11

the excessive luxury of garments, and neither the blooming flower of colors nor softness of fabric nor splendor of dress nor anything else of that sort could shame or charm her, but to her, both a covering and a pleasant and desired delight was the roughness of the coarse cloak and the divine habit and the cross and the spiritual crest upon her head and whatever other symbols have been established for us of things unutterable and most divine. But since for a time it was not permitted for her to enjoy these things, but to be constrained by excesses and to be poor and to be a beggar in gold-gleaming and star-spangled garments, and this once a year, so that she might not appear displeasing to her husband, so while it was not permitted her to enjoy this want, she somehow mixed it with those who had reached the highest eminence, as if working virtue along with them and purely partaking of the gain. For she gave some things, and received others: "touches of hands" from them, earnest prayers, "hopes of the future," from herself, care and the sharing of her possessions with them, and serving and waiting on them with her own hands, and washing their two feet, and giving them rest on the bed, and kissing their limbs, as many as were either worn out or ulcerated. 12. But why do I not report the dignities of her deeds more magnificently? Why do I not color with my speech the inherently splendid images of her virtues? For she cared for the poor not as many do, treating the poor as if they were bought for silver, stooping down from above and often reproaching them for their misfortune, but as if not giving, but rather gaining and receiving something from them, she reverently attended to those laboring under any affliction whatsoever. Accordingly, she would lead them by the hand up the stairs and "gave her right hand" and bowed down more deeply, then, having washed and cleansed every limb and anointing with the water as if with myrrh, she did not order her stewardess, but she herself "setting a table," and then indeed folding her hands on her breast and having served them timidly as masters, and often rinsing the cup so that it might appear gleaming and "holding it with her fingers," skillfully she "gave to the poor man," mixing it artfully so that it might be pleasant for the one drinking and lovely. Thus she knew how to care for the poor and with such precision did she attend to each of the virtues. For the rest, then, she lived a quiet life and did not want to know anything of all matters, neither what was done in the marketplace nor what in the palaces, nor if some grain-purveyor or treasurer had been appointed, nor if anything belonged to or came to any of the neighbors; for she closed her hearing to every idle word, and did not even know "a crowded marketplace," nor if there was a surging populace. She completely disregarded these things, then; but if anyone practiced virtue, among men and among women alike, she gathered and took them all in from afar, wherever they might be, whether dwelling in recesses and hiding-places, or standing or suspended in the air. But since the Lord of requests was not going to postpone her prayers for long, but to give what was sought in due season, something like this happens; but it is necessary to set aside the discourse from above and so proceed to the main point of the subject. 13. The first offspring of my mother, that beautiful little daughter, about whom I said something above and then stopped, had unfolded like a petal from a bud blooming into its prime and was already "approaching puberty" and of an age to be given in marriage. And, so that I may leave aside "the things in between," all that had befallen the mother on account of the beauty, the fame, the throng of suitors, the judgment and pre-selection for the most beautiful, and better than these things, how many graces are ascribed to the soul, I would say this much, that we were a certain pair, if not to others, at least to our parents and the rest of the family, conspicuous and renowned. she being truly

11

τὴν περιττὴν τῶν περιβλημάτων τρυφήν, καὶ οὔτε χροὰς αὐτὴν ἀνθηρὸν ἄνθος οὔτε μαλακότης ὑφάσματος οὐ λαμπρότης ἐσθῆτος οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων ἐδυσώπει καὶ ἔθελγεν, ἀλλ' ἦν αὐτῇ καὶ περίβλημα καὶ ἐντρύφημα ἡδύ τε καὶ ποθούμενον ἡ τοῦ τριβωνίου τραχύτης καὶ τὸ θεῖον σχῆμα καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ πνευματικὸς λόφος καὶ ὅσα δὴ ἄλλα σύμβολα ἡμῖν καθεστήκοι τῶν ἀρρήτων καὶ θειοτάτων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τέως οὐκ ἐξῆν ἀπολαύειν αὐτὴν τούτων, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς περιττοῖς στενοῦσθαι καὶ πένεσθαι καὶ πτωχεύειν ἐν τοῖς χρυσαυγέσι καὶ καταστέροις ἐσθήμασι, καὶ τοῦτο ἅπαξ ποτὲ τοῦ ἔτους, ἵνα μὴ ἀπαίσιος τῷ ἀνδρὶ φαίνοιτο, ἕως οὖν οὐκ ἐξῆν αὐτῇ τῆς ἐνδείας καταπολαύειν, ἀνεκεράννυέ πως αὐτὴν τοῖς ἐπειλημμένοις τῆς ἀκροτάτης περιωπῆς ὥσπερ συμπραγματευομένη τούτοις τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τοῦ κέρδους καθαρῶς συμμετέχουσα. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐδίδου, τὰ δὲ ἐλάμβανε· «χειρῶν ἐπαφὰς» παρ' ἐκείνων, εὐχὰς ἐκτενεῖς, «ἐλπίδας τοῦ μέλλοντος», θεραπείαν παρ' ἑαυτῆς καὶ τὸ τὰ ὄντα αὐτοῖς συμμερίζεσθαι, καὶ χερσὶν αὐταῖς ὑπηρετεῖν καὶ λατρεύειν, καὶ ῥύπτειν μὲν τὼ πόδε, ἀναπαύειν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς εὐνῆς καὶ τὰ μέλη τούτοις καταφιλεῖν, ὁπόσα ἢ τετρύχωται ἢ καθήλκωται. 12. Ἀλλὰ τί μὴ μεγαλοπρεπέστερον ἀπαγγέλλω τὰ τῶν ἐκείνης πράξεων ἀξιώματα; τί δὲ μὴ χρωματουργῶ τῷ λόγῳ τὰς αὐτόθεν λαμπρὰς εἰκόνας τῶν ἀρετῶν; ἐπτωχοτρόφει γὰρ οὐκ ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοὶ ὡς ἀργυρωνήτοις τοῖς πένησι παραχρώμενοι, ἄνωθεν ἐπικύπτοντες καὶ τὴν δυστυχίαν αὐτοῖς πολλάκις ἐπονειδίζοντες, ἁλλ' ὥσπερ οὐ διδοῦσα, ἐκεῖθεν δέ τι παρακερδαίνουσα καὶ λαμβάνουσα, αἰδεσίμως προσεῖχε τοῖς ἐφ' ὁτῳοῦν κάμνουσιν. Ὅθεν ἐχειραγώγει διὰ τῆς κλίμακος καὶ «δεξιὰν ἐδίδου» καὶ προσεκύνει βαθύτερον, εἶτα πᾶν μέλος πλύνασα καὶ καθάρασα καὶ χρισαμένη οἷα μύρῳ τῷ ὕδατι, οὐ τῇ ταμίᾳ προσέταττεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ «παρατιθεῖσα τράπεζαν» εἶτα δὴ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους συμπλέξασα καὶ περιδεῶς ὡς δεσπόταις διακονησαμένη, πολλάκις τε τὸ κυπέλλιον ἐπικλύσασα ὡς ἂν στίλβον ὀφθείη καὶ τοῖς «δακτύλοις ὀχήσασα», δεξιῶς «ἐδίδου τῷ πένητι», εὐφυῶς κεραννῦσα ἵν' εὔχυτον εἴη τῷ πίνοντι καὶ ἐράσμιον. οὕτως ᾔδει πτωχοτροφεῖν καὶ μετὰ τοιᾶσδε τῆς ἀκριβείας ἑκάστης τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπεμέλετο. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα ἀπράγμονι συνέζη ζωῇ καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλετό τι τῶν πάντων εἰδέναι, οὐχ ὅσα ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς πράττοιτο οὐχ ὅσα ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλείων, οὐκ εἴ τις σιτώνης ἢ ταμίας προβέβληται, οὐδ' εἴ τῳ τῶν ἐγγειτόνων προσῆν τι ἢ προσεγένετο· ἀπέφραττε γὰρ πρὸς πάντα περιττὸν λόγον τὴν ἀκοήν, καὶ οὐδὲ «πλήθουσαν ἀγορὰν» ᾔδει, οὐδ' εἴ τις εἴη δῆμος κυμαίνων. τούτων μὲν οὖν καὶ πάντη κατωλιγώρει· εἰ δέ τις ἐργάζοιτο ἀρετὴν ἔν τε ἀνδράσιν ἔν τε γυναιξίν, ὁμοίως, πάντας πόρρωθεν συνήθρει καὶ συνελάμβανεν, ὅπου ποτ' ἂν εἶεν, εἴτε κόλπους κατοικοῦντες καὶ καταδύσεις, εἴτ' ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀέρος ἱστάμενοι ἢ αἰρόμενοι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλεν ὁ τῶν αἰτήσεων Κύριος ἐπὶ πολὺ αὐτῇ τὰς εὐχὰς ὑπερθήσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ δοῦναι κατὰ καιρὸν τὸ ζητούμενον, γίνεταί τι τοιοῦτον· ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὸν λόγον ἄνωθεν ἀποστήσαντας οὕτως ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἰέναι τῆς ὑποθέσεως. 13. Ὁ πρῶτος τῆς ἐμῆς μητρὸς τόκος, τὸ ὡραῖον ἐκεῖνο θυγάτριον, περὶ οὗ τι εἰρηκὼς ἄνωθεν ἐπαυσάμην, ὥσπερ ἐκ κάλυκος πέταλον ἀκμάσαν εἰς ὥραν ἐξήπλωτο καὶ ἤδη «πρόσηβον ἦν» καὶ οἷον εἰς κῆδος ἐκδίδοσθαι. καί, ἵνα «τὰ ἐν μέσῳ» ἐάσω, ὁπόσα καὶ τῇ μητρὶ ξυμβεβήκει ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει, τὴν φήμην, τὴν ξυνδρομήν, τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ καλλίστῳ κρίσιν καὶ πρόκρισιν, καὶ τούτων τὰ κρείττω ὁπόσα ἐς τὰς ψυχικὰς ἀνάγεται χάριτας, τοσοῦτον ἂν εἴποιμι ὅτι συζυγία τις ἦμεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἄλλοις, τοῖς γοῦν γονεῦσι καὶ τῷ λοιπῷ γένει, περιφανὴς καὶ διάσημος. ἡ μὲν καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς οὖσα