The following burst of eloquence from Chrysostom, when he was sentenced to banishment, is a good specimen of the style of this “silver-tongue” preacher:— “What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear. Riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from, and life I do not desire, save only for the progress of your souls. But you know, my friends, the true cause of my fall. It is that I have not lined my house with rich tapestry. It is that I have not clothed me in robes of silk. It is that I have not flattered the effeminacy and sensuality of certain men, nor laid gold and silver at their feet. But why need I say more? Jezebel is raising her persecution, and Elijah must fly. Herodias is taking her pleasure, and John must be bound in chains. The Egyptian wife tells her lie, and Joseph must be thrust into prison. And so if they banish me I shall be like Elias; if they throw me into the mire, like Jeremiah; if they plunge me into the sea, like the prophet Jonah; if into the pit, like Daniel; if they stone me, it is Stephen that I shall resemble; John, the forerunner, if they cut off my head; Paul, if they beat me with stripes; Isaiah, if they saw me asunder.”