3

they did not extend a hand, but even the opposite, he is pelted with accusations by the very ones who had praised him. "For why," one says, "is he mad? Why is he a lover of glory? For what reason did he lavish gifts on prostitutes and actors?" O ungrateful man, did you not admire him? Did you not praise him? Did you not lead him on to this with your applause and acclamations? Did you not call him a Nile? An Ocean? Did you not spend the whole day on acclamations for him? Whence then have you suddenly changed? And when one ought to pity, then especially you accuse him for those things for which you formerly applauded? For if, in matters for which we accuse someone, when we see him being punished, we are not so stony-hearted as not to be moved, when we see someone suffering some evil for things we even praised, ought we not to be much more moved? But now you accuse him; when he was delighting you with the spectacle, when you spent the whole day, having left all your own affairs, why did you not accuse him? Do you see what sort of things are from the devil? What sort of fruits vainglory has? I for my part said ashes and dust; but I see not only ashes and dust, but also fire and smoke; for the matter does not stop at gaining nothing, but goes even to the point of encompassing one with evils. It would be ashes and dust in the case of those who spend much, but reap no fruit; but not indeed in the case of those who suffer these things which I have just recounted. "What then?" he says, "when on account of those public services they are honored and admired by many, is this a small fruit?" Very small indeed; for this honor which I have just described is not great, to be pelted with jests and to be accused and to be slandered. "But what about those who are honored?" For they are not honored for those public services, but because of the expectation that money will be spent again for the multitude. But if it is for past deeds, why do they accuse those who have nothing? And why do they not even approach them, but even mock them, calling them profligate and vile men? Do you see that vainglory is a kind of madness? But let this type be dismissed, being of one or two persons, and let us come to another. But if someone should say: "What then about those who spend moderately on the pleasures of the cities?" Tell me, I beseech you, what is the gain? For even with them the glory and the shouting are for a day. And that this would be so, if someone gave them the choice to take back that money, or even a third or a fraction of it, and to have heard no such voice, do you not think they would have chosen it ten thousand times over? For those who for a single obol act shamelessly and impudently in countless ways, what would they not have done for so much money being emptied out in vain? Here my discourse hastens to the faithful among us, who to Christ in his poverty and lacking necessary food are not willing to offer even a trifle; and all that those men provide to prostitutes and actors and dancers for a single acclamation, these men do not give for an everlasting kingdom. But let us come to another kind of vainglory; what kind is this? That which belongs to the many, and no longer to one or two; we rejoice when we are praised even for things in which we are not conscious of anything, not even a little, in ourselves. And the poor man does everything so that he may put on fine clothes, for no other reason than to be glorified by the many; and often, though able to serve himself, he has bought a servant, not for the sake of need, but so that he might not seem to be dishonored by serving himself. For for what reason, tell me, after serving all the time with your own hands, do you now wish to be served by another's? Then, if more gold comes his way, he acquires silver vessels and a splendid house. None of these things are for the sake of need; for if these things happened for the sake of need, the greater part of the human race would have perished and been destroyed. For example, what I mean is this: there are necessary things and without which it is not possible to live, for instance, the produce of the earth is a necessary thing, and if it does not bear fruit, it is not possible to live; the coverings of clothes, a roof and walls and footwear, these are among the necessary things, but however

3

χεῖρα μὴ ὤρεγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον, κατηγορίαις βάλλεται παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἐπαινεσάντων. «∆ιὰ τί γάρ», φησί, «μαινόμενος; ∆ιὰ τί δόξης ἐραστής; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν πόρναις καὶ μίμοις ἐχαρίζετο;» Ἄνθρωπε ἀγνῶμον, οὐχὶ σὺ ἐθαύμαζες; οὐχὶ σὺ ἐπῄνεις; οὐχὶ σὺ αὐτὸν εἰς τοῦτο προηγάγου τοῖς κρότοις καὶ ταῖς εὐφημίαις; οὐχὶ Νεῖλον ἐκάλεις; οὐχὶ Ὠκεανόν; οὐχὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν εἰς τὰς εὐφημίας ἀνήλωσας τὰς ἐκείνου; Πόθεν οὖν ἐξαίφνης μεταβέβλησαι; Καὶ ὅτε ἐλεεῖν δεῖ, τότε μάλιστα κατηγορεῖς ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἐκρότεις πάλαι; Εἰ γὰρ ἐν οἷς κατηγοροῦμεν, ὅταν κολαζόμενον ἴδωμεν, οὔκ ἐσμεν οὕτω λίθινοι ὡς μὴ κατακαμφθῆναι, ὅταν ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἐπῃνέσαμεν ἴδωμεν κακόν τι πάσχοντα, οὐχὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον κάμπτεσθαι ἐχρῆν; Νῦν δὲ κατηγορεῖς· ὅτε σε ἔτερπεν τῇ θέᾳ, ὅτε διημέρευες πάντα ἀφεὶς τὰ σαυτοῦ, τί μὴ κατηγόρεις; Ὁρᾷς οἷα τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου; οἷοι τῆς κενοδοξίας οἱ καρποί; Ἐγὼ μὲν εἶπον τέφραν καὶ κόνιν· ὁρῶ δὲ οὐ τέφραν καὶ κόνιν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πῦρ καὶ καπνόν· οὐ γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ μηδὲν ἀπόνασθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ κακοῖς περιβαλεῖν. Ἐπ' ἐκείνων δὲ ἂν εἴη τέφρα καὶ κόνις, ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναλισκόντων μὲν πολλά, καρπουμένων δὲ οὐδέν· οὐ μὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ταῦτα πασχόντων ἅπερ ἄρτι διῆλθον. «Τί οὖν; φησίν, ὅταν διὰ τὰς λειτουργίας ἐκείνας τιμῶνται καὶ θαυμάζωνται παρὰ πολλῶν, ἆρα μικρὸς οὗτος ὁ καρπός;» Σφόδρα γε· οὐ γὰρ μεγάλη ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη, ἣν νῦν διῆλθον, τὸ καὶ σκώμμασι βάλλεσθαι καὶ κατηγορεῖσθαι καὶ διαβάλλεσθαι. «Τί δὲ πρὸς τοὺς τιμωμένους;» Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὰς λειτουργίας ἐκεῖνοι τιμῶνται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ προσδοκᾶν δαπανᾶσθαι πάλιν τῷ πλήθει. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τὰ φθάσαντα, διὰ τί τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων κατηγοροῦσιν; διὰ τί δὲ μηδὲ προσίασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σκώπτουσιν ἀσώτους καὶ μιαροὺς ἄνδρας ἀποκαλοῦντες; Εἶδες ὅτι μανία τίς ἐστιν ἡ κενοδοξία; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἀφείσθω τὸ εἶδος, ἑνός που καὶ δευτέρου ὄν, ἐφ' ἕτερον δὲ ἔλθωμεν. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· «Τί οὖν πρὸς τοὺς σύμμετρα δαπανωμένους ἐν ταῖς τῶν πόλεων τέρψεσιν; Εἰπέ μοι, παρακαλῶ, τί τὸ κέρδος; καὶ γὰρ καὶ παρ' ἐκείνοις ἐφήμερος ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ βοή. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως ἂν ἔχοι, εἴ τις αὐτοῖς αἵρεσιν ἔδωκεν ἀναλαβεῖν ἐκεῖνα τὰ χρήματα ἢ καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἢ καὶ τὸ πολλοστόν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἀκηκοέναι τοιαύτην φωνήν, νομίζεις οὐχὶ μυριάκις ἂν εἵλοντο; Οἱ γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὀβολοῦ ἑνὸς μυρία ἀναισχυντοῦντες καὶ ἰταμευόμενοι, τί οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησαν ὑπὲρ τοσούτων χρημάτων εἰκῇ κενουμένων; Ἐνταῦθά μοι πρὸς τοὺς παρ' ἡμῖν πιστοὺς ὁ λόγος ἐπείγεται, οἳ τῷ Χριστῷ πενομένῳ καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἀποροῦντι τροφῆς οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ὀρέγειν ἐθέλουσιν· καὶ ὅσα ἐκεῖνοι πόρναις καὶ μίμοις καὶ τοῖς ὀρχουμένοις παρέχουσιν ὑπὲρ μιᾶς φωνῆς, ταῦτα οὗτοι ὑπὲρ βασιλείας διηνεκοῦς οὐ διδόασιν. Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἕτερον ἔλθωμεν εἶδος κενοδοξίας· ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; ὃ τῶν πολλῶν ἐστι καὶ οὐκέτι ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου· χαίρομεν ὅταν ἐπαινώμεθα καὶ ἐπὶ πράγμασιν ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν σύνισμεν ἑαυτοῖς οὐδὲ μικρόν. Καὶ ὁ πένης πάντα ποιεῖ ὥστε ἱμάτια περιθέσθαι καλά, δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀλλ' ὥστε δοξασθῆναι παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν· καὶ πολλάκις ἑαυτῷ διακονήσασθαι δυνάμενος οἰκέτην ὠνήσατο οὐ χρείας ἕνεκεν, ἀλλ' ὥστε μὴ δόξαι ἠτιμῶσθαι ἑαυτῷ διακονούμενος. Ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν πάντα χρόνον ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ χερσὶν ὑπηρετούμενος ταῖς ἄλλου βούλει νῦν ὑπηρετεῖσθαι; Εἶτα, ἂν ἕτερον χρυσίον προσγένηται, καὶ σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ κτᾶται καὶ οἰκίαν λαμπράν. Τούτων οὐδὲν χρείας ἕνεκεν· εἰ γὰρ χρείας ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἐγίνετο, τὸ πλέον ἂν τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπωλώλει καὶ διέφθαρτο. Οἷόν τι λέγω· ἔστιν ἀναγκαῖα καὶ ὧν ἄνευ ζῆν οὐκ ἔνι, οἷον ἡ τῆς γῆς φορὰ πρᾶγμα ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν, καὶ ταύτης μὴ φερούσης καρπὸν οὐκ ἔνι ζῆν· τὰ τῶν ἱματίων σκεπάσματα, ὄροφος καὶ τοῖχοι καὶ ὑποδήματα, ταῦτα τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστίν, τὰ μέντοι