HOMILY XX.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 149 intimates, in saying, " as unto the Lord." So then do everything, as in obedience to the Lord, and as doing everything for His sake. This were enough to induce and to persuade us, and not to suffer that there should be any teasing and dissension. Let none be believed when slandering the husband to his wife ; no, nor let the husband believe anything at random against the wife, nor let the wife be without reason in quisitive about his goings out and his comings in. No, nor on any account let the husband ever render himself worthy of any suspicion whatever. For what, tell me, what if thou shalt devote thyself all the day to thy friends, and give the evening to thy wife, and not even thus be able to content her, and place her out of reach of suspicion ? Though thy wife complain, yet be not annoyed it is her love, not her folly they are the complaints of fervent attach ment, and burning affection, and fear. Yes, she is afraid lest any one have stolen her marriage bed, lest any one have injured her in that which is the summit of her blessings, lest any one have taken away from her him who is her head, lest any one have broken through her marriage chamber. There is also another ground of petty jealousy. Let neither claim too much service of the ser vants, neither the husband from the maid-ser vant, nor the wife from the man-servant. For these things also are enough to beget suspicion. For consider, I say, that righteous household I spoke of. Sarah herself bade the patriarch take Hagar. She herself directed it, no one com pelled her, nor did the husband J attempt it ; no, although he had dragged on so long a period childless, yet he chose never to become a father, rather than to grieve his wife. And yet even after all this, what said Sarah ? " The Lord judge between me and thee." (Gen. xvi. 5.) Now, I say, had he been any one else, would he not have been moved to anger? Would he not also have stretched forth his hand, saying as it were, "What meanest thou? I had no desire to have anything to do with the woman ; it was all thine own doing ; and dost thou turn again and accuse me ? " But no, he says nothing of the sort ; but what ? " Be hold, thy maid is in thy hand ; do to her that which is good in thine eyes." (Gen. xvi. 6.) He delivered up the partner of his bed, that he might not grieve Sarah. And yet surely is there nothing greater than this for producing affec tion. For if partaking of the same table pro duces unanimity even in robbers towards their foes, (and the Psalmist 2 saith, "Who didst eat 1 [The punctuation of Field: ovSe fn^Oev oai<ty>,_&c., is clearly not so good as that of the Oxford translator: ovSe frrijASei- o a.vr\p, &C.-G. A.] 2 [The Septuagint reads, os cn-l TO aurb eyAvKams efifff/uaTo, and sweet food at the same table with me ") ; muchmore will the becoming one flesh for such is the being the partner of the bed be effectual to draw us together. Yet did none of these things avail to overcome him ; but he delivered Hagar up to his wife, to show that nothing had been done by his own fault. Nay, and what is more, he sent her forth when with child. Who would not have pitied one that had conceived a child by himself? Yet was the just man unmoved, for he set before everything else the love he owed his wife. Let us then imitate him ourselves. Let no one reproach his neighbor with his poverty ; let no one be in love with money; and then all difficulties will be at an end. Neither let a wife say to her husband, " Un manly coward that thou art, full of sluggishness and dullness, and fast asleep ! here is such a one, a low man, and of low parentage, who runs his risks, and makes his voyages, and has made a good fortune ; and his wife wears her jewels, and goes out with her pair of milk-white mules ; 8 she rides about everywhere, she has troops of slaves, and a swarm of eunuchs, but thou hast cowered down and livest to no purpose." Let not a wife say these things, nor anything like them. For she is the body, not to dictate to the head, but to submit herself and obey. " But how," some one will say, "is she to endure pov erty? Where is she to look for consolation?" Let her select and put beside her those who are poorer still. Let her again consider how many noble and high-born maidens have not only re ceived nothing of their husbands, but have even given dowries to them, and have spent their all upon them. Let her reflect on the perils which arise from such riches, and she will cling to this quiet life. In short, if she is affectionately dis posed towards her husband, she will utter noth ing of the sort. No, she will rather choose to have him near her, though gaining nothing, than gaining ten thousand talents ofgold, accom panied with that care and anxiety which always arise to wives from those distant voyages. Neither, however, let the husband, when he hears these things, on the score of his having the supreme authority, betake himself to revilings and to blows ; but let him exhort, let him ad monish her, as being less perfect, let him per suade her with arguments. Let him never once lift his hand, far be this from a noble spirit, no, nor give expression to insults, or taunts, or revilings ; but let him regulate and direct her as being wanting in wisdom. Yet how shall this be this Chrysostom, not knowing Hebrew, follows. The Rev. Vcr. has We took sweet counsel together." G. A.] So Demosthenes says of Midias, <cai eis fivvnipia iV yvvaliea .yd, KO.V aAAooV iroi /SouArjTai, <jjri rov AevicoO evyov<; rov ec SIKVU- 05. Dem. in Mid. p. 565.