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(724) Of the same. Let not impious men lead you astray, nor walk in the way with them; but turn your foot from their paths; for their feet run to evil.

Of the same. He who despises a matter, shall be despised by it. Of the same. As unripe grapes are harmful to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is lawlessness

to those who practice it.

Sirach. He who does evil, it will roll back on him, and he will not know from where it has come to him.

Of Basil. Of possessions, only virtue is inalienable.

The practice of virtue, is a precious possession to the one who has it; but a most pleasant spectacle to those who encounter it.

For just as giving light naturally follows fire, and giving fragrance follows myrrh; so also what is beneficial necessarily follows good actions.

The beginning of the undertaking of good things is the withdrawal from evil things. For, it says, "Turn from evil, and do good."

Of the Theologian. Vice is by nature easy, and the course to the worse is great, or like a stream flowing down a slope, or some straw easily ignited by a spark and wind and becoming a flame, and consumed by its own offspring.

It is not at all easy to find the preeminent among the virtues, and to give to it the primacy and the prize of victory; just as in a meadow full of many fragrant flowers it is not easy to find the most beautiful and most fragrant flower, with one at one time, another at another time drawing the sense of smell and sight to itself, and persuading one to pluck it first.

Chrysostom. The possession of the good is rare and uphill, even if the attraction and invitation be great.

Virtue is without reward, so that it may remain virtue, looking only toward the good. Not only a skillful deed makes one famous, but a conquering vice, a wicked

reputation.

It is not possible for one who cultivates virtue not to have many enemies; but this is nothing to the virtuous man; for through such things he becomes more illustriously so.

Many, often shunning the virtues themselves because of the (725) labors, choose to practice them because of the good repute that comes from them.

Just as the end of life is the beginning of death, so also the cessation of the course of virtue, becomes the beginning of the course of vice.

That virtue is indeed difficult to achieve, being accomplished with difficulty by countless sweats and toils with zeal and labor, we have been taught by the divine Scripture.

Chrysostom. For if among men on earth he who transgresses the laws undergoes an inexorable punishment; by how much more will he be given over to unbearable torments, who disregards the commandments of the heavenly Master?

Just as on the cithara it is not enough to produce the melody on only one string, but one must go over all of them with the proper rhythm, so also in the case of the

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(724) Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.Μή σε πλανήσωσιν ἄνδρες ἀσεβεῖς, μηδέ πορευθῇς ἐν ὁδῷ μετ᾿ αὐτῶν· ἔκκλινον δέ τόν πόδα σου ἀπό τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν· οἱ γάρ πόδες αὐτῶν εἰς κακίαν τρέχουσιν.

Τοῦ αὐτοῦὍς καταφρονεῖ πράγματος, καταφρονηθήσεται ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.Ὥσπερ ὄμφαξ ὁδοῦσι βλαβερόν καί καπνός ὄμμασιν, οὕτω παρανομία

τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτῇ.

Σιράχ. Ὁ ποιῶν πανηρά, εἰς αὐτόν κυλισθήσεται, καί οὐ μή ἐπιγνῷ πόθεν ἤκει αὐτῷ.

Βασιλείου.Μόνη κτημάτων ἡ ἀρετή ἀναφαίρετον.

Ἀρετῆς ἄσκησις, τίμιον μέν κτῆμα τῷ ἔχοντι· ἤδιστον δέ θέαμα τοῖς ἐντυνγχάνουσιν.

Ὥσπερ γάρ τῷ πυρί αὐτομάτως ἕπεται τό φωτίζειν, καί τῷ μύρῳ τό εὐωδεῖν· οὕτω καί ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ τό ὠφέλιμον.

Ἀρχή πρός τήν ἀνάληψιν τῶν καλῶν ἡ ἀναχώρησις τῶν κακῶν. Ἔκκλινον γάρ, φησίν, ἀπό κακοῦ, καί ποίησον ἀγαθόν.

Θεολόγου. Φύσει πρόχειρον ἡ κακία, καί πολύς ἐπί τό χεῖρον ὁ δρόμος, ἤ ῥοῦς κατά πρανοῦς ῥέων, ἤ καλάμη τις πρός σπινθῆρα καί ἄνεμον ῥαδίως ἐξαπτομένη καί γινομένη φλόξ, καί συνδαπανωμένη τῷ οἰκείῳ γεννήματι.

Οὐ πάνυ τι ῥάδιόν ἐστι τῶν ἀρετῶν τήν νικῶσαν εὑρεῖν, καί ταύτῃ δοῦναι τά πρεσβεῖα καί τά νικητήρια· ὥσπερ οὐδέν ἐν λειμῶνι πολυανθεῖ καί εὐώδε τῶν ἀνθέων τό κάλλιστον καί εὐωδέστατον, ἄλλοτε ἄλλου τήν ὄσφρησιν καί τήν ὄψιν πρός ἑαυτό μεθέλκοντος, καί πρῶτον δρέπεσθαι πείθοντος.

Χρυσοστ.Σπάνιον ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κτῆσις καί πρόσαντες, κἄν εἰ πολύ τό μεθέλκον εἴη καί προκαλούμενον.

Ἄμισθος ἡ ἀρετή, ἵνα καί ἀρετή μείνῃ, πρός τό καλόν μόνον βλέπουσα. Ποιεῖ περιβοήτους οὐ δεξιά πρᾶξις μόνον, ἀλλά κακία νικῶσα πονηράν

εὐδοκίμησιν.

Οὐκ ἔστι τόν ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελούμενον, μή πολλούς ἔχειν ἐχθρούς· ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέν τοῦτο πρός τόν ἐνάρετον· διά γάρ τῶν τοιούτων λαμπρότερος ἔστι μειζόνως.

Πολλοί πολλάκις αὐτάς τάς ἀρετάς διά τούς (725) πόνους φεύγοντες, διά τήν ἐξ αὐτῶν εὐφημίαν αἱροῦνται ποιεῖν.

Ὥσπερ τό τῆς ζωῆς τέλος ἀρχή θανάτου ἐστίν, οὕτως καί τοῦ κατ' ἀρετήν δρόμου ἡ στάσις, ἀρχή τοῦ κατά κακίαν γίνεται δρόμου.

∆υσεπίτευκτον μέν εἶναι τήν ἀρετήν, μυρίοις ἱδρῶσι καί πόνοις σπουδῇ καί καμάτῳ μόγις κατορθουμένην, παρά τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἐδιδάχθημεν.

Χρυσοστ.Εἰ γάρ τῶν ἐπί γῆς ἀνθρώπων ὁ παραβαίνων τούς νόμους, ἀπαραίτητον ὑφίσταται τήν κόλασιν· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἀφορήτοις ἐκδοθήσεται βασάνοις, ὁ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ∆εσπότου ἀθετῶν τά προστάγματα;

Ὥσπερ ἐπί τῆς κιθάρας οὐκ ἀρκεῖ μόνον ἐπί μιᾶς νευρᾶς τήν μελωδίαν ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀλλά πάσας ἐπιέναι δεῖ μετά ῥυθμοῦ τοῦ προσηκόντος, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῆς κατά τήν