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pneumonia, having snatched a man away from among men, departs, suddenly stripping bare his whole dwelling; and that glory was carried away like a dream. So that the prophet has hit the mark with the comparison of human glory to the weakest flower.

Of the Theologian. Always be mindful of eternal glory. For the present glory flees day by day. Pursue glory, but neither all of it, nor too much. For it is better to be than to seem. But if you are without measure, Hunt neither for empty glory, nor for new glory. Chrysostom. For if someone has often given his whole substance for a worldly dignity;

for the sake of the future and inalienable glory, what could be more wretched than we, if we give up not even a few things?

For the glory from men imitates the worthlessness of those who give the glory, whence also it easily changes. But the glory of God is not so; but it remains immovable perpetually. And the prophet, making both these things clear, both the changeableness of the one, and the permanence of the other, spoke thus, "All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the glory of grass." All human prosperity, the prophet compared not even to grass, but to another, wholly more worthless thing, calling it the flower of grass. For he did not put forth any part of them, such as wealth, or luxury, or power, or honor, or any such thing; but all the brilliant things among men, enveloping them with the single appellation of "glory", thus he brought in the image of the grass, saying, "All the glory of man as the flower of grass; the grass withered, and the flower fell."

Of Cyril. For by nature, he says, the race of men is like grass; and the flowers of grass, (937) are the supervening glory and power. And just as when the grass withers, the flower falls off; so when death comes upon men, power and pride are extinguished.

Plutarch. Plants grow from the root, but glory grows from its first reception.

No one who cares for good repute would become a worthless man; and it is a fine thing to exchange a brief enjoyment for eternal glory.

Aristotle. The greatest honor is, not to possess honors, but to be considered worthy oneself[perhaps: of them].

Isocrates. You should also do the good deeds of those whose reputations you admire.

The Indian archer. He ordered the Indian, who was thought to be the greatest and was said to shoot an arrow through a ring, to give a demonstration; and when he was unwilling, becoming angry, he ordered him to be put to death. But when the man, being led away, said to those leading him, "It has been a long time since I took a bow in my hands, and I was afraid of missing." Alexander, hearing these things, was amazed and released him with gifts, because he had endured to die rather than to appear unworthy of his reputation.

Theophrastus. For one ought not to receive honors from companionship and favor, but from deeds.

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περιπνευμονία, ἀνάρπαστον ἐν ἀνθρώπων ἀπάγουσα τόν ἄνθρωπον οἴχεται, πᾶσαν τήν κατ᾿ αὐτόν σκηνήν ἐξαπίνης ἀπογυμνώσασα· καί ἡ δόξα ἐκείνη ὥσπερ ἐνύπνιον ἀπηνέχθη. Ὤστε ἐπιτετεῦχθαι τῷ προφήτῃ, ἡ πρός τό ἀδρανέστατον ἄνθος ὁμοίωσις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης δόξης.

Θεολόγου. ∆όξης ἀεί φρόντιζε τῆς αἰωνίου. Ἡ γάρ παροῦσα φεύδεται καθ᾿ ἡμέραν. ∆όξαν δίωκε, μήτε πᾶσαν, μήτ᾿ ἄγαν. Κρεῖσσον γάρ εἶναι τοῦ δοκεῖν. Εἰ δ᾿ ἄμετρος εἶ, Μή τήν κενήν θήρευε, μηδέ τήν νέαν. Χρυσοστ. Εἰ γάρ ὑπέρ ἀξιώματός τις βιωτικοῦ ὅλην πολλάκις τήν οὐσίαν ἐπέδωκεν·

ὑπέρ τῆς μελλούσης δόξης καί ἀναφαιρέτου, τί γένοιτ᾿ ἄν ἡμῶν ἀθλιώτερον, μηδέ ὀλίγα προϊεμένων;

Ἡ μέν γάρ παρά τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξα τῶν δοξαζόντων μιμεῖται τήν εὐτέλειαν, ὅθεν καί μεταπίπτει ῥᾳδίως. Ἡ δέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ᾿ ἀκίνητος μένει διηνεκῶς. Καί ταῦτ᾿ ἀμφότερα δηλῶν ὁ προφήτης, κἀκείνης τό εὐμετάπτωτον, καί ταύτης τό μόνιμον, οὕτως ἔλεγεν, Πᾶσα σάρξ χόρτος, καί πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς δόξα χόρτου. Ἄπασαν τήν ἀνθρωπίνην εὐημερίαν, οὐδέ πρός χόρτον, ἀλλ᾿ ἑτέραν ὅλην εὐτελεστέραν ὁ προφήτης παρέβαλεν, ἄνθος αὐτήν ὀνομάσας χόρτου. Οὐδέν γάρ μέρος αὐτῶν προέθηκεν, οἷον πλοῦτον, ἤ τρυφήν, ἤ δυναστείαν, ἤ τιμήν, ἤ τι τοιοῦτον· ἀλλά πάντα τά ἐν ἀνθρώποις λαμπρά, μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ τῇ τῆς δόξης περιβαλών, οὕτως ἐπήγαγεν τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ χόρτου, εἰπών, Πᾶσαν δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· ἐξηράνθη χόρτος, καί τό ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν.

Κυρίλλου. Φύσει μέν γάρ χόρτου, φησίν, ἔοικε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τό γένος· ἄνθη δέ χόρτου, (937) ἡ ἐπιγενομένη δόξα καί δυναστεία. Καί καθάπερ τοῦ χόρτου ξηραινομένου, τό ἄνθος ἐκπίπτει· οὕτω τοῦ θανάτου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιόντος, ἡ δυναστεία καί ἡ ὑπερηφάνει σβέννυται.

Πλουτάρχ. Τά μέν φυτά ἀπό τῆς ῥίζης, ἡ δέ δόξα, ἀπό τῆς πρώτης λήψεως αὔξει.

Οὐδείς φροντίζων δόξης ἀγαθῆς, γένοιτ᾿ ἄν ἀνήρ φαῦλος· καλόν δέ, ἀντί βραχείας ἀπολαύσεως ἀλλάξασθαι δόξαν αἰώνιον.

Ἀριστοτέλ. Ἀξίωμα μέγιστόν ἐστιν, οὐ τό κεχρῆσθαι τιμαῖς, ἀλλά τό ἄξιον ἑαυτόν[ἴσ. αὐτῶν] εἶναι νομίζεσθαι.

Ἰσοκράτ. Ὧν τάς δόξας ζηλοῖς, τούτων καί τά ἀγαθά πράξῃς.

Ἴνδος τοξευτής. Τόν Ἴνδον τόν μέγιστα δοκοῦντα, καί λεγόμενον διά δακτυλίου τόν ὀϊστόν ἀφιέναι, ἐκέλευσεν ἐπιδείξασθαι· καί μή βουλόμενον, ὀργισθείς ἀνελεῖν προσέταξεν. Ἐπεί δέ ἀπαγόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔλεγε πρός τούς ἄγοντας, ὅτι Πολύς χρόνος ἐστίν ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐπί χεῖρας τόξον οὐκ ἔλαβον, καί τό ἀποτυχεῖν ἐφοβήθην. Ἀκούσας ταῦτα Ἀλέξανδρος, ἐθαύμασε καί ἀπέλυσε μετά δώρων αὐτόν, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν ὑπέμεινεν, ἤ τῆς δόξης ἀνάξιος φανῆναι.

Θεοφράστ. Οὐ γάρ ἐξ ὁμιλίας δεῖ καί χάριτος τάς τιμάς, ἐλλ᾿ ἐκ τῶν πράξεων λαμβάνειν.