And those who have entered into the beloved city of the father will partake of an eternal reward, but for others, the nourishment here will result in their not partaking of the true enjoyment. And women must be honored, taking care lest we stumble. And one must approach them soundly and not officiously, fearing the danger of association with them, and knowing beforehand both their fickleness and their consciousness of what they think they have become. And above all one must be on guard against their comical affectations in secret, which, being done in secret, are condemned even by themselves, but are done for the purpose of devouring their neighbors. So it happens to some who deceive themselves, because they do not dare to adorn their faces openly, to do this through artifice: for bending over water or oil they judge themselves, whether they could war against self-control. But some other manner of such a plot is also contrived by them: for secretly touching the braids of their hair, they elaborately arrange their locks as though hiding it from their neighbors, and touch their cheeks and chin with their fingertips. And they glance around at themselves while their head is still. One must, therefore, deal more roughly with such women, cutting off their unrestrained branches; for as soon as they are caught, they droop, and the fruit is eaten by the foxes that burrow in the earth. For this reason, according to the prophet, the donkey must be goaded, and the horse must be whipped, so that the sluggish may be roused, and the one who runs wild may be struck by admonitions on account of being unbridled. Therefore, according to Jeremiah, let us not make ourselves horses mad for females, nor let us neigh after our neighbor's wife. But every woman is a sister, but she is called the wife of the neighbor, that is, of Jesus Christ our savior (whom, after the love for God and Father of all, because he is his neighbor, must be honored and loved), as Paul says: I have espoused you all, he says, to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. And the neighbor's wife is also the flesh in us, after which one must not neigh; but even he who has not yet acted on his desire neighs, when his appetite is kindled in him, even if it does not reach its end. And one must pay attention also to little children, because of such is the kingdom of heaven. And the sick must not be neglected, nor should one say: I have not learned to serve. For let him who puts forward softness or inexperience as an excuse know that he himself will suffer the same things; and whenever he suffers anything of this sort, let him blame the self-condemnation of his own mind, since the same things happen to him which he himself also inflicted. Therefore not even the neglectful one must be neglected. For God is the one who judges. And let him who wishes to be treated well treasure up for himself the benefit from his neighbor through good deeds. And it is not right to be ashamed lest someone because of the

Καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰσελάσαντες εἰς τὴν ἠγαπημένην πόλιν τοῦ πα τρὸς γέρως ἀϊδίου μεταλήψονται, τοῖς δὲ ἀποβήσεται διὰ τῆς ἐνταῦθα τροφῆς τῆς κατὰ ἀληθείαν ἀπολαύσεως μὴ μεταλαμ βάνειν. Γύναια δὲ τιμητέον, προνοοῦντας μὴ ἄρα σφαλῶμεν. Καὶ προσιτέον αὐταῖς ὑγιῶς καὶ μὴ περιέργως, δεδιότας τῆς μετ' αὐτῶν ἀναστροφῆς τὸ κινδυνῶδες, καὶ προγινώσκοντας τό τε εὐμετάβολον αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν εἰς ὅπερ οἴονται γεγονέναι συνείδησιν. Φυλακτέον δὲ πρὸ πάντων τὰς ἐν παραβύστῳ κωμικὰς αὐτῶν ἐπιτηδεύσεις, αἵτινες κρύφα γινόμεναι κατα γινώσκονται μὲν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν, γίνονται δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ τοὺς πλησίον καταπίνειν. Συμβαίνει γοῦν ἐνίαις κλεπτούσαις ἑαυ τάς, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐκ προδήλου τολμᾶν καλλωπίζειν τὰς ὄψεις, διὰ τέχνης τοῦτο πράττειν· εἰς ὕδωρ γὰρ ἢ ἔλαιον κατα κύπτουσαι κρίνουσιν ἑαυτάς, εἰ πρὸς τὴν σωφροσύνην δύναιντ' ἂν πολεμεῖν. Ἀλλά τις καὶ ἕτερος τρόπος τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπι βουλῆς ὑπ' αὐτῶν πραγματεύεται· κρύφα γὰρ κεφαλῆς ἐπι ψαύουσαι τῶν πλοκάμων, τοὺς πλησίον ὥσπερ κλέπτουσαι διακοσμεῖν τὰς ἐθείρας περιέργως, καὶ τῶν παρειῶν καὶ τῆς ὑπήνης ἄκροις δακτύλοις ψαύουσιν. Περιβλέπουσι δὲ καὶ ἑαυ τὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀκινητούσης. Ὁμιλητέον οὖν πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας ·ωμαλεώτερον, τοὺς κεχυμένους κλάδους αὑτῶν ἀποκόπτοντας· ἅμα γὰρ τῷ καταληφθῆναι κατανεύουσιν, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλωπέκων κατεσθίεται τῶν φωλευόντων εἰς τὴν γῆν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸν προφήτην κεντριστέον μὲν τὸν ὄνον, μαστικτέον δὲ τὸν ἵππον, ἵνα διεγείρηται μὲν ὁ νω θής, τύπτηται δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν νουθεσιῶν διὰ τὸ ἀχαλίνωτον ὁ ἀφηνιάζων. Ὥστε κατὰ τὸν Ἱερεμίαν μὴ καταρτίζωμεν ἑαυ τοὺς ἵππους θηλυμανεῖς, μηδὲ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον χρεμετίζωμεν. Γυνὴ δ' ἐστὶν ἀδελφὴ μὲν πᾶσα, τοῦ δὲ πλησίον εἴ ρηται γυνή, τοῦτ' ἔστιν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν (ὅντινα μετὰ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν καὶ πατέρα τῶν ὅλων ἀγάπην, ὅτι πλησίον ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ, τιμητέον καὶ ἀγαπητέον), ὡς Παῦ λος· Ἡρμοσάμην, λέγει, πάντας ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρί, παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ. Ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἡ πλησίον γυνὴ σὰρξ ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐφ' ἣν οὐ χρεμετιστέον· χρεμετίζει δὲ καὶ ὁ μηδέπω πεποιηκὼς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀναθυμιωμένης αὐτῷ τῆς ὀρέξεως, κἂν μὴ λαμβάνῃ τὸ τέλος. Προσεκτέον δὲ καὶ παιδίοις, ὅτι τῶν τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Νοσούντων δὲ οὐκ ἀμελητέον, οὐδὲ ·ητέον ὅτι ∆ιακονεῖν οὐκ ἔμαθον. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν τρυφερίαν ἢ τὸ ἀσύνηθες προβαλλόμενος ἴστω καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ πεισόμε νος· καὶ ἐπειδὰν πάσχῃ τι τοιοῦτον, τῆς γνώμης αὑτοῦ τὸ αὐτοκατάκριτον αἰτιάσθω, συμβαινόντων αὐτῷ ταὐτὰ ἅπερ διέθηκε καὶ αὐτός. Oὐδὲ οὖν τοῦ ἀμελοῦς ἀμελητέον. Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ κρίνων ἐστίν. Καὶ ὁ βουλόμενος εὖ πάσχειν θησαυρι ζέτω διὰ τῆς εὐποιίας τὴν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον εὐερ γεσίαν. Aἰσχύνεσθαι δὲ οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχει μή τις ἄρα διὰ τὴν