, καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ τῆς τροφῆς, καὶ ἡ τοῦ λήσεσθαι ἐλπὶς εἰς τὴν παράβασιν αὐτοὺς προσκαλέσηται τῶν ὅρκων. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἰωνάθαν οὐκ ἀκούσας ἐν τῷ ὁρκίζειν τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, ἐξέτεινε τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ σκή 63.776 πτρου τοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐβάπτισεν εἰς τὸ κηρίον τοῦ μέλιτος, καὶ ἐπέστρεψε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέβλεψαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα τίνα ὁ πονηρὸς πρὸς τὴν ἐπιορκίαν ὤθησεν· οὐχ ἕνα τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ὀμωμοκότος βασιλέως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπιορκίαν ἐργάσασθαι ἐβούλετο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδοκτονίαν κατεσκεύαζε, καὶ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν καθ' ἑαυτῆς σχίσαι ἠπείγετο· καὶ