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and that it was unfitting not to keep faith with a bridegroom who was away. Repelling with such words those who attempted to persuade her, she approved for herself one safeguard of her good judgment, never to be separated from her own mother, not even for an instant of time, so that her mother often said to her that she had carried her other children for a set time, but that she always bore Macrina within her, in a way always holding her in her own womb. But the daughter's company was not burdensome or unprofitable for the mother; for the service rendered by the daughter was to her in place of many maidservants, and there was a good exchange from both, being fulfilled for one another. For the one cared for the soul of the young woman, and the other cared for the body of the mother, in all other things fulfilling the sought-after service and in often preparing the bread for her mother with her own hands; which was not done by her as a primary duty, but since she lent her hands to the mystical services, considering this diligence fitting to the practice of her life, she provided her mother from her surplus with food from her own labors. And not only these things, but she also co-managed with her every incumbent care; for she was the mother of four sons and five daughters and paid taxes to three governors because her property was scattered among so many provinces. Therefore, since the mother was variously divided by these cares—for the father had already departed this life—in all these things she was a partner with her mother in her labors, sharing the cares and lightening the burden of her sorrows. And at the same time, through her mother's guidance, she kept her life blameless for herself, being always corrected and witnessed by her mother's eyes, and at the same time she provided to her mother a great guide toward the same goal, I mean that of philosophy, through her own life, gradually drawing her toward the immaterial and simpler life.

6 And when the mother had arranged the affairs of the sisters with decorum, as seemed best to each, 6 at this time the great Basil, the brother of the aforesaid, returned from the schools, having been trained for a long time in rhetoric. Finding him then exceedingly puffed up with pride in his rhetorical skill, and scorning all dignities, and exalted in his arrogance above the illustrious in authority, she drew him also with such speed to the goal of philosophy, that he renounced worldly renown and, despising being admired for his oratory, went over to this life of labor and working with his own hands, preparing for himself an unimpeded life toward virtue through complete poverty. But his life and subsequent pursuits, through which he became famous under all the sun and eclipsed in glory all who shone in virtue, would be the subject of a long treatise and much time; but let my account be turned again to the matter at hand.

7 For since the basis of any more material life had already been cut away from them, she persuades her mother to abandon her customary life and her more ostentatious way of living and the services from subordinates, to which she had been accustomed in former times, to become equal in spirit to the many and to mix her own life with the way of life of the virgins, making as many as she had with her from her maidservants and subordinates sisters and equals; but rather I wish to insert a small thing into the narrative and not to pass over such an unrecorded matter, through which the loftiness of the virgin is more clearly revealed.

8 The second of the four brothers after the great Basil was named Naucratius, differing from the others in the good fortune of his nature and in beauty of body and in strength and speed and in aptitude for everything. This man, having advanced to his second

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ἄτοπον δὲ εἶναι τῷ ἐκδημοῦντι νυμφίῳ μὴ φυλάσσειν τὴν πίστιν. Τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ἀπωθουμένη τοὺς παραπείθειν ἐπιχειροῦντας ἓν ἐδοκίμασεν ἑαυτῇ τῆς ἀγαθῆς κρίσεως φυλακτήριον, τὸ μηδέποτε τῆς ἰδίας μητρὸς μηδὲ ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τοῦ χρόνου διαζευχθῆναι, ὡς πολλάκις τὴν μητέρα πρὸς αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν τέκνων τεταγμένῳ τινὶ χρόνῳ ἐκυοφόρησεν, ἐκείνην δὲ διὰ παντὸς ἐν ἑαυτῇ φέρειν πάντοτε τρόπον τινὰ τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ἑαυτῆς περιέχουσα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ἐπίπονος οὐδὲ ἀκερδὴς τῇ μητρὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς ἡ συνδιαγωγή· ἀντὶ γὰρ πολλῶν αὐτῇ θεραπαινίδων ἦν ἡ παρὰ τῆς θυγατρὸς γινομένη θερα πεία καὶ ἦν ἀντίδοσίς τις ἀγαθὴ παρ' ἀμφοτέρων ἀλλήλαις ἀντιπληρουμένη. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς νέας, ἡ δὲ τὸ σῶμα τῆς μητρὸς ἐθεράπευεν, ἔν τε τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσι τὴν ἐπιζητουμένην ὑπηρεσίαν ἀποπληροῦσα καὶ ἐν τῷ ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶ πολλάκις τῇ μητρὶ παρασκευάζειν τὸν ἄρτον· ὅπερ οὐ κατὰ τὸ προηγούμενον αὐτῇ διεσπουδάσθη, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ταῖς μυστικαῖς ὑπηρεσίαις τὰς χεῖρας ἑαυτῆς ἔχρησε, πρέπειν ἡγησαμένη τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι τοῦ βίου τὴν περὶ τοῦτο σπουδὴν ἐκ τοῦ περιόντος τῇ μητρὶ παρεχορήγει τὴν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων πόνων τροφήν. Καὶ οὐ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῇ συνδιῳκονόμει τὴν ἐπικειμένην φροντίδα· τεσσάρων γὰρ ἦν υἱῶν μήτηρ καὶ πέντε θυγατέ ρων καὶ τρισὶν ἄρχουσιν ὑπετέλει διὰ τὸ ἐν τοσούτοις ἔθνεσιν αὐτῆς κατεσπάρθαι τὴν κτῆσιν. Ποικίλως τοίνυν τῆς μητρὸς ταῖς φροντίσι διὰ τοῦτο μεριζομένης· ἤδη γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐξεληλύθει τὸν βίον· ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις κοινωνὸς ἦν τῇ μητρὶ τῶν πόνων συνδιαιρουμένη τὰς φροντίδας καὶ τὸ βαρὺ τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπικουφίζουσα. Καὶ ὁμοῦ μὲν τῇ παιδαγωγίᾳ τῆς μητρὸς ἄμωμον διεφύ λασσεν ἑαυτῇ τὸν βίον ἐν μητρῴοις ὀφθαλμοῖς διὰ παντὸς εὐθυνόμενόν τε καὶ μαρτυρούμενον, ὁμοῦ τε παρέσχε πρὸς τὸν ἴσον σκοπόν, τὸν κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν λέγω, μεγάλην τῇ μητρὶ διὰ τοῦ βίου ἑαυτῆς τὴν ὑφήγησιν, κατ' ὀλίγον αὐτὴν πρὸς τὴν ἄϋλόν τε καὶ λιτοτέραν ζωὴν ἐφελ κομένη.

6 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ κατὰ τὰς ἀδελφὰς πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν 6 ἑκάστῃ μετ' εὐσχημοσύνης ἡ μήτηρ ᾠκονομήσατο, ἐπά νεισιν ἐν τούτῳ τῶν παιδευτηρίων πολλῷ χρόνῳ προασκη θεὶς τοῖς λόγοις ὁ πολὺς Βασίλειος ὁ ἀδελφὸς τῆς προει ρημένης. Λαβοῦσα τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὑπερφυῶς ἐπηρμένον τῷ περὶ τοὺς λόγους φρονήματι καὶ πάντα περιφρονοῦντα τὰ ἀξιώματα καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ λαμπροὺς ἐπηρ μένον τῷ ὄγκῳ, τοσούτῳ τάχει κἀκεῖνον πρὸς τὸν τῆς φιλοσοφίας σκοπὸν ἐπεσπάσατο, ὥστε ἀποστάντα τῆς κοσμικῆς περιφανείας καὶ ὑπεριδόντα τοῦ διὰ τῶν λόγων θαυμάζεσθαι πρὸς τὸν ἐργατικὸν τοῦτον καὶ αὐτόχειρα βίον αὐτομολῆσαι, διὰ τῆς τελείας ἀκτημοσύνης ἀνεμ πόδιστον ἑαυτῷ τὸν εἰς ἀρετὴν βίον παρασκευάζοντα. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκείνου βίος καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἐπιτηδεύματα, δι' ὧν ὀνομαστὸς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ὑφ' ἡλίῳ γενόμενος ἀπέκρυψε τῇ δόξῃ πάντας τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ διαλάμψαντας, μακρᾶς ἂν εἴη συγγραφῆς καὶ χρόνου πολλοῦ· ἐμοὶ δὲ πρὸς τὸ προ κείμενον πάλιν ὁ λόγος τετράφθω.

7 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάσης ὑλωδεστέρας ζωῆς ὑπόθεσις ἤδη αὐτοῖς περικέκοπτο, πείθει τὴν μητέρα καταλιποῦσαν τὸν ἐν ἔθει βίον καὶ τὴν κομπωδεστέραν διαγωγὴν καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ὑποχειρίων θεραπείας, αἷς προσείθιστο κατὰ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον, ὁμότιμον γενέσθαι τοῖς πολλοῖς τῷ φρονήματι καὶ καταμῖξαι τὴν ἰδίαν ζωὴν τῇ μετὰ τῶν παρθένων διαγωγῇ, ὅσας εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτῆς ἐκ δουλίδων καὶ ὑποχειρίων ἀδελφὰς καὶ ὁμοτίμους ποιησαμένη· μᾶλλον δὲ μικρόν τι βούλομαι παρενθεῖναι τῷ διηγήματι καὶ μὴ παραδραμεῖν ἀνιστόρητον πρᾶγμα τοιοῦτον, δι' οὗ μᾶλλον τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῆς παρθένου καταμηνύεται.

8 Ἦν τῶν τεσσάρων ἀδελφῶν ὁ δεύτερος μετὰ τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον, Ναυκράτιος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, φύσεως εὐκληρίᾳ καὶ σώματος κάλλει καὶ ῥώμῃ καὶ τάχει καὶ τῇ πρὸς πᾶν ἐπιτηδειότητι διαφέρων τῶν ἄλλων. Προελθὼν οὗτος εἰς δεύτερον