319

From the Fathers. Anger comes about through four things: giving and receiving, and doing one's own will, and loving lawsuits, and thinking oneself to be wise.

Of Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Among us, being angry will be limited to ceasing from sins. "For be angry," he says, "and do not sin."

Of Apollonius. The passion of anger, if not addressed nor treated, becomes a natural disease.

Plutarch. Fits of temper, just like dogs, give birth to blind accusations.

Rough horses are guided by bridles; but sharp tempers, by reasonings.

Temperate water soothes inflammations; but a gentle word dissolves impulses.

For as the clouds of vice, and a base life draws revilings upon itself.

Aristotle. Just as smoke, stinging the eyes, does not allow one to see what lies at one's feet, so anger, when it comes on, darkens the reason, and does not permit the mind to foresee the absurd consequence that will result from it.

Do you not see that from all things done in anger, reason is absent, fleeing from anger as from a bitter tyrant?

Anger is a passion, beastly in its disposition, constant in its affliction, harsh and violent in its power, a cause of murder, an ally of misfortune, a collaborator in harm and dishonor, and a loss of money; and moreover a source of ruin.

(841) Of Euenus. Often the anger of men has revealed a hidden mind, much worse than madness. Philemon. We are all mad when we are angry, For to restrain oneself in anger is a great labor. Euripides. For reverence benefits mortals more than anger. And just as our body is by nature mortal, So it is fitting for one who knows how to be temperate not to have immortal anger.

Herodotus. How anger is not always in the ears of men. For having heard good things,

he fills the body with delight; but having heard things contrary to these, he swells up.

Of Arrian. Some are high-tempered in a gentle way, acting quietly and as it were without anger, accomplishing as much as those who are vehemently carried away by temper. One must therefore also beware of their composure, as it is much worse than being intensely angry. For the latter quickly have their fill of vengeance; but the former extend it for a long time, like those with a low-grade fever.

Apollonois Democrates. He who gets immoderately angry over small mistakes does not allow the wrongdoer to discern when he has committed a lesser, and when a greater wrong.

319

Ἐκ τῶν Πατέρων. ∆ιά τεσσάρων πραγμάτων ἡ ὀργή ἐγγίνεται, τοῦ δοῦναι καί λαβεῖν, καί τοῦ ποιῆσαι τό ἴδιον θέλημα, καί τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν δίκας, καί τοῦ νομίζειν φρόνιμον εἶναι ἑαυτόν.

∆ιονυσίου Ἀλικαρν. Τό ὀργίζεσθαι παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ἄχρι τοῦ παύειν τά ἁμαρτήματα περιορισθήσεται. " Ὀργίζεσθε γάρ, φησί, καί μή ἁμαρτάνετε. "

Ἀπολλωνίου. Τό τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος μή καθομιλούμενον μηδέ θεραπευόμενον, φυσική νόσος γίνεται.

Πλουτάρχ. Οἱ θυμοί, καθάπερ οἱ κύνες, τυφλά τίκτουσιν ἐγκλήματα.

Οἱ μέν τραχεῖς ἵπποι τοῖς χαλινοῖς· οἱ δέ ὀξεῖς θυμοί, μετάγονται τοῖς λογισμοῖς.

Τό μέν εὔκρατον ὕδωρ τάς φλεγμονάς· ὁ δέ ἐπιεικής λόγος, τάς ὁρμάς διαλύει.

Ὡς γάρ ὁ κακίας τά νέφη, καί ὁ φαῦλος βίος ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτόν ἕλκει λοιδορίας.

Ἀριστοτ. Ὥσπερ καπνός ἐπιδάκνων τάς ὄψεις, οὐκ ἐᾷ προβλέπειν τό κείμενον ἐν τοῖς ποσίν, οὕτως ὁ θυμός ἐπερχόμενος, τῷ λογισμῷ ἐπισκοτεῖ, καί τό συμβησόμενον ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄτοπον οὐκ ἀφίησι τῇ διανοίᾳ προβλέπειν.

Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι τῶν ἐν ὀργῇ διαπραττομένων ἀπάντων ὁ λογισμός ἀποδημεῖ, φεύγων τόν θυμόν ὡς πικρόν τύραννον;

Ὁ θυμός ἐστι πάθος, θηριῶδες μέν τῇ διαθέσει, συνεχές τῇ θλίψει, σκληρόν δέ καί βίαιον τῇ δυνάμει, φόνου αἴτιον, συμφορᾶς σύμμαχον, βλάβης συνεργόν καί ἀτιμίας, καί χρημάτων ἀπώλεια· ἔτι δέ καί φθορᾶς ἀρχηγόν.

(841) Εὐήνου. Πολλάκις ἀνθρώπων ὀργή νόον ἐξεκάλυψε Κρυπτόμενον, μανίας πολύ χεῖρον. Φιλήμον. Μαινόμεθα πάντες ὅταν ὀργιζόμεθα, Τό γάρ κατασχεῖν ἐπί τῆς ὀργῆς, πόνος μέγας. Εὐριπίδ. Αἰδώς γάρ ὀργῆς πλεῖον ὠφελεῖ βροτοῖς. Ὥσπερ δέ θνητόν καί τό σῶμ᾿ ἡμῶν ἔφυ, Οὕτω προσήκει μηδέ τήν ὀργήν ἔχειν Ἀθάνατον, ὅστις σωφρονεῖν ἐπίσταται.

Ἡροδότ. Ὡς ἐν τοῖς ὠσί τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ αἰεί ὁ θυμός. Χρηστά μέν γάρ ἀκούσας,

τέρψεως ἐμπιπλᾷ τό σῶμα· ὑπεναντία δέ τοῖς τουτέοισιν ἀκούσας, ἀνοιδαίνει.

Ἀῤῥιανοῦ. Μεγαλόθυμοι πράως εἰσι τινες, ἡσυχῆ καί οἷον ἀοργήτως πράττοντες, ὅσα καί οἱ σφόδρα τῷ θυμῷ φερόμενοι. Φυλακτέον οὖν καί τό τούτων ἀγλέπτηυμα, ὡς πολύ χεῖρον ὄν τοῦ διατεινόμενον ὀργίζεσθαι. Οὗτοι μέν γάρ ταχύ κόρον τῆς τιμωρίας λαμβάνουσιν· οἱ δέ εἰς μακρόν προτείνουσιν, ὡς οἱ λεπτῶς πυρέττοντες.

Ἀπολλώνοις ∆ημοκράτ. Ὁ ὑπέρ μικρῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνυπερβλήτως ὀργιζόμενος, οὐκ ἐᾷ διαγνῶναι τόν ἁμαρτάνοντα, πότε ἔλαττον, πότε μεῖζον ἠδίκησεν.