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they speak with moderation and not with authority; for such things are desirable, and more firmly fixed. Do you see nowhere a display of words, but that which is through deeds, that which is through the Spirit? But nevertheless, though having such proofs, they still speak with moderation. And behold: they do not go away slandering those in Antioch, but from there again they take their starting-point. Thus they were practicing love of rule, who also were found fault with without the Apostles' knowledge. But nevertheless these men brought forward none of these things; but when they had proved it, then they write more vehemently. For moderation is a great good everywhere; moderation, I say, not coldness; moderation, not flattery; for these are far apart from one another. Nothing made Paul harsh, nothing Peter. When you have proofs, why are you angry? Is it that you may make these invalid also? It is not possible for an angry person ever to persuade. And yesterday we spoke about anger; and nothing prevents it today also; for the repetition will perhaps accomplish something. For even a medicine that has the power to heal a wound, if it is not continually applied, has lost its whole effect. Do not then suppose that it is a condemnation of you, to speak continually about the same things; 60.237 for if we had condemned you, we would not have spoken; but now, hoping that we gain great things, we utter these things. Would that we spoke continually about the same things! Would that there were no other subject of discourse or care, but how we might master our passions! For how is it not absurd, that for kings who live in luxury and such great honor, there is no other discourse, neither at table, nor at any other time, but only how they must overcome their enemies, and for this reason to hold councils every day, and to enlist generals and soldiers, and to demand taxes, and to consider these two to be the necessary causes of political affairs, that they may both overcome their enemies and establish their own people in peace; but that we do not even in a dream wish to speak of such things, but how we may buy a field, and how slaves, and how we may increase our substance, speaking of this every day we are not sated; but concerning the matters within us and which are truly ours, we neither wish to speak ourselves, nor do we endure to hear others speak? About what then, tell me, do you wish to speak? about breakfast? But these are the words of cooks. But about money? But these are of retailers and merchants. But about buildings? But these are of carpenters and builders. But about land? But these are of farmers. But for us there is no other work than how we shall acquire wealth for the soul. Let not this discourse then become tiresome. For why does no one blame the physician for always speaking about medicine, nor other craftsmen for speaking about their own trades? For if the matter of our passions were so well-ordered that we needed no reminder, one might reasonably have accused us of ambition and display; or rather, not even so. For even if it had been set right, even so it would be necessary to speak, so as not to fall away; since physicians also speak not only to the sick, but also to the healthy, and they have books of such a treatise, for some, that they may be delivered from sickness, for others, that they may preserve their health. So that even if we are healthy, not even so should we desist, but do everything so that our health may be preserved. 3. But when we are also sick, the need for these discourses is twofold: one, to be delivered from the sickness; a second, having been delivered, not to fall into it again. Therefore we are now speaking with a therapeutic method, not a treatise on health. How then might one cut out this evil passion? how might one bring down this violent fever? Let us see whence it was born, and let us destroy the cause. Whence is it wont to be born? From arrogance and much folly. Let us then destroy this cause, and the disease is destroyed with it. And what is arrogance? whence is it born? for perhaps we risk going back again to another beginning. Therefore, let us walk the path which the discourse suggests, so that the evil may be plucked up from below and by the root. Whence then is arrogance? From not examining our own things, but concerning the nature of the earth, and yet
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ἐπιεικῶς καὶ οὐ μετὰ αὐθεντείας διαλέγονται· τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα ἐπιθυμητὰ, καὶ πέπηγε μᾶλλον. Ὁρᾷς οὐδαμοῦ λόγων ἐπίδειξιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, τὴν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος; Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοιαῦτα ἔχοντες τεκμήρια, ἔτι ἐπιεικῶς διαλέγονται. Καὶ ὅρα· οὐκ ἀπέρχονται διαβάλλοντες τοὺς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖθεν πάλιν λαμβάνουσιν ἀφορμήν. Οὕτως ἐμελέτων τὸ φιλαρχεῖν, οἳ καὶ οὐκ εἰδότων τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐμέμφθησαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τούτων οὗτοι προήνεγκαν· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἀπέδειξαν, τότε σφοδρότερον γράφουσι. Μέγα γὰρ ἡ ἐπιείκεια πανταχοῦ καλόν· ἐπιείκεια λέγω, οὐ ψυχρότης· ἐπιείκεια, οὐ κολακεία· πολὺ γὰρ ταῦτα διέστηκεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων. Οὐδὲν ἐτράχυνε Παῦλον, οὐδὲν Πέτρον. Ὅταν ἔχῃς ἀποδείξεις, τί ὀργίζῃ; ἢ ἵνα καὶ ταύτας ἀκύρους ποιήσῃς; Οὐκ ἔστι τὸν ὀργιζόμενον πεῖσαί ποτε. Καὶ χθὲς περὶ ὀργῆς διελέχθημεν· οὐδὲν δὲ κωλύει καὶ τήμερον· ἡ γὰρ συνέχεια ἴσως ἐργάσεταί τι. Καὶ γὰρ φάρμακον τὸ δύναμιν ἔχον ἀφανίσαι τραῦμα, ἂν μὴ 60.237 συνεχῶς ἐπιτεθῇ, τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσε. Μὴ δὴ νομίζετε, κατάγνωσιν ὑμῶν εἶναι, τὸ συνεχῶς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν διαλέγεσθαι· εἰ γὰρ κατεγνώκειμεν, οὐκ ἂν διελέχθημεν· νῦν δὲ ἐλπίζοντες μεγάλα ἡμᾶς κερδαίνειν, ταῦτα φθεγγόμεθα. Εἴθε γὰρ συνεχῶς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐλέγομεν! εἴθε μηδὲ ἦν ἄλλη τις λόγων ὑπόθεσις ἢ φροντὶς, ἀλλ' ὅπως τῶν παθῶν κρατήσωμεν τῶν ἡμετέρων! Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, βασιλεῦσι μὲν ἐν τρυφῇ ζῶσι καὶ τοσαύτῃ τιμῇ μηδένα εἶναι λόγον, μήτε ἐπὶ τραπέζης, μηδὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ μηδενὶ καιρῷ, ἀλλὰ πῶς μόνον τῶν πολεμίων κρατῆσαι δεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν συλλόγους ποιεῖν, καὶ στρατηγοὺς καὶ στρατιώτας καταλέγειν, καὶ φόρους ἀπαιτεῖν, καὶ τῶν πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων ταύτας δύο αἰτίας ἀναγκαίας εἶναι ἡγεῖσθαι, ὅπως καὶ τῶν πολεμούντων κρατήσωσι, καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους ἐν εἰρήνῃ καταστήσωσιν· ἡμᾶς δὲ μηδὲ ὄναρ θέλειν τὰ τοιαῦτα διαλέγεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅπως μὲν ἀγρὸν ὠνησώμεθα, καὶ ὅπως ἀνδράποδα, καὶ ὅπως πλείω τὴν οὐσίαν ποιήσωμεν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διαλεγόμενοι οὐ λαμβάνομεν κόρον· περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων καὶ τῶν ὄντως ἡμῶν οὔτε αὐτοὶ λέγειν βουλόμεθα, οὐδὲ ἑτέρων λεγόντων ἀνεχόμεθα ἀκούειν; Περὶ τίνος οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, διαλέγεσθαι βούλει; περὶ ἀρίστου; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μαγείρων τὰ ῥήματα. Ἀλλὰ περὶ χρημάτων; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα καπήλων καὶ ἐμπόρων. Ἀλλὰ περὶ κτισμάτων; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τεκτόνων καὶ οἰκοδόμων. Ἀλλὰ περὶ γῆς; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα γεωργῶν. Ἡμῶν δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἔργον, ἀλλ' ἢ πῶς πλοῦτον περιποιησόμεθα τῇ ψυχῇ. Μὴ τοίνυν προσκορὴς ὁ λόγος γινέσθω. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μηδεὶς ἐγκαλεῖ τῷ ἰατρῷ περὶ ἰατρικῆς ἀεὶ διαλεγομένῳ, μηδὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς δημιουργοῖς περὶ τῶν οἰκείων τεχνῶν λέγουσιν; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἡμῖν ἦν κατωρθωμένα τὰ τῶν παθῶν, ὡς μὴ δεῖσθαι ὑπομνήσεως, εἰκότως ἄν τις ἡμῖν ἐνεκάλεσε φιλοτιμίαν καὶ ἐπίδειξιν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ κατώρθωτο, καὶ οὕτως ἐχρῆν διαλέγεσθαι, ὥστε μὴ ἀναπεσεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἰατροὶ οὐχὶ νοσοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑγιαίνουσι διαλέγονται, καὶ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς βιβλία τοιαύτης πραγματείας, τοῖς μὲν, ἵνα τῆς νόσου ἀπαλλάττωσι, τοῖς δὲ, ἵνα τὴν ὑγείαν διαφυλάττωσιν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ὑγιαίνομεν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀποστῆναι ἐχρῆν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ποιεῖν ὥστε διατηρηθῆναι τὴν ὑγείαν ἡμῖν. γʹ. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ νοσῶμεν, διπλῆ τῶν λόγων ἡ ἀνάγκη· μία μὲν, ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς νόσου· δευτέρα δὲ, ἀπαλλαγέντας μὴ περιπεσεῖν πάλιν. Οὐκοῦν θεραπευτικῇ μεθόδῳ διαλεγόμεθα νῦν, οὐχ ὑγιεινῇ πραγματείᾳ. Πῶς οὖν ἄν τις τὸ κακὸν τοῦτο ἐκκόψειε πάθος; πῶς τὸν σφοδρὸν ὑποστείλειε πυρετόν; Ἴδωμεν πόθεν ἐτέχθη, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀνέλωμεν. Πόθεν τίκτεσθαι εἴωθεν; Ἐξ ἀλαζονείας καὶ ἀπονοίας πολλῆς. Ταύτην οὖν ἀνέλωμεν τὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ συνανῄρηται καὶ τὸ νόσημα. Τί δὲ ἡ ἀλαζονεία; πόθεν τίκτεται; τάχα γὰρ πάλιν ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἀρχὴν κινδυνεύομεν ἀνελθεῖν. Οὐκοῦν ἣν ἂν ὁ λόγος ὑφηγήσηται, ταύτην βαδίζωμεν, ὅπως κάτωθεν καὶ πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπασθῇ τὸ κακόν. Πόθεν οὖν ἡ ἀλαζονεία; Ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ἐπισκέπτεσθαι τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν φύσεως γῆς, καίτοι