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she will be able to surpass the one who has lost her husband in old age; and yet for both there was one husband, but nevertheless this one ran the race of purity, while that one was left behind by many stades. Do not, therefore, look at the labor only, but also at the reward. For many of our right actions seem difficult to us in this way, because by continually dwelling on their toil and sweat, we do not take into account the rewards laid up for them. But we must not do this, but must reckon everything together, with the labors also the recompenses, and so they will appear easy to us, just as they are in fact easy. For the hero, considering not only the wounds, nor the falls, nor death, but also the trophies and the victories and all the other honors, thus goes forth to valor; and the farmer, not only the plowing, nor the labor in digging, but putting the threshing floor and the wine-presses before his eyes, thus undertakes his tasks. So let us also lighten the toil of widowhood with good hopes, and we much more than they; for in their case many things not in their own power often cut off their expectation, but there is no one to put our hopes to shame, unless we ourselves should wish it. Let us not wish it then, but considering that the widow is not far behind the virgin—and there are cases where she has even surpassed her, whenever the virgin is entangled in affairs; “But the widow,” according to Paul, “being desolate and hoping in God, continues in supplications and in prayers,” and abstains from the affairs of life— let us undertake this contest, that we may obtain the crowns for it. These things have been said by us not for the sake of necessity, nor, as I said, condemning those who do not wish to remain widows, have we come to this exhortation, but urging and encouraging you not to be so bound to the earth, but having once been loosed to remain free, and to seek heaven, and to display the citizenship there, and being betrothed to Christ, thus to do all things as befits those who have such a bridegroom.

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γήρᾳ τὸν ἄνδρα ἀποβαλοῦσαν ὑπερακοντίσαι δυνήσεται· καίτοι γε ἀμφοτέραις εἷς γέγονεν ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλ' ὅμως αὕτη μὲν τὸν τῆς ἁγνείας ἔδραμε δρόμον, ἐκείνη δὲ πολλοῖς ἀπελείφθη τοῖς σταδίοις. Μὴ τοίνυν τὸν πόνον ἴδῃς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν μισθόν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν κατορθωμάτων οὕτως ἡμῖν δύσκολα φαίνεται, ὅτι τὸν μόχθον αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας συνεχῶς στρέφοντες τοὺς ἀποκειμένους αὐτοῖς μισθοὺς οὐκ ἐν νῷ λαμβάνομεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω δεῖ ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὁμοῦ λογίζεσθαι μετὰ τῶν πόνων καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ οὕτως εὔκολα ἡμῖν φανεῖται, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν εὔκολα. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀριστεὺς οὐ τὰ τραύματα μόνον, οὐδὲ τὰ πτώματα, οὐδὲ τὸν θάνατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τρόπαια καὶ τὰς νίκας καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἁπάσας ἀναλογισάμενος τιμὰς οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν ἀριστείαν ἔρχεται· καὶ ὁ γεωργὸς δὲ οὐχὶ τὴν ἄροσιν μόνον, οὐδὲ τὸν ἐν τῷ σκάπτειν πόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἅλω καὶ τὰς ληνοὺς πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν θεὶς οὕτω τῶν ἔργων ἐφάπτεται. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῖς ἐλπίσι ταῖς χρησταῖς τὸν τῆς χηρείας μόχθον ἐπικουφίσωμεν, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς ἢ ἐκεῖνοι· ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ πολλὰ πολλάκις τῶν οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κειμένων τὴν προσδοκίαν διέκοψε, τὰς δὲ ἡμετέρας ἐλπίδας οὐδεὶς ὁ καταισχύνων ἐστίν, ἂν μὴ βουληθῶμεν αὐτοί. Μὴ δὴ βουληθῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἐννοήσαντες ὡς οὐ πολλῷ τῆς παρθένου ἡ χήρα λείπεται-ἔστι δὲ ὅπου αὐτὴν καὶ ὑπερηκόντισεν, ὅταν ἡ μὲν παρθένος περιπλέκηται πράγμασιν· «Ἡ δὲ χήρα», κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον, «μεμονωμένη καὶ ἐλπίζουσα ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν προσκαρτερῇ ταῖς δεήσεσι καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς», καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων ἀπέχηται- ἀναδεξώμεθα τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον, ἵνα τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ στεφάνων τύχωμεν. Ταῦτα ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀνάγκης ἕνεκεν εἴρηται, οὐδέ, ὅπερ ἔφην, καταδικάζοντες τὰς οὐ βουλομένας χηρεύειν, ἐπὶ ταύτην ἤλθομεν τὴν παραίνεσιν, ἀλλὰ προτρέποντες καὶ παρακαλοῦντες, μὴ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον προσδεθῆναι τῇ γῇ, ἀλλ' ἅπαξ λυθείσας μένειν ἐλευθέρας, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐπιζητεῖν, καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἁρμοσθείσας τῷ Χριστῷ οὕτως ἅπαντα πράττειν ὡς προσῆκε τὰς τοιοῦτον ἐχούσας νυμφίον.