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I am compelled to make a man do these things. It is not possible not to be loved against one's will. God made you beautiful, so that He might be marveled at in this also, not so that He might be dishonored; do not repay Him for these gifts with these things, but with self-control and modesty. God made you beautiful, so that He might increase for you the rewards of modesty. For it is not the same thing, to be self-controlled when you are desirable, and when you are fought over by no one. Do you hear what the Scripture says about Joseph? that “He was handsome and beautiful in appearance.” What does it profit us to hear this, that Joseph was beautiful? So that we might admire his beauty and his modesty the more. Has God made you beautiful? Why then do you make yourself ugly? For just as if someone were to smear a golden statue with filthy mud, so are those women who use cosmetics; you plaster yourself with earth, some of it red, some of it white. But the ugly women, she says, do this with good reason. For what reason, tell me? To hide their ugliness? But they labor in vain. For when, tell me, is the natural overcome by the artificial and contrived? And why does ugliness cause pain at all, when it involves no blame? For hear a certain wise man saying, “Do not detest a man for his appearance, nor praise a man for his beauty;” rather, therefore, admire God the master-craftsman, but him no longer; for what has come to be is not his achievement. For what profit is there from beauty, tell me? None, but more contests, greater insults, and dangers and suspicions. For one who is not so beautiful, no one would even suspect; but the other, unless she has used great modesty and with excess, will immediately get an evil reputation; and her husband also lives with her in suspicion, than which what could be more difficult? not gaining so much pleasure from the sight of her, as he reaps sorrow from his suspicion. For the one fades with familiarity, the soul itself acquiring a reputation for stupidity, dissipation, licentiousness, becoming coarse, being filled with much recklessness; for beauty draws one more to all these things. But we would not find the one who is not so beautiful to have many hindrances. For there are no dogs leaping upon her, but, like a lamb, she grazes in great quiet, with no 62.525 wolf bothering or leaping upon her, since her shepherd sits beside her. It is not an advantage for one to be beautiful, and another not so; the real difference is for one woman to commit fornication, though not being beautiful, and for another to be wicked. For tell me, what is the virtue of the eyes? Is it that they are liquid and quick-moving and round and dark-blue, or that they are sharp and discerning? I say it is the latter, and it is clear from this: What is the virtue of a lamp? To shine brightly and illuminate the whole house, or to be well-formed and round? We would certainly say the former; for the latter is indifferent, but the former is what is sought. For this reason we also always say to the maidservant entrusted with it, “You have made the lamp rotten;” and so, the purpose of a lamp is to give light. Therefore also an eye, whether it is of this sort or that sort, is nothing, so long as it fulfills its function with all sufficiency; just as, then, it is also called rotten, if it is dim-sighted, and does not have its whole composition perfected; for we also say that those who do not see even with their eyes open have rotten eyes. For everything that does not fulfill its own function, we call rotten; and this is the defect of an eye. And of the nose, tell me, what is its virtue? Is it to be straight, and smoothed on both sides, and to have a symmetrical proportion, or to be suitable for smelling, and able to perceive quickly and transmit to the brain? This latter is surely clear to everyone. Come now, let us also examine the matter further with an example. For tell me, which tongs, those instruments, shall we say are well-made, those able to seize and hold with precision, or those that are beautifully fashioned? Clearly the former. And what about teeth, which shall we say are good? those that are sharp and easily cut through food, or those that are well

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ἄνδρα ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἀναγκάζομαι. Οὐκ ἔνι μὴ βουλομένην ἐρᾶσθαι. Καλήν σε ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ἵνα θαυμάζηται καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ, οὐχ ἵνα ὑβρίζηται· μὴ τούτοις αὐτὸν ἀμείβου τοῖς δώροις, ἀλλὰ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ κοσμιότητι. Καλήν σε ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ἵνα σοι τοὺς τῆς κοσμιότητος ἄθλους αὐξήσῃ. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον, ἐπέραστον οὖσαν σωφρονεῖν, καὶ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς γενομένην περιμάχητον. Ἀκούεις τί φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ; ὅτι Ἦν ὡραῖος καὶ καλὸς τῇ ὄψει. Τί ἡμᾶς τοῦτο ἀκούοντας ὠφελεῖ, ὅτι καλὸς ἦν Ἰωσήφ; Ἵνα μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ τὸ κάλλος θαυμάζωμεν καὶ τὴν κοσμιότητα. Ἐποίησέ σε καλὴν ὁ Θεός; τί τοίνυν κατασκευάζεις ἄμορφον σαυτήν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἂν εἴ τις χρυσῷ ἀνδριάντι ἐπιχρίσειε πηλὸν βορβόρου, οὕτως εἰσὶν αἱ τοῖς ἐπιτρίμμασι κεχρημέναι· γῆν καταπάσσεις σαυτὴν τὴν μὲν φοινικῆν, τὴν δὲ λευκήν. Ἀλλ' αἱ ἄμορφοι, φησὶν, εἰκότως τοῦτο πράττουσι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι; ἵνα τὴν ἀμορφίαν κρύψωσιν; Ἀλλὰ ἀνόνητα πονοῦσι. Πότε γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ φυσικὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ τεχνικοῦ καὶ ἐπιτετηδευμένου νικᾶται; Τί δὲ ὅλως ἡ ἀμορφία λυπεῖ, ὅταν ψόγον μὴ ἔχῃ; Ἄκουε γὰρ σοφοῦ τινος λέγοντος, Μὴ βδελύξῃ ἄνδρα ἐν ὁράσει αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ αἰνέσῃς ἄνδρα ἐν τῷ κάλλει αὐτοῦ· μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν Θεὸν θαύμασον τὸν ἀριστοτέχνην, ἐκεῖνον δὲ μηκέτι· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ κατόρθωμα τὸ γενόμενον. Ποῖον γὰρ κέρδος ἀπὸ κάλλους, εἰπέ μοι; Οὐδὲν, ἀλλ' ἀγῶνες πλείους, μείζονες ἐπήρειαι, καὶ οἱ κίνδυνοι καὶ αἱ ὑποψίαι. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ οὐ τοιαύτην οὐδ' ἂν ὑποπτεύσειέ τις· ἐκείνη δὲ ἂν μὴ πολλῇ τῇ κοσμιότητι καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ᾖ κεχρημένη, εὐθέως δέξεται δόξαν πονηράν· καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ δὲ μεθ' ὑποψίας συνοικεῖ, οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν χαλεπώτερον; οὐ τοσαύτην ἀπὸ τῆς θέας κτώμενος τὴν ἡδονὴν, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπονοίας καρποῦται τὴν λύπην. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ τῇ συνηθείᾳ μαραίνεται, βλακείας, διαχύσεως, ἀσελγείας δόξαν λαμβανούσης αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, βαναύσου γινομένης, ἀπονοίας πολλῆς πληρουμένης· πρὸς ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα μᾶλλον ἡ εὐμορφία ἕλκει. Τὴν δὲ οὐ τοιαύτην οὐκ ἂν εὕροιμεν πολλὰ τὰ κωλύματα ἔχουσαν. Οὔτε γὰρ οἱ ἐπιπηδῶντες κύνες εἰσὶν, ἀλλὰ, καθάπερ τις ἀμνὰς, ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ πολλῇ βόσκεται, οὐδενὸς 62.525 ἐνοχλοῦντος λύκου οὐδὲ ἐπιπηδῶντος, ἅτε τοῦ ποιμένος παρακαθημένου αὐτῇ. Οὐκ ἔστι πλεονεξία τὸ ἑτέραν μὲν εἶναι καλὴν, ἑτέραν δὲ μὴ τοιαύτην· πλεονεξία ἐστὶ τὸ ἑτέραν μὲν πορνεύειν καὶ καλὴν μὴ οὖσαν, ἑτέραν δὲ εἶναι πονηράν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, τίς ἀρετὴ ὀφθαλμῶν; ἆρα τὸ ὑγροὺς εἶναι καὶ εὐστρόφους καὶ στρογγύλους καὶ κυανοῦς, ἢ τὸ ὀξεῖς καὶ διορατικούς; Ἐγὼ μὲν τοῦτό φημι, καὶ δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· Τίς ἀρετὴ λύχνου; τὸ λαμπρὰ φαίνειν καὶ πᾶσαν καταυγάζειν τὴν οἰκίαν, ἢ τὸ καλῶς πεπλάσθαι καὶ στρογγύλον εἶναι; Ἐκεῖνο πάντως ἂν εἴποιμεν· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ ἀδιάφορον, τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον ἐκεῖνο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ, Σαπρὸν λύχνον ἐποίησας, πρὸς τὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένην θεραπαινίδα ἀεὶ λέγομεν· οὕτω λύχνου τὸ φωτίζειν ἐστίν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς, ἐάν τε τοιόσδε ἐάν τε τοιόσδε ᾖ, οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἕως ἂν μετὰ πάσης αὐταρκείας τὴν χρείαν πληροῖ· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ σαπρὸς λέγεται, ἐὰν ἀμβλυωπῇ, καὶ τὴν σύνθεσιν μὴ ἔχῃ πᾶσαν ἀπηρτισμένην· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἀνεῳγμένων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μὴ βλέποντας σαπροὺς ἔχειν ὀφθαλμούς φαμεν. Πᾶν γὰρ ὃ μὴ τὴν ἰδίαν χρείαν πληροῖ, σαπρὸν λέγομεν· καὶ τοῦτο ὀφθαλμοῦ κακία. Τῆς δὲ ῥινὸς, εἰπέ μοι, ποία ἀρετή; ἆρα τὸ εὐθεῖαν εἶναι, καὶ ἀπεξεσμένην ἑκατέρωθεν, καὶ τὴν ἀναλογίαν σύμμετρον ἔχειν, ἢ τὸ πρὸς τὴν ὄσφρησιν ἐπιτηδείαν εἶναι, καὶ δυναμένην ταχέως ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ παραπέμψαι τῷ ἐγκεφάλῳ; Τοῦτο δὴ παντί που δῆλόν ἐστι. Φέρε δὴ, καὶ ἐπὶ ὑποδείγματι τὸ πρᾶγμα προσεξετάσωμεν, Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, τοὺς ἅρπαγας, τὰ σκεύη, ποῖα φήσομεν κατεσκευάσθαι καλῶς, τὰ δυνάμενα ἁρπάζειν μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ κατέχειν, ἢ τὰ διαπεπλασμένα καλῶς; ∆ῆλον ὅτι ἐκεῖνα. Τί δὲ ὀδόντας, ποίους εἶναι φήσομεν καλούς; τοὺς τμητικοὺς καὶ εὐκόλως διατέμνοντας τὴν τροφὴν, ἢ τοὺς καλῶς