"Alexander used to say there was something noble in hearing oneself ill spoken of, while doing well."-PLUT. Alex. c. 41. 66 Socrates, who reduced all philosophy to the conduct of sound morality, affirmed that the principal part of wisdom was to discover good and evil: Would you be happy, he says, be not concerned to be thought by some a fool: if any one should reproach you contumeliously let him do it; you can suffer nothing as long as you adhere to virtue.' SENEC. Epist. 71. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth: "Pythagoras' opinion of salt was that it ought to be set before people as a reminder of justice; for salt preserves everything which it touches." DIOG. LAERT. Pythag. Vit. c. 19. "A word or a nod from a person revered for his virtue is of more weight than the most elaborate speeches of other men."-PLUT. Phoc. c. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. "The light of virtue and of a happy life are the two principal things to be desired.” Cic. de fin. 1. v. c. 21. 21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. 22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. "Another question is, how we must behave ourselves towards man? And how do we behave? What precepts do we give in this respect? To abstain from human blood;-but what a small thing is it not to hurt him, to whom we ought to do all the good that lies in our power! It is indeed praiseworthy for men to be kindly affectioned one towards another."-SENEC. epist. 95. 22. Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Contrast with this the counsel of Minerva to Achilles "Cease from contention, and forbear to draw thy sword, but abuse thy adversary with contumelious words."-Hoм. Il. 1. I. v. 210. 28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. "Let no woman appear beautiful to you but your own wife."-EPICT. 1. III. c. 7. "When Sophocles, who went in joint command with Pericles upon an expedition at sea, happened to praise the beauty of a certain young person, Pericles answered, 'A general, my friend, should not only have pure hands but pure eyes.' "—PLUT. Pericl. c. 8. Alexander the Great giving orders for the punishment of two Macedonians who had corrupted the wives of some of his mercenaries, says― "For my part I have neither seen nor desired to see the wife of Darius. So far from that, I have not suffered any man to speak of her beauty before me.' IBID. Alex. c. 22. "As it is a sin to betray one's country, to injure one's parents, to plunder temples, which all are sins of commission, so it is likewise a sin to be afraid, to grieve, to be under the dominion of lust, even if no overt act follows these feelings. These are sins, not in their later periods and consequences, but at once, from the first moment." Cic. de fin. 1. III. c. 9. "That which is not done, only because it is not permitted, is done; for though the body be kept pure, the mind is adulterous."-Ov. Amor. 1. 11. eleg. 4. 29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. "As it is sometimes necessary that the foot should even be cut off for the good of the whole body, so it is fit that a man as part of the commonwealth should encounter sickness, danger, want, and possibly even die before his time on account of the community to which he belongs."-Epict. 1. II. c. 5. "We can never quarrel enough with our vices: I beseech you, Lucilius, to persecute these unceasingly; throw away from you everything that tears the heart; and if you cannot otherwise get rid of it, spare not the heart itself."-SENEC. epist. 51. "As surgeons cut off limbs that are gangrened, so we ought to cut off from society the vile, the degenerate, and the wicked; even though they form part of our own flesh and blood."-QUINTIL. 1. VIII. c. 3. 33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. "It does not appear to me to be right to entreat a judge, or to escape by entreaty; for a judge is sworn not to show favour. It is not right, therefore, that we should accustom you, or that you should accustom yourselves to violate your oaths; for in so doing neither of us would act righteously. For clearly if I should persuade you, O Athenians, and by my entreaties should put a constraint upon you, who are bound by an oath, I should teach you to think there were no gods, and in reality, while making my defence, should accuse myself of not believing in the gods."-PLAT. Socr. Apolog. c. 24. 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all. "Reverence an oath."-PYTHAG. Aur. car. v. 2. Hierocles makes the following commentary on the above precept-" This precept enjoins that we not only swear piously, but that we abstain from swearing; for by this means we shall swear piously, if we do not accustom ourselves to oaths. For he who frequently swears, easily falls into the sin of perjury." "Never call God to witness for the sake of your own advantage, even though you might swear truly."-ISOCR. orat. 1. "Avoid swearing, if possible, altogether; if not, as far as possible." 66 'Why is it not lawful for the priest of Jupiter to swear?" EPICT. Enchir. 33. PLUT. Quæst. Rom. qu. 44. "C. Valerius Flaccus being Flamen Dialis, could not take an oath.” LIV. 1. XXXI. c. 50. "It is not allowable for the Flamen Dialis to swear on any occasion whatever." AUL. GELL. 1. x. c. 15. 34. Neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35. Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool. "Inviolable oath that Colchians fear By heaven above and earth below I swear." 36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head. 66 APOL. RHOD. Arg. 1. 1. v. 714. I adjure thee by thine own head."-Hoм. Odyss. 1. xv. v. 262. "Many traces of primeval chastity may have existed under Jove; before the Greeks were yet ready to swear by another's head."-Juv. Sat. vi. v. 15. "You swore to me by your gods and by your head that you would make me your heir."-MART. 1. IX. epigr. 48. 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. "Pericles, when a vile and abandoned fellow loaded him a whole day with reproaches and abuse, bore it with patience and silence, and continued in public for the dispatch of some urgent affairs. In the evening he walked slowly home, this impudent wretch following and insulting him all the way with the most scurrilous language. And as it was dark when he came to his own door, he ordered one of his servants to take a torch and light the man home."-PLUT. Pericl. c. 5. "It will appear expedient that a man should not only be munificent in giving, but also that he should not be harsh in exacting; conceding to many much that is his own right, and shunning disputes as far as he can, and even a little more than he can conveniently."-Cic. de off. 1. II. c. 18. 42. Give to him that asketh of thee. "If any one allots more to another than to himself, knowingly and voluntarily, this man injures himself; which moderate persons seem to do; for the equitable man rather takes the less part."-ARISTOT. Eth. 1. v. c. 9. 44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Diogenes Laertius, (Aristip vit., c. 9), says it was a maxim with the Hegesiacs that men ought not to hate one who has done wrong, but to teach him better. Socrates, when about to suffer death, says : - "I bear no resentment towards those who condemned me, or against my accusers." PLAT. Socrat. Apol. c. 33. "It is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much one may have suffered from him."-PLAT. Crito, c. 10. "If any one affirms that it is just to give every one his due, and consequently thinks this within himself that injury is due from a just man to enemies, but service to friends, he was not wise who said so, for he spoke not the truth: for in no case has the justice been proved of injuring any one at all."-IBID. de rep. 1. 1. c. 9. "It is not the province of a magnanimous man to be mindful of injuries, but rather to overlook them."-ARISTOT. Eth. 1. IV. c. 3. "The Athenians of these days had many injuries to resent, both from Corinth and from Thebes, by their conduct during the Decelian war. But far were they from harbouring such resentment. No! from the nobler motives of glory and renown they devoted their services to the distressed. And surely this their determination was just and generous."-DEMOSTH. de coron. "There is this very fine circumstance connected with the character of a cynic; that he must be beaten like an ass, and when he is beaten, love those that beat him." EPICT. 1. III. c. 22. "It is the part of a man to love even those who offend him." 45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. "It has been justly said that men resemble the gods most chiefly in doing good.” STRAB. 1. X. c. 3. "The gods, though immortal, do not grudge through so great a duration of time to bear with so many wicked ones of every sort; nay more, they take all manner of care of them and dost thou who art so soon to perish grow weary of bearing with them; and that, too, being thyself one of them."-M. ANTON. I. VII. c. 70. : "The Gods act with clemency towards such, and reach out to them their helping hand, that they may obtain health, riches and glory; such is their goodness. You may do the same: or say, what hinders you ?"-IBID. 1. ix. c. 11. 46. Do not even the publicans the same? The name publican was infamous among the Greeks also. Theocritus being asked which was the cruellest among the beasts, answered, "Of those on the mountains the bear and the lion; but of those in the city the publicans and sycophants." Strike, strike the villain, the publican, the sink, the charybdis of plunder, the villain, the villain."-ARISTOPH. Equit. v. 248. Theophrastus describing the character of a ruffian, says, among other things"He will farm the taxes: in truth there is not an occupation by which he would think himself disgraced."-Charact. XIII. (VII.) "Let publicans and base fellows boast of such things."-POLYB. 1. XII. c. 13. "The intolerable evils brought upon the cities of Asia by the Roman usurers and tax-gatherers."-PLUT. Lucul. c. 7. "The people of Sicily are so fond of our nation, that they are the only people where neither a publican nor a money-changer is unpopular."-Cic. in Verr. III. c. 3. "You will consider that it is even an objection, Plancius, that his father is a farmer of the revenues."-IBID. pro. Planc. c. 9. 48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. "Righteous Jove, From whom perfection to the perfect flows."-Æscн. Suppl. v. 523. "Jove, perfect Jove, perfect my vows!"-IBID. Agam. v. 973. "Supreme, all-perfect Jove!"-IBID. Eumen. v. 28. "God is never in any respect unjust; but as just as possible; and there is not anything that resembles him more than the man amongst us who has likewise become as just as possible."-PLAT. Theat. c. 85. "The philosopher who is occupied with that which is divine and orderly, himself becomes divine and orderly as far as lies in man's power."-IBID. de rep. 1. VI. c. 13. "It will be a great advantage to you to remember this of the gods, that they do not wish us to flatter them but to imitate them."-M. ANTON. 1. x. c. 8. "To subdue one's inclinations, to master one's angry feelings, to be moderate in the hour of victory, to not merely raise from the ground a prostrate adversary, eminent for noble birth, for genius and for virtue, but even to increase his previous dignity,—these are actions of such a nature that the man who does them I do not compare to the most illustrious among men, but I consider him equal to a god."-Cic. pro Marcel. c. 3. MATTHEW VI. 1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in heaven. "A wise and good man doth nothing for appearance, but for the sake of having acted well."-EPICT. 1. III. c. 24. "A good man, when he has done any meritorious act, makes no noise about it: and it may almost be said, he knows not that he has done it "-M. ANTON. 1. v. c. 6. "It makes a difference whether a man is good, or only wishes to appear so." MART. 1. VIII. Epig. 38. 7. But when ye pray use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. "Nay, prithee, good wife, cease to stun the gods With thanking them that you have found your daughter; And think they cannot understand a thing TER. Heaut. Act. v. sc. 2. 9. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. "Ulysses knew that no human creature is an orphan; but there is a father who always, and without intermission, takes care of all. For he had not merely heard it, as a matter of talk, that Jupiter was the father of mankind; but he esteemed and called him his father, and performed all that he did with a view to him."-EPICT. 1. III. c. 24. "God the father and maker of all things that exist."-MAX. TYR. diss. 38. Lucian makes evident allusion to the Lord's prayer, which he treats as a species of incantation: he also in the same passage refers to the great doxology, by which Joannes Gregorius understands the final clause of the prayer, "for thine is the kingdom, &c." "Repeat the prayer beginning from the father, and the celebrated incantation added at the end of it."-LUCIAN. Philop. c. 27. 14. If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. "It is the province of an equitable man rather to remember the good than the evil which he has received from another; and to be more mindful of the good which he has received than of the good which he has done. Also to endure the being injured, patiently."-ARISTOT. de rhet. 1. 1. c. 15. "What then? Shall I not hurt him who hath hurt me? Consider first what hurt is; and remember what you have heard from the philosophers. For if both good and evil consist in choice, see whether what you say doth not amount to this-"Since he hath hurt himself, by injuring me, shall I not hurt myself by injuring him?"-EPICT. 1. II. c. 10. "If to inflict an injury is in itself a wrong thing, it must be equally wrong to retaliate; for if he who commits an injury is more guilty than he who suffers it, he who commits a similar injury in retaliation renders himself equally guilty. And if he who inflicts a wrong, does wickedly, he who renders evil for evil does no less wickedly, though he may seem only to avenge an injury."-MAX. TYR. diss. 2. 'Phocian, after he had long served his country, being condemned to death, was about to drink the poison in his dungeon, when those who were about him asked him if he had anything to leave in charge to his son. I command him, said he, not to avenge upon the Athenians the injury they are now doing me. Whoever does not praise and admire this man would not, as I think, admire anything that is really great." Cicero speaking in praise of Cæsar, says EL. Var. hist. 1. XII. c. 49. "You are not in the habit of forgetting anything except the injuries that have been done to you."-Orat. pro Lig. c. 12. 17. When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face. "Bathed, anointed, and adorned, descend; HOм. Odyss. 1. XVIII. v. 171. "The Graces washed, and with perennial oil anointed her." IBID. Hymn. in Vener. v. 61. |