Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IV/Commodianus/The Instructions of Commodianus/Chapter 31

XXX.&#8212;Rich Men, Be Humble.

Learn, O thou who art about to die, to show thyself good to all.&#160; Why, in the midst of the people, makest thou thyself to be another than thou art?&#160; Thou goest where thou knowest not, and ignorantly thence thou departest.&#160; Thou managest wickedly with thy very body; thou thirstest always after riches.&#160; Thou exaltest thyself too much on high; and thou bearest pride, and dost not willingly look on the poor.&#160; Now ye do not even feed your parents themselves when placed under you.&#160; Ah, wretched men, let ordinary men flee far from you.&#160; He lived, and I have destroyed him; the poor man cries out &#949;&#8021;&#961;&#951;&#954;&#945; .&#160; By and by thou shalt be driven with the furies of Charybdis, when thou thyself dost perish.&#160; Thus ye rich men are undisciplined, ye give a law to those, ye yourselves not being prepared.&#160; Strip thyself, O rich man turned away from God, of such evils, if assuredly, perchance, what thou hast seen done may aid thee.&#160; Be ye the attendant of God while ye have time.&#160; Even as the elm loves the vine, so love ye people of no account.&#160; Observe now, O barren one, the law which is terrible to the evil, and equally benignant to the good; be humble in prosperity.&#160; Take away, O rich men, hearts of fraud, and take up hearts of peace.&#160; And look upon your evil-doing.&#160; Do ye do good?&#160; I am here.