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and in your present life it preserves your name, and for the life to come it prepares for you an immortal rest. If you love and desire remembrance, I teach you the true and clearest way: take care of virtue. For nothing makes a name so immortal as the nature of virtue. And the martyrs show this, the relics of the apostles show this, the memory of those who have lived in virtue shows this. How many kings have raised up cities, constructed harbors, and having put their names on them, departed? but they gained nothing, but are silenced, and are given over to oblivion. But the fisherman Peter, having done none of these things, since he pursued 55.232 virtue, and took possession of the most royal city, shines brighter than the sun even after death. But what you do is laughable and full of shame. For not only will these monuments not make you illustrious, but also laughable, and will open the mouths of all. For the buildings, which could have given your covetousness over to oblivion with time, stand everywhere like pillars and trophies of your covetousness. And man, being in honor, did not understand; he is compared to the senseless beasts, and is become like them. Here, then, it seems to me the Prophet laments, that the rational animal, the one entrusted with dominion on earth, has turned aside to the baseness of the irrational, toiling in vain, preparing things contrary to its own salvation, pursuing vainglory, following after covetousness, laboring to no effect. For the honor of man is virtue, and to philosophize about the things to come, and to busy oneself with all things for that life, and to despise the present things. For the life of the irrational is confined to the present life; but ours journeys to another, better life, and one which has no end. But these, knowing nothing of the things to come, are worse than the irrational; and not only these, but also those living a corrupt life, becoming snakes and scorpions and wolves through wickedness, and oxen through folly, and dogs through shamelessness. 7. For what is more foolish, tell me, than those who are occupied with tombs and monuments, and who gape for the appellations of other men's names? For nothing creates a memory, but virtue alone, not a house, not a statue, not a game, nor anything else of that sort. For the one is the work of the carpenter's skill, the other of the sculptor's, and the other the work of nature; but of you there is no memory anywhere. For this reason indeed the Prophet calls him irrational; since, having put himself under the yoke of folly, he is led about worse than an irrational beast. For that one is useful, and fit for agriculture; but this man, having subjected himself to folly, has become worse than that one in this respect. For since he spoke above of the denseness of their thought, its earthliness, its low-mindedness, the useless labor concerning riches, wishing also to increase the accusation of such men, he also sets down the benefactions from God, which the prophets are accustomed to do in many places. Since Isaiah also, when about to accuse them, first speaks of the honor from God which had come to the Jews, writing thus: I have begotten sons, and exalted them; but they have rejected me. Here, then, accordingly, declaring in a single phrase the things that have been granted to the race of men by God, "Man, being in honor, did not understand," he says. And what honor does he mean? Hear him saying in another psalm: You have made him a little lower than the angels, you have crowned him with glory and honor. Then, explaining the honor, he adds: You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen; yea, and the 55.233 beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. For this is the greatest honor, to entrust to him the scepters of all visible things, and this when he had not yet accomplished anything. For not yet having formed him, he said:

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καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι σοι βίῳ τὸ ὄνομα διατηρεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν ἀθάνατον κατασκευάζει σοι τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν. Εἰ μνήμης ἐρᾷς καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἐγώ σε διδάσκω τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ σαφεστάτην ὁδόν· ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελοῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀθάνατον ὄνομα ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀρετῆς φύσις. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, δηλοῖ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ λείψανα, δηλοῖ τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ βεβιωκότων ἡ μνήμη. Πόσοι βασιλεῖς πόλεις ἀνέστησαν, λιμένας κατεσκεύασαν, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐπιθέντες ἀπῆλθον; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο, ἀλλὰ σεσίγηνται, καὶ λήθῃ παραδέδονται. Ὁ δὲ ἁλιεὺς Πέτρος οὐδὲν τούτων ἐργασάμενος, ἐπειδὴ ἀρετὴν 55.232 μετῆλθε, καὶ τὴν βασιλικωτάτην κατέλαβε πόλιν, ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον λάμπει καὶ μετὰ τελευτήν. Ὃ δὲ σὺ ποιεῖς, καταγέλαστον καὶ αἰσχύνης γέμον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον σε λαμπρὸν ταῦτα οὐκ ἐργάσεται τὰ μνημεῖα, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταγέλαστον, καὶ τὰ πάντων ἀνοίξει στόματα. Αἱ γὰρ οἰκοδομαὶ τῷ χρόνῳ δυναμένην σου τὴν πλεονεξίαν λήθῃ παραδοθῆναι, ὥσπερ στῆλαι, καὶ τρόπαιά σου τῆς πλεονεξίας ἑστήκασι πανταχοῦ. Καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν, οὐ συνῆκε· παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. Ἐνταῦθά μοι λοιπὸν ἀποδύρεσθαι ὁ Προφήτης δοκεῖ, ὅτι τὸ ζῶον τὸ λογικὸν, τὸ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐγχειρισθὲν, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀλόγων εὐτέλειαν ἐξέκλινε, ματαιοπονοῦν, ἐναντία τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κατασκευάζον, κενοδοξίαν διῶκον, πλεονεξίαν μετιὸν, ἀνήνυτα πονοῦν. Τιμὴ γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἀρετὴ, καὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν ζωὴν ἅπαντα πραγματεύεσθαι, καὶ τὸ τῶν παρόντων ὑπερορᾷν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀλόγων ζωὴ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος συγκέκλεισται βίου· ἡ δὲ ἡμετέρα πρὸς ἑτέραν ὁδεύει βελτίω, καὶ τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσαν. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι οἱ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων οὐδὲν εἰδότες, τῶν ἀλόγων χείρους εἰσίν· οὐχ οὗτοι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ βίῳ διεφθαρμένῳ συζῶντες, ὄφεις γινόμενοι καὶ σκορπίοι καὶ λύκοι διὰ τῆς πονηρίας, καὶ βόες διὰ τῆς ἀνοίας, καὶ κύνες διὰ τῆς ἀναισχυντίας. ζʹ. Τί γὰρ ἀνοητότερον, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν περὶ τάφους καὶ μνήματα ἀσχολουμένων, καὶ πρὸς ὀνομάτων προσηγορίας ἑτέρων κεχηνότων; Οὐδὲν γὰρ μνήμην ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀρετὴ μόνη, οὐκ οἰκία, οὐκ ἀνδριὰς, οὐ παιδιὰ, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ τέκτονος σοφίας ἐστὶν ἔργον, ὁ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδριαντοποιοῦ, τὸ δὲ τῆς φύσεως ἔργον· σοῦ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ μνήμη. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἄλογον αὐτὸν ὁ Προφήτης καλεῖ· ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀνοίας ὑποθεὶς ζυγὸν ἑαυτὸν, ἄγεται τοῦ ἀλόγου χεῖρον. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ χρήσιμον, καὶ πρὸς γεωργίαν ἐπιτήδειον· οὗτος δὲ τῇ ἀνοίᾳ ἑαυτὸν ὑποβαλὼν, καὶ ἐκείνου χείρων γέγονε κατὰ τοῦτο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν ἀνωτέρω τὸ παχὺ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν, τὸ γεῶδες, τὸ χαμαίζηλον, τὸν ἀνόνητον περὶ τὰ χρήματα πόνον, αὐξῆσαι βουλόμενος καὶ τὴν κατηγορίαν τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ τὰς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τίθησιν εὐεργεσίας, ὅπερ πολλαχοῦ ποιεῖν εἰώθασιν οἱ προφῆται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας μέλλων αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖν, πρῶτον λέγει τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμὴν εἰς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους γεγενημένην, οὕτω γράφων· Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα, καὶ ὕψωσα· αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν διὰ μιᾶς λέξεως τὰ ὑπηργμένα τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλῶν, Ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, φησί. Καὶ ποίαν λέγει τιμήν; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ λέγοντος· Ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους, δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν. Εἶτα ἐξηγούμενος τὴν τιμὴν, ἐπάγει· Πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, πρόβατα, καὶ βόας ἁπάσας· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ 55.233 κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου, τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, τὰ διαπορευόμενα τρίβους θαλασσῶν. Καὶ γὰρ μεγίστη τοῦτο τιμὴ, τὸ πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων αὐτῷ τὰ σκῆπτρα ἐπιτρέψαι, καὶ ταῦτα μηδέπω κατωρθωκότι μηδέν. Οὐδέπω γὰρ αὐτὸν πλάσας, ἔλεγε·