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nor will his glory go down with him; giving the reason for not fearing temporary things. Death came, he says, it cut the root, and all the foliage with its leaves was brought down, and the house is an easy prey for all. Just as, therefore, sheep and goats attack a tree lying down after it has been cut, so indeed in the case of those who are thus rich, many of their enemies, many of their friends, many of those who had been benefited by them are found ruining their possessions; and he who was clothed in so many things, and had so many wine-pourers, cooks, silver and gold mixing bowls, so many acres of land, houses, slaves, horses, mules, camels, armies of servants, departs alone, and no one departs with him, but he does not even depart taking his own clothes. For the more splendid the things he is clothed in, the more lavish a table he departs preparing for the worm, and a greater desire for the tomb-robbers, and a greater plot against his wretched body. For by those things with which he adorns himself more greatly, by these he prepares himself to be more violently dishonored, arming and summoning against himself the hands of those who dig up tombs. And what of this? he says. But here he boasts greatly, and is puffed up until the end. Especially since many do not even until the end; but when certain plotters rise up against them, they suffer things worse than ten thousand convicts, being deprived of their wealth, and clothed in dishonor, and having inhabited a prison. For he who yesterday was in a chariot, today is in chains; he who yesterday was served by flatterers, is now surrounded by executioners; he who smelled of myrrh, is drenched in blood; he who lay on a soft couch, is thrown upon the hard ground; he who was served by all, is despised by all. But even until the end, his funeral arrangements are splendid and conspicuous. And what is that to him who does not perceive it? Greater is the stench, greater the loathing, more violent the envy; for after he has died, there is a continuous war for his children from that extravagance. And see the precision of the saying, and the intensity of the philosophy. For not only does it strike him from the fact that it does not depart with him, but it also strips him here of all display, and shows that it is not even wealth, not even when the one possessing it enjoys it. For it did not say, When his glory is multiplied, but, The glory of his house. For all these things, 55.240 which I have enumerated, fountains, and walkways, and baths, gold and silver, horses and mules, and carpets and garments, are the glory of the house, not of the man who inhabits the house. For the glory of a man is virtue, whence it also departs with the one who possesses it. But this glory of the house remains; or rather, it does not even remain, but is destroyed along with the house, having benefited in no way the one who lived in it; for it was not his. Because his soul will be blessed in his life. Having spoken about his wealth and glory, he proceeds to the subject of praises. For since this too is especially sought after by the rich, the flatteries in the marketplace, the attentions from the people, the public praises, the encomiums full of hypocrisy, and it seems to be a great thing to be applauded in theaters, and in banquets, and in law courts, to be proclaimed by all, to be considered enviable, see how he demolishes this again by means of time. For in his life, he says, that is, these attentions, and his being well spoken of, last until the present life; and with the other things, this too is destroyed, as being temporary and ephemeral. But also whenever it comes from the provision of those praising, after death it changes to the opposite, when the mask of fear is removed. He will praise you, when you do well for him. See how he disparages even their good deeds. For you flatter and serve, feigning some temporary and hypocrisy-filled service; but he, even if he [gives] favors to you
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οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ· τὴν αἰτίαν τιθεὶς τοῦ μὴ δεδοικέναι τὰ πρόσκαιρα. Ἦλθεν ὁ θάνατος, φησὶ, τὴν ῥίζαν ἔτεμε, καὶ ἡ κόμη μετὰ τῶν φύλλων ἅπασα κατηνέχθη, καὶ πᾶσιν εὐχείρωτος ἡ οἰκία. Καθάπερ οὖν πρόβατα καὶ αἶγες ἐπιτίθενται δένδρῳ κειμένῳ μετὰ τὴν τομὴν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν οὕτω πλουτούντων πολλοὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, πολλοὶ τῶν φίλων, πολλοὶ τῶν εὐεργετηθέντων τὰ ἐκείνων λυμαινόμενοι εὑρίσκονται· καὶ ὁ τοσαῦτα περιβεβλημένος, καὶ τοσούτους οἰνοχόους, μαγείρους, κρατῆρας ἀργυροῦς καὶ χρυσοῦς ἔχων, πλέθρα γῆς τόσα καὶ τόσα, οἰκίας, ἀνδράποδα, ἵππους, ἡμιόνους, καμήλους, στρατόπεδα οἰκετῶν, ἄπεισι μόνος, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ συναπέρχεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὰ λαμβάνων ἄπεισι τὰ ἱμάτια. Καὶ γὰρ ὅσῳπερ ἂν λαμπρὰ περικέηται, τοσούτῳ δαψιλεστέραν ἄπεισι παρασκευάζων τῷ σκώληκι τὴν τράπεζαν, καὶ πλείονα τοῖς τυμβωρύχοις ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ μείζονα κατὰ τοῦ ἀθλίου σώματος τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ καλλωπίζει μειζόνως, διὰ τούτων ὑβρίζεσθαι σφοδρότερον αὑτὸν κατασκευάζων, τὰς χεῖρας τῶν ἀνορυττόντων τὰς θήκας ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ὁπλίζων καὶ καλῶν. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μεγάλα κομπάζει, καὶ φυσᾷ μέχρι τῆς τελευτῆς. Μάλιστα μὲν πολλοὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τῆς τελευτῆς· ἀλλ' ἐπιβούλων τινῶν ἐπιφυέντων αὐτοῖς, μυρίων καταδίκων χαλεπώτερα ἔπαθον, καὶ τὰ χρήματα ἀφαιρεθέντες, καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ περιβληθέντες, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκήσαντες. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ χθὲς ἐν ὀχήματι, σήμερον ἐν ἁλύσει· ὁ χθὲς ὑπὸ κολάκων θεραπευόμενος, ὑπὸ δημίων κυκλοῦται νῦν· ὁ μύρων ὄζων, αἵματι περιῤῥεῖται· ὁ κατακείμενος ἐπὶ στρωμνῆς ἁπαλῆς, ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἔῤῥιπται σκληροῦ· ὁ παρὰ πάντων θεραπευόμενος, παρὰ πάντων καταφρονεῖται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι τελευτῆς τὰ πρὸς κηδείαν αὐτῷ λαμπρὰ καὶ περιφανῆ. Καὶ τί πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸν οὐκ αἰσθανόμενον; Πλείων ἡ δυσωδία, μείζων ἡ βδελυγμία, σφοδρότερος ὁ φθόνος· καὶ γὰρ τελευτήσαντι διηνεκὴς τοῖς παιδίοις ὁ πόλεμος ἀπὸ τῆς πολυτελείας ἐκείνης. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ ῥήματος, καὶ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ συναποδημεῖν πλήττει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτὸν πάσης γυμνοῖ τῆς φαντασίας, καὶ οὐδὲ πλοῦτον ὄντα δείκνυσιν, οὐδ' ὅταν ἀπολαύῃ αὐτοῦ ὁ κεκτημένος. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ', Ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα 55.240 γὰρ ἅπαντα, ἅπερ ἀπηριθμησάμην, πηγαὶ, καὶ περίπατοι, καὶ βαλανεῖα, χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον, ἵπποι καὶ ἡμίονοι, καὶ τάπητες καὶ ἱμάτια, τοῦ οἴκου δόξα, οὐ τοῦ τὸν οἶκον οἰκοῦντος ἀνθρώπου. Ἀνθρώπου γὰρ δόξα ἡ ἀρετὴ, ὅθεν καὶ συναποδημεῖ τῷ κεκτημένῳ. Αὕτη δὲ οἴκου δόξα μένει· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ μένει, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου καὶ συγκαταλύεται, οὐδὲν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀναστραφέντα ὠφελήσασα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ εὐλογηθήσεται. Εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ πλούτου αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς δόξης, ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν εὐφημιῶν διαβαίνει λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα τοῖς πλουσίοις περισπούδαστον, αἱ ἐν ἀγορᾷ κολακεῖαι, αἱ παρὰ τοῦ δήμου θεραπεῖαι, αἱ δημοτελεῖς εὐφημίαι, τὰ ὑποκρίσεως γέμοντα ἐγκώμια, καὶ μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ καὶ ἐν θεάτροις, τὸ καὶ ἐν συμποσίοις, τὸ καὶ ἐν δικαστηρίοις κροτεῖσθαι, παρὰ πάντων ἀνακηρύττεσθαι, ζηλωτοὺς εἶναι νομίζεσθαι, ὅρα καὶ τοῦτο πῶς καθαιρεῖ πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, τουτέστιν, αὗται αἱ θεραπεῖαι, καὶ τὸ εὖ λέγεσθαι αὐτὸν, μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου· μετὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο συγκαταλύεται, ὡς πρόσκαιρον, καὶ ἐπίκηρον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν γίνηται ἐκ παροχῆς τῶν εὐφημούντων, μετὰ τελευτὴν εἰς τοὐναντίον μεθίσταται, ὅταν τὸ τοῦ φόβου προσωπεῖον περιαιρεθῇ. Ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι, ὅταν ἀγαθύνῃς αὐτῷ. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας αὐτῶν διαβάλλει. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ κολακεύεις καὶ θεραπεύεις, ὑποκρινόμενος πρόσκαιρόν τινα θεραπείαν καὶ ὑποκρίσεως γέμουσαν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ κἂν χάριτάς σοι