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For having crept in among those young women, 458 the one who was the most beautiful of all, being a king's daughter, and a captive alienated from her own fatherland, and brought to King Abenner as a very great gift, whom, being exceedingly beautiful, the father had sent for the slip and tripping up of his son, this one the deceiver enters, and suggests words to her, words that very much displayed the wisdom and intelligence of her reasoning. For the evil one easily pursues all contrivances for wickedness. Then, falling upon the king's son from the right, he puts in him a love-potion for the maiden, supposedly because of her intelligence and modesty, and because, being so noble and of a royal line, she had been deprived of both her fatherland and glory. In addition to these things, he also sows thoughts of delivering her from the madness of idolatry and making her a Christian. But all these things were the contrivances of the crafty dragon. For with his soul thus disposed, the king's son, and seeing no foul thought or passionate love stirred within himself toward the maiden, but only sympathy and pity for her misfortune and the loss of her soul, did not know that the matter was a demonic contrivance; for truly that one is darkness and he feigns the light. For when the king's son began to converse with the maiden and to speak to her the oracles of the knowledge of God, saying, "Understand, O woman, the God who lives for ever, and be not destroyed by this error of idols, but recognize the Master and creator of this 460 universe, and you will be blessed, being wedded to the immortal bridegroom;" and as he admonished her with many such things, immediately the evil spirit prompts the woman to spread out the snares of deceit and to drag down that God-loving soul into the pit of passion, just as it once did also to the first man through Eve, having wretchedly, alas, exiled him from paradise and from God, and prepared him to become subject to death instead of the blessed and immortal life. For when the maiden heard those words filled with all wisdom, being without understanding she did not understand; but she gave such replies, as one having become a tongue and mouth for the evil one, and says: "If you care for my salvation, O master, and are eager to bring me to your God and save my humble soul, you yourself also grant one request of mine, and, having at once renounced all my ancestral gods, I will commit myself to your God, serving him until my last breath, and you will receive a reward for my salvation and conversion to God." And when he said, "What is your request, O woman?", she, composing her posture and glance and voice and her whole self for charming, said, "Be joined to me in the fellowship of marriage, and I will joyfully follow your commands." But he says, "In vain, O woman, have you proposed such a harsh request to me; for I care strongly for your salvation, and I desire to draw you up from the abyss of destruction; but to defile my 462 body through shameful union is grievous to me and utterly impossible." But she, smoothing the whole way for him and making it level, says, "Why do you say such things, you who are filled with all wisdom? Why did you call the matter a defilement and a shameful union? For I too am not uninitiated in the Christian books; but I have encountered many scrolls in my fatherland, and I have heard many Christians conversing with me. Is it not written, then, in one of your books, 'Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled'? and, 'It is better to marry than to burn'? and, 'What God has joined together, let not man separate'? Do not your Scriptures teach that all the righteous men of old, both patriarchs and prophets, were joined in marriage? Is it not written that that Peter, whom you say was even the chief of the apostles, had a wife? Following whom, then, do you call this a defilement? It very much seems to me, master, of the truth

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γὰρ ὑπεισελθὼν τῶν νεανίδων ἐκείνων, 458 ἥτις πασῶν ἦν εὐμορφοτάτη, θυγάτηρ οὖσα βασιλέως, καὶ αἰχμάλωτος τῆς ἰδίας ἀλλοτριωθεῖσα πατρίδος, τῷ βασιλεῖ δὲ Ἀβενὴρ ὡς μέγιστόν τι προσαχθεῖσα δῶρον, ἥν, ὡς πάνυ ὡραιοτάτην οὖσαν, εἰς ὄλισθον καὶ ὑποσκελισμὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ ὁ πατὴρ ἦν ἀποστείλας, ταύτην ὁ ἀπατεὼν ὑπεισέρχεται, καὶ λόγους αὐτῇ ὑποτίθησι, πάνυ τὸ σοφὸν καὶ συνετὸν ἐμφαίνοντας τοῦ ταύτης λογισμοῦ. πάντα γὰρ τὰ πρὸς κακίαν μηχανήματα ῥᾳδίως ὁ πονηρὸς μετέρχεται. εἶτα, τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱῷ ἐκ δεξιᾶς προσπεσών, φίλτρον ἐντίθησιν αὐτῷ τῆς κόρης, διὰ τὸ νουνεχὲς δῆθεν αὐτῆς καὶ κόσμιον, καὶ διὰ τὸ εὐγενῆ οὕτω καὶ βασιλικῆς οὖσαν σειρᾶς τῆς πατρίδος ἅμα καὶ δόξης ἐστερῆσθαι. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ λογισμοὺς ὑποσπείρει τοῦ ἀπαλλάξαι αὐτὴν τῆς εἰδωλομανίας καὶ Χριστιανὴν ποιῆσαι. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα μηχαναὶ ἦσαν τοῦ δολίου δράκοντος. οὕτω γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν διατεθεὶς ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς καὶ μηδένα λογισμὸν ῥυπαρὸν ἢ ἔρωτα ἐμπαθῆ βλέπων ἐν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὴν κόρην σαλευόμενον, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον συμπάθειαν καὶ ἔλεος τῆς τε συμφορᾶς καὶ τῆς ψυχικῆς ἀπολείας, οὐκ ᾔδει δαιμονικὴν εἶναι μηχανὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα· ὄντως γὰρ σκότος ἐστὶν ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὸ φῶς ὑποκρίνεται. ὡς γὰρ ὁμιλεῖν ἤρξατο τῇ κόρῃ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς καὶ τὰ τῆς θεογνωσίας αὐτῇ προσλαλεῖν λόγια, Σύνες, λέγων, ὦ γύναι, τὸν ζῶντα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας Θεόν, καὶ μὴ τῇ πλάνῃ ταύτῃ τῶν εἰδώλων καταφθαρῇς, ἀλλὰ τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐπίγνωθι καὶ δημιουργὸν τοῦδε 460 τοῦ παντός, καὶ μακαρία ἔσῃ νυμφευθεῖσα τῷ ἀθανάτῳ νυμφίῳ· πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα νουθετοῦντος αὐτοῦ, εὐθὺς τὸ πονηρὸν πνεῦμα ὑπαγορεύει τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ τῆς ἀπάτης ὑφαπλῶσαι θήρατρα καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἐμπαθείας κατασῦραι βόθρον τὴν θεοφιλῆ ψυχὴν ἐκείνην, καθά ποτε καὶ τῷ γενάρχῃ πεποίηκε διὰ τῆς Εὔας, τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταλαιπώρως φεῦ ἐξορίσας, καὶ θανάτῳ ὑπόδικον αὐτὸν ἀντὶ τῆς μακαρίας καὶ ἀθανάτου ζωῆς γενέσθαι παρασκευάσας. Ὡς γὰρ ἤκουσεν ἡ κόρη τὰ ῥήματα ἐκεῖνα τὰ πάσης πεπληρωμένα σοφίας, ἀσύνετος οὖσα οὐ συνῆκεν· ἀλλὰ τοιαύτας ἐδίδου τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, ὡς ἅτε γλῶσσα καὶ στόμα τῷ πονηρῷ γενομένη, καί φησιν· Εἰ τῆς ἐμῆς, ὦ δέσποτα, σωτηρίας φροντίζεις, καὶ προθυμῇ τῷ Θεῷ σου προσαγαγεῖν με καὶ τὴν ταπεινὴν ψυχήν μου σῶσαι, ποίησον καὶ αὐτὸς μίαν μου αἴτησιν, καί, πᾶσιν εὐθὺς τοῖς πατρῴοις μου θεοῖς ἀποταξαμένη, τῷ σῷ συντάξομαι Θεῷ, μέχρι τελευταίας αὐτῷ λατρεύουσα ἀναπνοῆς, καὶ μισθὸν λήψῃ τῆς ἐμῆς σωτηρίας καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιστροφῆς. Τοῦ δέ, Τίς ἡ ἀξίωσις, ὦ γύναι; εἰπόντος, ἐκείνη καὶ σχῆμα καὶ βλέμμα καὶ φθέγμα καὶ ὅλην ἑαυτὴν πρὸς τὸ θέλγειν καταστήσασα, Συνάφθητί μοι, ἔφη, γάμου κοινωνίᾳ, κἀγώ σου τοῖς προστάγμασι χαίρουσα ἐξακολουθήσω. Ὁ δέ, Μάτην, φησίν, ὦ γύναι, τοιαύτην μοι προέτεινας σκληρὰν ἀξίωσιν· τῆς μὲν γὰρ σῆς ἰσχυρῶς κήδομαι σωτηρίας, καὶ τοῦ βυθοῦ τῆς ἀπωλείας ποθῶ σε ἀνελκῦσαι· μολῦναι δὲ τὸ 462 σῶμά μου δι' αἰσχρᾶς μίξεως βαρύ μοι καὶ πάντη ἀδύνατον. Ἡ δέ, ὅλην ὁμαλίζουσα τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῷ καὶ διαλεαίνουσα, Ἱνατί, φησί, τοιαῦτα φθέγγῃ σύ, ὁ πάσης πεπληρωμένος σοφίας; ἱνατί μολυσμὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ αἰσχρὰν ἐκάλεσας μῖξιν; οὐκ ἀμύητος γάρ εἰμι κἀγὼ τῶν Χριστιανικῶν βιβλίων· ἀλλὰ πολλαῖς μὲν δέλτοις ἐν τῇ πατρίδι μου ἐνέτυχον, πολλῶν δὲ ὁμιλούντων μοι Χριστιανῶν ἀκήκοα. οὐ γέγραπται τοίνυν ἔν τινι τῶν καθ' ὑμᾶς βιβλίων, Τίμιος ὁ γάμος καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος; καί, Κρεῖσσον γαμεῖν ἢ πυροῦσθαι; καί, Ἃ ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω; οὐ πάντας τοὺς πάλαι δικαίους, πατριάρχας τε καὶ προφήτας, γάμῳ συναφθῆναι αἱ Γραφαὶ διδάσκουσιν ὑμῶν; οὐ Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, ὃν καὶ κορυφαῖον τῶν ἀποστόλων φατὲ γεγονέναι, γαμετὴν γέγραπται ἐσχηκέναι; τίσιν οὖν αὐτὸς πειθόμενος μολυσμὸν τοῦτο καλεῖς; πάνυ μοι δοκεῖς, δέσποτα, τῆς ἀληθείας