Letter 248: Do not blame those who fled headlong from that merciless threat — the danger lurking in what was happening.

To Zosimus the Presbyter. A discussion was recently set in motion among us concerning virtue and vice, and when many were saying many things, I said that I consider all human beings to have both defects and advantages — but that those who are esteemed and excellent have defects that are small and trivial, while their achievements are great and extraordinary; while others have advantages that are proportionate to their defects, or even surpassing them, or surpassed by them. For there are people who are inhumane yet temperate, or licentious yet merciful.

ΣΜΗ΄. – ΖΩΣΙΜΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Λόγος ἡμῖν ἔναγχος περὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ἐκε- κίνητο (12), καὶ πολλῶν πολλὰ λεγόντων, ἔφην ἐγὼ, ὅτι ἡγοῦμαι πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐλαττώματα ἔχειν, καὶ πλεονεκτήματα· ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν εὐδοκί- μους καὶ ἀρίστους, μικρὰ μὲν ἔχειν καὶ εὐτελῆ τὰ ἐλαττώματα, μέγιστα δὲ καὶ ὑπερφυῆ τὰ κατορ- θώματα· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἢ ἀναλογοῦντα τοῖς ἐλατ- τώμασι τὰ πλεονεκτήματα, ἢ καὶ πλεονεκτοῦντα, ἢ καὶ πλεονεκτούμενα. Εἰσὶ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι, ἀπάνθρω- ποι μὲν, σώφρονες δὲ· ἢ ἀσελγεῖς μὲν, ἐλεήμονες δὲ · ἢ θρασύτατοι μὲν, ῥᾳδίως δὲ μεταβαλλόμενοι ἢ ἄδικοι μὲν, μετριόφρονες δὲ· ἢ ἄρπαγες μὲν, ἐγκρατεῖς δὲ · ἢ ἀκρατεῖς μὲν γλώττης, ἐγκρατεῖς δὲ ἡδονῶν· ἢ ἀκρατεῖς μὲν ἡδονῶν, ἐγκρατεῖς δὲ γλώττης (13)· ἢ γαστρὸς μὲν ἥττονες, ὀργῆς δὲ κρείτ- τονες · καὶ συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως πιστεύ- σαιμι εἶναι ἄνθρωπον, οὔτ᾽ ἔλαττωμάτων ἅμοιρον, οὔτε κατορθωμάτων ἔρημον. Καὶ προὔφερον πρὸς ἀπό- δειξιν, τῶν μὲν τὸν κριτὴν τῆς ἀδικίας, τὸν μήτε τὸν Θεὸν φοβούμενον, μήτε ἄνθρωπον ἐντρεπόμενον, ὅστις ἐποίησε καλὸν, τὴν συνεχῶς ἱκετεύουσαν αὐτὸν ἐλεή- σας χήραν, καὶ ἐπεξελθὼν τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι. Τῶν δὲ τὸ « Τις καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν, ἢ τις παῤῥησιάσεται, καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν.» Ὡς δὲ πάντες οἱ παρόντες ἐπῄνουν, καὶ κρότος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα ἀνεῤῥήγνυτο, ἐγὼ μὲν ἠρυθρίασα· πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἐρυθριᾷν μᾶλλον πέφυκα, ἢ θρασύνεσθαι. Εἷς δὲ τῶν παρόντων, καὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ εὐδόκιμος (οὐ γὰρ (14) ἀποκρυψαίμην τὴν ἀλή- θειαν, εἰ καὶ ἀνατρέπειν τὰ παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ λελεγμένα ἐπειρᾶτο) ὀλίγα ἐφησυχάσας, ὦ βέλτιστε Ζώσιμε, καὶ τὸν σὸν προφέρων βίον, ἐλέγχειν τὸν λόγον ἑπει- ράτο· πάντα μὲν τὰ ἑλαττώματα ἐν σοὶ χορεύειν ---CONTINUES--- ```