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This the Prophet also said, describing its nature: Like a heavy burden they were heavy upon me. And Zechariah also, describing it, says it is a talent of lead. And this experience itself also shows. For nothing so weighs down the soul, [nothing so maims the mind] and presses it down, as the consciousness of sin; nothing so gives it wings and lifts it up as the possession of righteousness and virtue. But consider. What is more burdensome, tell me, than possessing nothing? than turning the cheek, and when struck not striking back? than dying a violent death? But yet if we are wise, all these things are light and easy and productive of pleasure. But do not be disturbed, but let us examine each of these things with precision by taking them in hand; and, if you wish, the first one that seems to many to be laborious. Which then, tell me, is heavy and burdensome, to be anxious for one stomach, or to care for ten thousand? To be clothed in one garment and seek nothing more, or while having many within to be tormented every day and night, fearing, trembling for their security, grieving and being choked with anxiety over loss, lest they become moth-eaten, lest a servant take them and run away? But yet whatever I may say, my words will not represent it in the same way as the experience of the things themselves. Wherefore I would wish that one of those who have reached that summit of philosophy were present with us, and then you would have clearly seen the pleasure of the matter; and how none of those who love having no possessions would have accepted to be rich, even if countless people offered it. But would these men, he says, ever have consented to become poor, and to cast away the cares which they have? And what of this? For this is a sign of their folly and grievous disease, not that the matter is most pleasant. 4. And this they themselves would testify to us, they who every day lament over these cares, and consider life not worth living. But not so the others, but they laugh, they leap, and they adorn themselves in their poverty more than those who wear the diadem. Again, to turn the cheek is lighter for the one who pays attention than to strike another; for in the one case the war begins, but in this case it finds its end; and in the former you have kindled another’s fire, but in the latter you have extinguished your own flame. And that not being burned is more pleasant than being burned is surely clear to everyone. And if this is so for bodies, 57.433 much more so for the soul. And what is lighter, to struggle or to be crowned? to box, or to have the prize? and to endure waves, or to put into harbor? Therefore also to die is better than to live. For the one leads out of the billows and the dangers; the other adds to them, and makes one liable to countless plots and necessities, on account of which you have considered life not worth living. But if you disbelieve what is said, listen to those who have seen the faces of the martyrs at the time of their contests, how, when being scourged and torn, they were overjoyed and bright, and lying on frying pans rejoiced and were gladdened more than those reclining on a bed of roses. Wherefore Paul also said, when he was about to depart from here and to end his life by a violent death: I rejoice and I rejoice with you all; and for the same reason you also rejoice and rejoice with me. Do you see with what great excess he calls the whole world to share in his gladness? So great a good did he know the departure from here to be; so desirable was that death which is so terrible, and lovely and worthy of prayer. But that the yoke of virtue is sweet and light is clear from many other sources also; but for the rest, if it seems good, let us also look at the burdens of sin. Let us then bring into the middle the greedy, the hucksters and petty-dealers of shameless contracts. What then could be more burdensome than such a business? how many griefs, how many cares, how many offenses, how many dangers, how many plots and wars spring up daily from these profits? how many disturbances and troubles? For just as it is never possible to see the sea without waves, so too such a soul is never without care and despondency and fear and trouble, 57.434 but the former

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Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Προφήτης ἔλεγε, τὴν φύσιν αὐτῆς ὑπογράφων· Ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Καὶ ὁ Ζαχαρίας δὲ ὑπογράφων αὐτὴν, μολίβδου τάλαντον αὐτὴν εἶναί φησι. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ πεῖρα αὐτὴ δείκνυσιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω βαρεῖ ψυχὴν, [οὐδὲν οὕτω πηροῖ διάνοιαν] καὶ πιέζει κάτω, ὡς ἁμαρτίας συνειδός· οὐδὲν οὕτω πτεροῖ καὶ μετέωρον ποιεῖ ὡς δικαιοσύνης κτῆσις καὶ ἀρετῆς. Σκόπει δέ. Τί φορτικώτερον, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ μηδὲν κεκτῆσθαι; τοῦ στρέψαι τὴν σιαγόνα, καὶ τυπτόμενον μὴ ἀντιτύπτειν; τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν βιαίῳ θανάτῳ; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐὰν φιλοσοφῶμεν, ταῦτα πάντα κοῦφα καὶ ῥᾴδια καὶ ἡδονῆς ποιητικά. Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβηθῆτε, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάσωμεν μεταχειρίσαντες· καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, τὸ πρῶτον τὸ καὶ πολλοῖς ἐπίπονον εἶναι δοκοῦν. Πότερον οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, βαρὺ καὶ ἐπαχθὲς, τὸ μίαν γαστέρα μεριμνᾷν, ἢ τὸ μυρίων φροντίζειν; τὸ ἓν περιβεβλῆσθαι ἱμάτιον καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιζητεῖν, ἢ τὸ πολλὰ ἔνδον ἔχοντα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα κόπτεσθαι, δεδοικότα, τρέμοντα ὑπὲρ τῆς φυλακῆς, ἀλγοῦντα καὶ ἀγχόμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς ζημίας, μὴ σητόβρωτον γένηται, μὴ οἰκέτης ἀφελόμενος ἀπέλθῃ; Πλὴν ἀλλ' ὅσα ἂν εἴπω, οὐδὲν παραστήσει τοιοῦτον ὁ λόγος, οἷον ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων πεῖρα. ∆ιὸ ἐβουλόμην τινὰ τῶν εἰς ἐκείνην φθασάντων τὴν κορυφὴν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἡμῖν παρεῖναι, καὶ τότε σαφῶς ἂν εἶδες τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἡδονήν· καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἂν ἐδέξατο ἐκείνων τῶν ἐρώντων ἀκτημοσύνης, μυρίων παρεχόντων πλουτεῖν. Οὗτοι δὲ κατεδέξαντο ἄν ποτε γενέσθαι πένητες, φησὶ, καὶ ῥῖψαι τὰς φροντίδας ἃς ἔχουσι; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Τῆς γὰρ ἀνοίας αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ χαλεποῦ νοσήματος τοῦτο δεῖγμα, οὐ τοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἥδιστον εἶναι. δʹ. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὶ μαρτυρήσαιεν ἂν ἡμῖν, οἱ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπὶ ταύταις ἀποδυρόμενοι ταῖς φροντίσι, καὶ τὸν βίον ἀβίωτον εἶναι νομίζοντες. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι οὕτως, ἀλλὰ γελῶσι, σκιρτῶσι, καὶ τῶν τὸ διάδημα περικειμένων μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῇ πενίᾳ καλλωπίζονται. Πάλιν τὸ στρέψαι τὴν σιαγόνα τοῦ πλῆξαι ἕτερον κουφότερον τῷ προσέχοντι· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀρχὴν ὁ πόλεμος λαμβάνει, ἐνταῦθα δὲ λύσιν· καὶ ἐκείνῳ μὲν καὶ τὴν ἑτέρου πυρὰν ἀνῆψας, τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τὴν σαυτοῦ φλόγα ἔσβεσας. Ὅτι δὲ τὸ μὴ καίεσθαι τοῦ καίεσθαι ἥδιον, παντί που δῆλόν ἐστιν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ σωμάτων τοῦτο, 57.433 πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ ψυχῆς. Τί δὲ κουφότερον, ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἢ στεφανοῦσθαι; πυκτεύειν, ἢ τὸ βραβεῖον ἔχειν; καὶ κυμάτων ἀνέχεσθαι, ἢ εἰς λιμένα καταίρειν; Οὐκοῦν καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν τοῦ ζῇν βέλτιον. Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ ἐξάγει τῶν κλυδωνίων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων· ἐκεῖνο δὲ προστίθησι, καὶ ὑπεύθυνον ποιεῖ μυρίαις ἐπιβουλαῖς καὶ ἀνάγκαις, δι' ἃς ἀβίωτον εἶναι τὸν βίον ἐνόμισας. Εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἄκουσον τῶν ἑωρακότων τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν μαρτύρων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν ἀγώνων, πῶς μαστιζόμενοι καὶ ξεόμενοι, περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν καὶ φαιδροὶ, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ ῥοδωνιᾶς κατακεκλιμένων ἐπὶ τηγάνων προκείμενοι μᾶλλον ἔχαιρον καὶ εὐφραίνοντο. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγε, μέλλων ἐντεῦθεν ἀπιέναι καὶ καταλύειν βιαίῳ θανάτῳ τὴν ζωήν· Χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν· τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Εἶδες μεθ' ὅσης ὑπερβολῆς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἐπὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς εὐφροσύνης καλεῖ; Οὕτω μέγα ἀγαθὸν ᾔδει τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν οὖσαν· οὕτω ποθεινὸν τὸν οὕτω φοβερὸν θάνατον, καὶ ἐπέραστον καὶ εὐχῆς ἄξιον. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἡδὺς καὶ κοῦφος ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς ζυγὸς, καὶ ἑτέρωθεν πολλαχόθεν δῆλον· λοιπὸν δὲ, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἴδωμεν τὰ φορτία. Οὐκοῦν τοὺς πλεονέκτας εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν, τοὺς καπήλους καὶ παλιγκαπήλους τῶν ἀναισχύντων συμβολαίων. Τί οὖν φορτικώτερον τῆς τοιαύτης πραγματείας γένοιτ' ἄν; πόσαι λύπαι, πόσαι φροντίδες, πόσα προσκρούσματα, πόσοι κίνδυνοι, πόσαι ἐπιβουλαὶ καὶ πόλεμοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τούτοις φύονται τοῖς κέρδεσι; πόσοι θόρυβοι καὶ ταραχαί; Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν θάλατταν οὐκ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ποτε κυμάτων χωρὶς, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν τοιαύτην ψυχὴν φροντίδος καὶ ἀθυμίας καὶ φόβου καὶ ταραχῆς 57.434 ἐκτὸς, ἀλλὰ τὰ πρότερα