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Ad viduam juniorem

A DISCOURSE TO A YOUNG WIDOW

That you have received a grievous blow, and that the arrow sent from above struck a vital spot, all would agree with you, and not even one of the most philosophical would deny it; but since those who are struck ought not to spend all their time in mourning and tears, but also to take great care for the healing of their wounds, so that, being neglected, the blow may not cause a greater wound for the tears and make the flame of pain more vehement, it is good to bear also the consolation that comes through words, and having held back the fountains of your tears for a little, for a short time at least, to give yourself over to those who attempt to comfort you. For this reason, we did not trouble you at the very height of your grief, nor as soon as the thunderbolt fell; but having waited for this intervening time and allowed you to be filled with lamentations, when at last you have been able to see a little from that darkness and to open your ears to those who try, then we too, after the words of your handmaids, have added our own. For while the storm was still violent and the grief was blowing hard, one who urged you to abstain from sorrow would have rather incited you to wailing, and gaining only to be hated, would have provided much fuel for the fire with such words, in addition to gaining the reputation of being an enemy and a fool; but since the tempest has now begun to cease and God has calmed the wildness of the waves, we will easily unfurl the sails of our discourse. For in a moderate storm, skill may be able to do its part; but when the assault of the winds is irresistible, experience is of no use. For all these reasons, having been silent the entire time before, we have with difficulty even now attempted to break our silence, since we have heard from that which is divine in you that you must now take courage; for also that your honored handmaids dare to speak at length on these matters, and the women from outside, both those related by birth and those otherwise kindly disposed.

That you, accepting their words, will not dishonor ours, but will afford them stillness and calm as far as you can, we are very confident and have believed. And in other respects, the female sex is somehow more prone to suffering; but when youth is added, and untimely widowhood, and inexperience in affairs, and a great crowd of cares, and the fact that all her former life has been spent in luxury and cheerfulness and wealth, the terrors are multiplied, and unless she who has suffered this obtains help from above, any thought that befalls her will be able to destroy her, which I consider to be the first and greatest proof of God's great care for you. For not to be suffocated by grief when so many evils suddenly converged, nor to be driven out of your natural mind, was not the work of any human help, but of the all-powerful hand, of the understanding of which there is no number, of the wisdom of which there is no finding out, of the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. "For he has struck us," he says, "and he will heal us; he will smite and will bind us up and will make us whole." For as long as that blessed man was with you, you enjoyed honor and care and attention, you enjoyed what was fitting to enjoy from a man; but since God has taken him to Himself, He has become everything to you in his place. And this is not my word, but that of the blessed prophet David; for he says: "He will take up the orphan and the widow." And again he calls him the father of the

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Ad viduam juniorem

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΝΕΩΤΕΡΑΝ ΧΗΡΕΥΣΑΣΑΝ

Ὅτι μὲν χαλεπὴν ἔλαβες τὴν πληγὴν καὶ ἐν καιρίῳ τὸ πεμφθὲν καὶ ἄνωθεν ἐδέξω βέλος, ἅπαντες ἄν σοι συνομολογήσαιεν καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν σφόδρα φιλοσοφούντων οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοὺς πληττομένους οὐκ εἰς πένθος καὶ δάκρυα τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἀναλίσκειν δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς θεραπείας τῶν τραυμάτων πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν, ὥστε μὴ παροφθέντα μείζονα τοῖς δάκρυσι παρασχεῖν τὴν πληγὴν καὶ τῆς ὀδύνης σφοδροτέραν τὴν φλόγα ἐργάσασθαι, καλὸν καὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν λόγων ἀνασχέσθαι παρακλήσεως καὶ τοὺς κρουνοὺς μικρὸν ἀνασχοῦσαν τῶν δακρύων χρόνον γοῦν βραχὺν καὶ τοῖς παραμυθεῖσθαί σε ἐπιχειροῦσι παρασχεῖν σεαυτήν. ∆ιὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ παρ' αὐτὴν τοῦ πένθους τὴν ἀκμήν, οὐδ' ἅμα τῷ κατενεχθῆναι τὸν σκηπτὸν ἠνωχλήσαμεν· ἀλλ' ἀναμείναντες τὸν ἐν μέσῳ τουτονὶ χρόνον καὶ συγχωρήσαντες ἐμπλησθῆναί σε τῶν ὀδυρμῶν, ὅτε λοιπὸν καὶ διαβλέψαι μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀχλύος ἐκείνης καὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς παρανοῖξαι δεδύνησαι τοῖς πειρωμένοις, τότε καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ τοὺς τῶν θεραπαινίδων λόγους καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν προστεθείκαμεν. Ἔτι μὲν γὰρ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὄντος σφοδροῦ καὶ πολλοῦ τοῦ πένθους πνέοντος, ὁ παρακαλῶν ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς λύπης πλέον ἂν παρώξυνε πρὸς τὰς οἰμωγὰς καὶ τὸ μισηθῆναι κερδάνας μόνον ὕλην ἂν πολλὴν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις παρέσχε τῷ πυρὶ μετὰ τοῦ καὶ ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἀνοήτου δόξαν λαβεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ λοιπὸν ἤρξατο λήγειν ἡ ζάλη καὶ τὸ τῶν κυμάτων ἄγριον κατεστόρεσεν ὁ Θεός, εὐκόλως τοῦ λόγου τὰ ἱστία ἀναπετάσομεν. Ἐν συμμέτρῳ μὲν γὰρ χειμῶνι δυνήσεται ἴσως ἡ τέχνη ποιῆσαι τὸ ἑαυτῆς· ὅταν δὲ ἄμαχος ᾖ τῶν πνευμάτων ἡ προσβολή, τῆς ἐμπειρίας ὄφελος οὐδέν. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα πάντα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον σιγήσαντες μόλις καὶ νῦν ἐπεχειρήσαμεν ῥῆξαι φωνήν, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τοῦ θείου ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ σοῦ ὅτι λοιπὸν χρὴ θαρρεῖν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν θεραπαινίδων τὰς ἐν τιμῇ κατατολμᾶν ὑπὲρ τούτων μακροὺς ἀποτείνειν λόγους, τάς τε ἔξωθεν γυναῖκας, καὶ τὰς γένει προσηκούσας καὶ τὰς ἄλλως πως ἐπιτηδείως ἐχούσας.

Ὅτι δὲ τοὺς παρ' ἐκείνων δεχομένη λόγους οὐκ ἀτιμάσεις τοὺς παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡσυχίαν καὶ ἀταραξίαν παρέξεις αὐτοῖς κατὰ δύναμιν, σφόδρα θαρροῦμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν. Καὶ ἄλλως μὲν οὖν τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος ἐπιρρεπέστερόν πώς ἐστι πρὸς συμπάθειαν· ὅταν δὲ καὶ νεότης προσῇ, καὶ χηρεία ἄωρος καὶ πραγμάτων ἀπειρία, καὶ φροντίδων ὄχλος πολύς, καὶ τὸ ἐν τρυφῇ καὶ εὐθυμίᾳ καὶ πλούτῳ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἅπαντα τετράφθαι χρόνον, πολλαπλασίονα γίνεται τὰ δεινά, κἂν ἡ τοῦτο παθοῦσα μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν τύχῃ ῥοπῆς, καὶ ὁ τυχὼν αὐτὴν λογισμὸς καταλῦσαι δυνήσεται, ὅπερ πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον τῆς πολλῆς περὶ σὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίας τίθεμαι εἶναι τεκμήριον. Τὸ γὰρ τοσούτων συνδραμόντων ἐξαίφνης κακῶν μὴ ἀποπνιγῆναι τῇ λύπῃ μηδὲ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐκστῆναι φρενῶν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης τινὸς βοηθείας ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῆς πάντα δυναμένης χειρός, τῆς συνέσεως ἧς οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός, τῆς φρονήσεως ἧς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις, τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν καὶ Θεοῦ πάσης παρακλήσεως. «Αὐτὸς γὰρ πέπαικεν ἡμᾶς, φησί, καὶ ἰάσεται ἡμᾶς· πατάξει καὶ μοτώσει ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑγιάσει ἡμᾶς.» Ἕως μὲν γάρ σοι συνῆν ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ, ἀπέλαυες μὲν τιμῆς καὶ φροντίδος καὶ σπουδῆς, ἀπέλαυες δὲ οἷα παρὰ ἀνθρώπου ἀπολαύειν εἰκὸς ἦν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκεῖνον ἔλαβε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Θεός, ἀντ' ἐκείνου σοι γέγονεν αὐτός. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μακαρίου προφήτου ∆αυΐδ· φησὶ γάρ· «Ὀρφανὸν καὶ χήραν ἀναλήψεται.» Καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν πατέρα καλεῖ τῶν