26

and is contrary to the dove in the facility for polygamy. 5.11.1 Let the husband up to this point be struck with frequent accusations and let the charges of ingratitude wound him more thickly than snowflakes. But if he should somewhere bring forward the charge of adultery and offer such a defense for the separation, I will immediately transfer my advocacy to the one who has been wronged, and having prepared my argument against the adulteress, I will stand by the husband as a good shield-bearer instead of an enemy, praising the one who fled the treacherous woman, the one who severed the bond by which he was tied to the asp or the viper. 5.11.2 For to this man the creator of all first gives pardon, as one who is justly grieved and appropriately drives the disease from his house and hearth. For marriage is established for the sake of these two things, disposition and procreation, neither of which is preserved with adultery. For disposition does not exist when goodwill has turned to another; and the good of procreation is destroyed when the children are confused. 5.11.3 But the things leading to this sin have been spoken of appropriately in another discussion. But you, both parties, practice for me moderation, the unbreakable bond of marriage. For where this is honored, it is necessary for there to be both peace and longing, with no common and illegitimate desire sharpening the soul and casting out lawful and just affection. 5.12.1 This law of moderation has been established by God not for women only, but also for men. But those who heed the lawmakers of this life leave the license for fornication to men without accountability; they are harsh judges and teachers of the modesty of women, while they themselves rage unrestrainedly with many bodies, physicians of others, according to the proverb, while teeming with countless sores. 5.12.2 And if anyone should censure them for these offenses, they put forward a polished and jesting defense. For men, they say, even if they have intercourse with very many women, do no harm to the hearth; but women, by the sins they commit, introduce foreign heirs to the houses and families. But let the sophists and inventors of this frantic opinion hear that they themselves also subvert other hearths and homes. 5.12.3 For the women with whom they consort are in every case either the daughters or the wives of certain men; and in every way it will be found that either a marriage is being plotted against or a parent is being wronged, who begot and raised her and hoped to have a virgin for the bridal-chamber and bed, but has been robbed of every good expectation by the robbers of moderation. 5.12.4 If the licentious man is a father, let him know the suffering of a father who is disappointed; if a husband, let him picture himself as the one being wronged. For in general it is thus good for each man to judge in the affairs of others as he would wish another to judge for him. But if some, paying attention to the laws of the Romans, believe that fornication is without accountability, they are wandering in a terrible error, not knowing that God legislates in one way and men lay down doctrines in another. 5.12.5 Hearken to Moses proclaiming the will of God and issuing bitter pronouncements against fornicators. Hearken to Paul saying: Fornicators and adulterers God will judge. But the others will not suffice for your salvation at the time of retribution, but trembling and sweating they will waste away. Plato, the sophist of laws, will appear to you unwise and uneducated, and that grave tone, legislating against all, will be humbled, its power destroyed, when they see the pederasts being torn asunder, to whom they themselves wickedly gave license. 5.12.6 In every case, those who did not restrain others first turned the sin upon themselves and will be found liable to a double accusation, both for what they themselves did and for what they allowed others to do licentiously. Therefore, let those who wish to live with wives who are as orderly as possible make their own character a teacher for their spouses, so that they may have a good zeal from the hearth.

26

καὶ ἐναντίως ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν περιστερὰν εἰς τὸ τῆς πολυγαμίας εὔκολον. 5.11.1 Μέχρι τούτου πυκναῖς ὁ ἀνὴρ ταῖς κατηγορίαις βαλλέσθω καὶ νιφάδων πυκνότερον αὐτὸν τιτρωσκέτω τὰ τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης ἐγκλήματα. Ἂν δέ που μοιχείας αἰτίαν προβάληται καὶ τοιαύτην παράσχοι τοῦ χωρισμοῦ τὴν ἀπολογίαν, εὐθὺς τὴν συνηγορίαν μεταθήσομαι τοῦ ἀδικηθέντος καὶ τὸν λόγον κατὰ τῆς μοιχαλίδος παρασκευάσας ἀγαθὸς συνασπιστὴς ἀντὶ πολεμίου τῷ ἀνδρὶ παραστήσομαι, ἐπαινῶν τὸν φυγόντα τὴν ἐπίβουλον, τὸν διακόψαντα τὸν δεσμόν, ᾧ πρὸς τὴν ἀσπίδα ἢ τὴν ἔχιδναν προσεδέδετο. 5.11.2 Τούτῳ γὰρ δίδωσι τὴν συγγνώμην πρῶτος ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ποιητής, ὡς καὶ δικαίως ἀλγοῦντι καὶ προσηκόντως τῆς οἰκίας ἀπελαύνοντι καὶ τῆς ἑστίας τὴν νόσον. Γάμος γὰρ τούτων χάριν τῶν δύο συνίσταται, διαθέσεως καὶ παιδοποιΐας, ὧν οὐδέτερον μετὰ μοιχείας σώζεται. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ διάθεσις οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς ἄλλον τῆς εὐνοίας ἀπο κλινάσης· παιδοποιΐας δὲ τὸ καλὸν ἀνῄρηται συγκεχυμένων τῶν τέκνων. 5.11.3 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν εἰς τοῦτο φέροντα τὸ ἁμάρτημα εἴρηται ἐν ἄλλῃ ὑποθέσει συμμέτρως. Ἀμφότερα δέ μοι τὰ μέρη σωφροσύνην ἀσκήσατε, τὸν ἀρραγῆ τῶν γάμων σύνδεσμον. Ὅπου γὰρ αὕτη τιμᾶται, ἐπάναγκες εἶναι καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ πόθον, οὐδεμίας πανδήμου καὶ νόθου ἐπιθυμίας τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιθηγούσης, ἐκβαλούσης δὲ τὴν νόμιμον καὶ δικαίαν στοργήν. 5.12.1 Οὗτος τῆς σωφροσύνης ὁ νόμος οὐ ταῖς γυναιξὶ μόνον παρὰ Θεοῦ ὥρισται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν. Οἱ δὲ τοῖς τοῦ βίου τούτου νομοθέταις προσέχοντες ἀνεύθυνον καταλείπουσι τῆς πορνείας τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὴν ἐξουσίαν βαρεῖς μέν εἰσιν κριταὶ καὶ διδάσκαλοι τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν σεμνότητος, οἱ δ' ἐν πολλοῖς ἀνέδην ἐπιμαίνονται σώμασιν, ἄλλων ἰατροί, κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, μυρίοις βρύοντες ἕλκεσιν. 5.12.2 Κἄν τις αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς πλημμελείαις ταύταις καθάψηται, κεκομψευμένην καὶ παίζουσαν ἀπολογίαν προΐσχονται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρες, φασί, κἂν πάνυ πολλαῖς γυναιξὶ πλησιάσωσιν, οὐδὲν τῇ ἑστίᾳ λυμαίνονται· αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες, ἐξ ὧν ἁμαρτάνουσι, κληρονόμους ἀλλοτρίους ταῖς οἰκίαις καὶ τοῖς γένεσιν ἐπεισάγουσιν. Ἀκουσάτωσαν δὲ οἱ τῆς ἐμπλήκτου γνώμης σοφισταὶ καὶ εὑρεταί, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄλλας ἑστίας καὶ οἰκίας ἀνατρέπουσιν. 5.12.3 Αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες αἷς ὁμιλοῦσι, πάντως τινῶν εἰσιν ἢ θυγατέρες ἢ γαμεταί· καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ εὑρεθήσεται ἢ γάμος ἐπιβουλευόμενος ἢ γονεὺς ἀδικού μενος, ὃς ἐγεννήσατο καὶ ἐξέθρεψε καὶ παρθένον ἕξειν ἐπὶ παστάδα καὶ θάλαμον ἤλπισε, ἀφῃρέθη δὲ πάσης χρηστῆς προσδοκίας παρὰ τῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης λῃστῶν. 5.12.4 Εἰ πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀκόλαστος, γνωριζέτω πατρὸς πάθος ἀποτυγχάνοντος· εἰ ἀνήρ, ἑαυτὸν ὑποτυπωσάσθω τὸν ἀδικούμενον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπίπαν οὕτως ἔχει καλῶς, ἕκαστον τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις δικάζειν, ὡς ἂν ἄλλον ἑαυτῷ βούληται. Εἰ δέ τι καὶ τοῖς νόμοις Ῥωμαίων τινὲς προσέχοντες ἀνεύθυνον τὴν πορνείαν εἶναι νομίζουσι, δείνην πλανῶνται πλάνην οὐκ εἰδότες, ὡς ἄλλως Θεὸς νομοθετεῖ καὶ ἑτέρως ἄνθρωποι δογματίζουσιν. 5.12.5 Ἄκουσον Μωϋσέως τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταγγέλ λοντος καὶ πικρὰς τὰς κατὰ πόρνων ἀποφάσεις ἐκφέροντος. Ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος· Πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι οὐκ ἀρκέσουσίν σοι πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀντα ποδόσεως, ἀλλὰ τρέμοντες καὶ ἱδροῦντες ἐκτήξονται. Ἄσοφός σοι καὶ ἀπαίδευτος ὀφθήσεται ὁ Πλάτων, τῶν νόμων σοφιστής, ταπεινὸς δὲ ὁ βαρὺς τόνος ἐκεῖνος καὶ κατὰ πάντων νομοθετῶν ἀνῃρημένος τὸ κράτος, ὅταν βλέπωσιν τοὺς σωμεραστὰς διελκομένους, οἷς αὐτοὶ κακῶς ἐφῆκαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν. 5.12.6 Πάντως δὲ οἱ τοὺς ἄλλους μὴ κωλύσαντες εἰς ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ διπλῆς εὑρεθήσονται κατηγορίας ὑπαίτιοι, ἧς τε ἔπραξαν αὐτοὶ καὶ ἧς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀκολασταίνειν ἀφῆκαν. Οἱ τοίνυν βουλόμενοι κοσμίαις ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα γαμεταῖς συζῆν, αὐτοὶ τὸν ἴδιον τρόπον διδάσκαλον τῶν συνοίκων ποιησάτωσαν, ἵν' ἔχωσιν ἀγαθὸν ἀφ' ἑστίας τὸν ζῆλον.