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Of Moschion. It is better to succeed while admitting fault a few times, to be temperate often, than to sin a few times while saying it, and to transgress often.

Of Zeno. Live, O man, not only that you may eat and drink, but that you may use living for the purpose of living well.

Of Favorinus. A certain passion has fallen upon my soul, and what it is, I do not know. But those who have been initiated call it Love. Malicious and irrational demon, you have come to a weak body, unable to bear you. I stand aside from you, demon; I yield the battle to you; I am not your soldier.

Of Theophrastus. Love is the excess of a certain irrational desire, having a swift approach, but a slow departure.

DISCOURSE 27.

Concerning incontinence and gluttony. Luke 6. Woe to you who are full, for you will be hungry; woe to you who laugh, for you will mourn and

weep.

James 5. You have lived in luxury on the earth and lived wantonly; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

Proverbs 24. Be not deceived by the satiety of your belly.

Proverbs 25. Having found honey, eat what is sufficient, lest having been filled, you vomit.

Sirach 40. A man looking to another's table, his is not a life to be counted as life.

Of Basil. The belly is a most faithless contractor, (873) an unguarded treasury; of the many things deposited, it retains the harm, but does not retain the things delivered to it.

A gluttonous belly, always demanding and never ceasing. Taking today, and forgetting tomorrow. When it is filled, it philosophizes about self-control; when it is empty, it forgets its doctrines.

Fear the example of the rich man. His life of luxury delivered him to the fire. For not being accused of injustice, but of delicate living, he was tormented in the flame of the furnace.

For from rich food and wine, certain sooty exhalations are sent up, like a thick cloud, interrupting the illuminations from the Holy Spirit upon the mind. For this reason also Moses, ascending through his mind to the vision of God, remained for forty days without food and drink, arranging for his ruling faculty to remain undisturbed.

Theologian. Human nature is sleepless and unwearied toward the desire for more.

"Give," said the belly. which when you have received you are temperate,

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Μοσχίωνος. Βέλτιον ὀλιγάκις ὁμολογοῦντα κατορθοῦν, σωφρονεῖν πολλάκις, ἤ ὀλιγάκις ἁμαρτάνειν λέγοντα, πλημμελεῖν πολλάκις.

Ζήνω. Ζῆθι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε , μή μόνον ἵνα φάγῃς καί πίῃς, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα τῷ ζῇν πρός τό εὖ ζῇν καταχρήσῃ.

Φαυωρίνου. Πάθος τί μου προσέπεσε τῇ ψυχῇ, καί τί μέν ἐστιν οὐκ οἶδα. Ἔρωτα δέ αὐτό λέγουσι οἱ μεμυημένοι. Βάσκανε δαῖμον καί ἀλόγιστε, ἀσθενεῖ προσελήλυθας σώματι, φέρειν σε μή δυναμένῳ. Ἐξίσταμαί σου, δαῖμον· παραχωρῶ σου τῆς μάχης· οὐκ εἰμί σου στρατιώτης.

Θεοφράστ. Ἔρως ἐστίν ἀλογίστου τινός ἐπιθυμίας ὑπερβολή, ταχεῖαν μέν ἔχουσα τήν πρόσοδον, βραδεῖαν δέ τήν ἀπόλυσιν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΖ´.

Περί ἀκρασίας καί γαστριμαργίας. Λουκ. ς´. Οὐαί οἱ ἐμπεπλησμένοι, ὅτι πεινάσετε· οὐαί οἱ γελῶντες, ὅτι πενθήσετε καί

κλαύσετε.

Ἰακ. ε´. Ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπί τῆς γῆς καί ἐσπαταλήσατε· ἐτρέψατε τάς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς.

Παροιμ. κδ΄ . Μή ἀπατηθῇς ἐν χορτασίᾳ κοιλίας σου.

Παροιμ. κε´. Μέλι εὑρών, τί ἱκανόν φάγε, μή ποτε πλησθείς ἐξεμέσῃς.

Σιράχ. μ´. Ἀνήρ βλέπων εἰς τράπεζαν ἀλλοτρίαν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐν λογισμῷ ζωῆς.

Βασιλείου. Γαστήρ συναλλάκτης ἐστίν ἀπιστότατος, (873) ταμεῖον ἀφύλακτον· πολλῶν ἀποτεθέντων, τήν μέν βλάβην παρακατέχουσα, τά δέ παραδοθέντα οὐ κατέχουσα.

Λίχνη γαστήρ, ἡ ἀεί ἀπαιτοῦσα καί μηδέποτε λήγουσα. Ἡ λαμβάνουσα σήμερον, καί αὔριον λανθανομένη. Ὅταν ἐμπλησθῇ, περί ἐγκρατείας φιλοσοφεῖ· ὅταν διαπνευσθῇ, ἐπιλανθάνεται τῶν δογμάτων.

Φοβήθητι τό ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ πλουσίου. Ἐκεῖνον παρέδωκε τῷ πυρί ἡ διά βίου τρυφή. Οὐ γάρ ἀδικίαν, ἀλλά τό ἀβροδίαιτον ἐγκληθείς, ἀπετηγανίζετο ἐν τῇ φλογί τῆς καμίνου.

Ἐκ γάρ τῆς παχείας τροφῆς καί οἴνου, αἰθαλώδεις τινές ἀναθυμιάσεις ἀναπεμπόμεναι, νεφέλης δίκην πυκνῆς, τάς ἀπό τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐλλάμψεις ἐπί τόν νοῦν διακόπτουσι. ∆ιό καί Μωϋσῆς πρός θεωρίαν Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνων διά τοῦ νοῦ, ἄσιτος καί ἄποτος ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα διετέλεσεν, ἀθόλωτον διαμένειν αὐτῷ τό ἡγεμονικόν διοικούμενος.

Θεολ. Ἄϋπνός ἐστι καί ἀκοίμητος πρός τήν τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίαν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις.

∆ός εἶπε γαστήρ. Ἥν λαβοῦσα φωφρονεῖς,