2

guiding the mother who bore her to utter this calling by name, but to foretell the life of the young woman and to indicate the similarity of her way of life through the sameness of name.

3 So the child is nourished, though she had her own nurse, being for the most part nursed in her mother's own hands. And having passed the age of infants, she was quick to learn her childhood lessons, and in whatever subject the judgment of her parents led her, in that the nature of the young woman shone forth. And her mother was eager to educate the child, but not, however, in this external and secular education, which for the most part the earliest ages of those being educated are taught through the poets. For she thought it shameful and altogether improper for a tender and impressionable nature to be taught either the tragic passions, as many as gave the beginnings and plots to the poets from women, or the indecencies of comedy or the causes of the evils concerning Troy, being in a way polluted by the rather unseemly narratives about women. But whatever of the divinely inspired scripture seems more easily grasped by the earliest ages, these were the child's lessons, and especially the Wisdom of Solomon and, more than this, whatever led to the moral life. But also of the scripture that is sung in psalms she was ignorant of nothing, going through each part of the psalmody at its proper times: rising from bed and undertaking her duties and resting, and taking food and leaving the table, and going to bed and rising for prayers, everywhere she had the psalmody as a kind of good companion, deserting her at no time.

4 Growing up with these things and with such pursuits, and having exercised her hand exceptionally in wool-working, she advanced to her twelfth year, in which especially the flower of youth begins to shine forth. There indeed it is also worthy of wonder how not even when hidden was the beauty of the young woman unnoticed, nor did any such wonder in that whole country seem to be such in comparison with that beauty and loveliness, so that not even the hands of painters were able to attain her bloom; but that art which contrives all things and dares the greatest things, so as even to represent the images of the elements themselves through imitation, was not strong enough to imitate with accuracy the good fortune of that form. For this reason a great swarm of those seeking her in marriage surrounded her parents. But her father (for he was indeed prudent and discerning in judging what is good), having chosen from the rest a certain reputable man from her family, known for his prudence, just returned from the schools, had decided to betroth the child to him, if ever she should come of age. Meanwhile he was in the best of hopes and as a kind of pleasing bridal gift, he brought his high repute in oratory to the father of the young woman, displaying the power of his words in the contests on behalf of the wronged. But envy cuts short his best hopes by snatching him from life in his pitiable youth.

5 But the maiden was not ignorant of the things decided by her father; but since by the death of the young man the decision concerning her was cut short, calling her father's decision a marriage, as if the decision had indeed been made, she asked to remain by herself for the future, and her decision was more steadfast than her age. For when her parents often brought arguments to her concerning marriage because there were many who wished to sue for her hand on account of the fame of her beauty, she said it was strange and unlawful not to be content with the marriage once for all confirmed for her by her father, but to be compelled to look to another, since marriage is one in nature just as there is one birth and one death; and she insisted that the one joined to her according to her parents' decision had not died, but she judged that the one "living to God" through the hope of the resurrection was abroad and not dead;

2

ὀνοματικὴν κλῆσιν ὁδηγῶν τὴν γειναμένην ὁ ἐπιφανεὶς τοῦτο προσφθέγξασθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν βίον προειπεῖν τῆς νέας καὶ τὴν τῆς προαιρέσεως ὁμοιότητα διὰ τῆς ὁμωνυμίας ἐνδείξασθαι.

3 Τρέφεται τοίνυν τὸ παιδίον, οὔσης μὲν αὐτῷ καὶ τιθηνοῦ ἰδίας, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις τιθηνουμένης. Ὑπερβᾶσα δὲ τὴν τῶν νηπίων ἡλικίαν εὐμαθὴς ἦν τῶν παιδικῶν μαθημάτων, καὶ πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν ἡ τῶν γονέων κρίσις ἦγε μάθημα, κατ' ἐκεῖνο ἡ φύσις τῆς νέας διέλαμπεν. Ἦν δὲ τῇ μητρὶ σπουδὴ παιδεῦσαι μὲν τὴν παῖδα, μὴ μέντοι τὴν ἔξωθεν ταύτην καὶ ἐγκύκλιον παίδευσιν, ἣν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ διὰ τῶν ποιημάτων αἱ πρῶται τῶν παιδευομένων ἡλικίαι διδάσκονται. Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ ᾤετο καὶ παντάπασιν ἀπρεπὲς ἢ τὰ τραγικὰ πάθη, ὅσα ἐκ γυναικῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποθέσεις τοῖς ποιηταῖς ἔδωκεν, ἢ τὰς κωμικὰς ἀσχημοσύνας ἢ τῶν κατὰ τὸ Ἴλιον κακῶν τὰς αἰτίας ἁπαλὴν καὶ εὔπλαστον φύσιν διδάσκεσθαι, καταμολυνομένην τρόπον τινὰ τοῖς ἀσεμνο τέροις περὶ τῶν γυναικῶν διηγήμασιν. Ἀλλ' ὅσα τῆς θεο πνεύστου γραφῆς εὐληπτότερα ταῖς πρώταις ἡλικίαις δοκεῖ, ταῦτα ἦν τῇ παιδὶ τὰ μαθήματα καὶ μάλιστα ἡ τοῦ Σολο μῶντος Σοφία καὶ ταύτης πλέον ὅσα πρὸς τὸν ἠθικὸν ἔφερε βίον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ψαλμῳδουμένης γραφῆς οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἠγνόει καιροῖς ἰδίοις ἕκαστον μέρος τῆς ψαλ μῳδίας διεξιοῦσα τῆς τε κοίτης διανισταμένη καὶ τῶν σπουδαίων ἁπτομένη τε καὶ ἀναπαυομένη καὶ προσιεμένη τροφὴν καὶ ἀναχωροῦσα τραπέζης καὶ ἐπὶ κοίτην ἰοῦσα καὶ εἰς προσευχὰς διανισταμένη, πανταχοῦ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν εἶχεν οἷόν τινα σύνοδον ἀγαθὴν μηδενὸς ἀπολιμπανομένην χρόνου.

4 Τούτοις συναυξανομένη καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπιτηδεύ μασι καὶ τὴν χεῖρα πρὸς τὴν ἐριουργίαν διαφερόντως ἀσκήσασα πρόεισιν εἰς δωδέκατον ἔτος, ἐν ᾧ μάλιστα τὸ τῆς νεότητος ἄνθος ἐκλάμπειν ἄρχεται. Ἔνθα δὴ καὶ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον, ὅπως οὐδὲ κεκρυμμένον τῆς νέας τὸ κάλλος ἐλάν θανεν οὐδέ τι κατὰ τὴν πατρίδα πᾶσαν ἐκείνην τοιοῦτον θαῦμα ἐδόκει οἷον ἐν συγκρίσει τοῦ κάλλους ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς εὐμορφίας εἶναι, ὡς μηδὲ ζωγράφων χεῖρας ἐφικέσθαι δυνηθῆναι τῆς ὥρας· ἀλλὰ τὴν πάντα μηχανωμένην τέχνην καὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις ἐπιτολμῶσαν, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν στοιχείων τὰς εἰκόνας διὰ τῆς μιμήσεως ἀνατυποῦσθαι, τὴν τῆς μορφῆς ἐκείνης εὐκληρίαν μὴ ἰσχῦσαι δι' ἀκριβείας μιμήσασθαι. Τούτου χάριν πολὺς ἑσμὸς τῶν μνηστευόντων τὸν γάμον αὐτῆς τοῖς γονεῦσι περιεχεῖτο. Ὁ δὲ πατὴρ (ἦν γὰρ δὴ σώφρων καὶ κρίνειν τὸ καλὸν ἐπεσκεμμένος) εὐδόκιμόν τινα τῶν ἐκ τοῦ γένους, γνώριμον ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ, ἄρτι τῶν παιδευτηρίων ἐπανήκοντα τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποκρίνας ἐκείνῳ κατεγγυᾶν ἐγνώκει τὴν παῖδα, εἴπερ εἰς ἡλικίαν ἔλθοι. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ὁ μὲν ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἦν ταῖς χρηστοτέραις καὶ καθάπερ τι τῶν κεχαρισμένων ἕδνων τὴν διὰ τῶν λό γων εὐδοκίμησιν προσῆγε τῷ πατρὶ τῆς νέας, ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἀγῶσι τὴν τῶν λόγων ἐπιδεικνύ μενος δύναμιν. Ὁ δὲ φθόνος ἐπικόπτει τὰς χρηστοτέρας ἐλπίδας ἀναρπάσας αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς ζωῆς ἐν ἐλεεινῇ τῇ νεότητι.

5 Οὐκ ἠγνόει δὲ τὰ τῷ πατρὶ δεδογμένα ἡ κόρη· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῷ θανάτῳ τοῦ νεανίου τὸ κεκριμένον ἐπ' αὐτῇ διεκόπη, γάμον ὀνομάσασα τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς κρίσιν, ὡς γε γενημένου τοῦ κεκριμένου, μένειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς τὸ λοιπὸν ἠξίου, καὶ ἦν τῆς ἡλικίας ἡ κρίσις παγιωτέρα. Πολλάκις γὰρ αὐτῇ τοὺς περὶ τοῦ γάμου προσαγόντων λόγους τῶν γεννησαμένων διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς εἶναι τοὺς κατὰ φήμην τοῦ κάλλους μνηστεύειν ἐθέλοντας, ἄτοπον ἔλεγε καὶ παράνομον εἶναι μὴ στέργειν τὸν ἅπαξ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῇ κυρωθέντα γάμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἕτερον ἀναγκάζε σθαι βλέπειν, ἑνὸς ὄντος ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ γάμου ὡς μία γένεσις καὶ θάνατος εἷς· τὸν δὲ συναρμοσθέντα κατὰ τὴν τῶν γονέων κρίσιν μὴ τεθνάναι διισχυρίζετο, ἀλλὰ τὸν «τῷ θεῷ ζῶντα» διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπόδημον κρίνειν καὶ οὐ νεκρόν·