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Joseph, having paid the price, is brought to Egypt, and is sold again to Potiphar; and he was the chief cook of the king. But even when he was there, he guarded his ancestral freedom, and kept the nobility of his forefathers pure, and he did not change his mind with the occasion, nor did the change of his ways follow his misfortunes, nor did he change his purpose as one changes color, but even having changed his life, and having fallen from freedom into slavery, he was established in his former mind, and in whatever he said or did, he had reverence shining forth upon his brow. For this reason he is immediately deemed worthy of all honor, and the rudders of his master's house are entrusted to him. And he continued to offer goodwill to his masters, and gentleness to his fellow slaves. And being grateful towards those who had honored him, he took the appropriate care of those who were being governed. And he was beloved by both the one and the other. For he received grace from God in proportion to his virtue, or rather, he reaped fruits many times more than his labors. Therefore, whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper in his hands. But again from there another surge succeeded him, and again a more grievous squall succeeded the mighty wave of slavery; and one wave left him, but another overtook him. And traveling through so many waves and winds, he kept his vessel from sinking. He was, as has been said, a young man adorned with the bloom of his age, like some flower just emerging from its calyxes, having the first down creeping upon his jaw, and binding his cheek like a garland; sending forth a splendor of beauty, mingled with modesty, blended with freedom; having reverence seated on his brow, persuasion settled on his lips. His mistress, continually seeing these things, when she should have drawn benefit from them, fell into the abyss of licentiousness. And as the flame of desire was raised on high within by the material of her gaze, and her reason, not having immediately extinguished the spark, was no longer strong enough to quench the great pyre it later became, then she, taking shamelessness as an ally, attempted to ensnare the young man with words. But when the prey proved stronger than the nets, and easily leaped over the snares that were set, and the harlot's words, tinged with pleasure, which she, the mistress, brought to him, went away fruitless and unavailing, then finally, bidding farewell to words, she brings the attempt in deed, and taking the solitude of the chambers as an ally, she seizes the young man, thinking him a slave of passions, and not a master. But he did not take courage in the absence of men, but beheld the eye that is present everywhere; 83.697 and he neither took his slavery into account, nor feared her mastery, nor, considering the magnitude of the misfortune he endured, did he wish to let loose the reins of his passions, as if no one were watching over human affairs, and demanding punishment from those who choose to do wrong. But he set his reason against slavery, and mastery, and the change of life, and the impulse of desire, and his burning age, and the persuasive and wheedling words offered to a slave by his mistress, and the lack of accusers, and the expected slander, and the myriad misfortunes arising from thence. And first, bidding farewell to the laws of slavery, and taking up the role of counselor and teacher, he becomes an advocate for chastity, and an accuser of licentiousness. And to the older woman the young man, and to the mistress the slave, and to her who was joined to a husband, and was able to satisfy her desire lawfully, he who had not yet accepted the yoke of marriage, but was receiving the fierce assaults of desire, offers exhortation concerning chastity. And it is worthwhile to hear those sacred words of the chaste man. "If my master," he says, "knows nothing because of me in his own house, and all that he has he has given into my hands, and

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τίσας ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, ἄγεται μὲν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἀποδίδοται δὲ πάλιν τῷ Πεντεφρῇ· ἀρχι μάγειρος δὲ ἦν οὗτος τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἀλλὰ κἀνταῦθα γενόμενος, τὴν πατρῴαν ἐλευθερίαν ἐφύλαξε, καὶ τὴν τῶν προγόνων εὐγένειαν ἀκήρατον διετήρησε, καὶ οὐ συμμετέβαλε τῷ καιρῷ τὴν γνώμην, οὐδὲ ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἠκολούθει ἡ τῶν τρόπων ἐναλλαγὴ, οὐδὲ καθάπερ χρόαν ἐνήλλαξε τὴν προαίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν βίον ἀμείψας, καὶ ἐξ ἐλευθερίας εἰς δουλείαν μεταπεσὼν, ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἠρήρειστο γνώ μης, καὶ λέγων ὁτιοῦν καὶ πράττων, προλάμπουσαν εἶχε τὴν αἰδῶ τῷ μετώπῳ. Τούτου χάριν καὶ παρ αυτίκα τιμῆς ἁπάσης ἀξιοῦται, καὶ τῆς δεσποτικῆς οἰκίας τοὺς οἴακας ἐγχειρίζεται. Καὶ τοῖς μὲν δεσπό ταις τὴν εὔνοιαν, τοῖς δὲ ὁμοδούλοις τὴν ἐπιείκειαν διετέλει προσφέρων. Καὶ περὶ τοὺς τετιμηκότας εὐγνώμων γινόμενος, τῶν ἰθυνομένων ἐποιεῖτο τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιμέλειαν. Καὶ ἦν τούτοις κἀκείνοις ἐπέραστος. Σύμμετρον γὰρ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν χάριν θεόθεν ἐδέχετο, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλαπλασίους τῶν πόνων ἐδρέπετο τοὺς καρπούς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὅσα αὐτὸς ἐποίει, Κύριος εὐώδου ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἕτερος διεδέξατο κλύδων, καὶ τὴν τῆς δουλείας τρικυμίαν χαλεπωτέρα πάλιν ἐξεδέ ξατο ζάλη· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἔλιπεν αὐτὸν κῦμα, τὸ δὲ κατέλαβε. Καὶ διὰ τοσούτων κυμάτων καὶ πνευ μάτων ὁδεύων, ἀβάπτιστον τὸ σκάφος διέσωσεν. Ἦν, ὡς εἴρηται, νέος τῇ ἀκμῇ τῆς ἡλικίας κοσμούμενος, οἷόν τι ἄνθος ἄρτι τῶν καλύκων προκύψαν, τοὺς ἰούλους ἔχων ἐπὶ τὴν γένυν καθέρ ποντας, καὶ στεφάνου δίκην παρειὰν ταινιοῦν τας· αἴγλην ὥρας ἀφιεὶς, κοσμιότητι μεμιγμένην, ἐλευθερίᾳ κεκραμένην· αἰδῶ τοῖς μετώποις ἔχων ἐγκαθημένην, πειθῶ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐφιζάνουσαν. Ταῦθ' ἡ δέσποινα διηνεκῶς ὁρῶσα, δέον ὠφέλειαν ἐντεῦθεν ἀρύσασθαι, εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀκολασίας βάραθρον ἐνέπεσεν. Ὡς δὲ τῇ ὕλῃ τῆς θεωρίας ἔνδοθεν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἡ φλὸξ εἰς ὕψος ἠγείρετο, καὶ ὁ λογισμὸς παραυτίκα τὸν σπινθῆρα μὴ κατασβέσας, μεγίστην ὕστερον τὴν πυρὰν γενομένην οὐκέτι ἴσχυε σβέσαι, τηνικαῦτα σύμμαχον τὴν ἀναίδειαν ἐκείνη λα βοῦσα, σαγηνεύειν λόγοις ἐπειράθη τὸν νέον. Ὡς δὲ κρεῖττον ἐφάνη τῶν δικτύων τὸ θήραμα, καὶ ῥᾳδίως τοὺς παγέντας ὑπερεπήδησε στάλικας, καὶ οὓς πο τνιωμένη προσήνεγκε λόγους ἑταιρικοὺς καὶ ἡδονῇ κεχρωσμένους, ἀπῆλθον ἄπρακτοι καὶ ἀνόνητοι, τηνικαῦτα λοιπὸν τοῖς λόγοις ἐῤῥῶσθαι φράσασα, ἔργῳ προσφέρει τὴν πεῖραν, καὶ σύμμαχον λαβοῦσα τῶν θαλάμων τὴν ἐρημίαν, κατέχει τὸν νέον, δοῦλον αὐτὸν τῶν παθῶν, ἀλλὰ οὐ δεσπότην νομίσασα. Ὁ δὲ τῇ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐθάῤῥησεν ἐρημίᾳ, τὸν δὲ πανταχοῦ παρόντα ὀφθαλμὸν ἐθεάσατο· 83.697 καὶ οὔτε τὴν δουλείαν ἐπὶ νοῦν ἔλαβεν, οὔτε τὴν ἐκείνης ἔδεισε δεσποτείαν, οὔτε τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸ μέγεθος, ἧς ὑπέμεινε, λογισάμενος, ἐφεῖναι τὰς τῶν παθῶν ἠθέλησεν ἡνίας, ὡς οὐδενὸς ἐφορῶντος τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, καὶ ποινὴν ἀπαιτοῦντος τοὺς ἀδικεῖν προαιρουμένους. Ἀλλ' ἀντέταξε τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ δουλείᾳ, καὶ δεσποτείᾳ, καὶ βίου μεταβολῇ, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας ὁρμῇ, καὶ ἡλικίᾳ πυρπολουμένῃ, καὶ λό γοις πιθανοῖς καὶ κωτίλοις δούλῳ παρὰ δεσποί νης προσφερομένοις, καὶ κατηγόρων ἐρημίᾳ, καὶ προσδοκωμένῃ συκοφαντίᾳ, καὶ μυρίαις ἐντεῦθεν συμφοραῖς φυομέναις. Καὶ πρῶτον τοῖς τῆς δουλείας νόμοις χαίρειν εἰπὼν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ συμβούλου καὶ διδασκάλου τάξιν ἀναλαβὼν, γίνεται σωφροσύνης συνήγορος, καὶ ἀκολασίας κατήγορος. Καὶ τῇ πρε σβυτέρᾳ ὁ νέος, καὶ τῇ δεσποίνῃ δοῦλος, καὶ τῇ ἀνδρὶ συνεζευγμένῃ, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐννόμως ἀναπιμπλάναι δυναμένῃ, ὁ γάμου ζυγὸν οὐδέπω δεξάμενος, ἀλλὰ σφοδρὰς δεχόμε νος τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὰς προσβολὰς, περὶ σωφροσύ νης προσφέρει παραίνεσιν. Ἄξιον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν ἐκεί νων τῶν ἱερῶν τοῦ σώφρονος ἀκοῦσαι ῥημάτων. «Εἰ ὁ κύριός μου, φησὶν, οὐ γινώσκει οὐδὲν δι' ἐμὲ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὑτοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ δέδω κεν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ