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Since all of life is divided into these two, I mean marriage and celibacy, and the one being loftier and more divine, but more arduous and more precarious, and the other humbler and safer, she, fleeing what was disagreeable in both, chose out what was most beautiful in both, and brought it into one, the height of the one, and the safety of the other, and became temperate without being proud, blending the beauty of celibacy with marriage, and showing that neither of these absolutely binds one either to God or to the world, and separates them again; so that the one is in its own nature to be shunned by all, and the other completely praiseworthy; but it is the mind that presides well over both marriage and virginity, and, like some material, these things are ordered and fashioned for virtue by the craftsman, the Word. For not because she was joined to the flesh, was she for this reason separated from the spirit; nor, because she had a husband as her head, did she for this reason ignore the first Head; but having ministered a little to the world and to nature, and as much as the law of the flesh willed, or rather He who legislated these things for the flesh, she consecrated her whole self to God. And what is most beautiful and most venerable is that she also made her husband her own, and did not acquire a strange master, but a good fellow-servant. And not only this, but she also made the fruit of her body, I mean her children, and her children’s children, the fruit of the spirit, consecrating to God an entire generation and a whole house instead of a single soul, and making her marriage praiseworthy through her well-pleasing conduct in marriage, and the good fruitfulness therefrom; while she lived, setting herself before her own as an example of all that is good; and when she was called hence, leaving behind her will for the household as a silent exhortation after her.

9. Indeed, the divine Solomon in his instructive wisdom, I mean in the Proverbs, praises both a woman’s domesticity and her love for her husband, and he contrasts with the woman who wanders outside, and is intemperate, and dishonorable, and who hunts for precious souls with whorish guises and names, the one who behaves well within, and acts courageously in a woman’s sphere, her hands always applied to the spindle, and preparing double cloaks for her husband; and buying a field in season, and providing well for her servants with food, and welcoming friends with a full table, and all the other things for which he hymned the temperate and industrious woman 35.800. But if I were to praise my sister for these things, I would be praising the statue from its shadow, or the lion from its claws, omitting the greater and more perfect things. Who was more worthy to be seen? But who was seen less, and kept herself inaccessible to the eyes of men? Who knew better the measures of gravity and cheerfulness, so that neither her gravity seemed inhuman, nor her gentleness dissolute, but the one sensible, the other mild, and that this should be the standard of decorum, kindness being blended with dignity? Hear, you women who are too ostentatious and indolent, and who dishonor the veil of modesty. Who so disciplined her eye? Who so laughed laughter to scorn, that even the impulse of a smile seemed a great thing to her? Who more put doors on her hearing? and who opened it to the divine words, or rather, who appointed her mind as a guide for her tongue to speak the ordinances of God? Who so set an order for her lips?

10. Do you wish me to say this also of her good qualities; something which seemed to her worthy of no account, nor to any who are truly temperate and well-ordered in their manner; but which has been made to seem a great thing by those who are overly fond of adornment and beauty, and are not even brought down by the words of those who teach such things. No gold, wrought by art into an excess of beauty, adorned her, nor golden tresses, showing through and peeking out, and curls of hair, and contrivances that most dishonorably stage-dress a precious head, not the luxury of flowing and transparent robes, not the gleam and graces of stones that color the air nearby and shine around their forms; not of painters

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δύο ταῦτα διῃρημένου πᾶσι τοῦ βίου, γάμου λέγω καὶ ἀγαμίας, καὶ τῆς μὲν οὔσης ὑψηλοτέρας τε καὶ θειοτέρας, ἐπιπονωτέρας δὲ καὶ σφαλερωτέ ρας, τοῦ δὲ ταπεινοτέρου τε καὶ ἀσφαλεστέρου, ἀμφο τέρων φυγοῦσα τὸ ἀηδὲς, ὅσον κάλλιστόν ἐστιν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἐκλέξασθαι, καὶ εἰς ἓν ἀγαγεῖν, τῆς μὲν τὸ ὕψος, τοῦ δὲ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ γενέσθαι σώ φρων ἄτυφος, τῷ γάμῳ τὸ τῆς ἀγαμίας καλὸν κεράσασα, καὶ δείξασα, ὅτι μήθ' ἕτερον τούτων ἢ Θεῷ πάντως, ἢ κόσμῳ συνδεῖ, καὶ διίστησι πάλιν· ὥστε εἶναι τὸ μὲν παντὶ φευκτὸν κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν, τὸ δὲ τελέως ἐπαινετόν· ἀλλὰ νοῦς ἐστιν ὁ καὶ γάμῳ καὶ παρθενίᾳ καλῶς ἐπιστατῶν, καὶ, ὥσπερ ὕλη τις, ταῦτα τῷ τεχνίτῃ Λόγῳ ῥυθμίζεται καὶ δημιουργεῖται πρὸς ἀρετήν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπεὶ σαρκὶ συν ήφθη, διὰ τοῦτο ἐχωρίσθη τοῦ πνεύματος· οὐδ' ὅτι κεφαλὴν ἔσχε τὸν ἄνδρα, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν πρώτην κε φαλὴν ἠγνόησεν· ἀλλ' ὀλίγα λειτουργήσασα κόσμῳ καὶ φύσει, καὶ ὅσον ὁ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐβούλετο νόμος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ τῇ σαρκὶ ταῦτα νομοθετήσας, Θεῷ τὸ πᾶν ἑαυτὴν καθιέρωσεν. Ὃ δὲ κάλλιστον καὶ σεμνότατον, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς ἑαυτῆς ἐποιήσατο, καὶ οὐ δεσπότην ἄτοπον, ἀλλ' ὁμόδουλον ἀγαθὸν προσεκτήσατο. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τοῦ σώματος καρπὸν, τὰ τέκνα λέγω, καὶ τέκνα τέκνων, καρπὸν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐποιήσατο, γένος ὅλον καὶ οἰκίαν ὅλην ἀντὶ μιᾶς ψυχῆς Θεῷ καθαγνίσασα, καὶ ποιήσασα γάμον ἐπαινετὸν διὰ τῆς ἐν γάμῳ εὐαρεστήσεως, καὶ τῆς καλῆς ἐντεῦθεν καρποφορίας· ἑαυτὴν μὲν, ἕως ἔζη, ὑπόδειγμα καλοῦ παντὸς τοῖς ἐξ ἑαυτῆς προστήσασα· ἐπεὶ δὲ προσεκλήθη, τὸ θέλημα τῷ οἴκῳ μετ' αὐτὴν ἐγκαταλιποῦσα σιωπῶσαν παραί νεσιν.

Θʹ. Ὁ μὲν δὴ θεῖος Σολομὼν ἐν τῇ παιδαγωγικῇ σοφίᾳ, ταῖς Παροιμίαις λέγω, ἐπαινεῖ καὶ οἰκουρίαν γυναικὸς καὶ φιλανδρίαν, καὶ ἀντιτίθησι τῇ ἔξω περιπλανωμένῃ, καὶ ἀκρατήτῳ, καὶ ἀτίμῳ, καὶ τιμίων ψυχὰς ἀγρευούσῃ ἐν πορνικοῖς καὶ σχήμασι καὶ ὀνόμασι, τὴν ἔσω καλῶς ἀναστρεφομένην, καὶ ἀνδριζομένην τὰ γυναικὸς, πρὸς ἄτρακτον μὲν ἀεὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐρείδουσαν, καὶ δισσὰς τῷ ἀνδρὶ χλαίνας παρασκευάζουσαν· ὠνουμένην δὲ κατὰ καιρὸν γεώργιον, σιτηγοῦσαν δὲ καλῶς τοῖς οἰκέταις, πλήρει δὲ τραπέζῃ τοὺς φίλους δεξιουμένην, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα τὴν σώφρονα καὶ φιλεργὸν ἐκεῖνος ἀνύμνη 35.800 σεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπαινοίην τὴν ἀδελ φὴν, ἀπὸ τῆς σκιᾶς ἂν ἐπαινοίην τὸν ἀνδριάντα, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα, παρεὶς τὰ μείζω καὶ τελεώτερα. Τίς μὲν ἦν φαίνεσθαι μᾶλλον ἀξία; Τίς δὲ ἧττον ἐφάνη, καὶ ἀπρόσιτον ἐτήρησεν ἑαυτὴν ἀνδρῶν ὄψεσιν; Τίς μᾶλλον ἔγνω μέτρα κατηφείας τε καὶ φαιδρότητος, ὡς μήτε τὸ κατηφὲς ἀπάν θρωπον δοκεῖν, μήτε τὸ καθ' ἁπαλὸν ἀκόλαστον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν συνετὸν, τὸ δὲ ἥμερον, καὶ ὅρον τοῦτο εἶναι κοσμιότητος, κραθέντος τοῦ φιλανθρώπου τῷ ἀναστήματι; Ἀκούετε τῶν γυναικῶν ὅσαι λίαν ἐπι δεικτικαὶ καὶ ῥᾴθυμοι, καὶ τὸ κάλυμμα τῆς αἰ δοῦς ἀτιμάζουσαι. Τίς μὲν οὕτως ὀφθαλμὸν ἐσωφρό νισεν; Τίς δὲ τοσοῦτον γέλωτος κατεγέλασεν, ὡς μέγα δοκεῖν ἐκείνῃ καὶ ὁρμὴν μειδιάματος; Τίς μᾶλλον ἀκοῇ θύρας ἐπέθηκεν; τίς δὲ τοῖς θείοις λόγοις ἠνέῳξε, μᾶλλον δὲ, τίς νοῦν ἐπέστησεν ἡγεμόνα γλώσσῃ λαλεῖν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιώματα; Τίς τάξιν οὕτως ἐστείλατο χείλεσιν;

Ιʹ. Εἴπω καὶ τοῦτο βούλεσθε τῶν ἐκείνης καλῶν· ὃ τῇ μὲν ἄξιον οὐδενὸς ἐδόκει, οὐδ' ὅσαι σώφρονες ἀλη θῶς καὶ κόσμιαι τὸν τρόπον· μέγα δὲ δοκεῖν πεποιήκα σιν αἱ λίαν φιλόκοσμοι καὶ φιλόκαλοι καὶ οὐδὲ λόγῳ καθ αιρόμεναι τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐκπαιδευόντων. Οὐ χρυσὸς ἐκείνην ἐκόσμησε τέχνῃ πονηθεὶς εἰς κάλλους περιουσίαν, οὐ ξανθαὶ πλοκαμίδες διαφαινόμεναί τε καὶ ὑποφαινόμεναι, καὶ βοστρύχων ἕλικες, καὶ σο φίσματα σκηνοποιούντων τὴν τιμίαν κεφαλὴν ἀτι μότατα, οὐκ ἐσθῆτος περιῤῥεούσης καὶ διαφανοῦς πολυτέλεια, οὐ λίθων αὐγαὶ καὶ χάριτες χρωννῦσαι τὸν πλησίον ἀέρα, καὶ τὰς μορφὰς περιλάμπου σαι· οὐ ζωγράφων