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Of Cypselus. To friends whether fortunate or unfortunate, be the same.
Of Epictetus. One must flee the friendship of the wicked and the enmity of the good.
Of Sextus. Do not acquire a friend whom you do not trust in all things.
Of Cyrus. When someone sent him much adornment, he gave it to his friends. And being asked why he did not keep any for himself, he said: Because my own body could not be adorned with all these things; but seeing my friends adorned, I will seem to have the greatest adornment laid up for myself.
Of Timon. Timon the misanthrope, being asked why he hates all men, said: Because I reasonably hate the wicked; and the rest, because they do not hate the wicked.
Of Romulus. Romulus, being accused because he associated with wicked men, said: Physicians too are with the sick; but they themselves are healthy.
Of King Antigonus. When he was sacrificing to the gods, he prayed that they guard him from those who seemed to be (764) friends. And when someone inquired for what reason he made such a prayer, he said: Because knowing my enemies, I guard myself against them.
Of Alexander. Being asked by someone, Where do you have your treasures? pointing to his friends, he said, In these.
Of Libanius. One must rejoice with friends who are doing well, as well as grieve with those who are in sorrow.
The sorrows that arise from friends toward a friend happen to be very difficult to heal, and their insults are greater than those of enemies.
Of Pisonianus. Of Dion. The more one makes his friends stronger, the stronger he himself becomes.
What misfortune without friendship is not unbearable? And what good fortune without friends is not charmless?
One would more easily bear a most difficult misfortune with friends, than the greatest good fortune alone.
I rightly judge him most wretched, who in his misfortunes has very many who rejoice over them, and in his good fortunes has no one who rejoices with him.
He who is gracious to his friends, is at once pleased in giving as one who is gracious, and at the same time as one who is himself acquiring.
DISCOURSE 7.
Concerning almsgiving. Matth. 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Deut. 15. The needy will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you this word, saying, You shall surely open your hands to your poor brother.
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Κυψέλου. Φίλοις εὐτυχοῦσι καί ἀτυχοῦσιν, ὁ αὐτός ἴσθι.
Ἐπικτήτου. Φεύγειν δεῖ κακῶν φιλίαν καί ἀγαθῶν ἔχθραν.
Σέξτ. Μή κτήσῃ φίλον, ᾧ μή πάντα πιστεύεις.
Κύρου. Πέμψαντος αὐτῷ τινος κόσμον πολύν, δέδωκε τοῖς φίλοις. Ἐρωτηθείς δέ, διατί οὐχ ὑπελείπετο αὐτῷ, ἔφη· Ὅτι τό μέν ἐμόν σῶμα οὐκ ἄν δύναιτο πᾶσι τούτοις κοσμεῖσθαι· φίλους δέ κεκοσμημένους ὁρῶν, μέγιστον ἑμαυτῷ κόσμον ἀποκεῖσθαι δόξω.
Τίμων. Τίμων ὁ μισάνθρωπος, ἐρωτηθείς διατί πάντας ἀνθρώπους μισεῖ, εἶπε· ∆ιότι τούς μέν πονηρούς εὐλόγως μισῶ· τούς δέ λοιπούς, ὅτι οὐ μισοῦσι τούς πονηρούς.
Ῥωμύλ.Ῥωμύλος ἐγκαλούμενος ὅτι πονηροῖς ἀνθρώποις σύνεστιν, ἔφη· Καί οἱ ἰατροί τοῖς νοσοῦσιν· ἀλλ᾿ αὐτοί ὑγιαίνουσιν.
Ἀντίγονος Βασιλεύς. Οὗτος θύων τοῖς θεοῖς, ηὔχετο φυλάττειν αὐτόν ἀπό τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι (764) φίλων. Πυνθανομένου δέ τινος, διά ποίαν αἰτίαν τοιαύτην εὐχήν ποιεῖται, ἔφη. Ὅτι τούς ἐχθρούς γινώσκων φυλάσσομαι.
Ἀλέξανδρ. Ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, Ποῦ τούς θησαυρούς ἔχεις; δείξας τούς φίλου, ἔφη, Ἐν τούτοις.
Λιβανίου. Συγχαίρειν χρή τοῖς φίλοις καλῶς πράττουσιν, ὡς καί συναλγεῖν λυπουμένοις.
Αἱ ἐκ φίλων εἰς φίλου γενόμεναι λύπαι, δυσθεράπευτοι λίαν τυγχάνουσι, καί μείζους τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἔχουσι τάς ἐπηρείας.
Πεισωνιανοῦ. ∆ίωνος. Ὅσῳ δ᾿ ἄν τις τούς φίλους ἰσχυροτέρους ποιεῖ, οὗτος ἰσχυρότερος αὐτῶν γίνεται.
Ποία μέν συμφορά δίχα φιλίας οὐκ ἀφόρητος; ποία δέ εὐτυχία χωρίς φίλων οὐκ ἄχαρις;
Ῥᾷον ἄν τις συμφοράν χαλεπωτάτην φέρει μετά φίλων, ἤ μόνος εὐτυχίαν μεγίστην.
Ἐκεῖνον ἀθλιώτατον κρίνω δικαίως, ὅς ἐν μέν ταῖς συμφοραῖς πλείστους ἔχει τούς ἐφηδομένους, ἐν δέ ταῖς εὐτυχίαις οὐδένα τόν συνηδόμενον.
Ὁ τοῖς φίλοις χαριζόμενος, ἅμα μέν ὡς χαριζόμενος ἥδεται διδούς, ἅμα δέ ὡς αὐτός κτώμενος.
ΛΟΓΟΣ Ζ´.
Περί ἐλεημοσύνης. Ματθ. ε´. Μακάριοι οὁ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοί ἐλεηθήσονται.
∆ευτ. ιε´. Οὐ μή ἐκλίπῃ ἐνδεής ἀπό τῆς γῆς. ∆ιά τοῦτο ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι τό ῥῆμα τούτο λέγων, Ἀνοίγων ἀνοίξεις τάς χεῖράς σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ πένητι.