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ministering to the flesh with much and varied expense, they provide much luxury for it from this.

50 That luxury is unlawful both in the Old and in the New Testament. Most of all, not even these things are permitted to marriage. For it is accustomed to provide us with permission for union alone, but not also for luxury. And the blessed Paul is a witness, saying thus: “But she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” And if these things were said about widows, hear also what he says about the married: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with all shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.” And not only here but also elsewhere one might see him making a great argument that these things should not be at all sought after by us. “For having,” he says, “food and raiment, let us be therewith content. For they that will be rich fall into foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” And why do I speak of Paul, who said these things when it was the time of the highest philosophy and the grace of the spirit was abundant? For the prophet Amos, speaking to the childish Jews, among whom luxury and extravagance and, so to speak, all superfluous things were permitted, hear how vehemently he attacks those given to luxury, saying: “Woe to them that come to an evil day, who draw near and take hold of false sabbaths; who sleep upon beds of ivory, and live in wantonness on their couches; who eat kids from the flocks, and sucking calves from the midst of the herds; who clap their hands at the sound of instruments; who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointments; they have regarded them as abiding, and not as fleeting.”

51 That even if it were permitted to live luxuriously, the griefs of marriage are sufficient to destroy this pleasure. As I said, then, most of all it is not permitted to live luxuriously; but even if none of these things were forbidden, but all were permitted, there are other things counterbalancing these in respect of despondency and pain, or rather, so much more numerous and greater that we receive not even a small sensation from them, but all pleasure from them is done away with.

52 How great an evil jealousy is. For if someone, tell me, happens to be jealous by nature, or even from some untrue pretext is seized by this evil, what could be more pitiful than such a soul? What war, what storm, by comparing it to such a house, shall we be able to hit upon the image accurately? Everything is full of pain, everything of suspicion and dissension and confusion. For he who is struck by this madness is in no better state than those possessed by demons or afflicted with the disease of frenzy. Thus he continually leaps up and springs away and is vexed with all, and always vents his anger upon those present who are simple and blameless, whether a slave or a son or anyone else. And all pleasure is driven away, but everything is full of dejection and grief and disgust. Whether he remains at home, or enters the marketplace, or undertakes a journey, everywhere the terrible thing has brought forth something more grievous than any death, irritating and provoking his soul and not allowing it to be at rest. For this disease is accustomed to produce not only despondency but also unbearable anger. And each of these, even by itself, is sufficient to destroy the one who is caught; but when they also come together and besiege him, continually pressing him and not allowing him even a short time to breathe, how many deaths is this not more grievous than? For whether one speaks of extreme poverty, or an incurable disease, or fire, or the sword, one will say nothing equal, and this only those who have experience of it know well; for no account could represent the excess of the terror. For when he is compelled always to hold in suspicion her who is loved most of all and for whom he would gladly give even his life, what of all things

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πολλῇ καὶ διαφόρῳ δαπάνῃ λειτουργοῦντες τῇ σαρκὶ πολλὴν ἀπὸ ταύτης παρέχουσιν αὐτῇ τὴν τρυφήν.

50 Ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ καὶ ἐν τῇ καινῇ παράνομον ἡ τρυφή. Μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἐφίεται τῷ γάμῳ. Τὴν γὰρ τῆς μίξεως μόνης ἄδειαν, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῆς τρυφῆς παρέχειν ἡμῖν εἴωθε. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος οὑτωσὶ λέγων· «Ἡ δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.» Εἰ δὲ περὶ χηρῶν ταῦτα εἴρηται, ἄκουσον καὶ περὶ τῶν γεγαμηκότων τί φησι· «Γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ μετὰ πάσης αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτάς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν ἢ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ, ἀλλ' ὡς πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν.» Καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθι ἴδοι τις ἂν πολὺν αὐτὸν ποιούμενον τὸν λόγον ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδ' ὅλως εἶναι τούτων ἡμῖν περισπούδαστον. «Ἔχοντες», γάρ φησι, «διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. Οἱ γὰρ βουλόμενοι πλουτεῖν ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς ἐπιθυμίας ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβεράς, αἵτινες βυθίζουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν.» Καὶ τί λέγω Παῦλον, ὅς, ὅτε τῆς ἄκρας φιλοσοφίας ἦν ὁ καιρὸς καὶ πολλὴ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις, ἔλεγε ταῦτα; Ὁ γὰρ Ἀμὼς ὁ προφήτης τοῖς νηπίοις Ἰουδαίοις διαλεγόμενος, ἐφ' ὧν καὶ τρυφὴ συγκεχώρητο καὶ πολυτέλεια καὶ πάντα ὡς εἰπεῖν τὰ περιττά, ἄκουσον πῶς σφόδρα καθάπτεται τῶν τῇ τρυφῇ προσκειμένων λέγων· «Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐρχόμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κακήν, οἱ ἐγγίζοντες καὶ ἐφαπτόμενοι σαββάτων ψευδῶν, οἱ καθεύδοντες ἐπὶ κλινῶν ἐλεφαντίνων καὶ κατασπαταλῶντες ἐπὶ ταῖς στρωμναῖς αὐτῶν· οἱ ἐσθίοντες ἐρίφους ἐκ ποιμνίων καὶ μοσχάρια ἐκ μέσου βουκολίων γαλαθηνά· οἱ ἐπικροτοῦντες πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῶν ὀργάνων· οἱ πίνοντες τὸν διϋλισμένον οἶνον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα μύρα χριόμενοι· ὡς ἑστῶτα ἐλογίσαντο καὶ οὐχ ὡς φεύγοντα.»

51 Ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἐφεῖτο τρυφᾶν ἱκανὰ τὰ τοῦ γάμου λυπηρὰ ταύτην ἀφανίσαι τὴν ἡδονήν. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔφην, μάλιστα μὲν οὐκ ἐφεῖτο τρυφᾶν, εἰ δὲ καὶ μηδὲν τούτων κεκώλυτο, ἀλλὰ πάντα συγκεχώρητο, ἔστιν ἕτερα τούτων ἀντίρροπα εἰς ἀθυμίας καὶ ὀδύνης λόγον, μᾶλλον δὲ οὕτω πλείονα καὶ μείζω ὡς μηδὲ μικρὰν ἀπὸ τούτων ἡμᾶς λαμβάνειν τὴν αἴσθησιν ἀλλ' ἐκποδὼν πᾶσαν γίνεσθαι τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἡδονήν.

52 Ὅσον ἡ ζηλοτυπία κακόν. Εἰ γάρ τις, εἰπέ μοι, φύσει ζηλότυπος ὢν τύχοι, ἢ καὶ ἔκ τινος προφάσεως οὐκ ἀληθοῦς τούτῳ ληφθείη τῷ κακῷ τί τῆς τοιαύτης ψυχῆς ἐλεεινότερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Ποῖον πόλεμον, τίνα χειμῶνα τῇ τοιαύτῃ παραβάλλοντες οἰκίᾳ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιτυχεῖν δυνησόμεθα τῆς εἰκόνος; Πάντα ὀδύνης μεστά, πάντα ὑποψίας καὶ στάσεως καὶ ταραχῆς. Τῶν γὰρ δαιμονώντων ἢ φρενίτιδι κατεχομένων νόσῳ οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διάκειται ὁ ταύτῃ τῇ μανίᾳ πληγείς. Οὕτω συνεχῶς ἐξάλλεται καὶ ἀποπηδᾷ καὶ δυσχεραίνει πρὸς ἅπαντας καὶ εἰς τοὺς παρόντας ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀνευθύνους ἀφίησιν ἀεὶ τὴν ὀργήν, κἂν δοῦλος ᾖ κἂν υἱὸς κἂν ὁστισοῦν ἕτερος. Καὶ ἡδονὴ μὲν ἀπελήλαται πᾶσα, κατηφείας δὲ ἅπαντα γέμει καὶ πένθους καὶ ἀηδίας. Κἂν οἴκοι μένῃ, κἂν εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλῃ, κἂν ἀποδημίαν στέλληται, πανταχοῦ τὸ δεινὸν ἀπέτεκεν θανάτου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον παρακνίζον καὶ ἐρεθίζον αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ οὐ συγχωροῦν ἠρεμεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀθυμίαν μόνον αὕτη ἡ νόσος ἀλλὰ καὶ θυμὸν ἀφόρητον τίκτειν εἴωθε. Τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μὲν ἱκανὸν ἀπολέσαι τὸν ἁλόντα· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ὁμοῦ συνελθόντα πολιορκῇ, συνεχῶς αὐτὸν πιέζοντα καὶ οὐδὲ βραχὺν ἀναπνεῖν συγχωροῦντα καιρόν, πόσων τοῦτο θανάτων οὐ χαλεπώτερον; Ἄν τε γὰρ πενίαν εἴποι τις τὴν ἐσχάτην, ἄν τε νόσον ἀνίατον ἄν τε πῦρ ἄν τε σίδηρον, οὐδὲν ἴσον ἐρεῖ καὶ τοῦτο οἱ πεῖραν λαβόντες ἴσασι μόνοι καλῶς· λόγος γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἂν παραστήσειε τοῦ δεινοῦ τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ὅταν γὰρ τὴν μάλιστα πάντων ἀγαπωμένην καὶ ὑπὲρ ἧς ἂν ἡδέως καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προοῖτο, ταύτην ἀναγκάζηται δι' ὑποψίας ἔχειν ἀεί, τί τῶν ἁπάντων