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the suspicion from its appearance. But if you take in your hand either a pomegranate or an apple, it yields at once to the fingers, and the outer covering, being broken through, lets them fall into dust and ash. Vainglory is something like this; when seen, it seems to be something great and wonderful, but when grasped by our hands, it has at once cast our soul into the dust. And that vainglory is such a thing is clear from many sources. For what? Do you want us to begin first with external things? The theatre is filled and the whole populace sits above, presenting a very splendid sight, composed of so many faces, that often even the roof itself and the ceiling above are covered with the bodies of men, and it is possible to see neither tiles nor stones, but everything is human faces and bodies. And before all things, when the ambitious man who gathered them enters, rising at once as if from one mouth, they send forth a single voice, all in unison calling him guardian and protector of the common city and stretching out their hands. Then, among all, they liken him to a greater river, comparing the richness and abundance of his generosity to the abundance of the waters of the Nile, and they say he is a Nile of gifts. But those flattering him more, thinking this example, that of the Nile, to be small, let go of rivers and seas, and having brought the Ocean into the midst, they say that he is in generosity what that one is in waters; and they leave out no form of praise at all. Splendid is the sight of vainglory; but remember the image of the maiden, into which we fashioned the demon, putting gold around it and bringing it to the age of some courtesan, and you will see that there is not much difference from the image. What then after this? Having done obeisance to them and in this way honored them himself also, he sits down, being called blessed by all of them, with each of them praying to become what he was then, and to die immediately. And after spending much gold and silver, horses, cloaks, slaves and all those things, and emptying many estates, they escort him again with much praise, no longer so many, however; for when the theatre is dismissed, each one hurries to his own home. Then at his house are costly breakfasts and much feasting, and great is the splendor of the day. Around mid-afternoon, again the same things, and so for two and three days. When therefore he has emptied everything and ten thousand talents of gold, then at last is shown the cinder of this voice, and the ash, and the dust. For when at his house he asks for the accounts and considers the excess of the expenditure, then he laments. For as long as he enjoys his desire, as if seized by some drunkenness of vainglory, he would even spend himself in addition, unable to have even a small perception of the loss. But when he is at home, inside the house of this demon, and he sees the hour has passed, the assembly dismissed, and looking at the theatre finds it empty of men and no one uttering anything, but the loss no longer in fancy but having already occurred in his finances, then he perceives the ash. And if, having spent beyond his means, he is in need and having been swept off his feet he begs in the middle of the marketplace, and then of those who were then shouting 'protector' no one comes near nor offers a hand, but they even rejoice at what is happening—for even then, when they were praising him, they were also bitten by envy and considered it a consolation for their own troubles that he, who had become so splendid, was going to be more dishonored than all—when, therefore, no one comes near nor offers a hand, what is more pitiful than these things? Is it not rather worthy of tears? And what is more grievous than these things? Surely you do not know anyone who has suffered this? And would that it were so

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τῆς ὄψεως τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Ἐὰν δὲ λάβῃς κατὰ τῆς χειρὸς ἢ ῥοιὰν ἢ μῆλον, εἴκει τε τοῖς δακτύλοις εὐθέως καὶ διατρυφθὲν τὸ ἔξωθεν ἐπικείμενον λέπος ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κόνιν καὶ τὴν τέφραν ἐμπεσεῖν. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ κενοδοξία ἐστίν· ὁρωμένη μὲν δοκεῖ μεγάλη τις εἶναι καὶ θαυμαστή, κατασχεθεῖσα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων χειρῶν εἰς τὴν κόνιν εὐθέως τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ἐνέβαλεν. Καὶ ὅτι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ κενοδοξία, πολλαχόθεν δῆλον. Τί γάρ; βούλεσθε πρῶτον ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀρξώμεθα; Πληροῦται τὸ θέατρον καὶ πᾶς ὁ δῆμος ἄνω κάθηται ὄψιν πολὺ παρεχόμενος λαμπρὰν καὶ ἀπὸ τοσούτων συγκειμένην ὄψεων, ὡς πολλάκις καὶ τὸ τέγος αὐτὸ καὶ τὸν ὑπερκείμενον ὄροφον καλυφθῆναι τοῖς σώμασι τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ οὔτε κεραμίδας οὔτε λίθους ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὄψεις ἀνθρώπων καὶ σώματα. Πρὸ δὲ πάντων εἰσελθόντος τοῦ συναγαγόντος αὐτοὺς ἀνδρὸς φιλοτίμου, διαναστάντες εὐθέως ὥσπερ ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος μίαν ἀφιᾶσι φωνήν, συμφώνως ἅπαντες κηδεμόνα καλοῦντες καὶ προστάτην τῆς κοινῆς πόλεως καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνοντες. Εἶτα μεταξὺ τῶν πάντων μείζονι παραβάλλουσιν αὐτὸν ποταμῷ τὸ τῆς φιλοτιμίας ἁδρὸν καὶ ἐκκεχυμένον τῇ τῶν Νειλῴων ὑδάτων ἀφθονίᾳ συγκρίνοντες, καὶ Νεῖλον αὐτὸν εἶναί φασι τῶν δωρεῶν. Οἱ δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν κολακεύοντες μικρὸν νομίσαντες εἶναι τοῦτο τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, τὸ τοῦ Νείλου, ποταμοὺς μὲν ἀφιᾶσι καὶ θαλάσσας, τὸν δὲ Ὠκεανὸν εἰς μέσον ἀγαγόντες, τοῦτο αὐτὸν εἶναί φασιν, ὅπερ ἐκεῖνον ἐν ὕδασι, τοῦτον ἐν ταῖς φιλοτιμίαις· καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως εἶδος εὐφημίας ἀπολιμπάνουσιν. Λαμπρὰ τῆς κενοδοξίας ἡ ὄψις· ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μοι τοῦ τύπου τῆς κόρης ἀναμνήσθητε, εἰς ὃν διερρυθμίσαμεν τὸν δαίμονα, χρυσία περιθέντες αὐτῷ καὶ εἰς ἡλικίαν ἀγαγόντες ἑταίρας τινός, καὶ ὄψεσθε ὅτι οὐ πολὺ τὸ μέσον τῆς εἰκόνος. Τί δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο; προσκυνήσας αὐτοὺς καὶ ταύτῃ τιμήσας καὶ αὐτός, κάθηται μὲν μακαριζόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων ἐκείνων, ἑκάστου αὐτῶν εὐχομένου τοῦτο γενέσθαι ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος τότε, καὶ εὐθέως ἀποθανεῖν. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ πολὺ δαπανῆσαι χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον, ἵππους, ἱμάτια, παῖδας καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα καὶ κενῶσαι πολλὰς οὐσίας, παραπέμπουσι πάλιν αὐτὸν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐφημίας, τοσοῦτοι μέντοι οὐκέτι· λυθέντος γὰρ τοῦ θεάτρου πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἕκαστος ἐπείγεται. Εἶτα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἄριστα πολυτελῆ καὶ πολλὴ ἡ εὐωχία καὶ μεγάλη τῆς ἡμέρας ἡ λαμπρότης. Περὶ δείλην μεσημβρίαν πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις οὕτως. Ἐπειδὰν οὖν πάντα κενώσῃ καὶ μυρία χρυσίου τάλαντα, τότε λοιπὸν δείκνυται ἡ σποδὸς τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης καὶ ἡ τέφρα καὶ ἡ κόνις. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας τοὺς λόγους ζητῇ καὶ τῆς δαπάνης τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἐννοήσῃ, τότε ὀδύρεται. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἂν ἀπολαύῃ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, καθάπερ ὑπό τινος μέθης τῆς κενοδοξίας ληφθεὶς καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἂν προσαναλώσειεν, οὐδὲ μικρὰν αἴσθησιν τῆς ζημίας λαβεῖν δύναται. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ οἴκοι γενόμενος, ἔνδον εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ δαίμονος τούτου, τὴν μὲν ὥραν ἀπελθοῦσαν ἴδῃ τῆς συνελεύσεως λυθείσης καὶ εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἰδὼν εὕρῃ κενὸν ἀνδρῶν ὂν καὶ οὐδένα οὐδὲν φθεγγόμενον, τὴν δὲ ζημίαν οὐκ ἐπὶ φαντασίας, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ χρημάτων ἤδη γεγενημένην, τηνικαῦτα αἰσθάνεται τῆς τέφρας. Ἂν δὲ καὶ πέρα τῆς οὐσίας ἀναλώσας δέηται καὶ ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἐξαρθεὶς ἐν μέσῃ ἐπαιτῆται τῇ ἀγορᾷ, εἶτα τῶν τότε προστάτην βοώντων μηδεὶς παραγίνηται μηδὲ χεῖρα ὀρέγῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνωνται τοῖς γινομένοις-καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε, ὅτε εὐφήμουν, καὶ τῷ φθόνῳ ἐδάκνοντο καὶ παραμυθίαν ἡγοῦντο τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν τὸ ἐκεῖνον, τὸν οὕτω γενόμενον λαμπρόν, πάντων ἀτιμότερον μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι-, ὅταν οὖν μηδεὶς παραγίνηται μηδὲ χεῖρα ὀρέγῃ, τί τούτων ἐλεεινότερον; Οὐχὶ μᾶλλον δακρύων ἄξιον; τί δὲ τούτων χαλεπώτερον; Τάχα ἴστε τινὰ τοῦτο παθόντα μηδαμῶς; Καὶ εἴθε μὲν οὖν