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You also honored the virgin women who call the King their Bridegroom, who enters into communication with the purest hearts, and who wait for Christ with watchful eyes, having lit never-drying lamps; you honored them, I say, when you recognized this adornment of mine, this brightest eye of my herd... Truly, these women also have great intelligence, because with a courageous spirit they cast out the seductive Eve from their hearts. Yes, and they have a safe fence around their body - sackcloth, and ashes on the ground; and they have the cures of chastity, prayers, kind sighs, sleepless nights, sources of tears exuding internally. Their knees have become stiff, their weakness has been forgotten, because they cling to the strengthening vestments of Christ’s vestments. But the tenderness of the flesh, and shiny clothes, and this spring, soon fading beauty: both natural and that external that men bring with their own hands to lustful faces - all this is expelled from their hearts. And it will be a little to say that these women were equal to their men in strength of mind, in body, and in wisdom. For Christ, Who from the starry sky appeared on earth in human flesh and became the son of man through the immaculate Virgin Mother, in order to fulfill the law of mankind by His most pure birth, when He rose from the grave on the third day, the wives were the first to see because of their ardent desire and announced it to their beloved fellow disciples, having tasted Christ’s experience of the healing of the past. And throughout the whole earth, wherever the saving teaching has penetrated, you will find many wives who either, having formed a society, nourish in their hearts a common love for heavenly life and are led by the same rules, or remain with their weak parents and brothers and have them as witnesses of their chastity (2). It is indecent for women to show masculine character; any other rule, except modesty, is alien to a well-behaved woman (2). The snake is evil, the asp is cunning; in these animals one can see separately the malice united in one woman (2). It is indecent for women to talk much about God, namely, how much they can know about the venerable nature of the Trinity, about the threefold one grace in the Divinity, for it is not good for the verbs of piety to be consigned to silence. They should listen more. But both - speaking and listening - must be done with a reverent mind and reverence, putting a veil of modesty on everything. Let wise men, who overthrow the infidels, practice themselves in contradictory words (2). Die for everyone else - this is better for a virgin than to lead a life open and exposed to everyone. I praise those women whom men do not even know, who live far from the world, but are secretly visible to God (2). Be pious, but do not look very arrogant. If you chase human glory, you will easily lose your good reputation. Women's glory perishes, as soon as it becomes visible to men (2). Do not, women, build towers of false hair on your heads, do not show off your delicate neck, do not cover God’s face with vile colors, and do not wear masks instead of a face. It is indecent for a woman to show her head open to men, even if gold is woven into curls or untied hair, like that of a galloping maenad, 84 flutters here and there with immodest breezes. It is indecent for her to wear a crest on top like a helmet or a shiny tower visible from afar to men. It is also indecent for your hair to be visible through the thin flax, at the same time covered and open, which, shining like gold where the veil has fled, shows the skill of your laboring hand, when, having placed before you a blind mentor - a soulless image of your face, with its help you painted your beauty (2) They say that after the theft of the heavenly fire, Pandora 85 came to people to punish one fire with another, and for a beneficent one with a destructive one. And so that it would inflame people as much as possible, the demons decorated it with various beauties, and each of them added something of their own; yet, having put all this together, they launched this polysyllabic seduction to people, this feast-loving, fascinating, shameless, sweet-tongued pleasure, this never-extinguished firebrand. I don’t believe fables, however, I’ll say, with your permission: don’t be a multi-faceted Pandora. The Pandorin family are shameless women. But you are the image of Christ, and shine with chastity and prudence (2). It is very funny when a woman, having an ugly appearance, knows this and, proud of her ugliness, despises Danae 86. But it is even more vile (so say those who know, I am incapable of such slander) when everyone has a common defect, but wants to hide it from one another. What is more dangerous than such a disease? A carpenter knows the work of a carpenter, a skilled singer recognizes a skilled singer, and a thief sees a thief. And women do not want others to understand in them what they themselves understand in others. So it is true that vice blinds the eyes (2). I'll tell you a fable that really suits your shame. According to one ancient legend, in the human race there was no distinction before who was good and who was bad; but many, although they were virtuous, were considered lawless, and, conversely, many, although they were reckless, were considered good. The most dishonest people were accompanied by glory, and the perfect were pursued by infamy, but there was no justice for either of them. But the reigning sin in the world did not hide from the King of God, and, grieving about this, He finally proclaimed the following word: “It is unjust for My glory to be on both the good and the evil; this will make sin even more intense. Therefore, I will give them a sure distinguishing mark by which it is easy to recognize who is wicked.” Having said this, He covered the cheeks of the good ones with blush, so that at the sight of something shameful, blood immediately spreads under the skin. He especially endowed women with a greater blush, because their skin was more transparent and their hearts were more tender. But among the wicked, God thickened the blood and made it motionless in the insides, so that even from shame it does not come into circulation. Where shall I rank you, who have adorned your cheeks? Your blush is not important to me, although it covers your appearance to the point of excessiveness, for it is the blush of shamelessness, a reflection of that blush that was drowned in ancient times by the fire of Sodom. Do not paint your face, slutty woman, do not fake your color; I recognize only the beauty that nature has given, because the wealth left to me by the Father is better than that which my hand has collected unlawfully. It may be small, but it is more abundant than the last. Likewise, I prefer a legitimate wife to an adulteress. Natural children, although ugly in appearance, are nicer than beautiful, but adopted ones. Remembering this, keep your body as it is by nature, and do not want to be revered for something other than what you really are. The Celts test in the flow of the Rhine whether their children are legitimate. And often gold is tested on coals. So I can infer the chastity of your heart from the unadorned beauty of your face. May the dark Belial not put his seal on you! He will either completely turn you into ashes, or blacken you with his smoke and cover you with shame for a short pleasure. Gold is not dear to the noble, mixed with precious stones and striking the eyes with its shining shine, laid out in the form of a chain on the chest, aggravating and disfiguring the ears with a pearl burden or crowning the head. These golden clothes, these cunning works of thin threads: sometimes crimson, sometimes golden, sometimes transparent, sometimes shiny, are not for the noble ones. Ingredients that are not destructive to the cheeks, and lips that are not browned adorn a woman. Her beauty does not lie in wearing a black eyebrow over her painted eyewear, turning her moist pupils inward, attracting favorable ears with a soft voice, tying her arms and legs with golden, coveted and pleasing bonds for you, posing as something slavish, anointing her body and head with luxurious incense (crows flock to corpses 87), chewing something in her mouth, not eaten 88, keep your chin in constant motion and, as if out of contempt for the chaste, foam from your teeth and moistened lips. Do not admire the splendor of the seats, do not try to show yourself through skillfully made and see-through doors, looking out for those who are looking at you. Do not be proud of the multitude of servants or maidservants - these likenesses of your heart. The heralds of spring are swallows, the messengers of fruit are flowers, and from the maids we can infer the mistress. Think about all this. Although the indecency of one thing is not important, nevertheless, all together and one with the other is an undoubted destruction (2). One color is amiable in women - this is the kind blush of modesty. Our Painter paints it. If you want, I’ll give you another color; make your beauty pale, exhausting yourself with deeds for Christ, prayers, sighs, vigils day and night. Here are rubbings suitable for both unmarried and married people! And we will save the dyes for the walls and for such women, in whom rabies and excrement of young people produces. Let them jump and laugh shamelessly, but we are not even allowed to look at dissolute women. The best treasure for women is good morals, that is, to sit more at home, talk about God’s Word, engage in weaving and yarn (this is the duty of women), distribute work to maids and avoid conversations with them, wear bonds on their lips, eyes and cheeks, rarely cross the threshold of their home, seek entertainment only in the company of chaste women and in one of your husbands, for whom you, with God’s blessing, allowed a virgin belt. And set limits to your husband’s liberties, so as to assure him how far you keep yourself from other people’s men (2). If your life is completely free from bonds, live for Christ alone, renouncing everything, be a bright, wise, prudent virgin and have the Word as the pure bridegroom of your heart. And if you are overcome by love for that rib from which you are separated; then take care of this one dear rib, nourishing kind, noble, and not vicious love for it; Do not be familiar with other passions even in a dream. And you stand before the great God and will not hide if you mix something effeminate with something base. There are many witnesses to the fact that even with dirty clothes, indecent luxury is possible, but with luxurious clothes, decency is possible. Know that one scar is more important to you than the deepest wounds for peace lovers. Respect the beads. A drop is not as noticeable on soiled clothes as on clean, one-color clothes (2). Maenads (“mad ones”) are the companions of Dionysus in Greek mythology. Following him half-naked, they call upon him in mad delight and crush everything in their path. – Approx. ed. Pandora - in Greek mythology: the first woman created by Athena and Hephaestus. Zeus, angry that Prometheus stole fire from the gods for people, decided to take revenge on people and ordered the creation of a woman who, according to Zeus, was supposed to bring temptations and misfortunes to people. – Approx. ed. Danae - in Greek mythology: daughter of the Argive king Acrisius and Aganippa. – Approx. ed. This St. Gregory is probably hinting that it is appropriate to anoint only corpses with incense. This refers to the custom of dandies to chew wood or something else hard, so that, by constantly stimulating saliva in the mouth, they keep their lips fresh and prevent their lips from drying out. You might be interested in: