This I consider to be an important proof and an obvious exposure of excessive depravity. In fact, to that man who is irreproachably called the father of very many children and lived for a long time, but during such a time did not saturate the soul with his goodness without experiencing death - this man I would not envy either in many children or in longevity, and I prefer to him the embryo that prematurely came out of the mother's womb. For this one, as he came in vain, so he goes away unnoticed in oblivion, not touching evil, not even seeing the sun. This is calmer than for the evil one, even though he has measured his life for thousands of years, but has not known goodness. The end for both is death. However, the foolish one is exposed especially because he does not receive satisfaction for any desire. The wise man is not subject to these sufferings. For the most part, however, it happens that the righteousness of life leads a person to poverty. Many are deprived of reason by objects that attract the attention of lustful eyes, which excite the soul and, through an empty desire to see, lead to useless occupation. But at any rate, what has now happened is already known, and it is clear that man is not able to resist that which is above him. However, empty words turn against people, increasing the madness of those who use them.

VII. Though he who knows what will happen to him in life of what is after his heart is in no more profit, for let us suppose it, yet the excessive curiosity of men makes it seem that they are investigating, and as it seems to them, knowing what will happen after the death of each one. But a good memory is more pleasant to the soul than oil is to the body, and the end of life is better than birth; and it is preferable to weep than to feast, and to be with those who mourn than with those who are drunk. For it is the case that he who has reached the end of this life no longer cares about what is around him. [In the same way] rational anger is preferable to laughter, for the soul is also put in order by a stern countenance. Therefore the souls of the wise [usually] grieve and humble themselves; but the souls of the foolish rejoice haughtily. And it is far more desirable to be rebuked by one wise man than to listen to the songs of praise of a whole crowd of bad and pitiful people. For the laughter of foolish men is like the crackling of a great quantity of thorns that is burned by a great fire. But also a particularly grave and greatest evil is slander, for it plots against the souls of the wise and seeks to destroy the noble firmness of the good. And it is not the one who begins the speech that should be praised, but the one who finishes, and modesty of disposition should be approved, and not arrogance and pride. By all means, however, one must refrain from rage and not hastily fall into anger, to which the foolish are enslaved. They sin when they say that the ancestors were given a better life, and do not understand that wisdom is very different from the abundance of possessions, and so much more glorious as the silver is lighter than its shadow. For the life of man is not the result of the perishable acquisition of wealth, but of wisdom.

But he who is truly righteous does not need to show himself too much as such, and to be wise too much, lest, having stumbled in something, he sin much more. And do not be unreasonable and impudent, lest you be snatched away by an untimely death. The greatest good is to hold fast to God and, abiding in Him, not to sin in anything. For it is abominable to touch the pure with a defiled hand. Whoever obeys with the fear of God avoids all the opposite. Wisdom can be of more help than the multitude of the mightiest men in the city; it often justly and forgives those who shirk their duties. For there is not one who does not stumble. And the words of the wicked should not be heeded in any way, lest thou hearest with thy own ears the speeches against thee, such as the idle talk of the wicked servant, and lest, then, being wounded in the heart, thou shalt afterwards incline to repay him with many actions. I have come to know all these things by receiving wisdom from God; But when I lost her later, I could no longer be like myself. For wisdom has fled from me to an infinite distance and to an immeasurable depth, so that it is no longer possible for me to master it. So that afterwards I even completely ceased to seek it, and no longer thought of understanding the foolish deeds, the vain counsels, and the troubled life of the wicked. But being so disposed, I differed [from others] in this, and possessed by deadly lust, I knew that a woman is a kind of snare, or something of the sort. For her heart catches those who pass by her, and if she only touches her hand with her hand, it holds her as if she were drawing her, enclosing her in chains. Only in this case can you be freed from it, if you have won God's mercy for yourself, and He watches over you, because whoever is enslaved to sin will not escape from it. I sought among all women their modesty, and found none of them. A well-behaved man can be found out of a thousand, but women cannot. Most of all, I understood that people were created by God to be right in their souls, but they themselves were carried away by various thoughts and endless searches, claiming to seek wisdom and spending their time in the occupation of insignificant speeches.

VIII. But wisdom, when it is found in a man, is visible even in the face, because it illuminates him who has acquired it; on the contrary, shamelessness exposes the one in whom it has taken possession as worthy of hatred at first sight. One must heed the king's words with all diligence and avoid oaths in every way, especially oaths in the name of God. However, it is necessary [in general] to resist evil speech, but [especially] to beware of any backbiting against the Lord. For in fact it is impossible to blaspheme Him, even if He brings something upon you, nor to contradict the definitions of one Ruler and King. It is better and more useful, abiding in the sacred commandments, to remain away from evil speeches. For a wise man knows and foresees that the judgment that will be in due time will be righteous. For all human deeds in this life await punishment from above. Only the evil one, it seems, does not know at all that, since there is now much care for him, then nothing will be completely forgotten later.

And I am amazed every time I look at what kind and how much people have diligently devised to the destruction of their neighbors. I know that the wicked are first snatched out of this life and put away because they have given themselves over to vanity. But since the providence of God does not immediately follow everyone because of much long-suffering, and is not punished immediately after a crime, for this reason the evil man thinks that it is possible to continue sinning, as if he could escape unpunished; he does not understand that even after a very long period of time he who has done unrighteousness will not be hidden. The greatest good is the reverent fear of God, having lost which the wicked will not spend much time using his folly. Often the worst and most false opinion of both the righteous and the unrighteous is spread among men. For the opposite is thought of both: and he who is righteous does not appear to be so, but on the contrary, the wicked is considered reasonable. It is precisely this grave error that I consider the greatest of all. It once seemed to me that the greatest of good things was food and drink, and that he was most pleasing to God who enjoyed them as much as possible during his life, and this kind of joy I considered the only consolation of life. And therefore I occupied myself with nothing else but this thought, so that neither by night nor by day was I distracted from all that was invented for the enjoyment of men. And all I have learned is that whoever has been defiled by this, even if he has worked hard, will never be able to obtain the real good.

IX. For I thought then that all men were to be considered worthy of the same thing; and if any man be wise, and diligently practise the works of righteousness, and turn away from iniquity, and be prudent, and avoid enmity to all, which is pleasing to God, it seemed to me that he laboured in vain. It seemed to me that there was one end of the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the pure and the unclean, and the propitiatory sacrifice to God and the one who did not offer at all. For when the unrighteous and the good, when the one who swears and the one who completely turns away from the oath, as I supposed, rush to the same end, then some evil thought creeps in, that all end life in the same way. But now I know that these are the thoughts of the foolish, both error and deceit. It is also often said that the dead perish completely, and that the living should be preferred to the dead, even though he be in darkness, and that even if he lives like a dog, [he should be preferred] to the dead lion. For the living at least know that they will die, but the dead know absolutely nothing. And there is no recompense before them, after they have fulfilled the appointed fate. Both enmity and friendship towards the dead ended; for with them the competition has ceased, and life has disappeared. The one who has once left this life has no participation in anything.

But do what you have to. For no one will demand from [the omission of two lines in the book - A.L.] he was, into which, as they say, we depart, he has no part in wisdom and the ability to feel. Thus [speak] the vain [people].

But I know well that neither those who seem to be the fastest will successfully accomplish that great current, nor those who are famous among men as strong and terrible, will emerge victorious in a terrible battle. But also prudence is not known in the abundance of food, and understanding is not necessarily in union with riches. Nor do I rejoice with those who think that the fate of all is the same. It seems to me that those who are in a deep sleep are those who think in this way, and do not consider that, being caught like fish and birds, they will be exhausted in misfortune, having unexpectedly received the punishment they deserve. But I so esteem wisdom to be something great, that even a small city, inhabited by a few, but besieged by the hand of a great king, I esteem as populous and great, if it has as a citizen even one poor man of wisdom. For he would have been able to save his city both from enemies and from the fortifications [built against it]. And though others do not notice that wise poor man, yet I wholly prefer power in wisdom to that power in the ordinary sense. But here on earth wisdom combined with poverty is not revered; however, later it will be heard, since it surpasses the nobles and tyrants who rush to evil by the power of its voice. For wisdom is mightier even than weapons; but the foolishness of one causes danger to many, even though he be contemptible to many.

X. For even flies that have fallen into fragrant oil and suffocated in it make both the sight and the anointing of that pleasant anointing unseemly: wisdom and foolishness should not be remembered at the same time. The wise man himself conducts himself in the affairs of the right side; but the fool inclines to the left, and there will not come a time when his foolishness can guide him to beautiful things. And his thoughts are vain, full of foolishness. If, my friend, even a hostile spirit ever attacks you, then courageously resist it, knowing that God can cover with His mercy even a great multitude of sins. That a fool rises on high, and a rich man in wisdom humbles himself, that, as I have seen, the slaves of sin ride on horseback, and holy men walk on foot without honor, while the wicked are proud, these are the works of the tyrant and the father of all wickedness. But if someone plots against another, he forgets that he is intriguing himself first, and only himself. Whoever destroys the fence of another will be bitten by the serpent. But if anyone takes away stones, he will endure no small labor. But even the one who cuts the wood can be in danger from his own weapon. If by chance the axe falls from the handle, then the one who is engaged in this work will be confused, since it does not benefit and multiplies its unrighteous and soon perishing power. But the bite of the serpent is hidden, and the exorcists will not bring any relief, for they are vain. But a good man does good both to himself and to his neighbors. On the contrary, a fool is plunged into destruction because of his chatter. Once he has opened his mouth, he foolishly begins and soon ceases, constantly revealing his foolishness. It is impossible for a person to know anything and to receive information from a person about what has been, or about what will follow. For who will reveal it to him? A person who did not know how to make the way to a good city bears in his eyes and in his whole face the expression of the calamity he endured. But I prophesy misfortunes for that city, whose king is young and whose princes are gluttonous. On the contrary, I consider blessed that good land of which the king is the son of a free man, where those who are worthy to rule there enjoy good things in due time. But the lazy and the idle do damage to the house by becoming idle, and for their gluttony they make use of everything, easily carried away by silver, for a small fee they shamefully and faint-heartedly decide to do whatever they please. But the king, and the princes, and the nobles, are to obey, and not to incur their wrath, and not to utter any insulting word against them. For it is to be feared that what has been said, even in private, will somehow become manifest. For to the one, rich, and great King, swift and winged angels endure all things, performing spiritual and intelligent service.

XI. It is just to share bread and all that is necessary for the maintenance of life. For even if you think that at the present time [what you give] is perishing with someone, as if you were putting bread to water, yet after the passage of time, it will turn out that [your] love for mankind is not useless for you. Give generously and divide your possessions among many, for you do not know what the next day will bring. Even the clouds do not hold back their abundant rain, but pour moisture on the earth, and the tree does not always stand, but if men spare it, it will be overturned by the wind. But many want to foresee what will come from heaven, and he who looks at the clouds and waits for the wind refrains from harvesting and winnowing bread, trusting in things that do not matter, and not knowing anything of what will come from God, just as he does not even know that a pregnant woman will give birth. And having sown in season, gather the fruit, as soon as the time comes, for it is not known which of the things that grow will be the best. Oh, if only everything worked out well! He who thinks that the sun is beautiful, that this life is pleasant, and that it is good to be long, rejoicing incessantly, and that death is a terrible thing and an eternal evil and leads to insignificance, thinks that he should enjoy everything that is present and that which is considered pleasant. He also advises young men to make use of their age, giving their souls over to every pleasure, and to satisfy every desire, and to do what pleases them, to look at what delights, and to turn away from what is not. To such I will say this: you are mad if you do not expect that God will judge you for all this. Depravity and debauchery are evil, and the impure unbridled disorder of our bodies is pernicious. but madness leads to destruction.

XII. Then, while still young, we must fear God before we give ourselves over to iniquity, before the great and dreadful day of God comes, when the sun will no longer shine, nor the moon, nor the other stars, when in that time of general calamity and confusion the higher powers will be shaken, [i.e., the Lord.

A good husband will gladly go to his eternal home; but the wicked will fill all their things with weeping, and neither the silver gathered up in the treasury, nor the gold that has been tested, will profit them any more. For a great blow shall come upon all things, even to the pitcher that stands by the fountain, and to the wheel of the chariot, which is accidentally left in the well, when the flow of time is put to an end, and the life of the age, which is prepared by water, which brings ablution, passes by. For people on earth, there is only salvation, if their souls recognize them and fly to Him by Whom they were created. And so I say again what I said at the beginning: Men are very vainly disposed, and the vanity of the things they plan is such that it is impossible to surpass it. But I, preaching wisely, undertake too much work, because I intend to teach this people, whom can neither be taught nor cured. In order to be able to understand the words of wisdom, a noble man is needed. I am already an old man, and I have passed a long time of my life, and I have worked to find what is pleasing to God through the investigation of the mysteries of truth. I know that souls are stirred and pierced by the teachings of the wise no less than bodies are when they are struck with oxen or nailed with a nail. Some, having received these wise lessons from one good pastor and teacher, will teach them as if from one mouth in agreement with one another, expounding very abundantly what is entrusted to them. and I do not advise you, O friend, to write down what is useless in relation to duties, in which there is nothing more than vain labor.

But at last I am left with a conclusion which will be of the following kind: Men, here I am clearly and concisely declaring to you that, on the one hand, you must fear God, who is the Lord of all things, and sees all things, and keep His commandments, and on the other hand, convince yourself that everything will then be judged, and that everyone will receive the reward for his deeds as good, and bad ones.

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