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word, she does not grieve, she does not fight without cause, she does not make herself hateful, she provides what good things she can, what she lacks she makes up for with flattery. The chaste woman does not wait to be flattered, she acknowledges her husband as lord, she bears his poverty when he is poor, she hungers with him when he hungers, she travels with him when he travels, she comforts him when he is grieved, and even if she has a greater dowry, she is submissive as if having nothing. And the husband, even if he has a poor wife, let him consider her chastity a great dowry. The chaste woman uses moderation in food and drink, so that the body, having become sleek, might not drag down the soul with its weight toward lawless desires. But furthermore, she is not alone with young men and is suspicious of old men, she rejects disorderly laughter, dedicating herself to God alone she does not fall, hearing solemn words she is pleased, but those not spoken for chastity she rejects. God is my witness, one adultery is many murders; and the terrible thing is that the fearful and impious nature of its murders is not seen. Because when blood is shed, a dead body lies there and the terror of the misfortune stuns all, but of adultery the murders of the soul, being more terrible, since they are not seen by men, provide a ready impulse to those who dare. Know, O man, whose breath you have for life, and you will not wish it to be defiled; by adultery alone is the breath of God defiled and for this reason it drags the defiler down into the fire; for it hastens to deliver the insolent one to eternal

Saying these things, Peter, seeing the good and chaste Mattidia weeping for joy, thinking she was grieved at the promise of what had happened, said: Take heart, woman; while many have suffered many evils because of adultery, you have suffered for the sake of chastity, and for this reason you did not die. And even if you had died, you would have had your soul saved. You left your homeland Rome for the sake of chastity; but on this pretext you found the truth, the diadem of the eternal kingdom. You were in danger in the deep and did not die, and if you had died, the deep itself would have become a baptism for the salvation of your soul as you died for chastity. You were deprived of your children, for a little while, who, being of legitimate seed, have been found in better circumstances. While starving you begged for food; but you did not defile your body with fornication. You tormented your body; but you saved your soul. You fled the adulterer, so that you might not defile a husband's bed; but because of your chastity, God who knows your flight will fill the husband's place. Grieved and alone for a little while, you were deprived of your husband and children; but you would have had to leave them all by the appointed time of death, but it is better that you were deprived of them willingly for the sake of chastity than unwillingly after some time perishing in sins. Therefore it is much better that the first things be grievous. For when it is present, in the hope of its passing it does not grieve very much, but in the expectation of something better it even provides joy. But above all I want you to know how much being chaste pleases God. The chaste woman is God's choice, God's good pleasure, God's glory, God's child. Chastity is so great a good, that if it were not the law nor just for the unbaptized to enter into the kingdom of God, perhaps of the gentiles

punishment.

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λόγον, οὐ λυπεῖ, οὐκ εἰκῆ μάχεται, ἑαυτὸν μισητὸν οὐ ποιεῖ, ἃ δύναται καλὰ παρέχει, ὧν μὴ ἔχει τῇ κολακείᾳ τὸ λεῖπον ἀποπληροῖ. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ κολακευθῆναι οὐκ ἀναμένει, κύριον τὸν ἄνδρα γνωρίζει, πενομένου τὴν πενίαν φέρει, πεινῶντι συνπεινᾷ, ἀποδημοῦντι συναποδημεῖ, λυπού- μενον παραμυθεῖται, κἂν προῖκα μείζονα ἔχῃ, ὡς μηδὲν ἔχουσα ὑπόκει- ται. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ κἂν πένητα ἔχῃ γυναῖκα, μεγάλην προῖκα ἡγείσθω αὐτῆς τὴν σωφροσύνην. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ αὐταρκείᾳ βρωμάτων καὶ πο- τῶν χρῆται, ἵνα μὴ λιπανθέντος τοῦ σώματος τῷ βάρει πρὸς ἐπιθυμίας ἀνόμους κατασπάσῃ τὴν ψυχήν. ἀλλ' ἔτι μὴν σὺν νέοις οὐκ ἰδιάζει καὶ τοὺς γέροντας ὑποπτεύει, γέλωτας ἀτάκτους ἀπωθεῖται, θεῷ μόνῳ ἑαυτὴν ἀπονέμουσα οὐ σφάλλεται, σεμνοὺς λόγους ἀκούουσα ἥδεται, τοὺς δὲ μὴ ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ λεγομένους ἀπωθεῖται. μάρτυς θεός, πολλοὶ φόνοι μοιχεία μία· καὶ τὸ δεινὸν ὅτι τῶν φόνων αὐτῆς τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἀσεβὲς οὐ βλέπεται. ὅτι αἵματος χυθέντος νεκρὸν κεῖ- ται σῶμα καὶ τὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς δεινὸν πάντας ἐκπλήσσει, τῆς δὲ μοι- χείας οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς φόνοι φοβερώτεροι ὄντες, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀνθρώποις βλέ- πεται, τοῖς τολμῶσιν ἄοκνον τὴν ὁρμὴν παρέχουσιν. γνῶθι, ἄνθρωπε, τίνος πνοὴν ἔχεις πρὸς τὸ ζῆν, καὶ οὐ μὴ αὐτὴν μιανθῆναι θελήσεις· ὑπὸ μοιχείας μόνης μιαίνεται ἡ θεοῦ πνοὴ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴ τὸν μιά- ναντα εἰς πῦρ κατασπᾷ· σπεύδει γὰρ τὸν ὑβριστὴν αἰωνίῳ παραδοῦναι

Ταῦτα λέγων ὁ Πέτρος, τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ σώφρονα Ματτιδίαν ὑπὸ χαρᾶς δακρύουσαν ἰδών, ὡς ἐπὶ ὑποσχέσει τῶν γεγονότων λυπηθῆναι νομίσας ἔφη· Θάρσει, γύναι· πολλῶν πολλὰ κακὰ παθόντων διὰ μοιχείαν σὺ διὰ σωφροσύνην πέπονθας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐτελεύτησας. εἰ δὲ καὶ τεθνήκεις, σεσωσμένην ἂν εἶχες τὴν ψυχήν. πατρίδα Ῥώμην ἔλει- πες διὰ σωφροσύνην· ἀλλὰ τῇ ταύτης προφάσει ἀλήθειαν εὗρες, τὸ διάδημα τῆς ἀιδίου βασιλείας. ἐν βυθῷ κεκινδύνευκας καὶ οὐκ ἐτελεύ- τησας, καὶ εἰ τετελευτήκεις, αὐτός σοι ὁ βυθὸς διὰ σωφροσύνην θνῃσκούσῃ βάπτισμα ἐγίνετο πρὸς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν. τέκνων ἀπελείφθης, πρὸς ὀλί- γον, ἅτινα γνησίας ὄντα σπορᾶς ἐν τοῖς κρείττοσιν εὕρηται. λιμώττουσα τροφὰς προσῄτησας· ἀλλὰ πορνείᾳ σῶμα σὸν οὐκ ἐμίανας. σῶμα σὸν ἐβα- σάνισας· ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔσωσας. μοιχὸν ἔφυγες, ἵνα μὴ κοίτην ἀν- δρὸς μιάνῃς· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν σωφροσύνην ὁ τὴν φυγὴν εἰδὼς θεὸς τὸν ἀνδρὸς ἀποπληρώσει τόπον. λυπηθεῖσα καὶ μονωθεῖσα πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀνδρὸς καὶ τέκνων ἀπελείφθης· ἀλλὰ τούτους πάντας ἀπολιπεῖν εἶχες προθεσμίᾳ θανάτου, κρεῖττον δὲ ὅτι διὰ σωφροσύνην ἑκοῦσα ἀπελείφθης ἤπερ ἄκουσα μετὰ χρόνον ἐφ' ἁμαρτίαις ἀπωλλύου. πολλῷ οὖν ἄμεινον τὰ πρωτεῖα εἶναι θλιβερά. καὶ γὰρ ὅτε πάρεστιν, ἐλπίδι τοῦ παρελθεῖν οὐ πάνυ λυπεῖ, προσδοκίᾳ δὲ τοῦ κρείττονος καὶ χαίρειν παρέχει. πρὸ πάντων δὲ εἰδέναι σε θέλω πόσον τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἀρέσκει θεῷ. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ θεοῦ ἐκλογή, θεοῦ εὐδοκία, θεοῦ δόξα, θεοῦ τέκνον. τοσοῦτον ἀγαθὸν σωφροσύνη, ὅτι εἰ μὴ νόμος ἦν μηδὲ δίκαιον ἀβάπτιστον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσελθεῖν, τάχα που τῶν ἐθνῶν

κολάσει.