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who has deserted to the truth, and that in a womanly and otherwise delicate body, on account of the distinction and luxury of her ancestors, how many seas of wonders will she find opening up in each of these things? For this very reason I will not even mention the others, the humility, the love, the remaining virtues of your holy soul. For I had only just mentioned these and spoken their names, when my mind again poured forth for me myriad springs and is compelled to speak of these too, as of the former, even if only in part their forms, or rather their subjects only; for that requires a truly infinite discourse. But I will not allow myself to fall away from the subject which I chose to set right, being carried away into an infinite sea. For if it were not now my proposed task to pluck up despondency from you by the roots, I would gladly have lingered on these topics and sailed an infinite sea, or rather, seas, dissecting the many-branching paths of each of your virtues, of which each path in turn gave birth to a sea, whether in patience, or in humility and multifaceted almsgiving extended to the very ends of the world, or in love that conquers a myriad of furnaces, or in infinite wisdom, full of much grace, that has surpassed the measures of nature. And if anyone should wish to go through the good deeds born from these, he would do the same thing as one who might attempt to number the waves of the sea. 8.6 Therefore, having run past these infinite seas, I will try to show the lion from his claw, by discussing a few things about your attire, about the garments worn by you simply and without thought. For this achievement seems to be less than the others; but if anyone should examine it accurately, he will find it to be exceedingly great and requiring a philosophic soul that tramples on all worldly things and flies up to heaven itself. Wherefore not only in the New, but also in the Old [Testament], when God was leading the human race through shadow and type, and the things of the commonwealth were ordered in a more bodily manner, and there was as yet no word about heavenly things, nor mention of things to come, nor a hint of the philosophy which now prevails, but the laws were written for the Hebrews in a somewhat cruder and more carnal way, forbidding with great vehemence the love of adornment in clothing, He says these things through the prophet: “Thus says the Lord against the ruling daughters of Zion: Because their daughters were exalted and walked with a high neck and with winks of their eyes and in the walking of their feet dragging their tunics and at the same time playing with their feet, the Lord will humble the ruling daughters of Zion and will uncover their form and will take away the glory of their clothing and for you there shall be dust instead of a sweet smell, and you will be girded with a rope instead of a belt, and instead of the adornment of your head you will have baldness for your works, and instead of the tunic of purple-dye you will gird yourself with sackcloth.” These things for you instead of adornment. Did you see unspeakable wrath? Did you see a most vehement chastisement and punishment? Did you see a prolonged captivity? From this, judge the magnitude of the sin. For the lover of mankind would never have inflicted so vehement a punishment, unless the sin that drew it on were much greater. But if the sin is great, it is very clear that the achievement which stands opposite to it is also very great. For this very reason Paul, when addressing worldly women, not only dissuades them from wearing gold, but does not even permit them to wear expensive clothing. For he knows, he knows clearly that this is a grievous disease of the soul and hard to overcome, and is the greatest sign of a corrupted mind and one that very much requires a philosophic soul. and this is shown not only by worldly women who have consorted with men—of whom not one has readily endured this exhortation—, but also by those who seem to be philosophers and have been allotted to the choir of virginity. For many of these towards the tyranny of nature

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αὐτομολησάσῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ὅτι ἐν σώματι γυναικείῳ τε καὶ ἄλλως ἁπαλῷ διὰ τὴν τῶν προγόνων περιφάνειαν καὶ τρυφήν, πόσα πελάγη θαυμάτων εὑρήσει καθ' ἕκαστον τούτων ἀνοιγόμενα; ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲ ἐπιμνησθήσομαι, τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης, τῆς ἀγάπης, τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν τῆς ἁγίας σου ψυχῆς. Καὶ γὰρ μόνον ἐμνήσθην τούτων καὶ τὰς προσηγορίας εἶπον, μυρίας ἀνέβλυσέ μοι πάλιν ἡ διάνοια πηγὰς καὶ βιάζεται εἰπεῖν καὶ τούτων, ὡς τῆς προτέρας, κἂν ἐκ μέρους τὰ εἴδη, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰς ὑποθέσεις μόνον· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἄπειρον σφόδρα ἐπιζητεῖ λόγον. Ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἀνέξομαι ὥστε μὴ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκπεσεῖν ἣν προειλόμην κατορθῶσαι, εἰς ἄπειρον ἐξενεχθεὶς πέλαγος. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προὔκειτό μοι νῦν τὸ πρόρριζον τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀνασπάσαι, ἡδέως τούτοις ἐνδιέτριβον τοῖς λόγοις καὶ πέλαγος ἄπειρον ἔπλεον, μᾶλλον δὲ πελάγη, ἑκάστης σου ἀρετῆς τὰς πολυσχιδεῖς ἀνατέμνων ὁδοὺς ὧν ἑκάστη ὁδὸς πέλαγος ἔτικτε πάλιν, κἂν τῇ ὑπομονῇ, κἂν τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ ἐλεημοσύνῃ τῇ πολυειδεῖ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα ἁπλωθείσῃ, κἂν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ μυρίας νικώσῃ καμίνους, κἂν τῇ συνέσει τῇ ἀπείρῳ καὶ πολλῆς γεμούσῃ χάριτος καὶ τὰ μέτρα τῆς φύσεως ὑπερβάσῃ. Τὰ δὲ κατορθώματα τὰ ἐντεῦθεν τεχθέντα εἴ τις βούλοιτο ἐπιέναι, ταὐτὸν ποιήσει οἷον εἴ τις καὶ τὰ κύματα τῆς θαλάσσης ἀριθμεῖν ἐπιχειροίη. 8.6 ∆ιὸ τὰ ἄπειρα ταῦτα παραδραμὼν πελάγη, τὸν λέοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος δεῖξαι πειράσομαι, ὀλίγα ἅττα περὶ τῆς στολῆς σου διαλεχθείς, περὶ τῶν ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῇ σοι περικειμένων ἱματίων. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ἔλαττον εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ κατόρθωμα· εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸ ἐξετάσειε, σφόδρα εὑρήσει μέγα τε ὑπάρχον καὶ φιλοσόφου δεόμενον ψυχῆς καὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ ἅπαντα καταπατούσης καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἱπταμένης τὸν οὐρανόν. ∆ιόπερ οὐκ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, ὅτε διὰ σκιᾶς καὶ τύπου τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ Θεὸς ἦγε γένος καὶ σωματικώτερον τὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἐρρυθμίζετο καὶ περὶ τῶν οὐρανίων οὐδεὶς οὐδέπω λόγος ἦν, οὐδὲ μελλόντων μνήμη, οὐδὲ τῆς νῦν κατεχούσης φιλοσοφίας αἴνιγμα, ἀλλὰ παχύτερόν πως καὶ σαρκικώτερον οἱ νόμοι τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἐγράφοντο, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις ἀπαγορεύων φιλοκοσμίαν, ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησί· «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιών· ἀνθ' ὧν ὑψώθησαν αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ὑψηλῷ τραχήλῳ καὶ νεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῇ πορείᾳ τῶν ποδῶν σύρουσαι τοὺς χιτῶνας καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἅμα παίζουσαι, καὶ ταπεινώσει Κύριος ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιὼν καὶ ἀνακαλύψει τὸ σχῆμα αὐτῶν καὶ ἀφελεῖ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἱματισμοῦ αὐτῶν καὶ ἔσται σοι ἀντὶ ὀσμῆς ἡδείας κονιορτὸς καὶ ἀντὶ ζώνης σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς κεφαλῆς σου φαλάκρωμα ἕξεις διὰ τὰ ἔργα σου, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ χιτῶνος τοῦ μεσοπορφύρου περιζώσῃ σάκκον.» Ταῦτά σοι ἀντὶ καλλωπισμοῦ. Εἶδες ὀργὴν ἄφατον; Εἶδες κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν σφοδροτάτην; Εἶδες αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπιτεταμένην; Ἐκ τούτου στοχάζου τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος τὸ μέγεθος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν σφοδροτάτην οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τιμωρίαν ὁ φιλάνθρωπός ποτε, μὴ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἐπισπωμένης αὐτὴν πολὺ μείζονος οὔσης. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἁμάρτημα μέγα, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα μέγιστον τὸ ἀπεναντίας ἑστηκὸς τούτῳ. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ βιωτικαῖς γυναιξὶ διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλος, οὐ μόνον τοῦ χρυσοφορεῖν αὐτὰς ἀπάγει, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἱμάτια πολυτελῆ περικεῖσθαι ἀφίησιν. Οἶδε γάρ, οἶδε σαφῶς ὅτι χαλεπὸν τοῦτο ψυχῆς νόσημα καὶ δυσκαταγώνιστον καὶ γνώμης διεφθαρμένης δεῖγμα μέγιστόν ἐστι καὶ σφόδρα φιλοσόφου δεόμενον ψυχῆς. καὶ δηλοῦσιν οὐχ αἱ βιωτικαὶ γυναῖκες μόνον καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὁμιλήσασαι-ὧν οὐδεμία ῥᾳδίως ταύτης ἠνέσχετο τῆς παραινέσεως-, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ φιλοσοφεῖν δοκοῦσαι καὶ εἰς τὸν τῆς παρθενίας τελεῖν χορὸν λαχοῦσαι. Πολλαὶ γὰρ τούτων πρὸς τυραννίδα φύσεως