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Of Pythagoras. It is shameful for one sweetening his throat with the gifts of bees, to embitter the gift of God, the word, with wickedness.

Of Theages. For not being able to endure toils, but for pleasure to prevail, is proper to the irrational part of the soul; but choice occurs in both of them, both in the rational part of the soul, and in the irrational.

DISCOURSE 60.

Concerning foolishness, of the foolish and unintelligent, and of the uneducated and the dullard. Matthew 7. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not do them, will be like a man

foolish.

1 Corinthians 14. Do not be children in your minds, but in evil be infants; but in your minds, be mature.

The heart of a fool is a pain to him who possesses it.

Solomon 10. The lips of a fool will sink him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his mouth is wicked mischief.

Proverbs 16. A foolish man digs up evil for himself; and on his own lips he treasures up fire.

Proverbs 18. One wanting in sense has no need of wisdom; for he is rather led by foolishness.

Sirach 22. Do not multiply words with a fool, and do not go with one who has no understanding.

Sirach 22. Weep for the dead, for light has failed; and weep for a fool, for understanding has failed.

Sirach 22. Sand and salt and a lump of iron are easier to bear, than a foolish man.

Sirach 4. Do not submit yourself to a foolish man. Sirach 8. Do not take counsel with a fool. Sirach 22. He who teaches a fool is like one who glues a potsherd together. Consider disorder of the mind a shame. Of Basil. Just as the sick need medicine, so are fools

in want of wisdom.

(984) Of the Theologian. It is shameful for a young man to be weaker than an old man, And for an old man to be more foolish than a young man. The words of a foolish man are the sounds of the sea, Pounding the shores, they do not enrich the green grass. Of Chrysostom. Nothing makes men so foolish as wickedness. For when one is deceitful, when

ungrateful, when having been wronged in nothing, he causes grief, how will he not display a sign of extreme folly?

Of Philo. A fool is by nature not disposed to perceive or stand upon any matter; and their whole life is hanging, having no unshakable foundation.

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Πυθαγόρου. Αἰσχρόν τοῖς τῶν μελιττῶν δωρήμασι γλυκάζοντα τήν κατάποσιν, τό τοῦ Θεοῦ δῶρον πικράζειν τόν λόγον, τῇ κακίᾳ.

Θεάγους. Τό γάρ ἀντέχειν μή δύνασθαι τοῖς πόνοις, ἐπικρατεῖν δέ τήν ἡδονήν, οἰκεῖόν ἐστι τῷ ἀλόγῳ μέρει τᾶς ψυχᾶς· ἅ δέ προαίρεσις ἐν ἀμφοτέροις αὐτοῖς γίνεται, καί τῷ λόγον ἔχοντι μέρει τᾶς ψυχᾶς, καί τῷ ἀλόγῳ.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ξ´.

Περί ἀφροσύνης, ἄφρονος καί ἀνοήτου, καί ἀπαιδεύτου καί μωροῦ. Ματθ. ζ´. Πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων μου τούς λόγους, καί μή ποιῶν αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρί

μωρῷ.

Α´ Κορ. ιδ´. Μή παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσίν, ἀλλά τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε· ταῖς δέ φεσί, τέλειοι γίνεσθε.

Καρδία ἄφρονος, ὀδύνη τῷ κτησαμένῳ αὐτήν.

Σολομ. ι´. Χείλη ἄφρονος καταποντιοῦσιν αὐτόν. Ἀρχή λόγων στόματος αὐτοῦ, ἀφροσύνη, καί ἐσχάτη στόματος αὐτοῦ περιφέρεια πονηρά.

Παροιμ. ιστ´. Ἀνήρ ἄφρων ὀρύσσει ἑαυτῷ κακά· ἐπί δέ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ χειλέων θησαυρίζει πῦρ.

Παροιμ. ιη΄. Οὐ χρείαν ἔχει σοφίας ἐνδεής φρενῶν· μᾶλλον γάρ ἄγεται ἀφροσύνῃ.

Σιράχ κβ´. Μετά ἄφρονος μή πληθύνῃς λόγους, καί πρός ἀσύνετον μή πορεύου.

Σιράχ κβ´. Ἐπί νεκρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γάρ φῶς· καί ἐπί μωρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γάρ σύνεσις.

Σιράχ κβ´. Ἄμμον καί ἅλας καί βῶλον σιδηροῦν, ἀκοπώτερον ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἤ ἄνθρωπον ἄφρονα.

Σιράχ δ´. Μή ὑποστρώσῃς ἀνθρώπῳ μωρῷ σεαυτόν. Σιράχ η´. Μετά μωροῦ μή συμβουλεύου. Σιράχ κβ´. Συγκολλῶν ὄστρακον, ὁ διδάσκων μωρόν. Αἶσχος νόμιζε τήν φρενῶν ἀκοσμίαν. Βασιλείου. Ὥσπερ οἱ ἀσθενοῦντες χρῄζουσιν ἰατρικῆς, οὕτω σοφίας ἄφρονες

ἐπιδέονται.

(984) Θεολόγου. Αἰσχρόν νέον γέροντος ἀσθενέστερον Εἶναι, γέροντα δ᾿ ἀφρονέστερον νέου. Ἦχοι θαλάσσης ἀνδρός ἄφρονος λόγοι, Θλίβοντες ἀκτάς, οὐ πιαίνουσι χλόαν. Χρυσοστ. Οὐδέν οὕτω ποιεῖ μωρούς ὡς πονηρία. Ὅταν γάρ ὕπουλος ᾖ, ὅταν

ἀχάριστος, ὅταν οὐδέν ἠδικημένος λυπῇ, πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἐξοίσει δεῖγμα;

Φίλωνος. Πέφυκεν ἄφρων ἐπί μηδενός αἰσθάνεσθαι πράγματος ἤ ἑστάναι· καί ἔστιν αὐτῶν ζωή πᾶσα κρεμαμένη, βάσιν ἀκράδαντον οὐκ ἔχουσα.