Having been initiated, then, into the apprehension of these things and having made it my own, I desire to put off, as it were, the infancy of babes. For we know that the constitution of wickedness is like that of the smallest seeds; inasmuch as, having been strengthened by a small starting-point, it will again be dissolved, if we are persuaded by the words of God and do not scatter ourselves. For wickedness gained the mastery over our affairs through a certain hidden treasure of ours, which, while digging it up, we were filled with dust, but to it we furnished the occasion of its subsisting. For he who receives all his possession gained the power over the more precious wealth. So let these things, then, have been said to those of our own household. But to you Greeks, what else is there to say, except this—not to revile your betters, nor, even if they be called barbarians, to take this as an occasion for mockery? For if you are willing, you will be able to find the reason why all are not able to understand one another's dialect; for to those who wish to examine our teachings I will make the account easy and ungrudging.