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of gain rather, than of a desire to cooperate with him for the common advantage, he chose such things, holding it of the greatest importance to demonstrate the Roman hegemony to be greater and more illustrious. And he would try to provide clear proof of this not in words, but in deeds. For having been occupied with such matters for not a few years before, it was possible for him to have amassed no small amount of money, although he tried especially not to be violent, nor to profit by any and every means. This money indeed later did not let him rest, but stirred many thoughts in his soul, not to bury it, but to spend it on the benefactions of certain men, so that through this he might be able to wipe away the stain of sin. At one time, then, it seemed good to build a monastery for these men who had 2.60 once and for all dedicated themselves to God, and through beneficence toward them to make the divine being propitious to himself, using them as mediators who are most able to accomplish such things; but now to spend it on poor beggars. since the former would not be able to use the money for a good purpose, and the others would use it for plunder and injustice and would squander it, but when you alone were placed in charge of affairs I perceived your intention, that for the benefit of the common good you intend to give not only money but even your soul itself, if it is possible, and foreseeing that your character is good, I decided I must entrust that money to you, as it will be spent not only well, but also reasonably and scrupulously for the common interests of the Romans, since it was also collected from them. All of this I have come to entrust to you, to use for whatever you may wish. It is possible therefore for anyone to receive clear proof, that it is not to make a profit from the census that I have come requesting to be appointed to it; for it was possible for me, having what I possess, to meddle no further, but desiring to appear useful to you and being able to help greatly toward restoring the ancient prosperity to the Romans, having given much and continuous thought for this purpose.” And he, gladly accepting his words, said that he felt much gratitude to him concerning the money, not only because it had been provided for the common interests, 2.61 but also because he had entrusted its administration to him, being rightly convinced he would spend it justly. For for someone entrusted with the care of common affairs not to improve his own substance, but to depart having as much as he had before taking office, and to be seen as generally above money, is not only difficult, but almost impossible. But to already possess it and suspect no danger concerning it, then willingly to decide to set it aside and, what one collected wrongly, to use for a good purpose, is characteristic not of the many, but of those who wish to be saved and are precisely convinced that they will give an account for all that they have lived through after their departure from here. For it is better not to sin in the first place, nor to stain the soul with many blemishes; but if this should happen, the beginning of a second sinlessness is not only to have ceased from evils, but also to show the working of good deeds as a counterweight. For these reasons, indeed, I praise you for your change and for wishing to bestow the money not in some other way, but for the common interests. And that, not having been summoned, but having approached first on your own initiative, you asked to equalize for the soldiers the means of livelihood from the public funds, I am so far from condemning this, that, although I was previously inclined of my own accord, on account of your experience in these matters, to entrust the service to you, you have now persuaded me the more to think that you will administer such things better and more justly. For he who has promised many things and he who has promised nothing will not 2.62 be equally zealous for the fulfillment of what has been promised. I therefore entrust to you the service of such matters. And it is fitting that you yourself think not to pursue small and contemptible things, nor such things as neither, when well managed, provide much benefit to the common good, nor harm it equally, if they are done lazily and knavishly. For what is to the

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κέρδους μᾶλλον, ἢ τοῦ βούλεσθαι αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰ κοινῇ συναίρεσθαι λυσιτελοῦντα, τοιαῦτα προελέσθαι, μάλιστα ποιουμένῳ περὶ πλείστου, τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν μείζω καὶ περιφανεστέραν ἀποδεικνύναι. τούτου δὲ ἀπόδειξιν οὐ λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἔργοις πειράσεσθαι παρέχειν ἐναργῆ. ἔτεσι γὰρ ἤδη καὶ πρότερόν τισιν οὐκ ὀλίγοις ἠσχολημένῳ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, χρήματα ἠθροικέναι οὐκ ὀλίγα ἐξεγένετο, καίτοι πειρωμένῳ μάλιστα, μὴ βιαίῳ, μηδ' ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου κερδαίνειν, εἶναι. ἃ δὴ ὕστερον οὐκ εἴα ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἐκίνει λογισμοὺς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, μὴ κατορύττειν, ἀλλ' εἰς εὐποιΐας ἀναλίσκειν τινῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς διὰ τούτου δυναμένῳ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀποτρίβεσθαι κηλῖδα. νῦν μὲν οὖν ἐδόκει φροντιστήριον ἐκ τούτων ἀνδρῶν οἰκοδομεῖν τῷ θεῷ καθάπαξ 2.60 ἀνατεθεικότων ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ διὰ τῆς εἰς ἐκείνους εὐποιΐας ἱλεοῦν τὸ θεῖον ἑαυτῷ, διαλλακταῖς ἐκείνοις τὰ τοιαῦτα μάλιστα καταπράττεσθαι χρωμένῳ οὖσι δυνατοῖς· νυνὶ δὲ εἰς πένητας ἀγύρτας ἀναλοῦν. ὡς τῶν προτέρων ἢ ἐκείνων μὴ εἰς δέον τοῖς χρήμασι δυνησομένων χρήσασθαι, ἢ ἑτέρων ἁρπαγῇ καὶ ἀδικίᾳ χρησομένων καὶ διαφθερούντων, ὡς δὲ σοῦ μόνου καταστάντος ἐπὶ τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν κατεῖδον, ὡς ὑπὲρ ὠφελείας τῶν κοινῶν οὐ χρήματα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὴν αὐτὴν, εἰ οἷόν τε, προΐεσθαι διανοῇ, καὶ τὸν τρόπον προειδὼς ὡς ἀγαθὸς, ἔγνων δεῖν σοὶ τὰ χρήματα ἐκεῖνα ἐγχειρίζειν, ὡς οὐ καλῶς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐλόγως καὶ ἀκριβῶς ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ Ῥωμαίοις συμφερόντων ἀναλωθησομένων, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐκ τούτων συνελέγησαν αὐτῶν. ἃ δὴ πάντα ἥκω ἐγχειρίζων, ἐφ' ὅ,τι ἂν ᾖ σοι χρησομένῳ βούλησις. ἔξεστιν οὖν παντί τῳ ἀπόδειξιν λαμβάνειν ἐναργῆ, ὡς οὐ χρηματισόμενος ἐκ τῆς ἀπογραφῆς, ἥκω δεόμενος καταστῆναι πρὸς αὐτήν· ἐξῆν γὰρ ἔχοντα, ἃ κέκτημαι, μηδὲν περαιτέρω πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἀλλά σοι φανεῖσθαι χρήσιμος ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ πολλὰ συνάρασθαι δυνάμενος πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἀρχαίαν εὐδαιμονίαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀνασώζειν, πολλὴν τούτου ἕνεκα καὶ συνεχῆ ποιουμένῳ τὴν φροντίδα.» ὁ δὲ ἄσμενος ἀποδεξάμενος τοὺς λόγους, περὶ μὲν τῶν χρημάτων, ἔφασκε, χάριν αὐτῷ πολλὴν εἰδέναι, οὐ τῷ ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων 2.61 μόνον παρεσχῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ αὐτῶν πεπιστευκέναι τὴν διοίκησιν αὐτῷ ὀρθῶς πεπεισμένῳ καὶ δικαίως ἀναλώσειν. τὸ μὲν γάρ τινα τῶν κοινῶν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐγκεχειρισμένον μὴ τὴν οὐσίαν ποιεῖν βελτίω, ἀλλ' ὅσα πρὶν ἅπτεσθαι, τοσαῦτα ἔχοντα ἀπαλλάττεσθαι καὶ χρημάτων ὡς ἐπίπαν ὀφθῆναι κρείττω, οὐ χαλεπὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀδύνατον σχεδόν. τὸ δ' ἔχοντα ἤδη καὶ μηδὲν ὑποπτεύοντα δεινὸν περὶ αὐτῶν, ἔπειτα ἑκόντα βουληθῆναι ἀποθέσθαι καὶ, ἃ συνέλεξε κακῶς, χρήσασθαι εἰς δέον, οὐ τῶν πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν βουλομένων σώζεσθαι καὶ πεπεισμένων ἀκριβῶς, ὡς πάντων παρέξουσιν εὐθύνας τῶν βεβιωμένων μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγήν. βέλτιον μὲν γὰρ, μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν τὴν ἀρχὴν, μηδὲ κηλῖσι πολλαῖς καταμιαίνειν τὴν ψυχήν· ἂν δ' ἄρα τοῦτο συμβαίνῃ, δευτέρας ἀναμαρτησίας ἀρχὴ, τὸ μὴ μόνον πεπαῦσθαι τῶν κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντίῤῥοπον ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἐργασίαν. διὰ ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἐπαινῶ σε τῆς μεταβολῆς καὶ τοῦ μὴ τρόπον ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων τὰ χρήματα βουληθῆναι ἐπιδοῦναι. ὅτι δὲ μὴ προσκληθεὶς, ἀλλὰ πρότερος προσελθὼν αὐτὸς τὸ ἐπανισοῦν τοῖς στρατιώταις τὰς ἐκ τῶν δημοσίων ᾔτησας τοῦ βίου ἀφορμὰς, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχω καταγινώσκειν, ὥστε καὶ πρότερον αὐτὸν οἴκοθεν ὡρμημένον, διὰ τὴν περὶ ταῦτα ἐμπειρίαν σοὶ τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν ἐγχειρίζειν, νῦν μᾶλλον ἀνέπεισας βέλτιον οἴεσθαι καὶ δικαιότερον τὰ τοιαῦτα διοικήσειν. οὐ γὰρ ὁμοί 2.62 ως ὅ, τε πολλὰ ἐπαγγειλάμενος καὶ ὁ μηδὲν, περὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τὴν ἐκπλήρωσιν σπουδάσουσι. τὴν μὲν οὖν ὑπηρεσίαν τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιτρέπω. σὲ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν οἴεσθαι προσῆκον, μὴ μικρά τινα καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητα μετιέναι, μηδ' οἷα μήτε διοικούμενα καλῶς, πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν παρέχειν τῷ κοινῷ, μήτ' ἐπίσης βλάπτειν, ἂν ῥᾳθύμως καὶ πανούργως πράττωνται. ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι τοῖς