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Heracl. The same said that the shortest way to good repute is to become good.

Of Philo. He who has learned to be ruled, also learns at once to rule. For not even if someone should grasp the power of all land and sea, would he be a ruler in truth, if he has not learned and been previously taught to be ruled.

Of Josephus, Antiquities. All who have learned well to be ruled, will also know how to rule when they come into authority.

DISCOURSE 47.

On talkativeness. Matt. 12. But I say to you, that every word that men shall speak, they shall render

account for it. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

James 1. Let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak.

Sirach 8. Do not contend with a talkative man nor pile wood on his fire.

Proverbs 13. He who guards his own mouth, preserves his own soul.

Proverbs 6. A strong snare for a man are his own lips; and he is caught by the words of his own mouth.

Proverbs 10. He who is unrestrained in his lips, being perverse will be tripped up.

(940) Proverbs 22. A deep pit is the mouth of a lawless man; and he who is hated by God will fall into it.

Proverbs 20. With much wood a fire flourishes; but an unguarded mouth makes disorder.

Sirach 22. Who will set a guard over my mouth, and a seal upon my lips? so that I may not fall because of it, and my tongue destroy me.

Sirach 30. Good things poured out on a closed mouth.

Basil. Do not be entirely confident in your tongue, lest you suffer unseasonably, just as an eye wishing to gaze at the whole sun, destroys even the light it has.

Of the Theologian. A downfall for men, is a tongue not governed by reason.

Chrysostom. A word uttered simply, has overthrown whole houses; and has subverted and sunk souls; and while the loss of money might be rectified again; but a word, once it has escaped, cannot be recovered again.

Of Cyril. Do not receive swallows into your houses; that is, talkative people and those incontinent of tongue do not make them dwellers under your roof.

Of Evagrius. Speak what is necessary, and when it is necessary, and about what is necessary, and you will not hear what is not necessary.

Of Nilus. If you control your stomach, control also your tongue; lest you be a slave to the one, and happen to be foolishly free with the other.

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Ἡρακλ. Συντομωτάτην ὁδόν ὁ αὐτός ἔλεγεν εἰς εὐδοξίαν, τό γενέσθαι ἀγαθόν.

Φίλωνος. Ὁ μαθών ἄρχεσθαι, καί ἄρχειν εὐθύς μανθάνει. Οὐδέ γάρ εἰ πάσης γῆς καί θαλάσσης τό κράτος ἀνάψαιτό τις, ἄρχων ἄν εἴη πρός ἀλήθειαν, εἰ μή μάθῃ καί προπαιδευθείη τό ἄρχεσθαι.

Ἰωσήππου Ἀρχαιολ. Πάντες οἱ ἄρχεσθαι καλῶς μεμαθηκότες, καί ἄρχειν εἴσονται παρελθόντες εἰς ἐξουσίαν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΜΖ´.

Περί γλωσσαλγίας. Ματθ. ιβ´. Λέγω δέ ὑμῖν, ὅτι πᾶν ῥῆμα, ὅ ἐάν λαλήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἀποδώσουσι

λόγον περί αὐτοῦ. Ἐκ γάρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καί ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου κατακριθήσῃ.

Ἰάκ. ια΄ . Ἔστω πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ταχύς εἰς τό ἀκοῦσαι, καί βραδύς εἰς τό λαλῆσαι.

Σιράχ η´. Γλωσσώδει ἀνθρώπῳ μή διαμάχου μηδέ ἐπιστοίβαζε ἐπί τό πῦρ αὐτοῦ ξύλα.

Παροιμ. ιγ΄ . Ὅς φυλάσσει τό ἑαυτοῦ στόμα, τηρεῖ τήν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν.

Παροιμ. στ´. Παγίς ἀνδρί ἰσχυρά, τά ἴδια χείλη· ἁλίσκεται δέ ῥήμασιν ἰδίου στόματος.

Παροιμ. ι΄ . Ὁ ἄστεγος χείλεσιν, σκολιάζων ὑποσκελισθήσεται.

(940) Παροιμ. κβ´. Βόθρος βαθύς στόμα παρανόμου· ὁ δέ μισηθείς ὑπό Θεοῦ, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν.

Παροιμ. κ´. Ἐν πολλοῖς ξύλοις θάλλει πῦρ· στόμα δέ ἄστεγον ποιεῖ ἀκαταστασίαν.

Σιράχ κβ´. Τίς δώσει ἐπί τοῦ στόματός μου φυλακήν, καί ἐπί τῶν χειλέων μου σφραγίδα; ἵνα μή ἐμπέσω ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς, καί ἡ γλῶσσά μου ἀπολέσῃ με.

Σιράχ λ΄ . Ἀγαθά κεχυμένα ἐπί στόματι κεκλεισμένῳ.

Βασιλ.´Μή πάντα θάῤῥει τῇ γλώσσῃ, ἵνα μή πάθῃς ἀκαίρως, καθάπερ ὀφθαλμός ὅλον τόν ἥλιον θέλων ἀποβλέψαι, ἀπόλλει καί ὅ ἔχει φῶς.

Θεολόγου. Ὄλισθος ἀνθρώποις, γλῶσσα λόγῳ μή κυβερνωμένη.

Χρυσόστ. Λόγος ἁπλῶς προενεχθείς, ὁλοκλήρους ἀνέτρεψεν οἰκίας· καί ψυχάς ἀνέστρεψε καί κατέδυσε· καί τῶν μέν χρημάτων τήν ζημίαν διορθοῦσθαι πάλιν εἴη· λόγον δέ ἐκπηδήσαντα ἅπαξ, ἀνακτῆσαι πάλιν οὐκ εἴη.

Κυρίλλου. Μή χελιδόνας οἰκίαις δέχεσθαι· τουτέστι λάλους ἀνθρώπους καί περί γλῶσσαν ἀκρατεῖς ὁμοροφίους μή ποιεῖσθαι.

Εὐαγρίου. Λάλει ἅ δεῖ, καί ὅτι δεῖ, καί περί ὧν δεῖ, καί οὐκ ἀκούσεις ἅ μή δεῖ.

Νείλου. Εἰ κρατεῖς γαστρός, κράτει καί γλώσσης· ἵνα μή τῆς μέν ὑπάρχῃς δοῦλος, τῆς δέ τυγχάνῃς ἀνοήτως ἐλεύθερος.