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the loss greater? And He speaks of the present, but proclaims the future; for instance, that they will be new after this. But until this happens, one must not command them anything harsh and burdensome. For he who seeks before the fitting time, He says, to instill lofty doctrines, will not find them fit anymore even when the time calls, having rendered them useless at once. This happens not because of the wine, nor because of those who receive it, but because of the untimeliness of those who pour it in. From this He also taught us the reason for the humble words, which He continually spoke to them. For because of their weakness He said many things far below His own dignity; which indeed 57.368 John, indicating He had said it, states: I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. For so that they might not think that these were the only things He said, but might also imagine other things far greater, He brought their weakness to the forefront, promising that when they become strong, He would speak those things as well; which indeed He also says here: The days will come when the bridegroom is taken from them, and then they will fast. Let us not then demand all things from all people in the beginning, but as much as is possible; and we will quickly arrive at those other things as well. And if you are in a hurry and hastening, for this very reason do not be in a hurry, because you are hastening. But if what has been said seems to you to be a riddle, learn it from the very nature of things, and then you will see all its power. And let none of those who accuse you unseasonably disturb you; since here too it was the Pharisees who were accusing, and the disciples who were being reproached. 5. But nevertheless none of these things persuaded Christ to change His mind, nor did He say: It is a shame for these to be fasting and for these not to be fasting. But just as the best helmsman pays attention not to the turbulent waves, but to his own art, so also Christ did then. For the shame was not their not fasting, but their being struck at critical moments on account of the fast, and being torn away, and rent asunder. Thinking on these things, then, let us also deal with all our own people in this way. Even if you have a wife who is a lover of adornment, gaping after and excited by cosmetics, and dissolute in much luxury, and talkative, and foolish; although indeed it is not possible for all these things to befall one woman; but nevertheless let us fashion such a woman in our discourse. Why then, you say, do you fashion a woman, and not a man? There are also men worse than this woman. But since the supervision is entrusted to men, for this reason we fashion a woman for the time being, not as if wickedness abounds there. For many things can be found among men, which are not among women, such as murder, tomb-robbing, fighting with beasts, and many such things. Do not then think that we do these things to disparage the sex; this is not so, it is not; but it is useful for the time being to sketch the image in this way. Let such a woman then be supposed by us, and let her husband be zealous to correct her in every way. How then will he correct her? By not commanding everything at once, but the lighter things first, and those by which she is not strongly possessed. For if you press her to set everything right from the beginning, you have lost everything. Do not then take away her gold ornaments immediately, but let her have them and wear them for the time being; for this seems to be a lesser evil than cosmetics and eye-paint. First then let those things be removed; and not even those things with fear and threat, but with persuasion and gentleness, and by condemning it in others, and by your own vote and opinion. And say to her continually, that "To me, your appearance thus adorned is not lovely, but exceedingly disagreeable;" and persuade her especially that this displeases you. And after your own judgment, introduce also the opinion of others, and say, that this is accustomed to mar even the beautiful, so that you may remove 57.369 the passion. And say nothing yet about hell, nor about the kingdom; for you will say these things in vain; but persuade her that she pleases you more when she shows the work of God unadorned; but she who tortures her appearance, and strains it, and powders it, does not seem beautiful and comely even to the many. But first, with common reasoning and the votes of all, the disease

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πλείων ἡ ζημία; Καὶ λέγει μὲν τὸ παρὸν, προαναφωνεῖ δὲ τὸ μέλλον· οἷον ὅτι καινοὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔσονται· ἕως δ' ἂν τοῦτο γένηται, οὐδὲν αὐστηρὸν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτάττειν χρὴ καὶ βαρύ. Ὁ γὰρ πρὸ καιροῦ ζητῶν, φησὶ, τοῦ προσήκοντος τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἐντιθέναι δόγματα, οὐδὲ τοῦ καιροῦ καλοῦντος λοιπὸν ἐπιτηδείους εὑρήσει, ἀχρήστους ἐργασάμενος ἅπαξ. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ παρὰ τὸν οἶνον συμβαίνει, οὐδὲ παρὰ τοὺς ὑποδεχομένους, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀκαιρίαν τῶν ἐμβαλλόντων. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐδίδαξε τῶν ταπεινῶν ῥημάτων, ὧν συνεχῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διελέγετο. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν πολλὰ ἔλεγε καταδεέστερα τῆς ἀξίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ· ὅπερ οὖν 57.368 καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐνδεικνύμενος αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι, φησί· Πολλὰ ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσωσι ταῦτα εἶναι μόνον ἅπερ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα πολλῷ μείζονα φαντάζωνται, τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ μέσον τέθεικεν, ἐπαγγειλάμενος, ὅταν γένωνται ἰσχυροὶ, κἀκεῖνα ἐρεῖν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν· Ἐλεύσονται ἡμέραι, ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος, καὶ τότε νηστεύσουσι. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ ἡμεῖς πάντα παρὰ πάντων ἀπαιτῶμεν ἐν προοιμίοις, ἀλλ' ὅσα δυνατόν· καὶ ταχέως καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα ἥξομεν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπείγῃ καὶ σπεύδεις, δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μὴ ἐπείγου, ἐπειδὴ σπεύδεις. Εἰ δὲ αἴνιγμά σοι τὸ εἰρημένον δοκεῖ εἶναι, ἀπ' αὐτῆς αὐτὸ τῶν πραγμάτων μάνθανε τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τότε ὄψει αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἅπασαν. Καὶ μηδείς σε τῶν ἀκαίρως ἐγκαλούντων κινείτω· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐνταῦθα Φαρισαῖοι οἱ ἐγκαλοῦντες ἦσαν, καὶ μαθηταὶ οἱ ὀνειδιζόμενοι. εʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τούτων ἔπεισε τὸν Χριστὸν μεταθεῖναι τὴν δόξαν, οὐδὲ εἶπεν· Αἰσχύνη ἐστὶ τούτους νηστεύειν καὶ τούτους μὴ νηστεύειν. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ ἄριστος κυβερνήτης οὐ τοῖς ταραττομένοις κύμασιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ οἰκείᾳ τέχνῃ προσέχει· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τότε ἐποίησε. Καὶ γὰρ αἰσχύνη ἦν, οὐ τὸ μὴ νηστεύειν αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ τὸ διὰ τὴν νηστείαν ἐν τοῖς καιρίοις πληγῆναι, καὶ ἀποσχισθῆναι, καὶ διαῤῥαγῆναι. Ἅπερ οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐννοοῦντες, οὕτω τοῖς οἰκείοις χρώμεθα πᾶσι. Κἂν γυναῖκα φιλόκοσμον ἔχῃς, πρὸς ἐπιτρίμματα κεχηνυῖαν καὶ ἀνεπτερωμένην, καὶ πολλῇ τρυφῇ διαχεομένην, καὶ λάλον, καὶ ἀνόητον· καίτοιγε οὐκ ἔνι ταῦτα πάντα εἰς γυναῖκα μίαν συνεμπεσεῖν· πλὴν ἀλλὰ διαπλάσωμεν τῷ λόγῳ γυναῖκα τοιαύτην. Τί οὖν ὅτι γυναῖκα, φησὶ, καὶ οὐχὶ ἄνδρα διαπλάττεις; Εἰσὶ καὶ ἄνδρες ταύτης χείρους τῆς γυναικός. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀνδράσιν ἡ ἐπιστασία ἐγκεχείρισται, διὰ τοῦτο γυναῖκα διαπλάττομεν τέως, οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖ τῆς κακίας πλεοναζούσης. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ παρὰ ἀνδράσιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ἃ παρὰ γυναιξὶν οὐκ ἔστιν, οἷον ἀνδροφονίαν, τυμβωρυχίαν, θηριομαχίαν, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσητε τὸ γένος ἡμᾶς ἐξευτελίζοντας ταῦτα ποιεῖν· οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστιν· ἀλλ' οὕτω χρήσιμον τέως ὑπογράψαι τὴν εἰκόνα. Ὑποκείσθω τοίνυν ἡμῖν γυνὴ τοιαύτη, καὶ σπουδαζέτω παντὶ τρόπῳ αὐτὴν διορθοῦσθαι ὁ ἀνήρ. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὴν διορθώσεται; Μὴ πάντα ἀθρόον ἐπιτάττων, ἀλλὰ τὰ κουφότερα πρότερον, καὶ οἷς οὐ σφόδρα κατέχεται. Ἂν γὰρ τὸ πᾶν ἐπείξῃς αὐτὴν κατορθῶσαι ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσας. Μὴ τοίνυν περιέλῃς τὰ χρυσία εὐθέως, ἀλλ' ἄφες ἔχειν καὶ περικεῖσθαι τέως· δοκεῖ γὰρ τοῦτο ἔλαττον εἶναι κακὸν τῶν ἐπιτριμμάτων καὶ τῶν ὑπογραφῶν. Πρότερον τοίνυν ἐκεῖνα ἀναιρείσθω· καὶ μηδὲ ἐκεῖνα φόβῳ καὶ ἀπειλῇ, ἀλλὰ πειθοῖ καὶ προσηνείᾳ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρων κατηγορίας, καὶ διὰ τῆς σῆς ψήφου καὶ γνώμης. Καὶ λέγε πρὸς αὐτὴν συνεχῶς, ὅτι Σοὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπέραστος ἡ ὄψις οὕτω καλλωπιζομένη, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἀηδής· καὶ πεῖθε μάλιστα ὅτι σε τοῦτο λυπεῖ. Καὶ μετὰ τὴν σὴν ψῆφον, καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑτέρων δόξαν εἴσαγε, καὶ λέγε, ὅτι καὶ τὰς εὐμόρφους τοῦτο ἀφανίζειν εἴωθεν, ἵνα τὸ 57.369 πάθος ἐξέλῃς. Καὶ μηδὲν μηδέπω περὶ γεέννης εἴπῃς, μηδὲ περὶ βασιλείας· εἰκῆ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐρεῖς· ἀλλὰ πεῖσον αὐτὴν, ὅτι σε τέρπει μᾶλλον γυμνὸν ἐπιδεικνῦσα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἔργον· ἡ δὲ βασανίζουσα τὴν ὄψιν, καὶ κατατείνουσα, καὶ κονιῶσα, οὐδὲ παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς φαίνεται καλὴ καὶ εὐειδής. Πρότερον δὲ τοῖς κοινοῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ ταῖς πάντων ψήφοις τὸ νόσημα