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If you are well-clothed, a little sheep had these things before you; If you wear gold, this is the swelling of fortune. If you are rich, this is the uncertain strength of time. If you are boastful, this is the snorting of folly. But if you are temperate, this is a gift of God. And temperance is present, if you measure yourself. Thales. It is difficult to know oneself, but blessed; for it is to live according to nature. Of Plato. We who know nothing, so to speak, think that we know all things; not

allowing one another to do things we do not know how to do, we are compelled to err in doing them ourselves.

Menander. Against many it is not well said, "Know thyself," for more useful was, "Know others." Xenophon. For those who know themselves, know what is suitable for themselves, and

they distinguish what they are able to do, and what they are not. And by doing what they know, they both obtain what they need, and they do well; and by abstaining from what they do not know, they become free from error and escape doing ill.

This man seems to me, who not knowing his own power, to be ignorant of himself. But is it not clear, he said, that through knowing themselves people achieve very many good things; but through being deceived about themselves, very many bad things?

Be not puffed up at any advantage that is another's. If a horse, being puffed up, were to say, "I am beautiful," it would be tolerable; but you, when you say, "I have a beautiful horse," know that you are proud of a good horse. What then is yours? The use of impressions, which when you have according to nature, then (972) be puffed up; for then you will be puffed up at an advantage of your own.

Chilon. Chilon, being asked what is most difficult, said, "To know oneself." For it is useful for the admonition of the boastful, who prattle beyond their own power.

DISCOURSE 57.

Concerning kindness. Luke 6. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be

great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Eph. 4. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Coloss. 3. Clothe yourselves with bowels of compassion, kindness, humility, longsuffering, gentleness.

Prov. 2. The kind shall be inhabitants of the earth; and the blameless shall be left in it.

Christ, being kind, and seeing his creation, neither let them go, nor left them, sparing them.

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Ἄν εὐϊματῇς, ταῦτα πρό σοῦ προβάτιον εἶχεν· Ἄν χρυσοφορῇς, τοῦτο τύχης ἐστίν ἔπαρμα. Ἄν πλούσιος ᾖς, τοῦτο χρόνων ἄδηλον ἰσχύς. Ἄν ἀλαζονεύῃ, τοῦτο ἀνοίας ἐστί φρύαγμα. Ἄν δέ σωφρονῇς, τοῦτο Θεοῦ δῶρον ὑπάρχει. Ἡ δέ σωφροσύνη πάρεστιν, ἐάν μετρῇς σεαυτόν. Θαλῆς. Χαλεπό δέ ἑαυτόν γνῶναι, ἀλλά μακάριον· ζῇν γάρ κατά φύσιν. Πλάτωνος. Οἱ οὐκ εἰδότες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν οὐδέν, οἰόμεθα τά πάντα εἰδέναι· οὐκ

ἐπιτρέποντες δέ ἀλλήλοις, ἅ μή ἐπιστάμεθα πράττειν, ἀναγκαζόμεθα ἁμαρτάνειν αὐτοί πράττοντες.

Μενάνδρ. Κατά πολλῶν ἐστιν οὐ καλῶν εἰρημένον, Τό Γνῶθι σεαυτόν, χρησιμώτερον γάρ ἦν, Τό, Γνῶθι τούς ἄλλους. Ξενοφῶντ. Οἱ μέν γάρ εἰδότες ἑαυτούς, τά ἐπιτήδεια ἑαυτοῖς ἴσασι, καί

διαγινώσκουσιν ἅ τε δύνανται, καί ἅ μή. Καί ἅ μέν ἐπίστανται πράττοντες, πορίζονταί τε ὧν δέονται, καί εὖ πράττουσιν· ὧν δέ μή ἐπίστανται ἀπεχόμενοι, ἀναμάρτητοι γίνονται καί διαφεύγουσι τό κακῶς πράττειν.

Οὗτος ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, ὅ μή εἰδώς τήν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν, ἀγνοεῖν ἑαυτόν. Ἐκεῖνο δέ οὐ φανερόν, ἔφη, ὅτι μέν διά τό εἰδέναι ἑαυτούς πλεῖστα ἀγαθά ἰσχύουσιν ἄνθρωποι· διά δέ τό ἐψεῦσθαι ἑαυτῶν, πλεῖστα κακά;

Ἐπί μηδενί ἐπαρθῇς ἀλλοτρίῳ προτερήματι. Εἰ ὁ ἵππος ἔλεγεν ἐπαιρόμενος, ὅτι Καλός εἰμι, ἀνεκτόν ἦν· σύ δέ ὅταν λέγεις, ὅτι Ἵππον καλόν ἔχω, ἴσθι ὅτι ἐφ᾿ ἵππῳ ἀγαθῷ μέγα φρονεῖς. Τί οὖν ἔστι σόν; Χρῆσις φαντασιῶν, ἥν ὅταν κατά φύσιν ἔχῃς, τότε (972) ἐπάρθητι· τότε γάρ ἐπί τῷ σῷ πλεονεκτήματι ἐπαρθήσῃ.

Χείλων. Χείλων ἐρωτηθείς, τί τό χαλεπώτατον, Τό γινώσκειν ἑαυτόν, ἔφη. Χρήσιμον γάρ εἰς νουθεσίαν τῶν ἀλαζόνων, οἵ ὑπέρ τήν ἑαυτῶν δύναμιν φλυαροῦσιν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΝΖ´.

Περί χρηστότητος. Λουκ. στ´. Ἀγαθοποιεῖτε καί δανείζετε, μηδέν ἀπελπίζοντες, καί ἔσται ὁ μισθός ὑμῶν

πολύς, καί ἔσεσθε υἱοί Ὑψίστου, ὅτι αὐτός χρηστός ἐστι ἐπί τούς ἀχαρίστους καί πονηρούς.

Ἐφ. δ´. Γίνεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί καί εὔσπλαχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, καθώς καί ὁ Θεός ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν.

Κολοσσ. γ´. Ἐνδύσασθε σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, χρηστότητα, ταπεινοφροσύνην, μακροθυμίαν, πραότητα.

Παροιμ. β΄. Χρηστοί ἔσονται οἰκήτορες γῆς· ἄκακοι δέ ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ.

Χριστός χρηστός ὤν, καί ἰδών τό πλάσμα αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ἀνῆκεν αὐτούς, οὔτε κατέλιπε φειδόμενος αὐτῶν.