Chapter V.
Moreover, it is a good thing to use the tongue
sparingly, and to keep a calm and rightly balanced69
heart in the
exercise of
speech.
70
| 70 ἐν
τῇ περὶ
λόγους
σπουδῇ. |
For it is not right to give utterance
in words to things that are foolish and absurd, or to all that occur to
the
mind; but we ought to know and reflect, that though we are
far
separated from
heaven, we speak in the hearing of
God, and that it is
good for us to speak without
offence. For as
dreams and visions
of many kinds attend manifold cares of
mind, so also
silly talking is
conjoined with
folly. Moreover, see to it, that a
promise made
with a
vow be made good in fact. This, too, is proper to
fools,
that they are unreliable. But be thou true to thy word, knowing
that it is much better for thee not to
vow or
promise to do anything,
than to
vow and then
fail of performance. And thou oughtest by
all means to
avoid the
flood of base words, seeing that
God will hear
them. For the man who makes such things his study gets no more
benefit by them than to see his doings brought to nought by
God.
For as the multitude of
dreams is
vain, so also the multitude of
words. But the
fear of
God is man’s
salvation, though it is
rarely found. Wherefore thou oughtest not to wonder though thou
seest the
poor oppressed, and the judges misinterpreting the
law.
But thou oughtest to
avoid the
appearance of surpassing those who are
in
power. For even should this
prove to be the case, yet, from
the
terrible ills that shall
befall thee,
wickedness of itself will not
deliver thee. But even as property acquired by
violence is a most
hurtful as well as impious possession, so the man who lusteth after
money never finds satisfaction for his passion, nor good-will from his
neighbours, even though he may have amassed the greatest possible
wealth. For this also is
vanity. But
goodness greatly
rejoiceth those who hold by it, and makes them
strong,
71
imparting to them the capacity of seeing
through
72
all things.
And it is a great matter also not to be engrossed by such
anxieties: for the
poor man, even should he be a
slave, and
unable to fill his
belly plentifully,
enjoys at least the
kind
refreshment of
sleep; but the
lust of
riches is attended by sleepless
nights and
anxieties of
mind. And what could there be then more
absurd, than with much
anxiety and
trouble to amass
wealth, and keep it
with
jealous care, if all the while one is but maintaining the occasion
of countless evils to himself? And this
wealth, besides, must
needs
perish some time or other, and be lost, whether he who has
acquired it has
children or not;
73
and
the man himself, however unwillingly, is
doomed to
die, and return to
earth in the
selfsame condition in which it was his lot once to come into
being.
74
And the fact
that he is destined thus to leave
earth with empty
hands, will make the
evil all the sorer to him, as he
fails to consider that an end is
appointed for his
life similar to its beginning, and that he toils to
no
profit, and labours rather for the
wind, as it were, than for the
advancement of his own real interest, wasting his whole
life in most
unholy lusts and irrational passions, and withal in
troubles and
pains. And, to speak shortly, his days are
darkness to such a
man, and his
life is
sorrow. Yet this is in itself good, and by
no means to be
despised. For it is the
gift of
God, that a man
should be able to
reap with
gladness of
mind the fruits of his labours,
receiving thus possessions bestowed by
God, and not acquired by
force.
75
| 75 ἁρπακτικά in the
text, for which the Cod. Medic. has ἁρπακτά. |
For neither is
such a man
afflicted with
troubles, nor is he for the most part the
slave of
evil thoughts; but he measures out his
life by good deeds,
being of good heart
76
in all things,
and rejoicing in the gift of God.
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