Letter 121: I greatly admire the courage of the celebrated Paul — how even when he was on trial, he gave public addresses, and...

Earlier I wrote hoping you would be freed from wickedness and run back to pure health. But now I am in danger of having to speak on behalf of preventing others from being cast by you into the pit of wickedness. If, then, you do not wish to reform yourself, at least refrain from corrupting others, for it is one thing to fall alone and another to drag your neighbor down with you.

ΟΑ΄. – ΕΥΑΓΡΙΩ ΚΟΜΙΤΙ ΙΓ. – ΖΩΣΙΜΟ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ, Περὶ κρίσεως. Πρώην μὲν ἔγραφον, ἐλπίζων σε τῆς κακίας ἀπ- αλλαγήσεσθαι, καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν ὑγίειαν ἀναδρα- μεῖσθαι· νῦν δὲ κινδυνεύω, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ καὶ ἄλλους εἰς τὸ βάραθρον τῆς πονηρίας ὑπὸ σοῦ ἐμβληθῆναι, ποιεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον (64). Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ βούλει σῶσαι σαυτὸν, τί καὶ ἑτέροις λυμαίνῃ; Τί καὶ τὰς ἄλλων τιμωρίας ἕλκεις ἐπὶ τὴν ἀθλίαν σαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν, τὰς χρεμετιζούσας ἐπιθυμίας μὴ ἀνασειράζων, ἕως ἂν αὐτῶν αἰμάξῃς τὰ στόματα, ἀλλ᾽ ἄδειαν αὐταῖς διδοὺς ὁρμᾷν ὅποι βούλονται; ᾿Ανασείραζε τοίνυν αὐτὰς (65), ἵνα μὴ τὰναντία τῶν Νινευϊτῶν ὑπομείνῃς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι φοβηθέντες τὰ ῥήματα, οὐχ ὑπέμειναν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων τιμωρίαν · οὕτω καὶ σὺ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων καταφρονῶν ἀπειλῆς, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑποστήσῃ κόλασιν. ΡΛΗ΄. – ΔΗΜΑΡΧΩ Ὡς τὸν οἶκον οἰκονομεῖν χρὴ καὶ τὰ κοινά.