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voice," nor allowing me to be told tales by my nurse. For I remember, bringing it up as if from the deep, that when I was whimpering and you wished to soothe me to sleep, instead of the fables and the frightening lamia, you would recount now of Isaac being led by his father and sacrificed and obeying his father in everything, and now of Jacob receiving his father's blessing because he acted according to his mother's instructions, and now of some other of the more divine things and above all "the new Adam," your God and Master I mean, "being subject" to his parents. I also remember your words about virginity and those pure counsels, even if our affairs did not turn out so. I have not forgotten you, neither the fire nor the light, with one of which you illuminated the temperate, and with the other you consumed the licentious; Nor will I pass over that deed of yours, which, though wishing to escape my notice, you did not. For my mother longed for us, how could one say, vehemently and ardently and often sought to throw her arms around my neck and kiss me, but she restrained her longing by a better law and a nobler judgment, lest I, taking courage from it, should somehow become more disobedient to her commands. But as her affection compelled her, I for my part seemed to be dozing, but the matter went only so far as "the closing of the eyelids"; but she, completely unaware of the pretense, approached me and, embracing me very gently with her arms, repeatedly kissed my face, then, weeping "without dropping a tear," "O beloved child," she said, "I long for you, but I cannot often kiss you." Thus she both maintained her authority over me and preserved my training; for she was truly of such a character of soul, but before I say this, let me discuss this more generally. I do not see one single type of soul ordered toward virtue, but some are simple and full of grace and look kindly on those who approach them, while others are harsh and sullen and spend the greater part of their life scowling, rougher in character and unapproachable to the many, and are provoked and annoyed by anything whatsoever that is ill-advised, hating vice rather than turning toward virtue. But in my mother, at least, virtue was blended from both of these; for who looked more cheerfully than she, or spoke more gracefully, or corrected a fault with a gentler character? This part, then, was innate in her, but the other was cultivated in many ways and often, and her forbidding aspect went only so far as the knitting of her brows. And what in others is due to awkwardness or harshness of character, I mean being unapproachable or difficult to approach, and intimidating some of those who approach, this was given to her through the excellence of her virtue. Indeed, not only did the many fear and stand in awe of her, but also her parents, and this in their deep old age, revered and venerated her as a superior being and considered her a "living law," and they held her as an example of action, speech, and silence, even if they fell far short of the original; And if, for instance, she suddenly appeared to them when they were disturbed, she would calm the instability of their souls; and if they were angry, she would dissipate their anger; or if they were doing or suffering anything else, she changed their state for the better. And if they happened to commit some fault without her knowledge, they took care that she should not know what had happened. But I do not say these things as if her soul exalted itself over her parents; for what woman among all has so served and honored her parents? For she supported them in their old age and comforted them with both words and deeds, she sat beside them when they were sick and shared their pain when they were in distress and kept a "sleepless" eye on them when they were awake. She did not, therefore, think it right to be prouder than her parents, but they honored her exceptionally, even though she was thus disposed, not looking to her opinion concerning them, but being struck with awe by the excellence of her virtue. And she had for all the

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φωνήν», οὐδὲ καταμυθολογεῖσθαί με παρὰ τῆς τίτθης ἐῶσα. ἀναμιμνήσκομαι γάρ, ἀναφέρων ὥσπερ ἀπὸ βυθοῦ, ὅτι με καὶ κλαυθμυρίζοντα χαλάσαι βουλομένη πρὸς ὕπνον, ἀντὶ τῶν μύθων καὶ τῆς μορμολυττούσης λαμίας διήεις νῦν μὲν τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἀγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ θυόμενον καὶ πάντα πειθόμενον τῷ γεννήτορι, νῦν δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ εὐλογίας τυγχάνοντα πατρικῆς ὅτι κατὰ τὰς ὑποθήκας πεποίηκε τῆς μητρός, νῦν δ' ἄλλο τι τῶν θειοτέρων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι «τὸν νέον Ἀδάμ», τὸν σόν φημι Θεὸν καὶ δεσπότην, «ὑποτασσόμενον» τοῖς τοκεῦσι<ν>. Μέμνημαί σου καὶ τῶν περὶ παρθενίας λόγων καὶ τῶν ἀκηράτων ἐκείνων συμβουλιῶν, εἰ καὶ μὴ οὕτως τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς γέγονεν. οὐκ ἐπιλέλησμαί σου, οὔτε τοῦ πυρὸς οὔτε τοῦ φωτός, ὧν τῷ μὲν τοὺς σωφρονοῦντας κατέλαμπες, τῷ δὲ τοὺς ἀκολάστους κατέφλεγες· παρήσω δέ σοι οὐδ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἔργον, ὅ με λαθεῖν βουλομένη οὐκ ἔλαθες. ἐπόθει μὲν γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἡ μήτηρ, πῶς ἂν εἴπῃ τις, σφοδρῶς καὶ περικαῶς καὶ ἐζήτει πολλάκις τῷ τραχήλῳ περιφῦναι καὶ κατασπάσασθαι, ἐπεῖχε δὲ τὸν πόθον νόμῳ κρείττονι καὶ κρίσει καλλίονι, ἵνα μὴ καταθαρρήσας αὐτὸς ἀπειθέστερός πως γενοίμην ταῖς ἐκείνης ἐπιταγαῖς. ὡς δὲ τὸ φίλτρον ἠνάγκαζεν, ἐγὼ μὲν ἐῴκειν ὑπνώττειν, ἦν δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα μέχρι τῆς «ἐπιμύσεως τῶν βλεφάρων»· ἡ δέ, ἀγνοήσασα καθάπαξ τὸ σχῆμα, πρόσεισί μοι καὶ ὁμαλῶς πάνυ περιλαβοῦσα τοῖς πήχεσι, πολλάκις ἐφίλει τὸ πρόσωπον, εἶτα δὴ καὶ δακρύσασα «ἀστακτί», «ὦ σπλάγχνον ποθούμενον-ἔφη-, ποθῶ μέν σε, φιλεῖν δέ σε πολλάκις οὐ δύναμαι». οὕτω μοι καὶ τὴν σχέσιν ἐφύλαττε καὶ τὴν παίδευσιν παρεφύλαττεν· ἦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς χαρακτῆρα τοιαύτη, ἀλλὰ πρὶν τοῦτο εἴποιμι, κοινότερον περὶ τούτου διέλωμαι. Οὐ μίαν ἐγὼ τὴν ἰδέαν ὁρῶ τῶν πρὸς ἀρετὴν τεταμένων ψυχῶν, ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν ἁπλαῖ τινές εἰσι καὶ χάριτος γέμουσαι καὶ τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ἥμερον ἐπιβλέπουσιν, αἱ δὲ δριμεῖαι δὲ αὗται καὶ σκυθρωπαὶ καὶ τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τοῦ βίου ἐπιστυγνάζουσαι, τραχύτεραί τε τὸ ἦθος καὶ ἀπρόσιτοι τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἀβουλήτων παροξυνόμεναί τε καὶ δυσχεραίνουσαι, κακίαν δὲ μισοῦσαι μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἀρετὴν μεταβάλλουσαι. τῇ δέ γε ἐμῇ μητρὶ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τούτων ἡ ἀρετὴ συνεκέκρατο· τίς γὰρ ἐκείνης ἢ ἱλαρώτερον ἔβλεψεν ἢ χαριέστερον προσωμίλησεν ἢ πρᾳοτέρῳ τῷ ἤθει τὸ ἁμαρτανόμενον διωρθώσατο; τοῦτο μὲν οὖν αὐτῇ τὸ μέρος ἔμφυτον ἦν, θάτερον δὲ πολλοῖς καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιτετήδευτο καὶ ἦν τὸ φοβοῦν μέχρι τῆς τῶν ὀφρύων συννεύσεως. ὃ δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἤθους σκαιότητι ἢ τραχύτητι πρόσεστι, φημὶ δὴ τὸ ἀπρόσιτον ἢ δυσπρόσιτον, καὶ τὸ ἐνίους τῶν προσιόντων καταπτοοῦν, τοῦτο ἐκείνῃ διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑπερέχον ἐδέδοτο. ἀμέλει οὐχ οἱ πολλοὶ μόνον ἐδεδίεσαν ταύτην καὶ ὑπεστέλλοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τεκόντες, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν βαθείᾳ τῇ πολιᾷ, ὥσπέρ τινα κρείττονα φύσιν προσεκύνουν καὶ ἐσεβάζοντο καὶ «νόμον» ἐκείνην ἐλογίζοντο «ἔμψυχον», παράδειγμά τε εἶχον καὶ πράξεως καὶ λόγου καὶ σιωπῆς, εἰ καὶ πολὺ τῆς ἀρχετυπίας ἀπελιμπάνοντο· εἴ τε γοῦν ταραττομένοις αὐτοῖς ἐξαπίνης ὤφθη, τὸ ἀστατοῦν αὐτοῖς κατέταττε τῆς ψυχῆς, εἴ τε θυμουμένοις διέλυε τὸν θυμόν, εἴ τ' ἄλλό τι ποιοῦσιν ἢ πάσχουσι πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον αὐτοῖς τὴν ἕξιν μετέβαλλεν. εἰ δέ τι ἐκείνην ἔλαθον πλημμελήσαντες, παρεφυλάττοντο μὴ γνῶναι ταύτην τὸ γεγονός. Λέγω δὲ ταῦτ' οὐχ ὡς ἐκείνης τῆς τῶν τεκόντων κατεπαιρομένης ψυχῆς· ποία γὰρ οὕτως τῶν ἁπασῶν γυναικῶν γονέας τεθεράπευκε καὶ τετίμηκεν; ὑπήρειδέ τε γὰρ αὐτοὺς γεγηρακότας καὶ παρεμυθεῖτο καὶ λόγοις καὶ πράξεσι, νοσοῦσί τε παρεκάθητο καὶ ἀλγυνομένοις συνήλγει καὶ ἀγρυπνοῦσιν «ἀνύστακτον» εἶχε τὸ ὄμμα. οὐ τοίνυν μεῖζον δεῖν ᾠήθη τῶν γονέων φρονεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι καὶ οὕτως ἔχουσαν διαφερόντως ἐτίμων, οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνης περὶ ἐκείνους γνώμην ὁρῶντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον αὐτῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπληττόμενοι. εἶχε δὲ καὶ πᾶσι τὸ