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to vomit, let us silently call the dogs, so that they might devour the things that were vomited. I know that you are nauseated hearing this; but when you see these things happening, I want you to feel this, and not take pleasure in the matter. More unclean is the abusive person than the dog that returns to its own vomit. For if he had vomited once and stopped, he would not be like that one; but if he vomits the same things again, it is clear that it is because he has eaten the same things. What then is more abominable than such a person? What is more unclean than that mouth, chewing such foods? And yet this is a work of nature, but that is not; or rather, both this and that are contrary to nature. How? For it is not according to nature to be abusive without cause, but contrary to nature; indeed he utters nothing as a man, but some things as a wild beast, and others as one who is mad. Therefore, just as a disease of the body is contrary to nature, so also is this. And that it is contrary to nature, if it persists in him, he will perish little by little; but persisting in what is according to nature, he will not perish. I would choose to share a table with a man eating filth, than with one uttering such things. Do you not see the swine chewing dung? So also are these men. For what is more foul-smelling than the words which abusive people utter? Their eagerness is to say nothing wholesome, nothing pure, but if there is anything shameful, if there is anything unseemly, this they both do and say; and what is more grievous, is that while shaming themselves more, they think they are shaming others. For that they shame themselves is clear from this. For do not speak to me of those who say false things, but let there be some notorious prostitute, or another from the stage, and let him get into a fight with someone; then let that one bring these charges against him, and let the other do likewise in return; who is the one more abused by the words? For the one heard what he was, but this one, what he was not; so that for that one nothing more was added in the way of shame, but for this one the addition of unseemliness was great. But let there be again some deeds done, and let only the abuser know them; then, having been silent about this before, let him parade the insult; and so this one is more abused. How? Having become a herald of wickedness, 60.234 having gained the reputation of a faithless man without conscience; and you will see everyone immediately accusing him, and saying such things everywhere; for if he was aware of a murder, he says, he should have revealed everything; and they turn away from the one as not even being a man, they hate him, they say he is a savage and harsh wild beast; but they forgive this one more than that one. For we do not hate those who have wounds as much as those who force them to uncover and show them. So this one also abused not only that man, but also himself and the hearers and the common nature of men; he struck the hearer, he did no good thing. For this reason Paul says: If any word is good for edification, that it may give grace to the hearers. Let us acquire a well-spoken tongue, that we may be longed for and lovely. But indeed all things have come to such a point of wickedness, that in those things for which they ought to be ashamed, many take pride. For the things which the many threaten are of such a kind: "He cannot bear my tongue," he says. The words of a woman, of a drunken old crone, of one behaving unseemly, of those dragged through the marketplace, of a pimp. Nothing is more shameful than these words, nothing more unmanly, nothing more effeminate, to have one's strength in the tongue, to be proud of reviling, just like those in processions, like mimes, and parasites, and flatterers. They are swine rather than men, whoever preen themselves on this. You ought to bury yourself, you ought, even if someone else testified to these things about you, to flee the testimony as hostile, and unmanly; but you have become a herald of insults. But you will in no way be able to harm the one who is spoken ill of. Therefore I beseech you, considering how great the wickedness is, that many even boast of it, let us become sober, let us correct those who are thus mad, let us do away with these assemblies from the city, let us beautify our tongue, let us free it from all evil-speaking, that being clean from sins we may be able to draw down goodwill from above, and be counted worthy of the loving-kindness from God, by the grace and compassions of His Only-begotten, with whom to the

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ἐμέτῳ, σιγῶντες τοὺς κύνας καλῶμεν, ὥστε αὐτὰ καταφαγεῖν τὰ ἐμεθέντα. Οἶδα ὅτι ναυτιᾶτε ἀκούοντες· ἀλλ' ὅταν ὁρᾶτε ταῦτα γινόμενα, βούλομαι τοῦτο παθεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἥδεσθαι τῷ πράγματι. Ἀκαθαρτότερος ὁ ὑβριστὴς τοῦ κυνὸς τοῦ ἐπιστρέφοντος ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἅπαξ ἐμέσας ἐπαύετο, οὐκ ἦν κατ' ἐκεῖνον· εἰ δὲ πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ ἐμεῖ, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ αὐτὰ φαγών. Τί οὖν βδελυκτότερον τοῦ τοιούτου; τί δὲ ἀκαθαρτότερον ἐκείνου τοῦ στόματος, τοῦ τοιαύτας διαμασωμένου τροφάς; καίτοι γε τοῦτο φύσεως ἔργον ἐστὶν, ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐχί· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ φύσιν κἀκεῖνο. Πῶς; Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν τὸ ὑβρίζειν εἰκῆ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ φύσιν· οὐδὲν γοῦν ὡς ἄνθρωπος φθέγγεται, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ὡς θηρίον, τὰ δὲ ὡς μαινόμενος. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ τῶν σωμάτων νόσος παρὰ φύσιν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο. Καὶ ὅτι παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν, εἰ ἐγχρονίσει ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀπολεῖται κατὰ μικρόν· ἐν δὲ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν ἐγχρονίζων, οὐκ ἀπολεῖται. Ἑλοίμην ἂν ἀνθρώπῳ βόρβορον σιτουμένῳ κοινωνῆσαι τραπέζης, ἢ φθεγγομένῳ τοιαῦτα. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς χοίρους κόπρον διαμασωμένους; Οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι. Τί γὰρ δυσωδέστερον τῶν ῥημάτων ὧν οἱ ὑβρισταὶ φθέγγονται; Σπουδὴ τούτοις ἐστὶ μηδὲν εἰπεῖν ὑγιὲς, μηδὲν καθαρὸν, ἀλλ' εἴ τι αἰσχρὸν, εἴ τι ἄσχημον, τοῦτο καὶ ποιῆσαι καὶ φθέγξασθαι· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι ἑαυτοὺς μᾶλλον αἰσχύνοντες, ἑτέρους αἰσχύνειν οἴονται. Ὅτι γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς αἰσχύνουσι, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοὺς ψευδῆ λέγοντας εἴπῃς, ἀλλὰ ἔστω τις πόρνη περιφανὴς, ἢ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς ἕτερος, καὶ ποιείτω μετά τινος μάχην· εἶτα ἐκεῖνος αὐτῷ ταῦτα προφερέτω, κἀκεῖνος πάλιν ὁμοίως· τίς μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ὁ ὑβρισθεὶς τοῖς ῥήμασιν; Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἅπερ εἶχεν ἤκουσεν, οὗτος δὲ, ἅπερ οὐκ εἶχεν· ὥστε ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲν πλέον γέγονεν εἰς αἰσχύνης λόγον, τούτῳ δὲ πολλὴ τῆς ἀσχημοσύνης ἡ προσθήκη. Ἀλλ' ἔστω τινὰ πάλιν εἰργασμένα πράγματα, καὶ μόνος ὁ ὑβρίζων αὐτὰ γινωσκέτω· εἶτα πρὸ τούτου σιγῶν, ἐκπομπευέτω τὴν ὕβριν· καὶ οὕτως οὗτος ὕβρισται μᾶλλον. Πῶς; Κήρυξ γενόμενος κακίας, 60.234 ἀσυνειδησίας ἀπίστου δόξαν λαβών· καὶ πάντας εὐθέως ἐγκαλοῦντας ὄψει, καὶ τοιαῦτα πανταχοῦ λέγοντας· εἰ γὰρ δὴ φόνον συνῄδει, φησὶ, πάντα κενῶσαι ἐχρῆν· καὶ τὸν μὲν ὡς οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἀποστρέφονται, μισοῦσι, θηρίον εἶναί φασιν ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπηνές· τούτῳ δὲ συγγινώσκουσι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκείνῳ. Οὐχ οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς τραύματα ἔχοντας μισοῦμεν, ὡς τοὺς ἐκκαλύπτειν αὐτὰ βιαζομένους καὶ δεικνύναι. Οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ὕβρισεν οὐκ ἐκεῖνον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας καὶ τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἔπληξε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, οὐδὲν ἀγαθὸν εἰργάσατο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς λόγος πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν. Εὔφημον κτησώμεθα γλῶτταν, ἵνα ὦμεν ποθεινοὶ καὶ ἐπέραστοι. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο προῆλθε κακίας ἅπαντα, ὥστε ἐφ' οἷς ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι ἔδει, ἐπὶ τούτοις πολλοὺς γαυριᾷν. Ἃ γὰρ ἀπειλοῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ τοιαῦτά ἐστιν· Οὐ δύναται ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν γλῶσσάν μου, φησί. Γυναικὸς τὰ ῥήματα, γραὸς μεθυούσης, ἀσχημονούσης, τῶν ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς συρομένων, προαγωγοῦ. Οὐδὲν αἰσχρότερον τούτων τῶν ῥημάτων, οὐδὲν ἀνανδρότερον, οὐδὲν γυναικωδέστερον, ἐν τῇ γλώττῃ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔχειν, ἐπὶ τῷ λοιδορεῖν μέγα φρονεῖν, καθάπερ οἱ ἐν πομπαῖς, καθάπερ οἱ μῖμοι, καὶ παράσιτοι, καὶ κόλακες. Χοῖροι μᾶλλόν εἰσιν ἢ ἄνθρωποι, ὅσοι ἐπὶ τούτῳ σεμνύνονται. ∆έον κατορύξαι σαυτὸν, δέον εἰ καί τις ἕτερός σοι ταῦτα ἐμαρτύρει, φεύγειν τὴν μαρτυρίαν ὡς ἐχθρὰν, καὶ ἄνανδρον· σὺ δὲ κήρυξ ὕβρεων γέγονας. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τὸν κακῶς ἀκούοντα βλάψαι δυνήσῃ. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, ἐννοήσαντες ὅση ἡ κακία, ὅτι καὶ ἐγκαυχῶνται πολλοὶ, ἀνανήψωμεν, διορθωσώμεθα τοὺς οὕτω μαινομένους, ἀνέλωμεν ταῦτα ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὰ συνέδρια, καλλωπίσωμεν ἡμῶν τὴν γλῶτταν, πάσης κακηγορίας ἀπαλλάξωμεν, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν καθαρεύοντες τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, τὴν ἄνωθεν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπάσασθαι, καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ