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doing this in health and wealth, or in poverty and sickness. For the demon stands over them, like a truly fierce executioner, making many threats, just as some tutor raising the strap, and allowing no dissipation from anywhere. But if some are not even so sober, they at least pay the penalty. And this is no small thing; for just as the foolish, just as the mad, just as the 60.294 children are not held accountable, so neither are these; for of things not done with knowledge, no one is so cruel as to ever demand a penalty. Therefore we who sin are in a much worse state than those possessed by demons. But that we do not foam at the mouth, nor roll our eyes, nor our hands? Would that we did this in the body, and not in the soul. Do you want me to show you a soul foaming with impurity, and a distortion of the eyes of the mind? Consider those who are angry and drunk with rage, what words they spew forth, more impure than much foam? Truly they gush forth like foul-smelling saliva. And just as those people know none of those present, so neither do these. For when their mind is darkened and their eyes are distorted, they see neither friend, nor foe, nor the revered, nor the despised, but all people simply. Do you not see them also trembling just like those others? But they do not fall on the ground? But their soul lies on the ground and falls, convulsing; for if it stood upright, it would not have suffered what it suffered. Or does it not seem to you to be of a prostrate soul, and one that has lost its own sobriety, what they do and say when drunk with rage? There is also another form of madness more grievous than this. What is that? When they cannot bear even to let go of their anger, but nourish malice within themselves like a household executioner. For to bear a grudge already destroys them first, to pass over what is to come. For how much torment do you think it is for a person with a wounded soul, to consider each day how he may avenge himself on his enemy? Such a person first punishes himself, and inflicts vengeance by swelling up, fighting against himself, being set on fire. For it is necessary that the fire burn in you constantly; and extending the fever for so long, you do not let it abate, and you think you are inflicting some evil on that man, but you yourself are wasting away, constantly bearing the raging flame, and not allowing your soul to rest, but always becoming brutish, and having your reason in turmoil and in a storm. 5. What is more grievous than this madness, to be constantly grieved and to swell and to be inflamed? For such are the souls of the malicious; wherever they see the one on whom they wish to take revenge, they are immediately struck; if they hear his voice, they are cast down, they tremble; if they are on their bed, they imagine countless punishments for themselves, hanging, torturing that enemy; and besides these things, if they also see him prospering, alas for the punishment! Forgive him the sin, and deliver yourself from the torment. Why do you remain constantly punished, so that you may punish and take revenge on him once? why do you prepare for yourself a chronic disease? why do you restrain your anger when it wants to depart from you? Let it not even remain until evening, says Paul. For like a wasting decay and a moth, so it gnaws through the root of our mind. What wild beast do you shut up in your own entrails? It is better for a snake or a viper to lie in the heart, than anger and malice; for those would have immediately dispatched us, but this remains continually, fixing its teeth, injecting its venom, marshaling its grievous reasonings. But I do these things, he says, so that he may not laugh, so that he may not despise me. Wretched and miserable man, you do not want to be laughed at by your fellow servant, but you want to be hated by your Ma 60.295 ster? you do not want to be despised by your fellow servant, but you despise the Master? you cannot bear to be despised by him, but you do not think God is indignant, that you mock him, that you despise him, by not being willing to obey him? But that he will not laugh at you, is clear from this. If, then, you prosecute, great is the laughter, great the contempt; for the matter is one of pettiness; but if you forgive, great is the wonder;

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ἐν ὑγείᾳ καὶ πλούτῳ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, ἢ ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ. Ἐφέστηκε γὰρ ὁ δαίμων ὡς δήμιος ὄντως σφοδρὸς ἀπειλῶν πολλὰ, καθάπερ τις παιδαγωγὸς τὸν ἱμάντα ἀνατείνων, καὶ οὐδαμόθεν ἀναχυθῆναι ἀφιείς. Εἰ δέ τινες μηδ' οὕτω νήφοιεν, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐκεῖνοι διδύασι δίκην. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ μωροὶ, καθάπερ οἱ μαινόμενοι, καθάπερ οἱ 60.294 παῖδες οὐκ ἀπαιτοῦνται εὐθύνας, οὕτως οὐδὲ οὗτοι· τῶν γὰρ οὐκ ἐν γνώσει πραττομένων οὐδεὶς οὕτως ὠμὸς, ὥστε ἀπαιτῆσαι δίκην ποτέ. Ἄρα πολλῷ τῶν δαιμονώντων χεῖρον διακείμεθα οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. Ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ ἀφρίζομεν, οὐδὲ διαστρέφομεν τὰς κόρας, οὐδὲ τὰς χεῖρας; Εἴθε ἐν τῷ σώματι τοῦτο ἐπράττομεν, καὶ μὴ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. Βούλει σοι δείξω ψυχὴν ἀφρίζουσαν ἀκάθαρτον, καὶ διαστροφὴν ὀμμάτων διανοίας; Ἐννόησον τοὺς ὀργιζομένους καὶ μεθύοντας ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ, πόσου ἀφροῦ οὐκ ἀκαθαρτότερα ἐκβάλλουσι ῥήματα; Ὄντως ὥσπερ δυσώδη σίελον ἀποβλύζουσι. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι οὐδένα ἴσασι τῶν παρόντων, οὕτως οὐδὲ οὗτοι. Σκοτισθείσης γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῆς διανοίας καὶ διαστραφέντων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, οὐ φίλον, οὐκ ἐχθρὸν, οὐκ αἰδέσιμον, οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἁπλῶς ὁρῶσιν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς αὐτοὺς καὶ τρέμοντας καθάπερ ἐκείνους; Ἀλλ' οὐ πίπτουσι χαμαί; Ἀλλὰ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν χαμαὶ κεῖται καὶ πίπτει σπαίρουσα· εἰ γὰρ ὀρθὴ εἱστήκει, οὐκ ἂν ἔπαθεν ἐκεῖνα ἅπερ ἔπαθεν. Ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι καταβεβλημένης εἶναι ψυχῆς, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν νῆψιν ἀπολωλεκυίας, καὶ ἃ ποιοῦσι καὶ λέγουσι μεθύοντες τῷ θυμῷ; Ἔστι τι καὶ ἕτερον μανίας εἶδος τούτου χαλεπώτερον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὅταν μηδὲ ἀφεῖναι τὴν ὀργὴν ἀνέχωνται, ἀλλὰ τρέφωσι παρ' ἑαυτοῖς οἰκειακὸν καθάπερ τινὰ δήμιον τὴν μνησικακίαν. Αὐτοὺς γὰρ πρώτους ἀπόλλυσι τὸ μνησικακεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη, ἵνα τὰ μέλλοντα παρῶ. Πόσην γὰρ οἴει βάσανον εἶναι ἀνθρώπῳ πεπληγμένῳ τὴν ψυχὴν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν σκοποῦντι ὅπως ἀμύνηται τὸν ἐχθρόν; Πρότερον ἑαυτὸν κολάζει ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ τιμωρεῖται οἰδαίνων, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μαχόμενος, ἐμπυριζόμενος. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ διαπαντὸς καίεσθαι παρὰ σοὶ τὸ πῦρ· καὶ τὸν πυρετὸν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐκτείνων, οὐκ ἀφίης παρακμάσαι, καὶ νομίζεις ἐκείνῳ διδόναι τι κακὸν, αὐτὸς δὲ σεαυτὸν τήκεις, διαπαντὸς τὴν φλόγα ἀκμάζουσαν φέρων, καὶ διαναπαύσασθαι τὴν ψυχὴν οὐκ ἐῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκθηριούμενος ἀεὶ, καὶ ἐν ταραχῇ καὶ ἐν χειμῶνι τὸν λογισμὸν ἔχων. εʹ. Τί ταύτης χαλεπώτερον τῆς μανίας, διαπαντὸς λυπεῖσθαι καὶ οἰδεῖν καὶ φλεγμαίνειν; Τοιαῦται γὰρ αἱ τῶν μνησικάκων ψυχαί· ἔνθα ἂν ἴδωσιν ὃν βούλονται ἀμύνασθαι, εὐθέως ἐπλήγησαν· ἂν φωνῆς ἀκούσωσι, κατέπεσον, τρέμουσιν· ἂν ἐπὶ κλίνης ὦσι, μυρίας ἑαυτοῖς ὑπογράφουσι τιμωρίας, ἀναρτῶντες, βασανίζοντες ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐχθρόν· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἂν καὶ εὐδοκιμοῦντα ἴδωσι, βαβαὶ τῆς τιμωρίας! Ἄφες αὐτῷ τὸ ἁμάρτημα, καὶ ἀπάλλαξον σαυτὸν τῆς βασάνου. Τί μένεις διαπαντὸς κολαζόμενος, ἵνα ἐκεῖνον ἅπαξ κολάσῃς καὶ τιμωρήσῃ; τί κατασκευάζεις ἑκτικὸν σαυτῷ νόσημα; τί βουλόμενον ἀπαλλαγῆναί σου τὸν θυμὸν κατέχεις; Μηδὲ μέχρις ἑσπέρας μενέτω, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος. Καθάπερ γὰρ τηκεδών τις καὶ σὴς, οὕτω τὴν ῥίζαν τῆς ἡμετέρας διατρώγει διανοίας. Τί θηρίον ἐναποκλείεις εἰς τὰ σπλάγχνα τὰ σά; Βέλτιον ὄφιν ἢ ἔχιν ἐγκεῖσθαι τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἢ θυμὸν καὶ μνησικακίαν· ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ εὐθέως ἂν ἡμᾶς ἀπήλλαξεν, οὗτος δὲ μένει διαπαντὸς, τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐμπηγνὺς, τὸν ἰὸν ἐντιθεὶς, τοὺς χαλεποὺς ἐπιστρατεύων λογισμούς. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ποιῶ, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ καταγελάσῃ, ἵνα μὴ καταφρονήσῃ. Ἄθλιε ἄνθρωπε καὶ ταλαίπωρε, οὐ βούλει καταγελασθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ συνδούλου, ἀλλὰ μισηθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ σοῦ ∆ε 60.295 σπότου; οὐ βούλει καταφρονηθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ ὁμοδούλου, ἀλλὰ καταφρονεῖς τοῦ ∆εσπότου; καταφρονηθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀνέχῃ, τὸν δὲ Θεὸν ἀγανακτεῖν οὐκ οἴει, ὅτι αὐτοῦ καταγελᾷς, ὅτι αὐτοῦ καταφρονεῖς, οὐ βουλόμενος αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι; Ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ καταγελάσεταί σου, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐπεξέλθῃς, πολὺς ὁ γέλως, πολλὴ ἡ καταφρόνησις· μικροψυχίας γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα· ἂν δὲ ἀφῇς, πολὺ τὸ θαῦμα·