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we ought [to fear] those who flatter more than those who insult; for this bait brings a greater ruin than insolence to those who are not on their guard, and it is more difficult to restrain this than that passion. And the reward from this is much greater, and the wonder greater. For it is more wonderful to see a man being insulted and not moved, than one being struck and beaten and not falling down. And how is it possible not to be moved? he says. Did someone insult you? Place the sign upon your breast; recall all the things that then happened, and everything is extinguished. Do not think of the insults only, but if any good has ever come to you from the one who insulted you, and you will immediately become gentle. Rather, think before all things of the fear of God, and you will quickly be moderate and gentle. 4. Besides these things, also from your own servants receive admonition on these matters. And when you see yourself insulting, but him being silent, understand that it is possible to be a philosopher, and condemn yourself for being harsh, and in the very moment of insults, teach yourself not to insult, and thus you will not be pained when you are insulted. Consider that the one who insults is out of his mind and is mad, and you will not be vexed when you are insulted; since even those possessed by demons strike us, and not only are we not moved, but we even pity them. Do this yourself as well; pity the one who insults; for he is possessed by a terrible beast, by wrath; by a harsh demon, by anger. Release him who is worked upon by a harsh demon, and being destroyed in a short time. For such is this disease, that it does not even need time for the destruction of the one who is caught. Therefore a certain one said; For the impulse of his anger is his fall; showing by this especially its tyrannical nature, that in a short time it works great evils, and does not need much delay; for if it were both permanent in addition to its strength, it would be difficult to overcome. I wished to show who is the one who insults, and who is the philosopher, and to bring forth into the midst the naked soul of each. For you would have seen the one resembling a storm-tossed sea, the other a harbor free from disturbance. For he is neither disturbed by these wicked spirits, and he easily destroys them. For those who insult do everything to sting; when therefore they fall short of this 58.774 hope, they themselves for their part give up, and depart corrected. For it is not possible for a man who is angry not to condemn himself severely; just as it is not possible for one who is not angry to condemn himself. For even if it is necessary to prosecute, it is possible to do this without anger, and more easily and more prudently, than with anger, and to suffer nothing unpleasant. For if we are willing, good things will be from ourselves, and we shall be self-sufficient with the grace of God for our own security and honor. For why do you seek glory from another? Honor yourself, and no one will be able to insult you; but if you dishonor yourself, even if all honor you, you will not be honored. For just as if we do not treat ourselves badly, no one else will treat us so; so if we do not insult ourselves, no one else will put us to shame. For let there be some wonderful and great man, and let all call him an adulterer, a thief, a tomb-robber, a murderer, a bandit; but let him neither be provoked, nor be vexed, nor be conscious of any of these things in himself; what insult will he suffer from this? None. What then, if many have such an opinion about him? he says. Not even so was he insulted, but they shamed themselves by thinking that one who is not such is such. For tell me, if someone thought the sun to be dark, did he slander the star, or himself? Himself, clearly, by putting upon himself the reputation of one who is blind or mad. So also those who think the wicked are good, and the contrary, shame themselves. Therefore one must make greater effort to cleanse our conscience, and to offer no handle against ourselves, nor any evil suspicion; but if others wish to be mad, while we are so disposed, we should not care very much, nor be pained. For one who has received the reputation of being wicked, while being good, is in no way harmed by this with respect to being the kind of person he is; but the one who has suspected rashly and in vain has received the utmost ruin; just as, therefore, also the wicked man,

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κολακεύοντας μᾶλλον ἢ ὑβρίζοντας χρή· μείζονα γὰρ φέρει λύμην τῆς ὕβρεως τουτὶ τὸ δέλεαρ τοῖς μὴ προσέχουσι, καὶ δυσκολώτερον τούτου κατασχεῖν, ἢ ἐκείνου τοῦ πάθους. Καὶ ὁ μισθὸς δὲ πολλῷ πλείων ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ τὸ θαῦμα πλέον. Καὶ γὰρ θαυμαστότερον ἰδεῖν ἄνθρωπον ὑβριζόμενον καὶ μὴ κινούμενον, ἢ τυπτόμενον καὶ πληττόμενον καὶ μὴ καταπίπτοντα. Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν μὴ κινηθῆναι; φησίν. Ὕβρισέ τις; Τὸ σημεῖον ἐπίθες τῷ στήθει· ἀναμνήσθητι πάντων τῶν τότε γενομένων, καὶ πάντα σβέννυται. Μὴ ἐννοήσῃς τὰς ὕβρεις μόνον, ἀλλ' εἰ καί τί σοι χρηστὸν γέγονέ ποτε παρὰ τοῦ ὑβρικότος, καὶ εὐθέως γενήσῃ πρᾶος. Μᾶλλον δὲ ἐννόησον πρὸ πάντων τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον, καὶ ταχέως ἔσῃ μέτριος καὶ ἐπιεικής. δʹ. Μετὰ τούτων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν τῶν σῶν λάμβανε τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων νουθεσίαν. Καὶ ὅταν ἴδῃς σαυτὸν μὲν ὑβρίζοντα, ἐκεῖνον δὲ σιγῶντα, ἐννόησον ὅτι δυνατὸν φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ κατάγνωθι σαυτοῦ τραχυνομένου, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῶν ὕβρεων παιδεύθητι μὴ ὑβρίζειν, καὶ οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑβριζόμενος ἀλγήσεις. Ἐννόησον ὅτι ἐξέστηκεν ὁ ὑβρίζων καὶ μαίνεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀγανακτήσεις ὑβριζόμενος· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ δαιμονῶντες τύπτουσιν ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ κινούμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλεοῦμεν αὐτούς. Τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίησον· ἐλέησον τὸν ὑβρίζοντα· δεινῷ γὰρ κατέχεται θηρίῳ, τῷ θυμῷ· χαλεπῷ δαίμονι, τῇ ὀργῇ. Λῦσον αὐτὸν ἐνεργούμενον ὑπὸ δαίμονος χαλεποῦ, καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ διαφθειρόμενον. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ νόσημα, ὡς μηδὲ χρόνου δεῖσθαι εἰς ἀπώλειαν τοῦ ἁλόντος. ∆ιὸ καί τις ἔλεγεν· Ἡ γὰρ ῥοπὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ πτῶσις αὐτῷ· τούτῳ αὐτοῦ μάλιστα δεικνὺς τὸ τυραννικὸν, ὅτι ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ μεγάλα ἐργάζεται κακὰ, καὶ οὐ δεῖται πολλῆς τῆς διατριβῆς· ὡς εἴγε πρὸς τῇ ἰσχύϊ καὶ μόνιμον εἴη, καὶ δυσκαταγώνιστον ἔσται. Ἠβουλόμην δεῖξαι, τίς μὲν ὁ ὑβρίζων, τίς δὲ ὁ φιλοσοφῶν, καὶ γυμνὴν εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν τὴν ἑκατέρου ψυχήν. Εἶδες γὰρ ἂν τὴν μὲν ἐοικυῖαν πελάγει κλυδωνιζομένῳ, τὴν δὲ λιμένι ταραχῆς ἀπηλλαγμένῳ. Οὔτε γὰρ ταράττεται ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν τούτων πνευμάτων, καὶ αὐτὰ καταλύει ῥᾳδίως. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ ὑβρίζοντες πάντα ποιοῦσιν ὥστε δακεῖν· ὅταν οὖν ταύ 58.774 της ἐκπέσωσι τῆς ἐλπίδος, καὶ αὐτοὶ λοιπὸν καταλύουσι, καὶ διορθωθέντες ἀπέρχονται. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον ὀργιζόμενον μὴ σφόδρα καταγινώσκειν ἑαυτοῦ· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἔστι μὴ ὀργιζόμενον καταγινώσκειν ἑαυτοῦ. Κἂν γὰρ ἐπεξιέναι δέῃ, ἔξεστι χωρὶς ὀργῆς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, καὶ εὐκολώτερον καὶ συνετώτερον, ἢ μετ' ὀργῆς, καὶ μηδὲν παθεῖν ἀηδές. Ἂν γὰρ ἐθέλωμεν, παρ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἔσται, καὶ αὐτάρκεις ἐσόμεθα μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀσφάλειαν καὶ τιμήν. Τί γὰρ ζητεῖς τὴν παρ' ἑτέρου δόξαν; Σὺ σαυτὸν τίμησον, καὶ οὐδείς σε ὑβρίσαι δυνήσεται· ἂν δὲ σὺ σαυτὸν ἀτιμάσῃς, κἂν ἅπαντές σε τιμῶσιν, οὐ τιμηθήσῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐὰν μὴ ἑαυτοὺς κακῶς διαθῶμεν, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἕτερος διαθήσει· οὕτως ἐὰν μὴ ἑαυτοὺς ὑβρίσωμεν, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἕτερος καταισχυνεῖ. Ἔστω γάρ τις ἀνὴρ θαυμαστὸς καὶ μέγας, καὶ πάντες αὐτὸν μοιχὸν καλείτωσαν, κλέπτην, τυμβωρύχον, ἀνδροφόνον, λῃστήν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ μήτε παροξυνέσθω, μήτε ἀγανακτείτω, μήτε συνειδέτω τι τούτων ἑαυτῷ· ποίαν ἐντεῦθεν ὕβριν ὑπομενεῖ; Οὐδεμίαν. Τί οὖν, ἂν πολλοὶ τοιαύτην περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἔχωσι; φησίν. Οὐδὲ οὕτως ὑβρίσθη, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι ἑαυτοὺς κατῄσχυναν τὸν οὐ τοιοῦτον τοιοῦτον νομίζοντες. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τις τὸν ἥλιον σκοτεινὸν εἶναι νομίζοι, ἆρα τὸ ἄστρον διέβαλεν, ἢ ἑαυτόν; Ἑαυτὸν δηλονότι, πηροῦ δόξαν ἢ μαινομένου ἑαυτῷ περιθείς. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀγαθοὺς νομίζοντες, καὶ οἱ τοὐναντίον, ἑαυτοὺς καταισχύνουσι. ∆ιὸ χρὴ πλείονα ποιεῖσθαι σπουδὴν, ὥστε τὸ συνειδὸς ἡμῶν ἐκκαθαίρειν, καὶ μηδεμίαν καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν παρέχειν λαβὴν, μηδὲ ὑποψίαν πονηράν· εἰ δὲ ἕτεροι βούλοιντο μαίνεσθαι, καὶ οὕτω διακειμένων ἡμῶν, μὴ σφόδρα φροντίζειν, μηδὲ ἀλγεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πονηροῦ δόξαν λαβὼν, ἀγαθὸς ὢν, οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν βλάπτεται εἰς τὸ εἶναι τοιοῦτος, οἷός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ ὑποπτεύσας εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐδέξατο λύμην· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς,