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that from this there is no superiority. For even if war should overtake us, or famine, or anything else whatever, all these puffs of noble birth are put to the test; and if sickness should come on, or pestilence, it knows not how to distinguish the rich and the poor, the glorious and the inglorious, the well-born and the one who is not such; neither does death, nor the other changes of circumstances, but in like manner all things rise up against all; and if I must say something astonishing, even more so for the rich. For by as much as they are unpracticed 58.571 in these things, by so much the more are they destroyed when caught. And the fear among the rich is greater. For these especially tremble at rulers, and at the peoples no less than at rulers, but even much more; at any rate, the anger of peoples and the threat of rulers have likewise overthrown many such houses. But the poor man is free from both of these waves. Therefore, setting aside this noble birth, if you wish to show me that you are well-born, show me the freedom of your soul, such as that blessed man had, and this while being poor, the one who said to Herod: It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother; such as was possessed by the one like him before him and like him after him, the one who said to Ahab: I am not troubling Israel, but you and your father's house; such as the prophets had, such as all the apostles had. But the souls of those who are enslaved to wealth are not such, but just as those who are under countless tutors and executioners, so they dare not even lift up their eyes, and speak boldly for virtue. For the love of money, and of glory, and of other things, looking fearfully at them, make them servile and flatterers. For nothing so destroys freedom as being entangled in the affairs of this life, and being clothed in things that seem to be splendid. For such a person has not one master, or two, or three, but countless. And if you wish to count them, let us bring forward one of those who are held in high esteem in the palaces, and let him have very much money, and great power, and a preeminent fatherland, and illustrious ancestors, and let him be looked up to by all. Let us see then if this man is not the most slavish of all; and let us set against him, not a simple slave, but a slave of a slave; for many household servants also have slaves. This slave of a slave, then, has one master. For what, even if he is not free? but one, and he looks only to what seems good to that one. For even if this man's master seems to rule over him, still for the time being he obeys only one; and if things are well with him in relation to that one, he will sit through his whole life in security. But this man has not only one or two, but many and harsher masters. And first, he is anxious about the emperor himself. It is not the same to have a lowly master, and a king whose ears are buzzed by many, and who now belongs to these, now to those. This man, even if he is conscious of no wrong in himself, suspects everyone, both those who serve with him, and those who are ranked under him, and his friends, and his enemies. But this one also, he says, his master. And how is it equal to have one and many who frighten him? Rather, if one were to examine accurately, he will not even find one. How and in what way? That one has no one who desires to cast him out of this slavery, and to bring himself in, whence he does not have one who plots against him in these things; but these have no other concern than to shake the one who is more esteemed and more loved by the ruler. Therefore it is necessary to flatter all, the greater, those of equal rank, friends. For where there is envy and love of glory, there is no strength of sincere friendship. For just as those of the same craft would not be able to love one another accurately and genuinely, so also those of the same rank and who love the same things in worldly matters. Whence also the war within is great. Did you see a swarm of masters, 58.572 and of harsh masters? Do you wish that I show you another harsher than this? All those after him hasten to get before him, those before him to prevent him from getting near and passing them. 5. But O the wonder! I for my part

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ὅτι οὐδεμία ἐντεῦθεν ὑπεροχή. Καὶ γὰρ κἂν πόλεμος καταλάβῃ, κἂν λιμὸς, κἂν ἕτερον ὁτιοῦν, πάντα ἐλέγχεται ταῦτα τὰ τῆς εὐγενείας φυσήματα· κἂν νόσος ἐπέλθῃ, κἂν λοιμὸς, οὐκ οἶδε διαγνῶναι τὸν πλούσιον καὶ τὸν πένητα, τὸν ἔνδοξον καὶ τὸν ἄδοξον, τὸν εὐγενῆ καὶ τὸν οὐ τοιοῦτον· οὔτε ὁ θάνατος, οὔτε αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολαὶ, ἀλλ' ὁμοίως πᾶσι πάντα ἐπανίσταται· καὶ εἰ δεῖ τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, τοῖς πλουτοῦσι μᾶλλον. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἀμελέτητοι 58.571 τούτων εἰσὶ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἁλόντες ἀπόλλυνται. Καὶ ὁ φόβος δὲ παρὰ τοῖς πλουτοῦσι μείζων. Καὶ γὰρ ἄρχοντας οὗτοι μάλιστα τρέμουσι, καὶ τοὺς δήμους τῶν ἀρχόντων οὐκ ἔλαττον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον· πολλὰς γοῦν οἰκίας τοιαύτας ὁμοίως καὶ δήμων θυμὸς καὶ ἀρχόντων ἀνέτρεψεν ἀπειλή. Ὁ δὲ πένης ἑκατέρων τούτων τῶν κυμάτων ἀπήλλακται. Ὥστε ταύτην ἀφεὶς τὴν εὐγένειαν, εἰ βούλει μοι δεῖξαι ὅτι εὐγενὴς εἶ, δεῖξον τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, οἵαν εἶχεν ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ταῦτα πένης ὢν, ὁ λέγων τῷ Ἡρώδῃ· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου· οἵαν ἐκέκτητο ὁ πρὸ ἐκείνου τοιοῦτος καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τοιοῦτος, ὁ λέγων τῷ Ἀχαάβ· Οὐ διαστρέφω ἐγὼ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἢ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου· οἵαν εἶχον οἱ προφῆται, οἵαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι πάντες. Ἀλλ' οὐχ αἱ τῶν πλούτῳ δουλευόντων ψυχαὶ τοιαῦται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ ὑπὸ μυρίους ὄντες παιδαγωγοὺς καὶ δημίους, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐπᾶραι τὸ ὄμμα τολμῶσι, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς παῤῥησιάσασθαι. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν χρημάτων ἔρως, καὶ ὁ τῆς δόξης, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων, φοβερὸν εἰς αὐτοὺς βλέποντες, δουλοπρεπεῖς ποιοῦσι καὶ κόλακας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἐλευθερίαν ἀναιρεῖ, ὡς τὸ βιωτικοῖς ἐμπεπλέχθαι πράγμασι, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι λαμπρὰ περιβεβλῆσθαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕνα δεσπότην καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ μυρίους ὁ τοιοῦτος ἔχει. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε καὶ ἀριθμῆσαι τούτους, παραγάγωμεν ἕνα τινὰ τῶν εὐδοκιμούντων ἐν βασιλείοις, καὶ ἔστω αὐτῷ καὶ χρήματα πάμπολλα, καὶ δυναστεία μεγάλη, καὶ πατρὶς ὑπερέχουσα, καὶ προγόνων περιφάνεια, καὶ ἀποβλεπέσθω παρὰ πάντων. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν εἰ μὴ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πάντων δουλικώτερος· καὶ ἀντιστήσωμεν αὐτῷ, μὴ δοῦλον ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ δοῦλον δούλου· πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ οἰκέται δούλους ἔχουσιν. Οὗτος μὲν οὖν ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ δούλου ἕνα ἔχει δεσπότην. Τί γὰρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐλεύθερον; ἀλλ' ἕνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐκείνῳ δοκοῦν μόνον ὁρᾷ. Κἂν γὰρ ὁ τούτου δεσπότης αὐτοῦ δοκῇ κρατεῖν, ἀλλὰ τέως ἑνὶ μόνῳ πείθεται· κἂν τὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον αὐτῷ καλῶς ἔχῃ, ἐν ἀδείᾳ τὸν ἅπαντα καθεδεῖται βίον. Οὗτος δὲ οὐχ ἕνα καὶ δύο μόνον, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς καὶ χαλεπωτέρους ἔχει δεσπότας. Καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλεύοντα μεριμνᾷ. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἴσον εὐτελῆ δεσπότην ἔχειν, καὶ βασιλέα ὑπὸ πολλῶν τὰ ὦτα διαθρυλλούμενον, καὶ νῦν μὲν τούτων, νῦν δὲ ἐκείνων γινόμενον. Οὗτος κἂν μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς ᾖ, πάντας ὑποπτεύει, καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ στρατευομένους, καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῷ ταττομένους, καὶ τοὺς φίλους, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος, φησὶ, τὸν δεσπότην. Καὶ ποῦ ἴσον ἕνα καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχειν τοὺς δεδιττομένους αὐτόν; Μᾶλλον δὲ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσειεν, οὐδὲ ἕνα εὑρήσει. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδένα ἔχει τὸν ἐπιθυμοῦντα αὐτὸν ἐκβαλεῖν τῆς δουλείας ταύτης, καὶ εἰσαγαγεῖν ἑαυτὸν, ὅθεν οὐδὲ τὸν ἐπιβουλεύοντα ἐν τούτοις ἔχει· οὗτοι δὲ οὐδὲ ἑτέραν σπουδὴν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ διασαλεῦσαι τὸν εὐδοκιμώτερον καὶ μᾶλλον ἀγαπώμενον παρὰ τῷ κρατοῦντι. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντας ἀνάγκη κολακεύειν, τοὺς μείζους, τοὺς ὁμοτίμους, τοὺς φίλους. Ἔνθα γὰρ βασκανία καὶ δόξης ἔρως, οὐδὲ φιλίας εἰλικρινοῦς ἐστιν ἰσχύς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ὁμότεχνοι φιλεῖν ἀλλήλους οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο ἀκριβῶς καὶ γνησίως, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ὁμότιμοι καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐρῶντες ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ πόλεμος ἔνδον πολύς. Εἶδες δεσποτῶν ἐσμὸν, 58.572 καὶ δεσποτῶν χαλεπῶν; Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον ἐπιδείξω τούτου χαλεπώτερον; Οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν ἅπαντες πρὸ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι σπεύδουσιν, οἱ πρὸ αὐτοῦ κωλῦσαι γενέσθαι πλησίον καὶ παραδραμεῖν. εʹ. Ἀλλ' ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! ἐγὼ μὲν