BASIL RETURNS FROM THE UNIVERSITY

When the mother had arranged excellent marriages for the other sisters, such as was best in each case, Macrina's brother, the great Basil, returned after his long period of [966C] education, already a practised rhetorician. He was puffed up beyond measure with the pride of oratory and looked down on the local dignitaries, excelling in his own estimation all the men of leading and position. Nevertheless Macrina took him in hand, and with such speed did she draw him also toward the mark of philosophy that he forsook the glories of this world and despised fame gained by speaking, and deserted it for this busy life where one toils with one's hands. His renunciation of property was complete, lest anything should impede the life of virtue. But, indeed, his life and the subsequent acts, by which he became renowned throughout the world and put into the shade all those who have won renown for their virtue, would [966D] need a long description and much time. But I must divert my tale to its appointed task.

Now that all the distractions of the material life had been removed, Macrina persuaded her mother to give up her ordinary life and all showy style of living and the services of domestics to which she had been accustomed before, and bring her point of view down to that of the masses, and to share the life of the maids, treating all her slave girls and menials as if they were sisters and belonged to the same rank as herself.

But at this point I should like to insert a short parenthesis in my narrative and not to pass over unrelated such a matter as the following, in which the lofty character of the maiden is displayed.

Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ κατὰ τὰς ἀδελφὰς πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἑκάστῃ μετ' εὐσχημοσύνης ἡ μήτηρ ᾠκονομήσατο, ἐπάνεισιν ἐν τούτῳ τῶν παιδευτηρίων πολλῷ χρόνῳ προασκηθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις ὁ πολὺς Βασίλειος ὁ ἀδελφὸς τῆς προειρημένης. Λαβοῦσα τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὑπερφυῶς ἐπηρμένον τῷ περὶ τοὺς λόγους φρονήματι καὶ πάντα περιφρονοῦντα τὰ ἀξιώματα καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ λαμπροὺς ἐπηρμένον 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 ἀνεμπόδιστον 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 προκείμενον πάλιν ὁ λόγος τετράφθω.
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.