Basil’s admirable little summary of the main principles of conversation may have been suggested by the recollection of many well known writers.  On such a subject no wide reader could be original.  cf. inter alios, the ἄκουε πολλὰ λάλει δ᾽ ὀλίνα of Bias; the γλῶττα μὴ προτρεχέτω τοῦ νοῦ of Pittacus.  Aulus Gellius (Noct. Att. i. 15), referring to the Γλώσσης τοι θησαυρὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἄριστος Φειδωλῆς πλείστη δὲ χάρις κατὰ μέτρον ἰούσῆς of Hesiod, says:  “Hesiodus poetarum prudentissimus linguam non vulgandam sed recondendam esse dicit, perinde ut thesaurum.  Ejusque esse in promendo gratiam plurimam, si modesta et parca et modulata sit.” On the desirability of gentleness in blame, cf. Ambrose, In Lucam.:  “Plus proficit amica correctio quam accusatio turbulenta:  illa pudorem incutit, hæc indignationem movet.”