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Of Menander. Nothing is more grievous than slander, for it is necessary for one to receive as his own blame the sin that lies in another. Whoever is quickly persuaded by slanders, is either himself wicked in his ways, or has entirely the mind of a little child.

Of Reginus. Indeed many have already suffered greater evils from slanders than from enemies; and many already (788) have been more greatly wronged by the weakness of their ears than by the plotting of their enemies.

Of Cleanthes. There is surely nothing more malicious than slander. For secretly deceiving the one who is persuaded, it creates hatred against the one who is in no way at fault.

Of Sextus. Let him who slanders a friend not be well-regarded, even if he speaks the truth.

Of Chrysippus. When someone said to him, "Your friend reviles you secretly," he said: "Do not rebuke him, since he is [about] to do it openly."

The same man, having been greatly reviled by a certain wicked person, said: "You did very well, omitting none of the qualities belonging to you."

The same man, when someone said that "Some are reviling you," said: "But I will live in such a way that they will not be believed."

Of Lucian. For who would not confess that equality in all things, and taking nothing more, are the works of justice; but that inequality and greed are the works of injustice? But the one who secretly uses slander against all, how is he not greedy? appropriating the whole hearer, and preoccupying his ears, and blocking them, and rendering them completely inaccessible to the second argument, having been filled beforehand by the slander.

DISCOURSE 11.

Concerning flattery. Luke 6. Woe when men shall speak well of you.

Jude. These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, admiring persons for the sake of advantage.

Proverbs 26. The words of flatterers are soft; but they strike into the chambers of the inward parts.

Better is a man who rebukes, than another who flatters.

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Μενάνδρου. Οὐδέν διαβολῆς ἐστιν ἐπιπονώτερον, τήν ἐν ἑτέρῳ γάρ κειμένην ἁμαρτίαν, Ἀεί μέμψιν ἰδίαν αὐτόν ἐπανάγκες λαβεῖν. Ὅστις δέ διαβολαῖς πείθεται ταχύ, ῞Ἤτοι πονηρός αὐτός ἐστι τοῖς τρόποις, Ἤ παντάπασι παιδαρίου γνώμην ἔχει.

Ῥηγίν.Πολλοί γοῦν ἤδη μείζω κακά πεπόνθασι ὑπό τῶν διαβολῶν, ἤ τῶν

πολεμίων· καί πολλοί ἤδη (788) μείζω ἠδίκηνται ὑπό τῆς τῶν ὤτων ἀσθενείας, ἤ ὑπό τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλῆς.

Κλεάνθ. Κακουργότερον οὐδέν διαβολῆς ἐστί που. Λάθρα γάρ ἀπατήσασα τόν πεπεισμένον. Μῖσος ἀναπλάττει πρός τόν οὐδέν αἴτιον.

Σέξτ. Ὁ ἐνδιαβάλλων φίλον, μή εὐδοκιμείτω, κἄν ἀληθῆ λέγῃ.

Χρυσίππ. Εἰπόντος αὐτῷ τινος, Ὁ φίλος δε λάθρα λοιδορεῖ, ἔφη· Μή ἔλεγχε αὐτόν, ἐπεί φανερῶς αὐτό ἔχει [μέλλει] ποιεῖν.

Ὁ αὐτός ὑπό τινος πονηροῦ πολλά λοιδορηθείς, ἔφη· Κάλλιστα ἐποίησας, μηδέν σοι τῶν προσόντων παραλιπών.

Ὁ αὐτός, τινός λέγοντος ὅτι Σέ τινες λοιδοροῦσιν, ἔφη· Ἀλλ᾿ ἐγώ οὕτως διάξω, ὥστε ἀπιστεῖσθαι αὐτούς.

Λικιαν. Τίς γάρ οὐκ ἄν ὁμολογήσειε, τήν μέν ἰσότητα ἐν ἅπασι, καί τό μηδέν πλέον, διακιοσύνης ἔργα εἶναι· τό δέ ἄνισόν τε καί πλεονεκτόν, ἀδικίας; Ὁ δέ τῇ διαβολῇ κατά τῶν ἁπάντων λάθρα χρώμενος, πῶς οὐ πλεονέκτης ἐστίν; ὅλον τόν ἀκροατήν σφετεριζόμενος, καί προκαταλαμβάνων αὐτοῦ τά ὦτα, καί ἀποφράττων, καί τῷ δευτέρῳ λόγῳ παντελῶς ἄβατα κατασκευάζων αὐτά ὑπό τῆς διαβολῆς προπεπλησμένα.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΑ´.

Περί κολακείας. Λουκ. στ´. Οὐαί ὅταν καλῶς εἴπωσιν ὑμᾶς οἱ ἄνθρωποι.

Ἰουδ. Οὗτοί εἰσι γογγυσταί, μεμψίμοιροι, κατά ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν πορευόμενοι, καί τό στόμα αὐτῶν λαλεῖ ὑπέρογκα, θαυμάζοντες πρόσωπα ὠφελείας χάριν.

Παροιμ. Κστ´. Λόγοι κερκώπων μαλακοί· οὗτοι δέ τύπτουσιν εἰς ταμεῖα σπλάχνων.

Κρεῖσσον ἀνδρός ἐλέγχοντος, ὑπέρ ἄλλου κολακεύοντος.