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setting snares around, and sitting around those about to be caught, and hiding every trick on every side, and permitting neither a sound, nor anything else that could scare 55.254 away the prey; so indeed also here, if you should sit beside the trap set by the devil, and knowing the adulterer is about to fall into it, you do not make a disturbance, nor frighten him away, then you will most surely destroy him. For do not say to me that saying which is full of great insensibility: What does it matter to me? I care for my own things. For then you will most of all care for your own things, when you seek your own things in what is profitable for your neighbor. Therefore Paul also said: Let no one seek his own, but that of another. So that, he says, you may find your own, seek that of another. Your mouth has abounded in evil, and your tongue has woven deceits. Sitting, you spoke against your brother, and against your mother's son you laid a stumbling block. For lest he say: I do these things from philanthropy; indeed, what sort of philanthropy would this be, not to hinder, nor to restrain, the one who is about to fall into a pit? to gratify an unjust pleasure? to overlook one drinking a deadly poison? But you will not even be able to say this. For since this is not of philanthropy, but of slumber and sluggishness and sloth, how, having let go of the one doing wrong, do you speak evil of your brother who has done no wrong? how do you plot against the one who has done no wrong, nor transgressed? See the evil on both sides extending to the extreme. You do not prevent the one who is drunk with desire from being drunk, so that he might become sober-minded, but you punish the one who has done no wrong. For sitting, you spoke against your brother, and against your mother's son you laid a stumbling block. 9. See how with the additional explanation he increases the accusation. The one who loosed for you, he says, the same birth pangs, the one who shared with you the same womb, the one who partook of the same house and table and food, the one who sprouted from one root, the one having the same origin of birth, the one who grew up with you from his first age, do you speak evil of this one, and not only speak evil, but also carry the plot into action? For this is, "You laid a stumbling block." And if one ought not to speak evil of him who has shared in natural birth pangs, much more of him who has shared in spiritual ones. Therefore, neither allow the one about to sin to fall, nor slander and revile the one who has done no wrong. For the one comes from envy, the other from insensibility; for not restraining the one about to fall comes from insensibility; but casting down the one who is standing comes from envy. And see how he does not simply hint at the accuser, but the one who does this work with deceit and zeal. For sitting, he says, you spoke against your brother. And Cain, having killed his brother, cast out only one from the present life; but these people cast down countless thousands by the evil they speak, and themselves first. For they harm not only the one being accused, but also others; or rather, only those who accept it. For he who hears evil of himself falsely, not only is not wronged, but also has a very great reward. For not the one suffering, but the one doing evil, this is the one worthy of punishment; so also the one speaking, not the one hearing, provided that that person has not given reasonable grounds for the evil-speaking. Let us not then be eager for this, not to hear evil of ourselves—for this is impossible; and there is a declaration of Christ saying, 55.255 Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you—but rather that we might not provide grounds. For he who wishes to hear well of himself from all, in many ways destroys his own soul, being a lover of human glory, serving in things in which he ought not, pleasing in things in which he should not, so as to purchase their favor. Again, he who despises hearing evil from all, also destroys himself in addition. For just as it is impossible

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πάγας περιστέλλοντες, καὶ περικαθήμενοι τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἁλίσκεσθαι, καὶ πάντοθεν ἅπαντα κρύπτοντες δόλον, καὶ μήτε ψόφον, μήτε ἄλλο τι συγχωροῦντες γενέσθαι τὸ δυνάμενον σοβῆ 55.254 σαι τὴν θήραν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἂν παρακαθίσῃς τῇ κειμένῃ παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδι, καὶ εἰδὼς μέλλοντα ἐμπίπτειν τὸν μοιχὸν μὴ θορυβήσῃς, μηδὲ πτοήσῃς, τότε μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἀπολεῖς. Μὴ γάρ μοι ἐκεῖνο τὸ ῥῆμα λέγε τὸ πολλῆς γέμον ἀναλγησίας· Τί δέ μοι μέλει; τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ μεριμνῶ· τότε γὰρ μάλιστα μεριμνήσεις τὰ σὰ, ὅταν τὰ σὰ ζητῇς ἐν τῷ τοῦ πλησίον συμφέροντι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Μηδεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητείτω, ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου. Ἵνα, φησὶν, εὕρῃς τὸ σαυτοῦ, ζήτει τὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου. Τὸ στόμα σου ἐπλεόνασε κακίαν, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά σου περιέπλεκε δολιότητας. Καθήμενος κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου κατελάλεις, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς μητρός σου ἐτίθεις σκάνδαλον. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ· Ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας ταῦτα ποιῶ· μάλιστα μὲν, ποία ἂν εἴη τοῦτο φιλανθρωπία, τὸν μέλλοντα εἰς βάραθρον ἐμπίπτειν μὴ κωλύειν, μηδὲ ἀναστέλλειν; τὸ χαρίζεσθαι ἡδονῇ ἀδίκῳ; τὸ περιορᾷν δηλητήριον φάρμακον πίνοντα; Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο δυνήσῃ λέγειν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ φιλανθρωπίας τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὕπνου καὶ νωθείας καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας, πῶς τὸν ἀδικοῦντα ἀφεὶς τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα ἀδελφὸν κακῶς λέγεις; πῶς ἐπιβουλεύεις τῷ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότι, μηδὲ πεπλημμεληκότι; Ὅρα κακίαν ἑκατέρωθεν εἰς ἄκρον ἐκτεινομένην. Τὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας μεθύοντα οὐ κωλύεις μεθύειν, ὥστε σωφρονῆσαι, τὸν δὲ οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα κολάζεις. Καθήμενος γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου κατελάλεις, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς μητρός σου ἐτίθεις σκάνδαλον. θʹ. Ὅρα πῶς τῇ ἐπεξηγήσει τὴν κατηγορίαν αὔξει. Τὸν τὰς αὐτὰς λύσαντά σοι, φησὶν, ὠδῖνας, τὸν τῆς αὐτῆς σοι κεκοινωνηκότα νηδύος, τὸν οἰκίας καὶ τραπέζης καὶ τροφῆς μετασχόντα τῆς αὐτῆς, τὸν ἀπὸ μιᾶς βλαστήσαντα ῥίζης, τὸν τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντα τῆς γενέσεως ἀρχὴν, τὸν ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας συναναβάντα σοι, τοῦτον κακῶς λέγεις, καὶ οὐ κακῶς λέγεις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἔργον τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐξάγεις; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἐτίθεις σκάνδαλον. Εἰ δὲ τὸν φυσικῶν κοινωνήσαντα ὠδίνων οὐ δεῖ λέγειν κακῶς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν πνευματικῶν. Μὴ τοίνυν μήτε τὸν μέλλοντα ἁμαρτεῖν ἔα καταπίπτειν, μήτε τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα διάβαλλε καὶ λοιδόρει. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ φθόνου, τὸ δὲ ἀναλγησίας· τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἀναχαιτίζειν τὸν μέλλοντα πίπτειν, ἀναλγησίας· φθόνου δὲ, τὸ τὸν ἑστῶτα καταβάλλειν. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸν κατήγορον αἰνίττεται, ἀλλὰ τὸν μετὰ δόλου καὶ σπουδῆς τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιούμενον. Καθήμενος γὰρ, φησὶ, κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου κατελάλεις. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Κάϊν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνελὼν, ἕνα μόνον τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἐξήλασεν· οὗτοι δὲ μυρίους, δι' ὧν κακῶς λέγουσι, καταβάλλουσι, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς πρώτους. Οὐ γὰρ τὸν κατηγορούμενον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρους βλάπτουσι· μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκείνους μόνον τοὺς παραδεχομένους. Ὁ γὰρ κακῶς ἀκούων ψευδῶς, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠδίκηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μισθὸν ἔχει μέγιστον. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ πάσχων, ἀλλ' ὁ δρῶν κακῶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς τιμωρίας ἄξιος· οὕτω καὶ ὁ λέγων, οὐχὶ ὁ ἀκούων, μόνον ἂν μὴ παράσχῃ λαβὰς τῆς κακηγορίας εὐλόγους ἐκεῖνος. Μὴ δὴ οὖν τοῦτο σπουδάζωμεν, ὥστε μὴ κακῶς ἀκούειν τοῦτο γὰρ ἀμήχανον· καὶ ἀπόφασίς ἐστι τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγουσα, 55.255 Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, ὅταν καλῶς ὑμᾶς εἴπωσι πάντες ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἡμεῖς μὴ παράσχοιμεν λαβάς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ βουλόμενος παρὰ πάντων ἀκούειν καλῶς, πολλαχοῦ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπόλλυσι, δόξης ἐρῶν ἀνθρωπίνης, διακονούμενος ἐν οἷς οὐ δεῖ, ἀρέσκων ἐν οἷς οὐ χρὴ, ὥστε ὠνήσασθαι τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν χάριν. Πάλιν ὁ καταφρονῶν τοῦ παρὰ πάντων ἀκούειν κακῶς, καὶ ἑαυτὸν προσαπόλλυσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀμήχανον