3. Having now made a sufficient defence on these
points, and shown how necessary it is for me to be the speaker, come,
let me proceed with my eulogy, rejecting all daintiness and elegance of
style (for she whom we are praising was unadorned and the absence of
ornament was to her, beauty), and yet performing, as a most
indispensable debt, all those funeral rites which are her due, and
further instructing everyone in a zealous imitation of the same virtue,
since it is my object in every word and action to promote the
perfection of those committed to my charge. The task of praising
the country and family of our departed one I leave to another, more
scrupulous in adhering to the rules of eulogy; nor will he lack many
fair topics, if he wish to deck her with external ornaments, as men
deck a splendid and beautiful form with gold and precious stones, and
the artistic devices of the craftsman; which, while they accentuate
ugliness by their contrast, can add no attractiveness to the beauty
which surpasses them. For my part, I will only conform to such
rules so far as to allude to our common parents, for it would not be
reverent to pass unnoticed the great blessing of having such parents
and teachers, and then speedily direct my attention to herself, without
further taxing the patience of those who are eager to learn what manner
of woman she was.