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So let us not despair; for if someone is younger in soul, he does not accept these things, not if someone is so in age. Let him be taught, therefore, with much compunction to pray and to keep vigil as far as possible, and in general let the character of a holy man be impressed upon the child. For he who is zealous neither to swear, nor to insult when insulted, nor to be reviled and hated, and who fasts and prays, from these things themselves has sufficient encouragement toward self-control. And if you lead him to a worldly life, bring the bride quickly, and do not wait for him to serve in the army or engage in political affairs and then do it; but first regulate his soul, and then care for external glory. Or do you think it contributes little to the marriage for a virgin to be joined to a virgin? It is not little, both for the wife's self-control and not only for the young man's. And will not the affection be most pure then? And what is greatest of all, will God not then be more gracious and fill that marriage with countless blessings, when they come together as He commanded? And it causes him to hold that love in his memory; and if he is possessed by this desire, he will laugh at every other woman. If you praise the maiden for her beauty and for her modesty and for all other things, then add that "she will not endure, upon learning you are living carelessly, to be united with you," then, as if the danger were for the highest stakes, he will take great care. For if the love of his betrothed persuaded that holy man, having been deceived, to serve as a slave for seven years again, or rather for fourteen years, much more so us. Say that "all the bride's people, both her father and mother and the servants and the neighbors and the friends, are scrutinizing you and your conduct and all will report to her." Bind him now <τῷ> with this bond, a bond that produces self-control. So that even if he cannot have a wife from his earliest years, let him at least have a betrothed from his earliest years and be ambitious to appear good; this is sufficient for all deterrence. There is also another safeguard of self-control; let him continually see the leader of the church and hear many praises from him, and let the father delight in this before all the hearers. Let maidens feel reverence when they see him. And then the narratives and the fear of his father and the promises, and with these the reward laid up by God and the good things the self-controlled will enjoy, will provide him with great security. Add also successes in military service and in political affairs. And in addition to these, let there be continuous speech contemptuous of licentiousness, and many praises of self-control. All these things are sufficient to possess the child's soul. Thus they will bear for us reverent thoughts. There is also another; but let us go now to that which is master of all, which holds all things together. What is this? I mean wisdom. Here there is need of much labor, so as to make him prudent and to drive out all folly. This especially is the great and wonderful part of philosophy, so as to know the things concerning God, concerning all the things laid up there, concerning Gehenna, concerning the kingdom; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Let us therefore instill this wisdom in him and train him, so that he may know human affairs, what wealth, glory, power truly are, and so that he may despise them and strive for the greatest things. And let us remind him of words of exhortation; "Child, fear God alone and besides him fear no other." And from these things he will be a prudent and gracious man; for nothing makes one so foolish as these passions. The fear of God is sufficient for wisdom, and to have a judgment concerning human affairs such as one ought to have. For this is the height of wisdom, not toward the

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Ὥστε μὴ ἀπογνῶμεν· ἐὰν γάρ τις τὴν ψυχὴν νεώτερος ᾖ, ταῦτα οὐ δέχεται, οὐχὶ ἐάν τις τὴν ἡλικίαν. Παιδευέσθω τοίνυν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατανύξεως εὔχεσθαι καὶ ἀγρυπνεῖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν, καὶ ὅλως ἐπικείσθω χαρακτὴρ ἀνδρὸς ἁγίου τῷ παιδί. Ὁ γὰρ μήτε ὀμνύναι σπουδάζων μήτε ὑβρίζειν ὑβριζόμενος μήτε λοιδορεῖσθαι καὶ ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, καὶ νηστεύων καὶ εὐχόμενος, ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτῶν ἱκανὴν ἔχει τὴν παράκλησιν πρὸς σωφροσύνην. Κἂν μὲν ἐπὶ κοσμικὸν ἄγῃς βίον αὐτόν, ταχέως ἄγαγε τὴν νύμφην, μηδὲ περιμείνῃς, ὥστε αὐτὸν στρατεύεσθαι ἢ πολιτικῶν ἅψασθαι πραγμάτων καὶ τότε· ἀλλὰ πρῶτον αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ῥύθμισον, καὶ τότε τῆς ἔξωθεν φρόντιζε δόξης. Ἢ μικρὸν οἴει τῷ γάμῳ συμβάλλεσθαι τὸ παρθένον παρθένῳ συνάπτεσθαι; οὐ μικρὸν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς γυναικὸς σωφροσύνην, οὐ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ νέου μόνον. Τὸ δὲ φίλτρον οὐ τότε μάλιστα ἔσται καθαρόν; Ὃ δὲ πάντων μεῖζον, ὁ Θεὸς οὐ τότε ἔσται ἵλεως πλέον καὶ μυρίας τὸν γάμον ἐκεῖνον ἐμπλήσεις εὐλογίας, ὅταν ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπέταξεν, οὕτως συνίωσιν; Καὶ ποιεῖ πρὸς τὴν μνήμην ἔχειν αὐτὸν τὸν ἔρωτα· κἂν τῷ πόθῳ τούτῳ κατασχεθῇ, πάσης καταγελάσεται γυναικός. Ἂν ἐγκωμιάζῃς τὴν κόρην καὶ ἐπὶ κάλλει καὶ ἐπὶ κοσμιότητι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν, εἶτα προσθείης ὅτι «οὐκ ἀνέχεται μαθοῦσα ῥαθύμως σε διάγοντα συγγενέσθαι σοι», λοιπὸν ὡς ὑπὲρ ἐσχάτων ὄντος αὐτῷ τοῦ κινδύνου πολλὴν ποιήσεται τὴν φροντίδα. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἅγιον ἔπεισεν ἐκεῖνον ἀπατηθέντα μνηστῆς ἔρως ἑπτὰ ἔτη δουλεῦσαι πάλιν, μᾶλλον δὲ δεκατέσσαρα ἔτη, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς. Λέγε ὅτι «οἱ τῆς νύμφης ἅπαντες, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οἱ παῖδες καὶ οἱ γείτονες καὶ οἱ φίλοι, σὲ καὶ τὴν σὴν ἀναστροφὴν περιεργάζονται καὶ πάντες ἀπαγγελοῦσιν ἐκείνῃ». Κατάδησον αὐτὸν ἤδη <τῷ> δεσμῷ τούτῳ, δεσμῷ σωφροσύνην ἐργαζομένῳ. Ὥστε κἂν μὴ δύνηται ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἔχειν γυναῖκα, ἀλλὰ μνηστὴν ἐκ πρώτης ἐχέτω καὶ φιλοτιμείσθω καλὸς φαίνεσθαι· τοῦτο ἱκανὸν πρὸς ἅπασαν ἀποτροπήν ἐστιν. Ἔστιν καὶ ἕτερον σωφροσύνης φυλακτήριον· συνεχῶς ὁράτω τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας προεστῶτα καὶ πολλῶν ἀκουέτω παρ' ἐκείνου τῶν ἐγκωμίων, καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἁβρυνέσθω ὁ πατήρ. Αἰδείσθωσαν αὐτὸν ὁρῶσαι κόραι. Καὶ λοιπὸν τὰ διηγήματα καὶ ὁ φόβος ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, καὶ μετὰ τούτων ὁ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κείμενος μισθὸς καὶ ὅσων ἀπολαύσονται οἱ σώφρονες ἀγαθῶν, πολλὴν αὐτῷ παρέξει τὴν ἀσφάλειαν. Προστίθει καὶ τὰς ἐν στρατείᾳ εὐδοκιμήσεις καὶ ἐν τοῖς πολιτικοῖς πράγμασιν. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἔστω καταφρονητικὸς μὲν κατὰ τῆς ἀσελγείας λόγος συνεχῶς, πολλὰ δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης τὰ ἐγκώμια. Ἱκανὰ ταῦτα πάντα κατασχεῖν τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν ψυχήν. Οὕτως ἡμῖν σεμνοὺς τέξονται τοὺς λογισμούς. Ἔστιν καὶ ἕτερον· ἴωμεν δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸ πάντων κύριον, ὃ τὰ πάντα συγκρατεῖ. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; τὴν φρόνησιν λέγω. Ἐνταῦθα πολλοῦ τοῦ καμάτου χρεία, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐργάσασθαι συνετὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ἄνοιαν ἐξελάσαι. Τοῦτο μάλιστα τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὸ μέρος ἐστὶ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν, ὥστε εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ, τὰ περὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἐκεῖ πάντων, τὰ περὶ γεέννης, τὰ περὶ βασιλείας· «Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου.» Ταύτην οὖν ἐγκαταστήσωμεν αὐτῷ τὴν φρόνησιν καὶ ἐξασκήσωμεν, ὥστε εἰδέναι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα, τί ποτέ ἐστι πλοῦτος, δόξα, δυναστεία, καὶ ὥστε αὐτῶν καταφρονεῖν καὶ τῶν μεγίστων ἐφίεσθαι. Καὶ τῶν παραινετικῶν αὐτὸν ἀναμιμνῄσκωμεν λόγων· «Τέκνον, τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ μόνον καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ ἕτερον.» Ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων συνετὸς ἔσται ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐπίχαρις· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀνόητον ποιεῖ ὡς ταῦτα τὰ πάθη. Ἀρκεῖ πρὸς σοφίαν Θεοῦ φόβος καὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων κρίσιν ἔχειν, οἵαν καὶ προσῆκεν ἔχειν. Ἡ γὰρ κορυφὴ τῆς σοφίας αὕτη ἐστίν, τὸ μὴ πρὸς τὰ