Letter 70: That an old man in his declining years should shelter young men who are sunk in debauchery surpasses every form of...

To Strategios the Monk. There is no single nature, nor one essence identical to another, but in every individual there is a distinguishing mark, and in so great a multitude there is necessarily a difference of persons, so that the knowledge of those who observe is unconfused. For even if in some cases a likeness may seem to exist, something will certainly be found that distinguishes them. For even if many people have beautiful eyes, still there is a difference among them: some have bright blue eyes, some are wine-dark, some are dark-eyed, and some are light. There is also an individuality in hair; and even if some are snub-nosed, not all are alike; but one has this feature more finely, another that; and one is fair, another dark; and there is always something that distinguishes. For not all things can be enumerated. So too are the hearts of men: for the same things do not please everyone; but some people like these things, and others those. And even those who love the same things are not alike in their desire for the objects of their love; some aspire to greater things, others to more moderate ones. How many are temperate! But not equally so. For some have embraced virginity, others continence, and others honorable marriage. How many are merciful! But they differ among themselves. How many are just! But they are distinct. Not only in virtues but also in vices can the same thing be observed. How many are most wicked! But they are recognized by their distinctions. How many are lecherous! But not all have been captured by the same things. And even if they fall to the same ones, they are not all affected alike; some take pleasure in natural desires, others in those that transgress the boundaries. Some sin against lawful nature; others outrage even the seat of nature. Some are fearful of noise; others are reckless. Some are miserly; others are profligate. Some cannot even hear a word of reason; others do not shudder even at punishments. Some are flatterers; others desire to be flattered. Some delight in drunkenness; others in spectacles. Some in songs, others in dirges. Some rob in the deserts, others in the cities. Some murder; others cannot even bear to see a brute animal being slaughtered. Some are cowardly; others are bold. But if I should attempt to enumerate all sins, I would not be able to stop even if I wished. Therefore, having glorified the sacred and divine Scriptures, I shall cease. To Lampetios the Deacon. The one who sins but knows it seems to me better than the one who both sins and does not know it. For the former has a correct judgment of things, while the latter has a corrupted one. The former will proceed toward repentance, while the latter will end in insensibility. The former will blush when he stumbles, while the latter will not even blush — for how will one blush who does not even know that he stumbles? Therefore the one who accurately tested the nature of things said: "They not only do these things, but also approve of those who do them" — rightly defining the approving as more grievous than the doing. One must therefore exhort the former to repentance, and impart to the latter an awareness of what is happening. For if he does not perceive, he will not cease sinning. To Zosimos. If you do not wish to bear reproaches and undergo punishments — I do not mean here, though this too is no small thing to the prudent — but in the tribunals that exist whether on earth or wherever in the universe they may be, shake off your sloth and lay hold of virtue. To Diodoros. Humility must adorn the pinnacle of virtue.

ΟΒ΄. – ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΟ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΙ. Μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ φύσιν, οὐδ᾽ οὐσίαν οὐσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ ``` ΜΑΡΙΑΝΩ ΣΧΟΛΑΣΤΙΚΩ Σοφίας μὲν οὐ πάνυ καταφρονητέον, ἄνευ δὲ εὐσεβείας Ο΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ Εἰ ταύτῃ σοι ἀκολουθούσης ἐνόμισας τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ πάντα διὰ τῆς ἑαυτῆς θεραπευτηριασμὸς πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μὴ φανερότερον, ἐν τούτῳ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἡ βλάβη τρανότερα διδάξῃ, ἐν ἐκείνοις εἶεν ἅπερ εὐπρεπῶς ὡς δύναιτο κατ᾿ ἑαυτὴν ἔοικεν διδάξαι. Α πᾶσι χαρακτὴρ, καὶ ἐν τοσαύτῃ πληθύϊ διαφορά (70) πάντως ἔνεστι προσώπων, ὡς ἀσύγχυτον τοῖς ὁρῶσιν εἶναι τὴν γνῶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ποτε ἔν τισιν ἐνεῖναι δόξει ὁμοιότης, ἀλλ' εὑρεθήσεταί τι πάντως τὸ διορί- ζον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ εὐὀφθαλμοί εἰσι πολλοὶ, ἀλλὰ κὰν τούτοις ἐστὶ διαφορά. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ (71) χαροποὶ, οἱ δ' οἰνίζον τες, οἱ δὲ μελανόμματοι εὑρίσκονται, οἱ δὲ καὶ λευκοί, ᾿Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν θριξὶν ἰδιότης ἐστὶν· εἰ δὲ καὶ σιμοὶ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάντες ὁμοίως· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέ· λος κάλλιον ἔχει· καὶ ὁ μὲν λευκὸς, ὁ δὲ μέλας· καὶ πάντως ἐστὶ τὸ διορίζον. Οὐ γὰρ πάντα οἷον (72) εἰ- πεῖν· οὕτω καὶ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων· οὐ γὰρ πᾶσι τὰ αὐτὰ ἀρέσκει· ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ταῦτα, τοῖς δ᾽ ἐκεῖνα. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ τῶν αὐτῶν ἑρασταὶ οὐχ ὁμοίως περὶ τὰ ἐπέραστα ἔχουσιν· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν μειζόνων, οἱ δὲ μετρίων (73) ἐφίενται. Πόσοι σώφρονές εἰσιν ! ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοίως. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν παρθενίαν, οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἔντιμον γάμον ἡσπά- σαντο. Πόσοι ἐλεήμονες! ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτῶν διαφέρουσι. Πόσοι δίκαιοι! ἀλλὰ διαλλάττουσιν. Οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν (74), ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κακιῶν τὸ αὐτὸ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Πόσοι εἰσὶ κάκιστοι! ἀλλὰ διορισμῷ γνωρί ζονται. Πόσοι λάγνοι 1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάντες τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἑάλωσαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀλοῖεν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάντες ὁμοίως διάκεινται· ἀλλὰ οἱ μὲν ταῖς κατὰ φύσιν, οἱ δὲ ταῖς ὑπερορίαις (75) τέρπονται ἡδοναῖς· οἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν ἔννομον φύσιν παροινοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐδραστήριον (76) ὑβρίζουσιν. Οἱ μὲν ψοφο- δεεῖς (77) εἰσιν· οἱ δὲ ῥιψοκίνδυνοι. Οἱ μὲν φειδωλοί · οἱ δὲ ἄσωτοι. Οἱ μὲν οὐδὲ λόγου ἀκοῦται δύνανται· οἱ δὲ - οὐδὲ τὰς τιμωρίας φρίττουσιν. Οἱ μὲν κολακές εἰσιν· οἱ δὲ κολακεύεσθαι βούλονται. Οἱ μὲν μέθῃ ἡδονται· οἱ δὲ θέαις. Οἱ μὲν ᾠδαῖς, οἱ δὲ θρήνοις· οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις, οἱ δὲ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι ληστεύουσιν. Οἱ μὲν φονῶσιν· οἱ δὲ οὐδὲ ἄλογον σφαττόμενον ἰδεῖν ὑπομένουσιν. Οἱ μὲν δειλοί εἰσιν· οἱ δὲ θρασεῖς. ᾿Αλλ' εἰ πάντα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καταριθμήσασθαι ἐπιχει ρήσαιμε, οὐδ᾽ εἰ παύσασθαι βουλοίμην, δυναίμην. Διὸ ἐκθειάσας τὰς ἱερὰς καὶ θείας Γραφάς, καταπαύσω. ΟΔ΄. – ΛΑΜΠΕΤΙΟ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΟ. Ὁ ἁμαρτάνων μέν τι, γινώσκων δὲ, τοῦ καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντος καὶ μὴ γινώσκοντος ἁμείνων εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὀρθὴν, ὁ δὲ διεφθαρμένην έχει τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν κρίσιν · καὶ ὁ μὲν εἰς μετάνοιαν βαδιεῖται, ὁ δὲ εἰς ἀναλγησίαν τελευτήσει· ὁ μὲν ἐρυθριάσει πταίων, ὁ δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐρυθριάσει· πῶς γὰρ ἐρυθριάσει (80) ὁ μηδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὅτι πταίει ἐπιστά- μενος; Διὸ ὁ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκριβῶς βασανίσας τὴν φύσιν, ἔφη · · Οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράττουσιν, » τὸ ἐπαινεῖν τοῦ πράττειν ἀργαλεώτερον εἶναι, εἰκότως ὁρισάμενος. Χρὴ οὖν τὸν μὲν εἰς μετάνοιαν παρακελεῦσαι· τῷ δὲ αἴσθησιν τῶν γιγνομένων ἐμποιῆσαι. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ αἴσθοιτο, οὔτε ἁμαρτάνειν παύσοιτο. ΠΛ΄. – ΖΩΣΙΜΟ. Εἰ μὴ βούλει ὀνείδη τε ἔξειν, καὶ τιμωρίας ὑφ- ἐξειν οὗ φημι ἐνθάδε (καίτοι οὐ μικρὸν καὶ τοῦτο τῷ ἐχέφρονι), ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖς εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς, εἴτε καὶ ὁπουδηποτοῦν τοῦ παντὸς τυγχάνει δικαστηρίοις, τὴν ῥαθυμίαν ἀποσεισάμενος ἔχου τῆς ἀρετῆς. ΡΠΖ΄. – ΔΙΟΔΩΡΩ Δεῖ ταπεινοφροσύνη τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν κορυφὴν διακοσμεῖν.