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of wickedness. If you accept this; but if not, I will remind you of the tomb, which is the end of all evils, Which you will have equally with all, even if you pass the Pillars of Hercules, and the Caspian gates, 881 acquiring the things of your housemates and neighbors; Which another, I think, of your sort will destroy, having the habit of walking crookedly from your path, a worse pupil of a wise teacher; and of the day abominable to the wicked, in which gloom and flames, and Tartarus, being the penalty for the evils here, seek the image buried in the snares of the dragon of many wiles, who gives us a taste of the worst pleasure. But I seek how I might flee wickedness, with what wings and in what depths of earth or sea, or with what devices, coming to what end of the inhabited world, taking what gloom as a screen or what cloud, 882 having propitiated the Divine with what prayers? Since these three are everywhere, time, place, and the easiest chance for evil sin. I will establish the divine law. What is this? "Move from city to city; for by flight some will be left," He said to the apostles, when God, who rules all, is persecuted. I will change all until the final fire, fleeing the unbearable attacks of the wicked. There justice will hold even the unwilling. They will not trouble the mansions above, nor will they cast out the poor, as they do now, from there; if indeed they may perhaps beg for a small drop of pity to cool the flame. Let the rich man and Lazarus persuade you; 883 the one paying the penalty for luxury alone, while another suffered from both lack of food and sores, (for he too, like you, pushed Lazarus away); but the other, as one who endured all things, is also honored. The end of the speech. But receive the word with trembling. Though there are many evils, both existing and so-called, this one alone is called an idolater (which is the greatest of evils in life), who knows nothing, or reckons, more; as he might quickly suffer this very thing from his disease if an occasion should arise bringing fruit to his passion, or even like Chamos, revering wealth as an abomination. Let us cast away, then, let us cast away the images of idols, 884 worshiping the one God, whom we know.

29. Against women who adorn themselves. Do not tower your heads with false

tresses, women, Mincing your soft necks from the heights, nor smear God's forms with shameful colors, so that you wear a mask, and not a face. For it is not lawful for a woman to show an uncovered head to a man, or with tresses bound in gold, or with unbound hair tossing this way and that down from the shoulders, like a maenad in the soft winds. Nor to wear a crest on top like a helmet, a far-seen watchtower gleaming for men, 885 or a coiffure of soft linen shining through, this frontlet both hidden and revealed, flashing golden, as much as has escaped the veil, so as to seem the work of a toiling hand; when you, setting up a blind teacher, a breathless image of a form, paint your beauty from there. But if nature has given beauty, do not hide it with ointment, but keep it pure for your husbands alone, and do not bear wanton eyes for another; for the heart follows unholy eyes. But if it did not accompany you at birth, flee a second shame, drawing beauty from your hands; a beauty which the earth bears, and is for sale to women 886 of the street, sold for a few obols, a beauty that, when smudged, flows to the ground; nor does it stand up to a laugh, when joy spreads over the whole cheek, and it is exposed by streams of tears, and by moist fear, and is dissolved by a light drizzle. And she who before was gleaming, and the charming cheek, a great delight, suddenly appeared two-toned, dusky and marble-white. Dark-skinned, red-cheeked one, how can you maintain a beauty that is being exposed? These things are not for moving statues; but for you, the form is unbearable, and is dissolved by many passions. This is God's body, this is of the hand; this is old, this is new. A meadow bearing two kinds of flowers, 887 pleasant and hateful in turn, or some two-colored garment pulled by many belts. For this reason either flee a painted body, or guard it, and not have a defense for your appearance that is open to reproach. The loom

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πονηρίας. Εἰ μὲν δέχῃ τοῦτ'· εἰ δὲ μὴ, σὲ μὲν τάφου Μνήσω, τὸ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν πέρας, Ὃν πᾶσιν ἕξεις ἶσα, κἂν Ἡρακλέους Στήλας παρέλθῃς, καὶ πύλας τὰς Κασπίας, 881 Τὰ τῶν συνοίκων κτώμενος καὶ γειτόνων· Ὃν ἄλλος, οἴομ', ἐξολεῖ τοῦ σοῦ τρόπου, Τὸ λοξὰ βαίνειν ἐκ πορείας σῆς ἔχων, Χείρων μαθητὴς τοῦ σοφοῦ διδασκάλου· Καὶ τῆς ἀπευκτῆς τοῖς πονηροῖς ἡμέρας, Καθ' ἣν ζόφοι τε καὶ φλόγες, καὶ τάρταροι, Εἴσπραξις ὄντες τῶν κακῶν τῶν ἐνθάδε, Τὴν εἰκόνα ζητοῦντες ἐγκεχωσμένην Ταῖς τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ πολυτρόπου πάγαις, Γεύοντος ἡμᾶς τῆς κακίστης ἡδονῆς. Ἐγὼ δ' ὅπως φύγοιμι τὴν μοχθηρίαν Ζητῶ, τίσι πτεροῖς τε καὶ τίσι βυθοῖς Γῆς ἢ θαλάσσης, ἢ τίσι σοφίσμασιν, Εἰς ποῖον ἐλθὼν τέρμα τῆς οἰκουμένης, Τίνα ζόφον πρόβλημα ἢ νέφος λαβὼν, 882 Ποίαις τὸ Θεῖον ἐκθεραπεύσας λιταῖς; Ὡς ταῦτα τρία πανταχοῦ, χρόνος, τόπος, Ἁμαρτίας τε τῆς κακῆς ῥᾴστη τύχη· Στήσω νόμον τὸν θεῖον. Οὗτός ἐστι τίς; Πόλεις ἀμείβετ' ἐκ πολέων· τῇ γὰρ φυγῇ Τινὲς λελείψοντ', εἶπε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, Ὅταν διωθῆθ' ὁ κρατῶν πάντων Θεός. Πάσας ἀμείψω μέχρις ἐσχάτου πυρὸς, Φεύγων πονηρῶν ἀσχέτους ἐπιδρομάς. Ἐκεῖ μὲν ἕξει καὶ ἄκοντας ἡ δίκη. Οὐδὲν διοχλήσουσι ταῖς ἄνω μοναῖς, Οὐδ' ἐκβαλοῦσι τοὺς πένητας, ὡς γε νῦν, Κἀκεῖθεν· εἴπου καὶ δεήσονται τυχὸν Οἴκτου βραχείας ῥανίδος εἰς ψύξιν φλογός. Ὁ πλούσιός σε πειθέτω καὶ Λάζαρος· 883 Ὁ μὲν μόνου διδούς γε τοῦ τρυφᾷν δίκας, Ἄλλου κάμνοντος καὶ τροφῇ καὶ τραύμασιν, (Ὤθει γὰρ οὖν κἀκεῖνος, ὡς σὺ, Λάζαρον)· Ὁ δ', ὡς φέρων ἅπαντα, καὶ τιμώμενος. Πέρας λόγου. ∆έχου δὲ σὺν τρόμῳ λόγον. Πολλῶν κακῶν ὄντων τε καὶ καλουμένων, Εἰδωλολάτρης οὗτος εἴρηται μόνος (Ὃ τῶν κακῶν μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἐν βίῳ), Ὃς οὐδὲν οἶδεν, ἣ λογίζεσθαι, πλέον· Ὡς καὶ τόδ' ἂν τάχιστα τῇ νόσῳ παθὼν Εἰ καιρὸς ἔλθοι τῷ πάθει καρπὸν φέρων, Ἢ καὶ Χαμὼς βδέλυγμα τὸν πλοῦτον σέβων. Ῥίψωμεν οὖν, ῥίψωμεν εἰδώλων τύπους, 884 Μόνον Θεὸν σέβοντες, ὃν γινώσκομεν.

ΚΘʹ. Κατὰ γυναικῶν καλλωπιζομένων. Μὴ κεφαλὰς πυργοῦτε νόθοις

πλοκάμοισι, γυναῖκες, Θρύπτουσαι μαλακοὺς αὐχένας ἐκ σκοπέλων, Μηδὲ Θεοῦ μορφὰς ἐπαλείφετε χρώμασιν αἰσχροῖς, Ὥστε προσωπεῖον, κοὐχὶ πρόσωπα, φέρειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀσκεπέα κεφαλὴν θέμις ἀνδρὶ γυναῖκα Φαίνειν, ἢ χρυσῷ σφιγγομένων πλοκάμων, Ἠὲ κόμης ἀδέτοιο κατωμαδὸν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Σκιρτώσης ἀπαλῶν μαινάδος ἐξ ἀνέμων. Οὐδὲ λόφον καθύπερθε φέρειν κορύθεσσιν ὁμοῖον, Τηλεφανῆ σκοπίην ἀνδράσι λαμπομένην, 885 Ἠὲ λίνου μαλακοῖο διαυγάζουσαν ἔθειραν Κρυπτὴν, ἀμφαδίην, τήνδε μετωπιδίην, Ξανθὸν ἀπαστράπτουσαν, ὅση κρήδεμνον ἄλυξεν, Ὡς δοκέειν παλάμης ἔργα πονησαμένης· Εὖτε τὸν οὐχ ὁρόωντα διδάσκαλον, ἄπνοον εἰκὼ Μορφῆς στασαμένη, κάλλος ἐκεῖθε γράφεις. Κάλλος δ' εἰ μὲν ἔδωκε φύσις, μὴ κρύπτετ' ἀλοιφῇ, Ἀλλ' οἴοις καθαρὸν ἀνδράσιν ὑμετέροις Σώζετε, κἀλλοτρίῳ μηδ' ὄμματα λίχνα φέρουσαι· Ὄμμασι γὰρ κραδίη ἕσπεται οὐχ ὁσίοις· Εἰ δ' οὐ γεινομένῃσι συνέσπετο, δεύτερον αἶσχος Φεύγετε, ἐκ χειρῶν κάλλος ἐφελκόμεναι· Κάλλος, ὃ γαῖα φέρει, καὶ ὤνιόν ἐστι γυναιξὶ 886 Πανδήμοις, ὀβολῶν περνομέναις ὀλίγων Κάλλος, ὃ ῥυπτόμενον χαμάδις ῥέει· οὐδὲ γέλωτι Ἵστατ', ἐπὴν λύσῃ χάρμα παρειὰν ὅλην, Καὶ δακρύων ὀχετοῖσιν ἐλέγχεται, ἰκμαλέῳ τε ∆είματι, καὶ ψεκάδος λύεται ἐξ ὀλίγης. Ἡ δὲ πάρος στίλβουσα, καὶ ἡ χαρίεσσα παρειὴ, Χάρμα μέγ' ἐξαπίνης διχρόος ἐξεφάνη, Περκνὴ, μαρμαρόεσσα. Μελάγχροε, μιλτοπάρῃε, Πῶς δύνασαι κατέχειν κάλλος ἐλεγχόμενον; Ταῦτ' οὐ κινυμένοισιν ἀγάλμασι· σοὶ δ' ἀφορητὴ Μορφὴ, καὶ πολλοῖς λυομένη πάθεσι. Τοῦτο Θεοῦ δέμας ἐστὶ, χερὸς τόδε· τοῦτο παλαιὸν, Τοῦτο νέον. Λειμὼν ἄνθεα δισσὰ φέρων, 887 Τερπνῶν τε στυγερῶν τε ἀμοιβαδὶς, ἠέ τις ἐσθὴς Ἀμφίχροος ζώναις πλείοσιν ἑλκομένη. Τοὔνεκεν ἢ φεύγειν γραπτὸν δέμας, ἠὲ φυλάσσειν, Μηδ' ἐπιλωβητὸν εἴδεος ἄλκαρ ἔχειν. Ἱστὸν