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having one house of children and a wife? And let there be, if you wish, two children as well. And how is it not a shame, he says, for a free woman to walk with two servants? Away with it! It is not a shame for a free woman to walk with two servants, but it is a shame to go forth with many. Perhaps you laugh 63.198 hearing these things. Believe me, this is a shame, to go forth with many. Just like sheep-sellers, or like slave-dealers, so you consider it a great thing to go forth with many servants. This is arrogance and vainglory; that is philosophy and dignity. For a free woman should not be known by the multitude of her attendants; for what virtue is it to have many slaves? This does not belong to the soul; and what does not belong to the soul does not show a free woman. When she is content with few, then she is truly free; but when she needs many, she is a slave and worse than slaves. Tell me, do not the angels travel through the world alone, and need no one to follow them? Are they, therefore, who have no need, worse than we who do have need? If, then, to have no need at all of an attendant is angelic, who is nearer to the angelic life, she who needs many, or she who needs few? Is this not a shame? For shame is to do something absurd. Tell me, who turns the heads of those in the marketplace, she who brings many with her, or she who brings few? And of she who brings few, is not the one who appears alone more unnoticed? Do you see that that is the shame? Who turns the heads of those in the marketplace, she who wears beautiful garments, or she who is dressed simply and without affectation? Again, who turns the heads of those in the marketplace, she who is carried on mules, with gold-spangled curtains, or she who walks simply and as it happens with modesty? Or rather, we do not even see this one though we may look, but that one many are forced not only to see, but they also ask who she might be and from where? And I pass over saying how much envy is born from this. What then, tell me, is shameful, to be seen or not to be seen? When is the shame greater, when all look at her, or when no one does? when they learn about her, or when they do not even care? Do you see that we do everything not because of shame, but because of vainglory? But since it is impossible to lead you away from this, it is enough for me for now that you learn that this is not a shame. Sin alone is a shame, which no one considers to be a shame, but rather everything else than this. Let your clothes be for necessity, not superfluous; but so that we may not confine you to great straits, I recommend this, that we have no need of gold-spangled things, nor of fine linen. And I do not say these things; for that the words are not mine, hear the blessed Paul saying, and exhorting women to adorn themselves, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing. But with what kind do you wish, O Paul, tell us; for perhaps they will say that only things of gold are costly, but silks are not costly; say with what kind you wish. But having food and clothing, with these, he says, we shall be content. Let the clothing be such, he says, as to only cover. For God gave them to us for this purpose, that we might cover our nakedness; and any sort of garment, being of little cost, can do this. Perhaps you laugh, you who wear silk garments; for it is truly a thing to laugh at. What did Paul command? And what do we do? And my word is not to women only, but also to 63.199 men. For all the other things which we have are superfluous; only the poor do not possess superfluous things; and perhaps even they do so out of necessity, since, if it were possible, not even they would refrain. But yet, whether in pretense or in truth, for now they do not have superfluous things. Let us therefore wear such clothes as fulfill our need. For what does much gold mean? These things befit those upon the stage, these are their attire, they are for harlots, who do all things to be seen. Let her on the stage adorn herself, her in the orchestra; for she wishes to draw everyone to herself; but she who professes godliness, let her not adorn herself so, but in another way she has an adornment much greater than that one. You also have a theater; for that

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παίδων καὶ γυναικὸς ἕνα οἶκον ἔχοντες; Ἔστωσαν δὲ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ παῖδες δύο. Καὶ πῶς οὐκ αἰσχύνη, φησὶν, ἐστὶ τὸ μετὰ δύο οἰκετῶν τὴν ἐλευθέραν βαδίζειν; Ἄπαγε, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο αἰσχύνη, μετὰ δύο οἰκετῶν τὴν ἐλευθέραν βαδίζειν, ἀλλ' αἰσχύνη ἐστὶ τὸ μετὰ πολλῶν προϊέναι. Τάχα γελᾶτε 63.198 τούτων ἀκούοντες. Πιστεύσατε, τοῦτό ἐστιν αἰσχύνη, τὸ μετὰ πολλῶν προϊέναι. Ὥσπερ οἱ προβατοπῶλαι, ἢ ὥσπερ οἱ τῶν ἀνδραπόδων κάπηλοι, οὕτω μέγα τι ἡγεῖσθε τὸ μετὰ πλειόνων οἰκετῶν προϊέναι. Τῦφος τοῦτο καὶ κενοδοξία· ἐκεῖνο φιλοσοφία καὶ σεμνότης. Τὴν γὰρ ἐλευθέραν οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἀκολούθων φαίνεσθαι δεῖ· ποία γὰρ ἀρετὴ ἀνδράποδα ἔχειν πολλά; Τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι ψυχῆς· ὅπερ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι ψυχῆς, οὐ δείκνυσιν ἐλευθέραν. Ὅταν ὀλίγοις ἀρκῆται, τότε ἐστὶν ἐλευθέρα ὄντως· ὅταν δὲ πολλῶν δέηται, δούλη ἐστὶ καὶ ἀνδραπόδων χείρων. Εἰπέ μοι, οἱ ἄγγελοι οὐχὶ μόνοι περιπολοῦσι τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ οὐ δέονται οὐδενὸς τοῦ ἑψομένου; ἆρ' οὖν διὰ τοῦτο χείρους ἡμῶν εἰσι τῶν δεομένων οἱ μὴ δεόμενοι; Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως δεῖσθαι ἀκολούθου, ἀγγελικὸν, τίς τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ βίου ἐγγὺς, ἡ πολλῶν δεομένη, ἢ ἡ ὀλίγων; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο αἰσχύνη; αἰσχύνη γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἄτοπόν τι πρᾶξαι. Εἰπέ μοι, τίς ἐπιστρέφει τοὺς ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ἡ πολλοὺς ἐπαγομένη, ἢ ἡ ὀλίγους; ταύτης δὲ τῆς ὀλίγους ἐπαγομένης, οὐχὶ ἡ μόνη μᾶλλον ἀπρόοπτος φαινομένη; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν αἰσχύνη; Τίς ἐπιστρέφει τοὺς ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ἡ τὰ καλὰ φοροῦσα ἱμάτια, ἢ ἡ ἁπλῶς περικειμένη καὶ ἀνεπιτηδεύτως; τίς πάλιν ἐπιστρέφει τοὺς ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ἡ ἐπὶ ἡμιόνων φερομένη, καὶ χρυσοπάστων παραπετασμάτων, ἢ ἡ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε μετὰ κοσμιότητος βαδίζουσα; ἢ ταύτην μὲν οὐδὲ ὁρῶμεν κἂν ἴδωμεν, ἐκείνην δὲ οὐ μόνον ἰδεῖν βιάζονται οἱ πολλοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐρωτῶσι, τίς εἴη, καὶ πόθεν; Καὶ παρίημι λέγειν ὅσος ὁ φθόνος ἐντεῦθεν τίκτεται. Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, αἰσχρὸν, ὁρᾶσθαι ἢ μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι; πότε μείζων ἡ αἰσχύνη, ὅταν πάντες εἰς αὐτὴν βλέπωσιν, ἢ ὅταν μηδείς; ὅταν μανθάνωσι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἢ ὅταν μηδὲ φροντίζωσιν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ δι' αἰσχύνην, ἀλλὰ διὰ κενοδοξίαν πάντα πράττομεν; Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτου ἀδύνατον ὑμᾶς ἀπαγαγεῖν, ἀρκεῖ μοι τέως τὸ μαθεῖν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο αἰσχύνη. Ἁμαρτία μόνη αἰσχύνη ἐστὶν, ἣν οὐδεὶς εἶναι νομίζει αἰσχύνην, ἀλλὰ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ ταύτην. Ἱμάτια ἔστω τὰ τῆς χρείας, μὴ περιττά· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολλὴν στενοχωρίαν ὑμᾶς κατακλείσωμεν, ἐκεῖνο παρεγγυῶ, ὅτι χρυσοπάστων ἡμῖν οὐ δεῖ, οὐδὲ λεπτῶν ὀθονίων. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐγὼ λέγω· ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἐμά ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα, ἄκουε τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος, καὶ παρεγγυῶντος ταῖς γυναιξὶ Κοσμεῖν ἑαυτὰς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν, ἢ χρυσῷ, ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ. Ἀλλὰ ποταπῷ βούλει, ὦ Παῦλε, εἰπέ· ἴσως γὰρ ἐροῦσιν, ὅτι τὰ χρυσᾶ μόνα ἐστὶ πολυτελῆ, τὰ δὲ σηρικὰ οὐ πολυτελῆ· εἰπὲ ποταπῷ βούλει. Ἔχοντες δὲ διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις, φησὶν, ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. Τοιοῦτον ἔστω τὸ ἱμάτιον, φησὶν, ὥστε σκέπειν μόνον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα σκέπωμεν τὴν γυμνότητα· τοῦτο δὲ οἱονδήποτε ἱμάτιον ποιῆσαι δύναται εὐτελοῦς ὃν τιμῆς. Τάχα γελᾶτε, αἱ τὰ σηρικὰ φοροῦσαι ἱμάτια· γελᾶσαι γὰρ ὄντως χρή. Τί μὲν Παῦλος ἐπέταξε; τί δὲ ἡμεῖς πράττομεν; Οὐ πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας δέ μοι ὁ λόγος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς 63.199 ἄνδρας. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ λοιπὰ, ἅπερ ἔχομεν, περιττά· μόνοι οἱ πένητες οὐ περιττὰ κέκτηνται· τάχα δὲ κἀκεῖνοι δι' ἀνάγκην, ὡς, εἴ γε ἐξῆν, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοι ἀπέσχοντο. Πλὴν ἀλλ', εἴτε προφάσει, εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, τέως ἐκεῖνοι τὰ περιττὰ οὐκ ἔχουσι. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν φορῶμεν ἱμάτια, τὰ τὴν χρείαν πληροῦντα. Τί γὰρ βούλεται ὁ πολὺς χρυσός; τοῖς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ταῦτα ἁρμόττει, ταῦτα ἐκείνων τὰ φορήματα, πορνῶν ἐστι γυναικῶν, πάντα πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι ποιουσῶν. Καλλωπιζέσθω ἐκείνη ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς, ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς ὀρχήστρας· πάντας γὰρ βούλεται πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπισπάσασθαι· ἡ δὲ ἐπαγγελλομένη θεοσέβειαν, μὴ οὕτω καλλωπιζέσθω, ἀλλὰ ἑτέρως ἔχει καλλωπισμὸν πολὺ ἐκείνης μείζονα. Ἔχεις καὶ σὺ θέατρον· πρὸς ἐκεῖνο